Denafrips Pontus

Geoff4rfc

Anyone familiar with this DAC? I've been considering a DAC for my set up for some time now and this one looks to have the compatibility to compliment my gear.

billbillw

Have you ever had an R2R DAC? Some people love them, some think they lack air. I like my Ares II which is the lower model in the line. The Pontus is pretty highly rated, but so is the Ares II and successive models (12th/Enyo, etc). Many enthusiasts have found no need to move to anything past the Ares II/Enyo line, which has had very slight improvements over the last 5 years, but is essentially the same guts.
I do believe someone here recently sold a Pontus, so there should be some experience in the group.
@indyhawg looks like the one who bought the Pontus from @phipiper10

Geoff4rfc

billbillw wrote: »

Have you ever had an R2R DAC?

No sir, never had any external DAC, this will be my first.

The DACs in my CDP and processor are already "decent" so I want to be very careful not to throw $$$ at my set up only to achieve a lateral move.

I'm liking what I'm hearing about the Pontus 15th and can appreciate the XLR connectivity.

I'll be pulling the trigger here in the next month on a center speaker upgrade however the DAC project is becoming more of a realization than a hope and a wish.

It's good to know there are Denafrip owners here

I do appreciate your input!!

billbillw

The Ares II/Enyo models also have balanced, and don't think that you must have the 15th model (Ares/Enyo or Pontus). The improvements between the II/12th/15th are all small changes despite what some reviews say. In fact, some prefer the pre-15th versions due to having a warmer overall sound.
Hopefully, if you do get a DAC, you also consider using a streamer to the DAC and getting some High Rez material in your collection either from downloads (HDTracks, etc), or Qobuz. That's where some really noticeable improvements can be heard.