I am very keen to audition some of these dacs being talked about and some others (mostly R2Rs) - Terminator/Venus/Pontus/Holo Spring/May/etc. I am traveling to Bangalore between 12-18th Nov'22. If anyone is willing to have me over to audition any of these or other good dacs that they have, please PM me. Cheers!
Why are people selling their Denafrips Ares 2 DACs
- Thread starter Amarendra
- Start date
bhooshaniyer
Active Member
I have a Denafrips Ares 2 dac paired with a preamp called Freya+ and a small amp called Aegir connected to a small speaker- Harbeth P3-ESR. They are not the most dynamic or big sound systems but in a small room its adequately resolving. I like how Ares 2 blends with my chain and how it sounds in terms of the hf trail and 3d positioning of specific instruments. I have been using it for a about 9 months now and i am sure will continue to use until it breaks or i get bored. I am not sure if that helps you or anyone. But for what it is worth, first hand feedback.
Ps: i am a novice and this is my 4th DAC. So not much to compare against.
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
Hi. Where did you get the Freya + from?
I see headphonezone is the authorised Indian reseller of schiit and they don’t list the freya+ on their website.
bhooshaniyer
Active Member
Hi Vignesh i got the Freya+ from USA as it was not available locally unfortunately with HPZ. Although i got my Aegir from HPZ locally one year back.
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
amrutmhatre90
Well-Known Member
Guess what happened,
I regret selling my Denafrips Ares II !!!
Few days back I sold the unit to a FM, the moment I used the inbuild Dac from Audiolab I noticed the spark and musicality is missing
I don't know weather I was accustomed and used to the sound of Ares II, but man it was so smooth and lovely with my current setup.
To compensate the loss, I am listening more vinyl records than before as it was slightly closer to analogue sound.
I regret selling my Denafrips Ares II !!!
Few days back I sold the unit to a FM, the moment I used the inbuild Dac from Audiolab I noticed the spark and musicality is missing
I don't know weather I was accustomed and used to the sound of Ares II, but man it was so smooth and lovely with my current setup.
To compensate the loss, I am listening more vinyl records than before as it was slightly closer to analogue sound.
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
It is the analogue sound
amrutmhatre90
Well-Known Member
It is the analogue sound
yup, it has a different charm to it. Having heard some old songs on both vinyls and streaming platforms, vinyls rule.
Ares is closer to that analogue sound than other DACs I heard. Hence I guess i am missing that sound and regretting the decision
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
Sorry for the completely off-topic post. Since you owned SMSL SU 9 can you please tell me how it sounds against analog-sounding Aries 2?yup, it has a different charm to it. Having heard some old songs on both vinyls and streaming platforms, vinyls rule.
Ares is closer to that analogue sound than other DACs I heard. Hence I guess i am missing that sound and regretting the decision
I have an SMSL D300 DAC. It sounds analog but soft. Wondering if su9 will be to my taste.
amrutmhatre90
Well-Known Member
In short and sweet lines, Su9 is punchy and dynamic. Not heard the D300 so no idea.
ajuvignesh
Well-Known Member
Got it. Thanks
Guess what happened,
I regret selling my Denafrips Ares II !!!
Few days back I sold the unit to a FM, the moment I used the inbuild Dac from Audiolab I noticed the spark and musicality is missing
I don't know weather I was accustomed and used to the sound of Ares II, but man it was so smooth and lovely with my current setup.
To compensate the loss, I am listening more vinyl records than before as it was slightly closer to analogue sound.
The best way to evaluate any equipment you own is by removing it from the chain and see if you miss the same. Long story short, when I had the Ares II, had lent the same to a friend of mine and could clearly feel the chain lacking in musicality and the vocals also sounded off without going into technicalities with the SU-8 I was using. Not a fair comparison at the price points but just from an evaluation POV that's how I got to know I preferred the signature of the Ares II ,
Mentioning the obvious disclaimer that similarly someone else might be more top end oriented and feel the reverse so not a one size fits all scenario
sachinchavan 15865
Well-Known Member
Putting together the subject of this thread (assuming there’s data to support it) and the replies by some users who love the said product, it only underlines an important, but oft forgotten factor while purchasing any equipment - know/understand it’s essential character i.e. what it exactly does to the music, know your own listening (audio) preference and then assess how well it’d fit into your system to provide you the same. Especially with products that become hot flavour of the season and the temptation to join the bandwagon is strong.
Nothing beats trying out a component in your own system and room. Unfortunately, we don’t have free trial period (except for some products on Amazon) here in India (even for a restocking fee) when it comes to hi-fi equipment. Hence, auditions, real user reviews and application of mind becomes necessary. For nothing is sadder than to feel dissatisfied with a major purchase and having to them put it up for sale. Except for some who seem to do that almost as a habit, it is something we prefer not to happen to ourselves.
Nothing beats trying out a component in your own system and room. Unfortunately, we don’t have free trial period (except for some products on Amazon) here in India (even for a restocking fee) when it comes to hi-fi equipment. Hence, auditions, real user reviews and application of mind becomes necessary. For nothing is sadder than to feel dissatisfied with a major purchase and having to them put it up for sale. Except for some who seem to do that almost as a habit, it is something we prefer not to happen to ourselves.
Turned out to be the wrong chalice it seems.
To quote the Grail Knight "he chose... Poorly"
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@Amarendra , yes can answer that. The Ares II sounds so good, a person has to ask gee what do the more expensive models sound like.
Like many others I bought the Ares II. Was so impressed with it right out of the box, ordered the Venus II, and later the Terminator II.
The big jump in SQ comes from the Ares II to the Venus II. A huge step up in performance. The jump from Venus II to Terminator II is much smaller. But the Ares is still a bargain value for the performance it offers for that sum of money.
Best.
kumar_saurav
New Member
Having owned lot of R2R DAC both OS and NOS I have realized it's an easy DAC to own for a long term and they do have some common traits
1. Mid bass elevated and hence thick vocals. Vocal is the bread and butter
2. Most will be softer as in transients will be rounder and bass won't hit hard. From What I have heard Rockna wavedream is an exception.
3. Wide soundstage but cheaper R2R may present wall of sound.
4. newer model like Sonnet Pasithea and Holo May don't have the thickness of say Metrum Onyx or Pavane and have more extension in treble. Old school R2R fan may not like it.
5. Schiit Multibit DAC have wonderful vocals but are sharp in treble.
If Jazz, soft rock, even classic rock are genre you are interested in then R2R DAC is to go for.
I haven't heard Ares2 but if you come from DS DAC or Chord DAC then you may get enamoured by these R2R DAC and once you own these lower model you always look to upgrade and hence these come up for sale often as these lower model just show you the way and muaicality that many might not have experienced before.
I remember when I had Chord Qutest, I was not listening to music a lot and hence that DAC stayed with me for some time but as soon as I got Schiit Gungnir I fell in love with music again and started investing money on tweaks and components and got invested in this rabbit hole called R2R. So if you see someone selling Ares2 it may be because they have just started playing around.
1. Mid bass elevated and hence thick vocals. Vocal is the bread and butter
2. Most will be softer as in transients will be rounder and bass won't hit hard. From What I have heard Rockna wavedream is an exception.
3. Wide soundstage but cheaper R2R may present wall of sound.
4. newer model like Sonnet Pasithea and Holo May don't have the thickness of say Metrum Onyx or Pavane and have more extension in treble. Old school R2R fan may not like it.
5. Schiit Multibit DAC have wonderful vocals but are sharp in treble.
If Jazz, soft rock, even classic rock are genre you are interested in then R2R DAC is to go for.
I haven't heard Ares2 but if you come from DS DAC or Chord DAC then you may get enamoured by these R2R DAC and once you own these lower model you always look to upgrade and hence these come up for sale often as these lower model just show you the way and muaicality that many might not have experienced before.
I remember when I had Chord Qutest, I was not listening to music a lot and hence that DAC stayed with me for some time but as soon as I got Schiit Gungnir I fell in love with music again and started investing money on tweaks and components and got invested in this rabbit hole called R2R. So if you see someone selling Ares2 it may be because they have just started playing around.
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Now the newer Ares II 12th anniversary has more power which reduces the gap to the Pontus II.
So yesterday I ordered the Denafrips Ares II 12th anniversary (more power, better firmware, and i2s input) which reviewers say sounds even more realistic than the original Denafrips Ares II. I'm looking forward to hearing the Denafrips (R2R technology) compared to Delta-sigma chip based from ESS Sabre (I have the Topping E50, Topping E70, Arcam AVR5 receiver that has the ESS Sabre 9026Pro).
I do NOT recommend my Denon X3700H with an unknown dac that is not dynamic and sounds terrible for 2-channels music.
I do NOT recommend my Emotiva BasX-A3 amplifier because it is not dynamic and sounds terrible for 2-channels music.
---------------
..I upgraded to Apple Music... and wow, just wow.
Apple Music with Spatial Audio (surround sound music via Dolby Atmos) is a night and day improvement.
Spotify 2-channels is like home theater in the 90s with 2 front speakers or DVDs, whereas Spatial Audio is like today's home theater with 13 speakers and Dolby Atmos/DTS:X and 4k physical disc movies. It's a night and day improvement.
I compared the song 'Senorita by shawn mendez and camila cabello' in Apple Spatial Audio versus 2-channels Spotify and it was a night and day improvement.
In my Corvette with Apple Carplay (and an aftermarket wireless Apple Carplay adapter from Amazon), Spotify now sounds so so so bad (sounds like a cassette as if there's a blanket over my speaker) versus Apple Music's clarity and dynamic range. I didn't know what I was missing!
The song with the most night and day difference is: Y Volvere by Lucero (female vocalist). In Spotify, there's a lot of crackling noises because Spotify can't capture the full wavelength, whereas there's no crackling in Apple Music and the notes are higher.
Digital does not have the vinyl's snap/crackle/pop, nor maintenance.
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
