Denafrips - any experience?

[Enkay78]

Well I came across denafrips the Singapore brand, from one of John Darko's video - denafrips terminator to be precise. Observing John's gussiness over this, I went to their website and checked their products.

I took notice of the DACs, pre amp and Poweramp. Then bang Steve Guttenberg started singing peaens about Ares.


So my interest got piqued....and now added Denafrips Hyperion power amp as potential for future buy. (And maybe later the DACS with a latter budget)



So here is the intent of this post : Dear FMs what do you think of Denafrips? Any experience of their Hyperion amps/ Hestia?

And R2R dac Pontus......looks quite convincing.


So chime in guys. Need your points and inputs.

 

[RRR]

FM fiftyfifty is using a Denafrips.
He may be able to advise you.

 

[Enkay78]

@Fiftyfifty


Any inputs?

 

[sandeepmohan]

I have not used Denafrips so cannot comment on them. They are in the air for their top notch DAC's. The approach to building them is very different from the usual DAC's you find. You won't find the usual chip level implementation as most DAC's use such as Texas, Sabre, Analog Devices, etc. They use some discrete resistor ladder approach in their design. They claim that this sort of implementation isn't usually superior to the chip based design you see in 99% of DAC's, however, their design has overcome the limitation of a typical resistor ladder design. If 6 moons are talking about them, that is some serious sound.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

@Enkay78
I use the Denafrips Terminator DAC and imho, it is absolutely fantastic in terms of design, build quality, versatility and sound quality. Some very respected reviewers like Steve Guttenberg and Srajan Eaben of 6moons.com have sung praises of the other denafrips products that you mention. I fully endorse their views. I would only add that the DAC can only sound as good as the weakest link in your system and therefore, one cannot expect a single component to perform miracles. If you are considering amps for now, I suggest you also look at the Kinki Studio range. The Kinki amps are more powerful and they have monoblocks too now. Both Denafrips and Kinki are marketed by Vinshine Audio in Singapore. Dealing with Alvin of Vinshine can be a lesson in marketing and after sales support to all of us.
Cheers!

 

[prem]

I think Denafrips has an Indian distributor now. It’s Digi Vision

 

[Fiftyfifty]

I think Denafrips has an Indian distributor now. It’s Digi Vision

Digi Vision is the importer who can help one overcome the hassles of importing. But the agency to deal with remains Vinshine

 

[Enkay78]

Thanks for the inputs, guys.

 

[square_wave]

They have made a mark with their dacs. The amplifiers are a recent addition ( unless I am wrong ). There is a review on six moons about their amplifier. They like it. In terms of sound they are apparently on the warm side and may tend to sound more like tube amps. "Tuning to sound like tube amps" and "high end design that sound warm because they are very neutral by design itself" are two different things. The latter tend to be expensive usually unless it is high end diy. With dacs I would suggest you stay with denafrips but for amps maybe kinkistudio is a better bet.

 

[DigiDude]

Hello All,
after hearing so much about the Denafrips Terminator, it has certainly peaked my interest. If a current owner could please share the cost involved including duties here in India.
Many thanks in advance.

 

[jls001]

Here's Fiftyfifty's thread on his Terminator and Kinki Studio amp.

It's a very good sounding combo. I was thoroughly impressed with what I heard. One striking feature of his setup was it doesn't lose resolution at low and moderate volumes. This trait is not common even on high end setups. This is usually a trait found in a chain with very low overall noise (of the room and the electronics).

 

[himadri]

Here's Fiftyfifty's thread on his Terminator and Kinki Studio amp.

It's a very good sounding combo. I was thoroughly impressed with what I heard. One striking feature of his setup was it doesn't lose resolution at low and moderate volumes. This trait is not common even on high end setups. This is usually a trait found in a chain with very low overall noise (of the room and the electronics).

I had the same impression when I heard the set up, especially with the esoteric as a transport.

 

[Doomster69]

Any denafrips importers in India? Can anyone confirm the price considering the 40% duty on the dac!

Thanks

 

[shyamv]

I tried contacting out to Sugumar at Digi Vision several times via email, whatsapp and phone but haven't been able to get a response yet. Looks like they aren't too keen to do business.

 

[Miany]

I tried contacting out to Sugumar at Digi Vision several times via email, whatsapp and phone but haven't been able to get a response yet. Looks like they aren't too keen to do business.

I got my Terminator through Mr.Sugumar. My experience so far has been good.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

I tried contacting out to Sugumar at Digi Vision several times via email, whatsapp and phone but haven't been able to get a response yet. Looks like they aren't too keen to do business.

Sugumar is generally very responsive. Travel restrictions could impact his ability to import soon, but it will be worth the wait.

Best wishes

 

[Doomster69]

Sugumar is generally very responsive. Travel restrictions could impact his ability to import soon, but it will be worth the wait.

Best wishes

Hi,
Reached out to Sugumar. Awaiting his revert.

Can you confirm a price range for the Denafrips Ares II you purchased.

Vinshine website price is SGD 1028 (Approx. 57K) inclusive of shipping. Read somewhere the customs duty + GST can be as high as 40% which makes the landed cost around INR 80k. Would this be a ballpark/ accurate estimate?

Thanks!

 

[panditji]

Anyone using their Gaia or Iris with a non Denafrips DAC? Wondering if they add any benefit by converting the USB input to a Coaxial/Digital/AES output to feed an external DAC..

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Hi,
Reached out to Sugumar. Awaiting his revert.

Can you confirm a price range for the Denafrips Ares II you purchased.

Vinshine website price is SGD 1028 (Approx. 57K) inclusive of shipping. Read somewhere the customs duty + GST can be as high as 40% which makes the landed cost around INR 80k. Would this be a ballpark/ accurate estimate?

Thanks!

Hey, I haven't imported the Areas and do not have any experience with it

 

[rsjaurr]

Anyone using their Gaia or Iris with a non Denafrips DAC? Wondering if they add any benefit by converting the USB input to a Coaxial/Digital/AES output to feed an external DAC..

If your DAC doesnt have good USB implementation then adding a DDC would be beneficial IMO. Thats the case in my setup and so I am also planning to add a DDC or do something else. I have already benefited from the addition of an entry-level DDC which is Gustard U12.