Denafrips PONTUS II DAC R2R Decoder Original Version - sounds amazing !
- Condition: Used
- Price: 1382.43 EUR
- Status: sold
- Item number: 226101750650
- Bids: 4
- Seller: searchingtom (1307|100.0%)
- Seller information: non commercial
- Item location: Neenah, Wisconsin
- Ships to: US
- Shipping: 49,0 EUR
- on EBAY
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Description
Very good to excellent Pontus 2 (II) in black with cord. Sounds great but I purchased a tube DAC and need the cash - so I am selling it a great price ! The Denafrips Pontus II DAC Review. HiFi Gold. By Steve Huff UPDATED 10/31/2021 I have just had some time with a HiFi audio piece that shocked, shook and startled me for what it cost in todays high end HiFi world. It also made me realize just how good DAC’s have become over just these last couple of years. It also showed me there is no need to spend more than this for a DAC unless of course you want to wring out that last 5-10% of performance from your audio system. This one is a stunner my friends. The Video Review This is a review for the Denafrips Pontus II DAC. A high end digital to audio converter that would be right at home in mid to high end systems. By the way…it would not be embarrassed in very high end systems either. Speaking of fine DAC’s, I recently reviewed the tube based Lampizator Amber 3 DAC and loved it for its smooth sound, musicality and natural warm leaning presentation. As of the start of this writing I still have the Amber 3 in my reference system but have been recently auditioning the Denafrips Pontus II DAC and I have been (really) enjoying the much different sound presentation it has been giving me over the Amber 3. I will talk about this sound I get from the Pontus II in this review but believe me when I say that this DAC has changed my belief system about what can be had from a DAC in the under $1700 US price point. During my several week evaluation I listened to this DAC with various speakers including Fleetwood Deville’s, Klipsch LaScala, Klipsch Heresy IV, Klipsch Forte IV, Dynaudio Heritage Specials and Wharefedale Diamond 225’s. The source is a Lumin U1 Mini along with Tidal. Qobuz and Spotify. I am using Pass Labs Amplification and Cardas Cabling. Since I am not a technical kind of guy You can read more technical info about this DAC HERE at the Denafrips website. I have also been comparing the Pontus II to one of my older favorite DAC’s, the $1700 Chord Qutest DAC. The Pontus II delivers quite a different sound signature over that wonderful little hunk of metal as well. The truth is that most all products in HiFi offer something different when you add it to a highly resolving system, even cables. But remember, different doesn’t always mean better and crazy high prices do not always mean better either. It all comes down to what your ears enjoy with music reproduction. Some like it hefty and mean while others like it detailed and lean. Some like the top end sparkly and sweet while others like midrange with meat. I’ll end the rhymes here but in the end we all have different tastes and in my experience a DAC can make a small change or a rather large one. This Pontus II DAC brought a huge change to my system. I will start with that. The Denafrips Pontus II From the Denafrips Website: “PONTUS is DENAFRIPS premium DAC. To achieve the highest possible sound quality within the cost constraint, PONTUS adopted many of the the technologies found in the TERMINATOR DAC. Yes, that’s right, PONTUS is designed around the similar architecture of the TERMINATOR DAC.” OH, and ?IT”S BUILT LIKE A TANK! The chassis is made of massive aluminum plates and securely fastened with internal brackets. It’s smooth and high end looking as there are no visible screws or bolts to be seen on the top or sides. The all-aluminum enclosure also helps with shielding and vibrations. Things the high end obsessed customers look for indeed. The Pontus II is a R2R Ladder DAC, so it does not sound like a traditional DAC that uses traditional chips. For example, like those from ESS or Sabre. This DAC is also different in sound from the FPGA Chord DACS. There are many fans of R2R Ladder DACs and one that is quite popular is the Schiit Audio YGGDRASIL that comes in at around $2200-$2400 US depending on your options. I have heard the OG YGGDRASIL and enjoyed it at the time but never did get around to a long term audition. At the time I wasn’t into the uber detail it was providing. I also heard a slight digital edge and grayness from that OG Schiit. Even so, that DAC has a huge fan base and is considered one of the best bang for the buck DACs around by many HiFi fans. Again, teh sound you get from any dac will depend on the system you insert it in. From the Denafrips website: “The PONTUS is true balanced, dual mono R-2R network arrays DAC. Each channel is equipped with independent high-speed FPGA to control the decoding by means of 4 sets of 0.01% R-2R network. This design has very small linear error, high decoding speed, low digital noise, not only to ensure that the audio signal is low distortion, but also to ensure a very low background music noise; allow listener to enjoy the true music with dark background. ?All digital input are FIFO buffered and reclocked by the on board FEMTO clocks. The excellent rejection of word-clock jitter makes DENAFRIPS DAC less reliance to the source equipment clock quality. PONTUS can transform your consumer grade computer, CDPlayer to high-end sound quality.”
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