Nice. If you get one I will be interested to hear how you find it, since even though I am happy with my DAC, Denafrips is high on my list of potential replacements someday. You could try to pair up a few different DACs with headphone amps, to make different systems with different aims, potentially in complementary pairs? I have a smooth DAC with a smooth headphone amp as a fun contrast against my not-smooth speaker system. Speaking of trade-offs, even though I like how strong the 7 volt, 27 ohm output of my DAC is, and it pairs well with my passive pre on my speaker system, that output clips the inputs of my headphone amps, so I can't use it with them, which is a sad tradeoff sometimes.
New Thesycon v5.57.0 Windows OS USB Driver is out: https://www.vinshineaudio.com/post/thesycon-v5-57-0-usb-driver-windows Change Log: https://www.thesycon.de/usbaudio/TUSBAudio_history.txt Out of curiosity, are there a lot of Windows users here?
Looks like we are getting new firmware for all models: https://www.vinshineaudio.com/post/...mail&cid=bb580806-671e-4c9e-8f9f-32fed8baeef9 You've got to open up the device to determine the make of your chip, send it to Denafrips, and they will send the firmware. Curious if this will change the NOS behavior of the Ares II.
To be clear, you need to send a photo of the chip, not the chip itself of course Presumably this will tackle the issues some people are having with the Ares2 because of buffer overrun.
Hey guys, Greetings! We will be rolling out the FPGA firmware update by stages. Ares II / Enyo will be the first, follows by Pontus II and so on. Notes: 1. The FPGA firmware update is for all DENAFRIPS DACs with the latest FPGA BGA chip. 2. It does not apply to the older DSP (Amanero, released in 2017-2019). If you have a DENAFRIPS DAC purchased after 2020, in general, it is upgradable. 3. The firmware update fixes some bugs, and enhance the sound quality for all digital inputs 4. The firmware update changes the NOS response to what Vinshine Audio believes it's NOS (Raw, Staircase Waveform output for 44.1kHz / 48kHz) Steps: 1. Identify the FPGA chip used in the DAC 2. Submit a FPGA Firmware Request via the webform found in the link below 3. Vinshine Audio shall provide a Firmware Update Tool (FUT) specifically made for the particular FPGA chip and DAC model 4. Use a Mac or Windows computer to update the firmware as detailed in the link below Readmore: https://www.vinshineaudio.com/post/denafrips-12th-fpga-firmware-update Many thanks, Alvin Chee www.vinshineaudio.com
I'm running a Pontus II. Has anyone noticed theirs get smoother after having owned it for a little while? Mine seems to be smoother more recently. As far as firmware update when it gets to Pontus II. Mine's not online, so I can't do it can I?
I didnt compare from brand new out of box to after a year or two specifically, I've always loved it from new. I did just leave on on perm and just streamed it 24/7. great capable and well made a machine that redefines my perception of chifi.
@E.Baba, totally agree about the smoothness. Kinda snuck up on me and actually forced me to change the power cable that I was using to one that was slightly more "open". Still in the middle of my experiment but so far so good. As far as the FPGA upgrade, YES!! Happy to see that Denafrips is standing by their customers. Not a brand fan boy as they are typically not fans of us, but if I do upgrade my DAC, first dibs will be within the Denafrips family.
Interesting. I use the power cable I got to upgrade from the one that came with the Ares II I had before I upgraded. Might look to see if I've got one with the right shaped plug to try. Just to check any difference. Might look around to
It's done by loading a driver on the computer and then connecting the computer to the dac by usb, that way the computer sees the dac, then a file (downloaded from Vinshine) is passed to the dac via the computer. That's the basic connectivity of it.
It’s interesting that we’ll have to open up the DAC and take a photo of the FPGA chip. Too bad they don’t have a record of that based on serial number although if I remember correctly older models of some or all of the DACs didn’t have a serial number.
I also have a Pontus II, I've been listening to cd's lately and thinking, wow, this sounds really good compared to my record playback system (which still sounds better). Seems like my cds are sounding better and better. I've had my Pontus for about 7 months.
Received my link with the updated firmware this morning (after sending off a pic yesterday afternoon). Will be updating once I get home later today. Curious to hear the change in NOS response Alvin mentioned above.
I did this yesterday and ready to install the software after receiving the email from Alvin. it’s very easy to open. Just the 7 screws. Note that the one on the back is a pan head.
Is this for all DACS with an FPGA chip or is this just to upgrade to the "12th" firmware? I've got a couple month old Ares 12th and not sure if this upgrade is necessary or not.
@deadlax97 I think the update is for all units manufactured after 2020 but that's a good question in regard to your Ares.
I went to the request site and it looks like the "12th" editions are in the drop down box but only the original Ares/Enyo seems to be available at this time, not the Ares 12th. Says pending update. So that answers it includes the 12th versions.
Yes thanks. As someone explained. It downloads to a computer and then I can USB cable it to the DAC. Not sure I'll ever know when the one for Pontus II is available or even if I really need it.