Denafrips Dacs

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by bever70, Nov 8, 2019.

  1. jfeldt

    jfeldt Forum Resident

    Location:
    SF, CA, USA
    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.
     
  2. alvin1118

    alvin1118 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
  3. JJerm80

    JJerm80 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
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  4. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Belgium
    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.
     
  5. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    It's not for models above Ares yet.
     
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  6. JJerm80

    JJerm80 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    Good catch on my quickly written post. Sending in the chip would be a bit much.
     
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  7. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Belgium
    No but they will follow.
     
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  8. alvin1118

    alvin1118 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Singapore
    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
     
  9. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    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?
     
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  10. inzite

    inzite Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    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.
     
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  11. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    Yeah, it's given me the best digital I've ever had and it's now smoother than my vinyl.
     
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  12. Juan Solo

    Juan Solo Forum Resident

    @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.
     
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  13. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    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
     
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  14. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    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.
     
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  15. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    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.
     
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  16. Dafox

    Dafox Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Colorado
    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.
     
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2023
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  17. JJerm80

    JJerm80 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    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.
     
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  18. Oliver Meyer

    Oliver Meyer In Audio Heaven Up Here

    Location:
    Virginia Beach
    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.
     
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  19. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    Thanks.
    I guess the only way to know about availability will be to come back here one day and ask.
     
  20. bever70

    bever70 Let No-one Live Rent Free in Your Head! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Belgium
    ?
    Don't you have a computer?
     
  21. deadlax97

    deadlax97 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    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.
     
  22. Oliver Meyer

    Oliver Meyer In Audio Heaven Up Here

    Location:
    Virginia Beach
    Just installed the update and it was a breeze. Simple directions and took only 10 minutes.
     
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  23. Juan Solo

    Juan Solo Forum Resident

    @deadlax97 I think the update is for all units manufactured after 2020 but that's a good question in regard to your Ares.
     
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  24. deadlax97

    deadlax97 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    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.
     
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  25. E.Baba

    E.Baba Forum Resident

    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.
     

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