No, the Ares II is a very quiet DAC. There is no need to resort to such tweaks. This sounds like a description of the Denafrips sound in “NOS” mode, especially when the sharp rolloff filter applied? Did you experiment with the different modes? This doesn’t at all align with my Ares II experience and I recently came off of A/Bing it with a Chord Qutest. The Ares sounds better in nearly every conceivable way. Same goes for the Ares VS the Topping D90, Marantz HD DAC 1 and Questyle CMA12. I can’t help but wonder if the Ares II is actually a more resolving DAC than the more expensive Denafrips models. This hypothesis based on the fact that it actually has a lower noise floor than the Terminator, as measured by Stereophile, yet it measures equally well in all the other parameters. Which makes sense because increasing the number and size of PS transformers usually results in higher noise. Very few manufacturers are talented at effective shielding of transformer flux. Then you have the fact that the upper end models are decoding the data with many more resistors. Though I’m no EE so can’t say for certain, I imagine that might result in higher distortion and thermal noise. My question is, how does one design a DAC that provides a subjective improvement over one that is already low noise, low distortion, low jitter and capable of 21 bit resolution? The only method I can figure is to go the other direction, by adding noise and/or low-order harmonics. Similar to tube amps, this can result in a subjectively smoother sound with a greater illusion of space. Add in the invariable expectation bias and placebo effect and the subjective improvement is all but guaranteed, at least until the next DAC comes along, or the owner reverts to their previous DAC, but how many on a manufacture's upgrade path actually bother to do that?… IME, above a certain threshold, distortion and noise nearly always blunt leading edges and transients to some extent. I suspect that’s at least somewhat responsible for the Denafrips experiences like you’ve described. Anyway, based on all the anecdotes I’ve read on these higher up Denafrips models, I have zero inclination to ditch my Ares anytime soon.
I agree with @Tony C. that a quality DAC should not need a re-clocker, and I was perfectly happy with my Pontus II using USB but found an inexpensive Iris and got it. I run USB from my computer into the Iris and use I2S to the Pontus II. I tried switching out (Pontus II with and without the Iris) and found the differences to be small but noticeable. Individual notes sounded a little clearer, and that was mostly it. Still the wide soundstage and very musical presentation that I like. My understanding is that the Iris adds an equivalent clock to the Venus, so I have what might be considered a half step to the Venus. Apropos to the I2S issues @terzinator is experiencing, I tried different I2S settings, too. One of the HDMI cables I got (which was more expensive and was supposed to be very good) seemed to switch placement of instruments—something very noticeable with early Blue Note recordings. I tried multiple settings and finally contacted Vinshine; they explained that some HDMI cables are inexplicably different from others. I got a cheap, short HDMI cable and things are now wonderful. I2S was intended to be an internal communication standard that gets a bit dodgy when connecting external components together. It is no surprise that is creates problems between components from different manufacturers. This is what I think many overlook when evaluating DACs: The components leading up to the DAC and the connections between them play a significant role in playback. I do not mean quality of the cables but rather the interface types. Optical, AES, coaxial, I2S, and USB each work differently between components. Discussion in DAC threads is usually about connection issues which becomes perceived audio quality problems. My own experience suggests that USB causes few issues. That might be worth considering. HTH.
The overwhelming consensus is that the Pontus is a significant step up from the Ares. . Also, I find that, instead of the slow Pontus has plenty of jump. A recent reviewer on YouTube reviewed the Pontus after evaluating it in three different systems and concluded it is totally neutral and highly resolving dac with all the qualities associated with ladder dacs. I believe this dac is one of the biggest bargains in the audio industry.
Hmmm….yeah…IDK, my doubts remain. Measurements may not be everything but it’s hard to ignore the fact the Ares performs a little better than the Terminator on the bench. IME one would most likely be better off investing the net difference into amplification. I see folks pairing these $2K DACs with $2K integrateds and the like, the latter of which aren’t really capable of extorting the potential improvement of the former. So much of perceived DAC performance is placebo IME but YMMV.
I don’t want my post on the Denafrips to be misconstrued; I think it is a fine dac. The Yggy just seemed to sound better to me, for the reasons I pointed out, which could be considered unique to my listening preferences. I’d look at what exactly you’re trying to change on the Qutest. If you’re enjoying the type of sound you get from the Qutest and are just looking for more of it, then I don’t think that the Pontus II is going to be a good fit. If you’re trying to change things up then it might work. I havent heard a Qutest for some time, but I think that these DACs are quite different sounding. A outboard DDC converter might be a good idea… I ordered and received an AES cable today which is meant to be the best input on the Iggy, so will see how that goes. I A/B’d the filters and did most of my listening in OS mode… honestly cannot recall which filter I settled on, but I didnt change it much after initially deciding on it. I can’t say I’m suprised that my experience with the Pontus II doesn’t align itself with the your experience of an Ares II…. Considering afterall that we are talking about two different listeners, listening to two different DACs, in two different systems. I can’t speak to your experience with the Ares II, but the fact that it is outperforming so many other DACs is no suprised given how lauded it has been. I don’t though, think that it outperforms the higher up Denafrips models in any area other than value. Even if it does measure better than the Terminator, by that logic your Topping D90 should be eclipsing all the gear you mentioned, right? If you’re thrilled with the Ares then then I think that is a great place to be… As for my system, I think it is quite resolving. I use the older Aurlic streamer into the DAC, then have an Audio Note OTO SE integrated. The speakers are from Coherent Audio (GR 12 monitors). Most people haven’t heard of them, but as a reference they replaced a pair of Harbeth C7-ES3 in my system and were a clear class above in every conceivable way.
I have owned both the AresII and PontusII at the same time, I think the Pontus is better in every way except the Ares is a touch warmer/fuller sounding which is a very important trait for me but the Pontus was so much better at everything else that I kept the Pontus.
I don’t doubt the GR12 are much better than the C7ES3s. I owned the latter for a short time and was sorely disappointed. The D90 was the best DAC I’ve owned next to the Ares. It was slightly more resolving but lacked the “layering” (almost certainly a distortion artifact) of the Ares. The D90 doesn’t really sound any different from the Qutest in level-matched comparison, which makes sense given their measured performance. But subjectively speaking, adding certain types of distortion to a system can go a long way in convincing our brains of an improvement. I have a nice Bel Canto tube preamp that I sometimes use in my system. It makes for some cool effects but I don’t kid myself that it’s better than my Topping Pre90, even despite it retailing for nearly 6X more. At the end of the day the Topping is more truthful.
What I love about the Qutest is the crisp attacking transients, I listen to a fair amount of electronic music and it does that really well. When I'm in the mood for something more analog sounding I listen to my records, it's nice to have the option for both IMO. I can see totally see the appeal of the NOS ladder DAC sound which is why I was considering the Pontus in the first place.
This sounds to me that you mainly used the Pontus II in NOS mode. I find it strange you initially ab'd the settings en eventually settled on one without even recalling which one it was. The difference in sound between OS fast en NOS in Ares2 is big (with NOS sounding exactly like you described it, missing the attack of notes etc.).
Just a shout out for the objectively subjective review. I recently have been thinking about the Yggdrasil Less is More and appreciate your comparisons.
This comparison between the Benchmark DAC3, Denafrips Pontus II and Schiit Yggdrasil might be of interest to some of you: Schiit vs. Benchmark vs. Denafrips | Darko.Audio
OG Yggy I want to see if Schiit is going to let the USB input do 384 kHz in NOS mode. So I can play with HQPlayer at 384 kHz. Then I'll get a Yggy.
Sorry, I mean to say I settled on the ‘filter(?)’ very quickly and that is what I A/B’d. I can’t remember which filter it was. I continually switched from NOS to OS depending on what I was listening to (NOS/OS was a button on the faceplate) but did most of my listening in OS mode because it sounded better on most things
I have a Pontus II integrated into my system to play CDs through. But since it has so many inputs, I’m thinking that maybe I should try connecting my Mac Air laptop that I have laying around as well as a drive that has a bunch of hi-res files on it. What would be the best way to connect the drive to the Mac and the Pontus to have a low-fuss music server situation going on? Please be specific as to which cables and any software i might need. I am a digital-music noob.
Check out Audirvana Studio (software), it has a free demo period. You'll be needing a decent USB cable (many different brands) to connect your Mac laptop to the Pontus.
Fantastic. Due to a massive reorg of my media, i have moving boxes piled 2 to 5 feet high within the triangle of the speakers and listening position and things still sound great. Can’t imagine what it’ll be like when i get that mess cleared out!
Well, the worst thing that could happen (but it is possible) is that it will sound worse with everything cleared out and you'll have to stack boxes again in between you and your speakers !
Haha, true, but then i’ll have a new system tweak i can start an audiophile accessory business around!
Sold my Gugnir for a Pontus II Like it better. All around better. Had them install two RCA inputs vs one BNC. Suited my Audiolab 6000 And Node. I dont remember having a source with a BNC out but every DAC seems to have them except for the Ares II which has two RCAS.
A BNC is a better connection and you can get cables made with that connector at one end -but with a regular rca jack you don't need to bother. I did the same thing and use coax1 for an Audiolab 6000CDT and coax 2 for a Node as well. Both sound great.
I've spent a month with the Ares II, many hours of listening and I also A/B'd with the DAC in my Oppo BDP-105 player ( Sabre ESS9018s ). All I can say is that to me it has very subtle differences , it's just a little more forgiving and softer sounding in the top end. Again, it is very subtle , I actually find the dac in my oppo quite neutral for a delta sigma dac. It's nice to have both, with modern electronic or hip hop I prefer the Sabre and with jazz or 80's recordings the Ares II is just right.
Just added an Iris in between my Lumin U1 mini streamer and Pontus 2 DAC. Lumin - USB - Iris - I2S - Pontus 2 There is a massive improvement. Much better Bass. Soundstage is further out into the room. Clearer. Holy crap. The improvement in sound is substantially greater than when I switched from a $500 Yamaha integrated to a $2500 one. Best $560 spent.
