Your “If that sounds good to you....” is most amusing. Yes, real audiophiles listen to equipment to ascertain through personal experience what sounds closer to sounds in real life (voice, instruments, etc). Specs help but are meaningless when it comes to the reproduction capability of a piece of audio equipment.
I guess "real audiophiles" also quote posts from 2019 to stir up arguments. You like R2R, I think it's crap. So what? Go to any professional recording studio run by anyone of repute and ask them if they are using R2R A/D or D/A converters today for any project of note. Then tell them they aren't "real audiophiles" or whatever else you think is appropriate. Be sure to let everyone know how you get along with that.
I'd like to get a Pontus. But I have macOS, and firmware is only updatable on PC. What problems may this cause? Does anyone else find this strange since so many of us have mac's?
You're welcome, and if you have further issues, Alvin is typically very responsive, so just shoot him and email.
This is a long thread so I’m sure some variation of this has been discussed: If I’m looking to only playback CDs, which DAC is the best bang for the buck? (EDIT: Just to clarify, I mean which Denafrips DAC.) I use an Audiolab 6000CDT into a Chord Qutest right now. Just thinking of trying something new instead of the Qutest.
Hey guys, The latest licensed Thesycon Driver (For Windows PC) v5.12.0 is available to download here: link. https://www.denafrips.com/support TUSBAudio - Thesycon USB Audio 2.0 Class Driver for Windows Revision History ----------------------------------------------------- V5.12.0 (May 18, 2021) ----------------------------------------------------- * New: MIDI pipe statistics in the Spy utility * New: several registry parameters for MIDI added * Fix: switch preferred ASIO buffer size with driver package containing MIDI only and audio devices * Chg: MIDI RX now uses USB flow control * Chg: improved ISO packet error check * Chg: scripts use Python 3.9.1 now * Chg: DCK needs Windows 10 now * Chg: documentation * Chg: one channel can be part of more than 4 sound devices now http://www.thesycon.de/usbaudio/TUSBAudio_history.txt
I did too, so much that I kept it a month and just couldn't stand it any longer –– ordered a Pontus II.
The Qutest is a very respectable DAC. You're gonna need to spend quite a bit to get a significant improvement (diminishing returns). Are you using the stock power supply? If yes, you might want to try getting a linear power supply for it before making a jump. Inexpensive but worthy upgrade IMO.
I’m using the Audiolab 6000 CDT as well, and I mostly do CDs. I set up a RPi4 with Moode, and I run my TV sound through my system via optical. In my opinion the Pontus II is a lot of bang for the buck. It really depends on what you are comfortable spending. I bought the Ares and liked it so much I decided to double down within a month. I wondered if it would be noticeably better or a barely discernible difference. It is noticeably better.
This may or may not help. SQ and bang-for-buck were to the fore when deciding on the Pontus II, This was the thought process... The Ares II was considered but there are too many reviews mentioning a degree of toppiness and my gut was it would not work for me. The Terminator Plus is, generally, getting great reviews but was/is way beyond budget. So, Pontus II or Venus II? Having trawled countless reviews, it was hard to see that the extra cost for the Venus II offered enough extra SQ to justify it over the Pontus II. Happy coincidence for me is that budget was already an issue so the Pontus II it was. Other views are available and YMMV...
Ask how many studios are using Topping gear. There actually are studios and mastering studios using MSB gear. That's R2R ladder stuff. It must measure horribly.
... but sound great... Fun fact combined with mind blowing revelation: listening to music is invariably more satisfying than listening to measurements.
Same process for me except the Ares II was loaned to me by a friend. I listened to the Ares II for about 4 months before deciding to order the Pontus II. The SQ of the Pontus II is a big step up from that of the Ares II. I also have a Qutest that was in my system for about 2 months before getting the Pontus. The Qutest sounds good from an "audiophile" perspective, BUT the nature of the sound feels a bit synthetic and artificial to me. The Pontus sounds both more natural and more detailed at the same time. You'll see the words "analog" frequently used to describe the Denafrips DACs. That description is very accurate in my experience and much closer to what vinyl sounds like to me than just about any other brand of DACs that I have heard.
I'll have you know, SIR, that my trumpet is the MOST accurate trumpet. I read it in a magazine or online forum, I think.
Lovin’ it. There’s weight and density in certain recordings/instruments that is enormously satisfying. The detail and separation is presented in a way that sounds natural and alive without being overly edgy or bright. In an earlier post I mentioned that I consider (as do many) the sound of the piano to be the real test. None are perfect, of course, but when it gives you that visceral feeling of being in the room… for me, that’s what separates the Pontus II. When I listen to Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major and it sounds more realistic, that’s when I know.
200% my thoughts as well. I recently played my legend of 1900 ost on my cd6006 going to pontus ii via a generic mogami coaxial for the first time after getting it and the difference compared to the internal dac of the cd6006 is night and day. The depth and width of the sound stage is superb and most of all the piano solos sounds absolutely convincing. The whole feeling went from not bad to wow thats nice.