I'm in the market for an analog sounding DAC for my Bluesound Node II. I've narrowed it down to the Ares II or Border Patrol. I have access locally to a BP and would try to score a Ares II on the used market. The Ares has two COAX inputs which is great for my CD and Bluesound. Has anyone heard or owned both of these? I know what they expectation is individually, but I'd really like input from members who have heard both. Thanks!
Check Steve Guttenberg’s review of the Ares II on YouTube. He briefly compares it to the Border Patrol. Hope others chime in. This is something I’d like to know too.
I have the Ares II and love it. You won’t be disappointed. My plan is to get a BP dac as well. A local dealer has one and also loves it. I started with the Ares as it does DSD where as the BP only does 24/96.
@Art K has the Border Patrol and loves it. Analog sounding. I would trust him before any online reviewers.
I have a Black Ice GlassFX tube DAC (the one that won the AZ club shootout) and the new Audio-GD R2r-R1... and I really want to try the BP SEi! Now that I have mostly retired my vinyl rig, the DAC has become the source!
I just sold 400 albums from my collection but still want to be able to listen to those albums in an analog like way
I have owned both and like both. As you will see in my profile, I preferred the Border Patrol. Beautiful analog sound without smoothing out the sound too much. Perfect for my needs. I only have one input on mine so I am using my Bluesound Node straight up and using the BP with my CD transport.
Im not sure there’s a massive advantage. There’s plenty of red book recordings that sound better than DSD. I have many a SACD title that Ive ripped to DSD which is why I wanted a DAC capable of playing those files. If you plan on streaming with Qobuz or Tidal it won’t matter which DAC you get. I guess the best solution is to try to hear both and make a call though I think the BP might be more to your liking.
I would be doing the opposite: the BP would go with my Node II and I'd use my CD player directly into my amp as I am doing right now. I wish the BP had two COAX inputs like the Ares II so I could use it for both of my digital units. But I just really want something that will make Qobuz sound not as digital as it dies thru the Node II I should say too that digital is maybe 20% of my listening. The 80% is vinyl
I roll the Brimar black plate in the Border Patrol. It has a little more gravitas than the Mullard gray plates that are variously supplied as NOS EZ80s- I had no experience with this tube and there seem to be far fewer options to roll.
The one advantage the Ares II has over the Border Patrol is the multiple inputs. At first I was looking at the Border Patrol but just could not get passed the single coaxial input or for a bunch more money...added USB input. I have no need for USB input but do need multiple digital inputs.
Agreed -- I want all the digital input options! My Audio-GD has the usual suspects but also has three analog outs, RCA, XLR, ACSS, the XLR I will switch with an adapter to plugin into my 2nd tube amp (6L6-based Cayin A-60T). It's is a very nice convenience! The Black Ice also has all the options plus wifi (which I never use) but I do really like being able to feed Qobuz into one DAC input and my SACD player into the other -- even Amazon Music via my TV over optical. Options are nice. -Chris
I would love to try both. If there were some way for me to get both,the BP would have to go in my secondary system which is streaming only,one source. (Node 2) My main system requires 2 digital inputs as I use my CD player as a transport,and a Node 2i.
I haven't heard the Ares II, but have owned a Terminator and currently own the Terminator Plus, which I think have a fairly similar presentation to the Ares II. I have heard the Border Patrol in my system, but this was shortly before I go the Terminator (early last year), so the direct comparison was with an Yggy A2. Compared to the Yggy, the Border Patrol had a much more laid-back presentation with a smoother mid-range/high-end. It was not as dynamic as the Yggy and did not have as powerful bass. It was a couple months before I got the Terminator, so my aural memory is probably not perfect, but I think the Terminator delivered a lot of the smoothness and a bit of the warmth of the BP, but still with a much more forward presentation. I would guess that the BP would be a bit more forgiving of poorer recordings, but I personally prefer the more forward presentation of the Denafrips DACs.
Very interesting- in the Audio Note tradition of non oversampling, no op amps and no digital filters and tubes- at a very reasonable cost! If I didn't have good embedded DACs I would give this one or the Stockholm V2 a try,
The sound. The Denafrips was very good and more detailed. The Border Patrol allowed me to be immersed in the music and not the detail. The Denafrips is a winner and I would have kept it for longer but it was also sensitive to any disturbance in the electrical. Bathroom fan turned on and it skipped. The Border Patrol, not at all. I would love to have the BP with 2 coax inputs but that ain't how he makes them so...
Well, I initially liked my Border Patrol for all the reasons enumerated. Then one day I realized I could not tell who one female singer was. Same thing with some other female singers. Knew the music and who should be singing but! Some hints but not really clear. Doris Day sounded like Doris Smith. Smooth yes. LP like yes. But Doris Smith wasn’t my bag. As soon as I removed the DAC and went straight CD Player into preamp, Doris Day was back as were the others. In this case I did not have the tube option in the circuit thinking it a bit overly rich. I’ll have go back to try that again at some point. Trust me, a real surprise.
