Denafrips Pontus
Geoff4rfc
Posts: 2,831
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.
Set up:
Marantz AV8802A - Sources: BRP Panasonic 9000/CDP Emotiva ERC 3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-6, XPA-2 x 2 - Speakers: Focal/PolkAudio, Mains/2ch - Kanta No2, C - LSiM706, SS - LSiM702, WS - RTiA9, RS - RTiA9, FH - RTiA3 - Subs: Epik Empires x 2
Cables: AQ McKenzie XLR's from CDP to AVP to amp for 2ch, Emotiva XLR's for the rest - Douglasconnection: Furutech Alpha 36 12g speaker wire for 2ch, Furez 10g speaker wire for the rest - AQ Forest48 HDMI for the display, AQ Carbon48 HDMI from BRP to AVP - VR3 filtered power cables for CDP, BRP and AVP, Emotiva power cables for the amps - AudioQuest 505 power conditioner.
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman
Marantz AV8802A - Sources: BRP Panasonic 9000/CDP Emotiva ERC 3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-6, XPA-2 x 2 - Speakers: Focal/PolkAudio, Mains/2ch - Kanta No2, C - LSiM706, SS - LSiM702, WS - RTiA9, RS - RTiA9, FH - RTiA3 - Subs: Epik Empires x 2
Cables: AQ McKenzie XLR's from CDP to AVP to amp for 2ch, Emotiva XLR's for the rest - Douglasconnection: Furutech Alpha 36 12g speaker wire for 2ch, Furez 10g speaker wire for the rest - AQ Forest48 HDMI for the display, AQ Carbon48 HDMI from BRP to AVP - VR3 filtered power cables for CDP, BRP and AVP, Emotiva power cables for the amps - AudioQuest 505 power conditioner.
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman
Comments
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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 -
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!!
Set up:
Marantz AV8802A - Sources: BRP Panasonic 9000/CDP Emotiva ERC 3 - Display: LG OLED EVO 83 C3 - Amplification: Emotiva XPA-DR3, XPA-6, XPA-2 x 2 - Speakers: Focal/PolkAudio, Mains/2ch - Kanta No2, C - LSiM706, SS - LSiM702, WS - RTiA9, RS - RTiA9, FH - RTiA3 - Subs: Epik Empires x 2
Cables: AQ McKenzie XLR's from CDP to AVP to amp for 2ch, Emotiva XLR's for the rest - Douglasconnection: Furutech Alpha 36 12g speaker wire for 2ch, Furez 10g speaker wire for the rest - AQ Forest48 HDMI for the display, AQ Carbon48 HDMI from BRP to AVP - VR3 filtered power cables for CDP, BRP and AVP, Emotiva power cables for the amps - AudioQuest 505 power conditioner.
EXPERIENCE: next to nothing, but I sure enjoy audio and video MY OPINION OF THIS HOBBY: I may not be a smart man, but I know what quicksand is.
When I was young, I was Superman but now that old age has gotten the best of me I'm only Batman -
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.
