Thanks Tom...... When the time comes I will be happy to report my findings on the Topping D90. Of course it WON'T be on this Thread......... But WILL be here....Topping D90 - Best measuring DAC, $699
Thanks for this! At last a shoot out between the Ares and D90 . I must say he is saying exactly what I would think the differences are. Also with regards to preamp capabilities of DAC's in general. I also tried a few and they all failed in that compartment, I prefer a good seperate preamp over a built in dac-preamp. Even the humble Schiit Saga preamp laughed at the built in dac-preamps I tried.
I just ordered an Ares II, my first outboard DAC in about 12 years. I'll be using my Cambridge Audio 651C as a transport -- is it recommended to use optical or coaxial for the connection? (Sorry if this has already been addressed in the thread, it's a long one and a search of the terms wasnt useful.)
Nice! Let us know if you like it (or not) ! I thought coaxial is preferred by most. I only have my Tv going into one of the optical inputs.
I just ordered a foot of Belden coax from Blue Jeans. Should do the trick. Thanks, all, for the advice!
Hi guys, Thanks for the kind supports! It's an exciting month with FIVE(5!) new products launched. Check it out here: PRODUCT LAUNCH CDT · PRE/POWER AMP I am a believer of Studio Grade cable like MOGAMI, Sommercable, Belden, Gotham etc. They are inexpensive yet high performance. You may consider this SPDIF: Sommer cable Shop | S/pdif 75 ω SC-Vector 0.8/3.7, 1 | RCA / RCA, HICON | purchase online Many thanks. Cheers, Alvin www.vinshineaudio.com
The CDT has my interest! Very good that you went for a top loader, I hate slotloaders and flimsy tray loaders. How does the slot loading mechanism works? Looking at the photos you just slide it back manually to open ?
I have no idea if it's actually manual, but I was assuming it was. The overall layout and design principles look quite similar to the Jay's Audio CDT2. But the Denafrips looks like it might also be half the price.
The AVATAR is a killer, period. It's priced crazily low for its quality. It's simply amazing. It is manual top-loading, CDM4/19 laser module, and a hell lot of digital output. Its features-packed with upsampling and connect to an external Master Clock (freq 22.5792Mhz / 45.1584Mhz). The CDM4/19 laser is easily replaceable. Guys will Allen key and Philips screwdriver can do the job in minutes. If you still spin a disc often, do consider! Cheers, Alvin
Hello guys, Like to share the users' impression of DENAFRIPS DAC. https://www.denafrips.com/news I am extremely happy and encouraged to read these positive impressions. This is simply the best encouragement and drive for me to continue what i am doing and i will do better! Thank you for your support! Alvin Chee www.vinshineaudio.com
I got a shipping notice for my Ares 2. Delivery estimate is Monday, but I'd be surprised if it actually arrived then as it's coming from China. Probably sometime next week, though. Now if I could only decide on a streamer to pair it with...
FedEx is optimistic of the delivery date but 99% of the time it's inaccurate. Not until the package arrived in your country. For streamer, you may consider https://www.vinshineaudio.com/product-page/soundaware-d280
Hi I wanted to give you all an update on the issues I had with my Ares II unit that really gave me a headache but fortunately it had a happy ending. After several tests, several firmware upgrades and many many hours listening to music without really enjoying it Alvin was convinced that the unit was faulty and there was nothing more to do but to replace it. Maybe some of you can understand the feeling of paying attention to imperfections in the sound, trying to identify that pop, crack or anything that should not be there. It almost becomes an obsession that prevents you to really enjoy the music and I hated the Ares II for that. But Alvin true to his word honored the warranty and sent me a replacement unit. Something I appreciate and thank Alvin because he even sent the new Ares before even receiving the faulty unit. And this deserves to be mentioned because I sent the unit using local postal service during the pandemic and because of that the unit is stuck in customs with no information on when it will arrive. Alvin sent the new Ares II just with a picture of the receipt I sent so after a couple of weeks I already had my new DAC with me. I've been testing it and putting hours of listening and at this moment I have not found any issue, finally I can enjoy again the pleasure of listening to the music, not the equipment. I'm no audiophile I simply enjoy my music trough competitive electronics and I'm very satisfied with my current setup: Ares II DAC, McIntosh 252 integrated amp, KEF R3 speakers, Allo digione streamer. Definitively Ares II has a lot of stage and sound is better than my previous DAC, I even like more the combination with TIDAL than with my Onkyo cd player. I'm no audiophile I repeat so I have no way to describe how it sounds I can just say that I'm now satisfied with the product.
Good to hear this update from you and that your issue was dealt with in a proper way! Kudos to Alvin and Denafrips and enjoy the Ares !
The cost will be refunded by Alvin as he promised but at this moment the issue is the item is stuck due to covid19 at airport.
That depends on what you're listening for in a DAC. I find the RME DACs to sound fine but the music has no sense of "there". There is no "there" there. I value having a sense of "there" in the music. If a DAC doesn't deliver that then it is not a DAC for me. I'm also not that fond of other AKM based DACs that I've heard. They sound fine, but don't have the "there" and imaging and musical involvement I'm after. I also haven't been able to hear any current version Denafrips DAC. I don't know if any of the Denafrips have that sense of "there" that I want either. Eventually I'll get to hear one and find out.
