@@Tharbamar thanks! What a difference. Most reviewers including Vinshine Audio (who have been wonderful with me) recommend OS mode with slow roll off and even though it sounded good, once I tried the OS mode with the fast roll off, improvement galore, especially with imaging and the realism of the instruments . Thanks again and for your speedy reply 😊
Thomas also mentioned being careful with pairings on ares 2, he too said it can be a bit too tilted up in high frequency with certain gear. Well done on the review! Pegasus sounds like more my style 👍
I would find out which inputs the people calling it "bright" are using. On COAX and optical, in NOS mode, I do not find it anywhere near bright. Not dark, but certainly not bright.
Nice review, i really like your videos because it has a review and sound demos. I have doubt about Dacs, specially with the Ares 2 than seems pretty good... how bigger is the improve in audio of listening a expensive dac like Ares 2 compared with a SU-1 or E50 ? Is a huge diference ?
About 10% to 20% Improvement depending on the system, Ares 2 can give you a bit better body and texture of the music with deeper sound stage and more airy extended highs. Thanks
Denon PMA-2000r (and many other Denon amps) have a very low input sensitivity of 150 mV. A lot of modern components, i e DACs, has an output signal around 2 V. This difference will overload the input stage of the amp creating distortions. Only playing your amp at 8 or 9 o´clock is not optimal for the best sound. Ideally your amp should be played at 12 o´clock or past that. If you can´t lower the output signal strength of the source component I highly recommend a good quality input attenuator for the Denon amps like the Rothwell attenuators. It really made a positive difference to my Denon amp. Cheers.
I had this for 6 months but I found it muddy. I upgraded to a Holo Spring 3 KTE and I know the price is 3x but it was well worth it for the sound quality in NOS mode I get.
I have that one it sounds good for what it cost in my opinion I like it how they are using older technology not just a chip but in my listening I think it's musical but there might be some color to it I like my other dacs better
Thanks for comparing the Draco to the Ares2. Been comparing the two and now I can confirm Draco is warmer and which better suits my system and taste. Very helpful thanks.
Great review. I never thought about the potential bright side of the Ares II. Anyone have suggestions for a DAC where the speakers are Wharfedale evo 4.1? My amp is on the warm-ish side.
The Ares comes with two RCA digital coax inputs and that suits me. I have an Audiolab CDT 6000 transport that has an RCA output and I also directly stream from a Bluesound Node into my DAC via a Coax cable Many DACs come with one BNC and one RCA requiring an adapter which in my opinion degrades sound a bit or you must have a custom BNC/RCA cable. The Pontus II has BNC and RCA COAX inputs, so when I order mine I had them change the BNC for a RCA for my needs. I wish more DACs had two RCA inputs but that's just my preference. Seems like there are more pieces of equipment with RCA outs than BNC which I dont see often..
Again amazing video; Thank you. Can I ask you advice on the following? I'm looking for a good dac and streamer to go in my Home Theater setup. Listening music maybe 40% of the time. My setup is the following; Goldenear Triton 2+, Anthem AVM70 and Parasound Halo. I was thinking to use the Bluesound Node for the streamer... would you recommend the Gustard R26 or Denafrips? Any other recommendation for streamer and/or DAC are more than welcome. Thank you!
Got the ares 2 and musician Pegasus but both are not usable with my cd transport. Constant microskipping so I send both back. Even tried different cd transport. Read Steve Hoffman forum more people with that problem. Atleast you can sent it back with that issue Settled with the audio gd r7, which is better then both but also more expensive. I preferred the Pegasus over the ares.
Interesting! How is the Ares different from the Pegasus in sound? I am cross shopping these and I'm leaning towards the Pegasus, but have no possibility to actually listen to them before buying...
@@filipviljamaasvensson for me I liked the Pegasus much better. It's just a better dac. Too bad it isn't compatible with cd transport I would love to keep it. But I'm happy with my audio gd r7 now.
Playing it in NOS (Sharp Filter) mode is exactly how the first hi-fi CD players reproduced sound and made digital sound win over the world. Wow. This is truly a blast to the past.
This is a very good DAC. My friend owns two of them. The first time I heard his, a few years ago now, it was the first DAC I had ever heard that really set itself apart. After that, I went out and bought a Denafrips Venus. When we finally compared them, I could barely tell any difference. The Venus had a problem with introducing a delay to the sound. It was enough to throw off lip-sync when watching video. I ended up selling my Venus and buying an Audio-gd R1 instead. I am very happy with my R1. My friend visited again over the weekend and I got to compare Ares and R1 side by side. They sound very similar and I am happy to report that Ares does NOT have any delay, like the Venus. I compared them using my Audio-gd Master 19 and headphones. The R1 maybe had a hair better clarity and transparency, but that could be due in part to hooking up via ACSS. The R1 is also slightly more expensive and bigger. Either one is an easy recommendation for me.
I recently "upgraded" my Ares II with a Bluesound NODE N130 connected using an iFi Mercury3.0 and iPurifier3 and a Pangea Audio AC14 XL (not MK II) power cable. The improvement in sound quality has been nothing short of stunning. Best $1,000 spent (bought most of them used) and completed removed any itch I had to upgrade to the Pontus II.
@@swize82 No delay that I can tell. When I had Venus and R1 both hooked up to my Master 19, I could hear an echo when I switched from R1 to Venus and a skip when I switched back. Ares and R1 are of equal speed. R1 seems to make more of a difference depending on the sampling mode. Default is 8x over sampling. I used that for a while before playing around. When I finally tried NOS, it sounded a lot more spacious and effortless, but a little fuzzy around the edges. 8x felt kind of forced by comparison, afterwards. I settled on 2x for a long time, but recently went back to NOS and prefer it now. It could be me, could be long term break in, could be cable upgrades. I got Invictus ACSS cables and a Cardas Clear for my LCD-4. I recommend this setup very highly. I've owned and sold more expensive solid state gear and Audio-gd is flat out better. I also own an Audiovalve Solaris tube amp. I got a screeming deal on mine which is why I have it.. But it retails for $6k new! It is different, but not really better or worse. It stomped everything I owned when I brought it home, but Master 19 is on the same level and they simply do different things for different music. I listen to the Master 19 most of the time now as a result. No worrying about tube life or 100w of waste heat. If you have R1 and Master 19 and are curious about tubes, just set the R1 to NOS. You won't be missing much. Tried out my friend's new Schiit Folkvangr over the weekend too. It performs very close to Solaris, especially with sensitive phones. But it doesn't have nearly the power. I've been into headphones for 20 years now. With R1, Master 19 and LCD-4, I have decided that my system is finally finished. Side note, we had an LCD-5 on hand too. Between the four of us, no one liked it! The raw resolution and vocal clarity are certainly nice. I had to give my brain a while to adjust and then I started to understand them... Until I hear an electric guitar and it sounds like a sizzling egg in a frying pan... Or Till Lindemann hasn't gone through puberty yet. They sound like a tiny, transistor radio compared to LCD-4, which puts you right on stage at a live concert.
@@zackw4941 sounds like a great setup. My local audio shop has a whole catalogue of Audio-gd products. Will demo and see how it goes. Thanks for the write up, appreciate it.
This from the Ares ii user manual says a ton “The architecture uses the most primitive R-2R DAC technology”. Most companies would claim latest state of the art technology. Instead they claim “most primitive” technology. That is sort of what we all want. Minimal interference and manipulation of the input signal.
With the right gear, it can sound incredibly vinylish. I went with the Denafrips Ares II, Iris DDC/Node, Denafrips Hades pre and Thallo amp with the KLH Model 5's, two SVS SB3000 subs bringing up the rear. I have no need for a turntable, this system, if you like an old school "primitive" sound of the 60's and 70's, this is it. I can now listen for many hours without digital ear fatigue. I also repurposed my Oppo BDP-83 and a digital breakout box to strip out the digital signal to send to the Ares II. That Grace Mahya recording, Last Live at DUB Tokyo sounds like I am in the room. Get that hybrid SACD if you have a player, it is simply a rocking the house SACD.
For a smoother more sophisticated presentation try the COAX SPDIF. This is my preferred connection with this DAC. Also try with the Ifi SPDIF Purifier 2 for a WOW you wont believe.
Shout out to the Grace Mahya recording, Last Live at DUG Tokyo, it is one kick ass hybrid SACD! If you like jazz and rock, get this CD, the band is just incredible, and it was produced extremely well, instrument separation, etc. Just an incredible Live recording from Grace. I think I will put it on right now, it is already in the tray, listening to it the other day... ;-)
I got both at my home. Pegasus is better. Ended up returning both, they got microskipping problem with Cambridge cxc, also tried audiolab cdt6000 same problem. Ended up buying audio gd r7. Better then both, more expensive also. But no problems.
@@dynodin81 The pegasus had/has an issue where if you fast forward/click through a song/track it can distort the sound for a few seconds. If you don't click/skip through a certain part of a track or song it's usually fine. That is the only issue I had with the Pegasus. And that issue did not happen the majority of the time.
@@dynodin81 it sounds like the cd is skipping. But it is the dac. Just Google micro skipping ares ii. Not much info about the Pegasus but mind had the same issue. It happens every cd and every song on it multiple times. Makes it unlistenable
Great review which does align with my own experience. Paired up with of three different amps and three speakers, I never made it work. Still holding onto my old Rega DAC, which I prefer by miles.. Luckily it made someone else very happy :-)
The downstream gear you own will make or break the Ares II. I have a bunch of gear laying around here, the sound can be painful or incredibly enjoyable. My experience is that going full Class A takes me back to the 60's and 70's sound I was looking for.
@@michaelwright1602 Thanks for your perspective Michael 👍 Apparently the upstream gear can influence the signature a lot too. I only had USB from Allo USBridge Signature, but wish I would have given it a decent coax source. Outside of this I gave the Area II breakin time, up time, 3 different power cables, 3 different interconnects, with/without power conditioner, 4 different A/B amps and 3 different speakers and of course combinations of over sampling mode and filters. Not trying to say I wrangled all relevant parameters or tried the right component matches, but at some point you just decided to move on 😊
@@thepickyaudiophile I wound up going full Denafrips, the Hades and Thallo amps with the KLH Model 5 speakers. I also have their Iris DDC with the new Node. I also repurposed my Oppo BDP-83 as a SACD/CD transport using a digital breakout box to send the native DSD signal via a digital coax cable direct to the Ares II. There is also two SVS SB3000 subs in the mix. I have a variety of gear, SVS Ultra bookshelf speakers, Schiit Freya and Freya S, XTZ Edge A2-400 Class D amplifier, Emotiva XPA2 amp, Cambridge Audio. Nothing really fancy, but decent stuff. I played with all of this stuff in groupings with the speakers, DAC, and the Denafrips pieces. My issue is with that gear is the digital signature and ear fatigue. The Denafrips grouping I own, with the Model 5's does it for me, the sound is very analog and simply a pleasing experience for hours of listening. No ear or listening fatigue. The British Audiophile did a good review, as did Jay on his channel. I found both of their reviews to be my experience with this Denafrips system. And Jay was using the Model 5's when he did that review.
Denafrips is as sharp as a katana. I've heard this composition many times here, but new sounds are audible now with this DAC. Would you like to try to lower a quality factor of the port on JBL? They are like an elephant trumpeting and dancing on a drum. Try to put some wool inside the port.
I've got to be honest with you, I listened to this recording as well as the Pontus II recording back-to-back so many times, I really prefer the Ares II. I cannot hear what the Pontus II is doing more. In fact, I find the Ares II sounding much more airy with fantastic separation. May be is partially because the volume level was higher with the Ares II when you recorded it. Having said that, I have since been told afterwards that many people have said the Pontus II and the Ares II are way too close and you will not hear much difference until you go up to the Venus II. I don't know whether that is true or not, but overall I was just shocked that the Ares II being a R2R DAC could sound this extended in the high frequency, arguably even more so than the SMSL chip DACs. The closest is the SMSL DO200 MKII which is my preferred DAC out of all SMSL offerings round about that price point. But, the Ares II is better with better separation giving a cleaner sound. I know Denafrips have come out with a new Ares called the Ares 12th which is supposed to be better and renamed the old Ares II as Enyo. My question is does the Ares 12th really sound better than the Enyo or is it safer for me to just go for the Enyo? My system consists of the Denon DCD-1600NE (SACD/CD Hybrid Player), Roksan Blak (Integrated Amp) and Dynaudio Evoke 50 (Speakers). Or do you think I should just try the SMSL DO200 MKII first perhaps?
Please don’t conclude your decision based on online sound samples because it can sound entirely different in your room and also my room is perfectly treated with whisper walls. If you want to play loud Delta Sigma DAC are better, affordable R2R DACs are not enjoyable in loud volumes for me, they are only good up to 85-90db range otherwise too noisy.
@@Tharbamar Thanks, may be I will try the DO200 MK II first and see how that goes. I think as far as DACs go, the chances are you will have to get a few before you can narrow down to a certain sound style you like.
I do not have experience with exact same model but based on previous experience with their speakers they are a bit on lean side of neutral, I would try with warm side of neutral sounding DAC personally but can’t go wrong with transparent DAC if you really like the sound signature of the speakers.
Hi Tharbamar. Love your channel. 👍 I noticed that you have absorption pucks/pads/feet under your components. Which do you recommend under the Pontus 15th?
Great to see this review. I have the Ares 2 and PMA2000IVR myself, and agree with your assessment of this DAC. I am curious though - how did you use XLR output to Denon PMA? XLR to RCA converter? Thanks.
Isolation feet are intended for suprassing mechanical vibrations for audio gear that contains moving parts such as a turntable or a CD player (the latter is less sensitive due to embedded error correction). Why would you waste money on these for amps and DACs that have no moving parts? Electrons are not affected by vibrations...
Everything with power supply vibrate even though we can’t notice, that is why big companies like Denon, Sony, Yamaha etc., design their amplifier chassis to control it, add on vibration components are cheap insurance. It’s a choice.
I got a very clear improvement when I isolated my Node. I don't know how it works, but it did. I used moongel and a cutting board so the upgrade was very cheap and insanely good bang for the buck.
@@filipviljamaasvensson some people claim to hear non existing difference in power cords. Our brain is a very complicated and tricky. If no difference can be measured by the most accurate and sensitive equipment, then no difference exists. Also, there is no scientific sense to this. I have the Node N130 and I tried moving it to different locations including putting it on the floor while it's playing music, and no one in the room could tell any difference. Try a blind test and see if you could tell if the feet are used at least 3 our of 5 times...
@@youtubiers theoretically speaking, crystall oscillators may be affected by mechanical vibrations, but the effect is far less significant than those caused by thermal fluctuations or aging... Try to shake ny DAC while in use and see if you could hear any different... BTW, no human can hear jitter distortion either...
The high output impedance of Ares II (625 ohms) is due to the fact that it does not have an output stage. The analogue signal is taken directly from the R2R circuity with a simple low pass filter. Without an active output stage (usually it involves Opamp or discrete components), one can pair Ares II with a tube preamp if one prefers using tubes over solid state for the signal source. That's a reason why I acquired Ares II and so far I'm quite pleased.
I have had this DAC for a year now, and I am still totally smitten. The textures are so good. The separation and musicality are impressive. I do not find it to be bright, nor tilted up, in fact I find the opposite. I think it actually improves the modern-day, DDD, music made entirely in computers by removing all the glare and digital sheen. Beck's "Hyperspace" album sounds way better and a lot less "processed", through this DAC. Perhaps inputs sound different. Using coax and optical, in NOS mode, is definitely NOT bright in my experience. And nothing is missing. It has full detail without brightness.
I have seen a few mention that the denafrips is not bright. And seen a few pairens it with b&w speakers. I thinking of buying it for Hegel h190 with b&w 702 s2 i have seen a few mention that the denafrips sounds smoother than the ingegrated dac inside Hegel h190
Nice review I love mine but can u also review the denafrips Pontus II? I want something warmer too but wondering if the Pontus would have move fullness over the ares
They need to rename (Bookshelf Speakers) no one has speakers on a bookshelf. Plus those speakers wouldn't even fit on a bookshelf. Lol .... Maybe 🤔 stand Speakers?? I don't know I'll leave it up to you to make this corporate decision and come up with a name.
Hi Tharbama bro. I enjoy many of your reviews on speakers and amplifiers. It’s hard to find any proper reviews on CD players Will u review CD players too. Players like Cyrus CDi, Roksan Caspian M2 CD player, Cyrus CDi XR, Esoteric players etc.
I 100% agree with your assessment. I have the Aries II paired with my Denon PMA-100 and Magnepan LRS's and the combination is quite amazing. Had the same setup with LS50 Meta's, B&W 705 S2' and those were also great but a tad too bright for my ears on some recordings. But the Aries II + a neutral and warm amp is a combo that's extremely hard to beat for under 5 grand.
Also, the same setup with Revel m106's was quite spectacular and not bright or fatiguing at all. I just find for the price point, you cannot beat the LRS. I've tried over 20 pairs under 3 grand and ended up going back to them every time.
Hey friend! I also have an ares ii and love it so much, but in my mind i have the idea of a even deeper feeling of 3D sound. I know the LRS have that kind of magic too, but wonder if somebody like you have the curiosity of trying for example the Pontus II, thanks and greetings from Mexico!
Best dynamic loudspeaker new for £5000 UK pounds, is the active ATC SCM20ASL. It Will outperform your passive book shelf speakers and amplification. The JBL CLASSIC L 100 is an overpriced cheaply built box, with cheap drivers, and a poor passive crossover. The musician audio loudspeakers are a poor two way speaker too. For one they are a poor ported design, which ported designs never sound good in any two way speaker. They also use cheap drivers and cheap passive crossover. The denon amplifiers are not neutral, and neither do they provide high detail resolution and transparency. The dac does not have high detail resolution, transparency, or neutrality either. For a 3 way loudspeaker, the 3 way active ATC SCM ASL are unbeatable by any passive loudspeakers and amplification high above their respective prices. You need to think again about what constitutes as high resolution detailed transparent sound quality verses price. There are too many audio products on the market today that are expensive with very poor value with poor sound quality. I suspect all the money you have spent on all your system components, you could have bought some top preforming active ATC SCM ASL loudspeakers.
@Ian john Horwood, That’s what you think you know I’ve had extensive experience with ATC and some PMC speakers, in my honest opinion they are some of the most overpriced under performance for the money but for the same or less money there is better choices, it may be you favorite but don’t think others were inferior.
Denafreps was the 'wow' dac a few years ago. You mentioned something that the Denafreps can be a little bright in some combinations. I spoke to a guy recently, who said the same thing, and pulled the Aries II out of his system, after replacing it with the new Geshelli J2 AKM dac. He used a linear power supply with the Geshelli, and he was sold; that surprised me. I don't know his system, so I'll ask you this... Have you ever compared the Denafreps in the chain with Solid State, then done the same with tube amps? Love your cables! Making some W3104's this weekend.
I tried the Ares II with my Schiit Freya, and Freya S, I did not care for the sound, too digital. My system right now, Denafrips Iris DDC/Node, Ares II, Hades pre and their Thallo amplifier, powering the KLH Model 5's. Two SVS SB3000 subs in the mix too. The sound is very analog, no digital signature at all, everything sounds like vinyl to my ear, which is the sound I was after. The solid state Freya and their gain just sting my ears. But, I could see where folks would like that sound, just not for me. I find the same with Delta Sigma DACs, painful to listen to for any long periods. I also have the XTZ A2-400, same issues, too digital or tinny sounding.
When you tested, we’re you in NOS or Over Sampling and if you were in over sampling I’m wondering if you were in slow or fast roll off?
I prefer OS mode/fast roll off.
@@Tharbamar Thanks 😊
@@Tharbamar thanks! What a difference. Most reviewers including Vinshine Audio (who have been wonderful with me) recommend OS mode with slow roll off and even though it sounded good, once I tried the OS mode with the fast roll off, improvement galore, especially with imaging and the realism of the instruments . Thanks again and for your speedy reply 😊
Thomas also mentioned being careful with pairings on ares 2, he too said it can be a bit too tilted up in high frequency with certain gear. Well done on the review! Pegasus sounds like more my style 👍
Very interesting, thank you for this video! Not many others have brought up the potential brightness issue.
I would find out which inputs the people calling it "bright" are using. On COAX and optical, in NOS mode, I do not find it anywhere near bright. Not dark, but certainly not bright.
Ares II VS Gustard R26?
Fabulous review sir!
Nice review, i really like your videos because it has a review and sound demos. I have doubt about Dacs, specially with the Ares 2 than seems pretty good... how bigger is the improve in audio of listening a expensive dac like Ares 2 compared with a SU-1 or E50 ? Is a huge diference ?
About 10% to 20% Improvement depending on the system, Ares 2 can give you a bit better body and texture of the music with deeper sound stage and more airy extended highs. Thanks
Denon PMA-2000r (and many other Denon amps) have a very low input sensitivity of 150 mV. A lot of modern components, i e DACs, has an output signal around 2 V. This difference will overload the input stage of the amp creating distortions. Only playing your amp at 8 or 9 o´clock is not optimal for the best sound. Ideally your amp should be played at 12 o´clock or past that. If you can´t lower the output signal strength of the source component I highly recommend a good quality input attenuator for the Denon amps like the Rothwell attenuators. It really made a positive difference to my Denon amp. Cheers.
I tested between PMA-2010AE and PMA-1600NE ... couldn't believe the difference. PMA-1600NE sounds like it's defective ... such a huge difference.
Nice review. Thanks.
I had this for 6 months but I found it muddy. I upgraded to a Holo Spring 3 KTE and I know the price is 3x but it was well worth it for the sound quality in NOS mode I get.
I have that one it sounds good for what it cost in my opinion I like it how they are using older technology not just a chip but in my listening I think it's musical but there might be some color to it I like my other dacs better
Well done sir.
Thanks for comparing the Draco to the Ares2. Been comparing the two and now I can confirm Draco is warmer and which better suits my system and taste. Very helpful thanks.
It's odd a lot of other reviews write about the slightly warmer side of the ares 2... what is it, neutral or warmer lush sound??
Depends on paring comments.
Great review. I never thought about the potential bright side of the Ares II. Anyone have suggestions for a DAC where the speakers are Wharfedale evo 4.1? My amp is on the warm-ish side.
The Ares comes with two RCA digital coax inputs and that suits me. I have an Audiolab CDT 6000 transport that has an RCA output and I also directly stream from a Bluesound Node into my DAC via a Coax cable Many DACs come with one BNC and one RCA requiring an adapter which in my opinion degrades sound a bit or you must have a custom BNC/RCA cable. The Pontus II has BNC and RCA COAX inputs, so when I order mine I had them change the BNC for a RCA for my needs. I wish more DACs had two RCA inputs but that's just my preference. Seems like there are more pieces of equipment with RCA outs than BNC which I dont see often..
How big of an upgrade would Ares 2 be over D300? Thanks
Leagues better. I have both now and they are incomparable.
@@Enemji looking to sell D300?
I Tryed ares ii and pontus ii i still prefer my Old mytek brookyle dac
Again amazing video; Thank you. Can I ask you advice on the following? I'm looking for a good dac and streamer to go in my Home Theater setup. Listening music maybe 40% of the time. My setup is the following; Goldenear Triton 2+, Anthem AVM70 and Parasound Halo. I was thinking to use the Bluesound Node for the streamer... would you recommend the Gustard R26 or Denafrips? Any other recommendation for streamer and/or DAC are more than welcome. Thank you!
Got the ares 2 and musician Pegasus but both are not usable with my cd transport. Constant microskipping so I send both back. Even tried different cd transport. Read Steve Hoffman forum more people with that problem. Atleast you can sent it back with that issue Settled with the audio gd r7, which is better then both but also more expensive. I preferred the Pegasus over the ares.
Interesting! How is the Ares different from the Pegasus in sound? I am cross shopping these and I'm leaning towards the Pegasus, but have no possibility to actually listen to them before buying...
@@filipviljamaasvensson for me I liked the Pegasus much better. It's just a better dac. Too bad it isn't compatible with cd transport I would love to keep it. But I'm happy with my audio gd r7 now.
@@Biefstukje Thanks for getting back me, much appreciated! And nice to hear you've found a DAC you like and works with your system
Playing it in NOS (Sharp Filter) mode is exactly how the first hi-fi CD players reproduced sound and made digital sound win over the world. Wow. This is truly a blast to the past.
This is a very good DAC. My friend owns two of them. The first time I heard his, a few years ago now, it was the first DAC I had ever heard that really set itself apart. After that, I went out and bought a Denafrips Venus. When we finally compared them, I could barely tell any difference. The Venus had a problem with introducing a delay to the sound. It was enough to throw off lip-sync when watching video. I ended up selling my Venus and buying an Audio-gd R1 instead. I am very happy with my R1. My friend visited again over the weekend and I got to compare Ares and R1 side by side. They sound very similar and I am happy to report that Ares does NOT have any delay, like the Venus. I compared them using my Audio-gd Master 19 and headphones. The R1 maybe had a hair better clarity and transparency, but that could be due in part to hooking up via ACSS. The R1 is also slightly more expensive and bigger. Either one is an easy recommendation for me.
this made my morning
I recently "upgraded" my Ares II with a Bluesound NODE N130 connected using an iFi Mercury3.0 and iPurifier3 and a Pangea Audio AC14 XL (not MK II) power cable. The improvement in sound quality has been nothing short of stunning. Best $1,000 spent (bought most of them used) and completed removed any itch I had to upgrade to the Pontus II.
I assume the R1 doesn't introduce any delay when playing video ? . Really interested in getting this with the Master 19 as my desktop setup .
@@swize82 No delay that I can tell. When I had Venus and R1 both hooked up to my Master 19, I could hear an echo when I switched from R1 to Venus and a skip when I switched back. Ares and R1 are of equal speed.
R1 seems to make more of a difference depending on the sampling mode. Default is 8x over sampling. I used that for a while before playing around. When I finally tried NOS, it sounded a lot more spacious and effortless, but a little fuzzy around the edges. 8x felt kind of forced by comparison, afterwards. I settled on 2x for a long time, but recently went back to NOS and prefer it now. It could be me, could be long term break in, could be cable upgrades. I got Invictus ACSS cables and a Cardas Clear for my LCD-4.
I recommend this setup very highly. I've owned and sold more expensive solid state gear and Audio-gd is flat out better. I also own an Audiovalve Solaris tube amp. I got a screeming deal on mine which is why I have it.. But it retails for $6k new! It is different, but not really better or worse. It stomped everything I owned when I brought it home, but Master 19 is on the same level and they simply do different things for different music. I listen to the Master 19 most of the time now as a result. No worrying about tube life or 100w of waste heat. If you have R1 and Master 19 and are curious about tubes, just set the R1 to NOS. You won't be missing much. Tried out my friend's new Schiit Folkvangr over the weekend too. It performs very close to Solaris, especially with sensitive phones. But it doesn't have nearly the power.
I've been into headphones for 20 years now. With R1, Master 19 and LCD-4, I have decided that my system is finally finished.
Side note, we had an LCD-5 on hand too. Between the four of us, no one liked it! The raw resolution and vocal clarity are certainly nice. I had to give my brain a while to adjust and then I started to understand them... Until I hear an electric guitar and it sounds like a sizzling egg in a frying pan... Or Till Lindemann hasn't gone through puberty yet. They sound like a tiny, transistor radio compared to LCD-4, which puts you right on stage at a live concert.
@@zackw4941 sounds like a great setup. My local audio shop has a whole catalogue of Audio-gd products. Will demo and see how it goes. Thanks for the write up, appreciate it.
hello friend i want no smsl d300 do200 ans su9n with have a good sound quality please give me the rivew🙏🏻tkbro
This from the Ares ii user manual says a ton “The architecture uses the most primitive R-2R DAC technology”. Most companies would claim latest state of the art technology. Instead they claim “most primitive” technology. That is sort of what we all want. Minimal interference and manipulation of the input signal.
With the right gear, it can sound incredibly vinylish. I went with the Denafrips Ares II, Iris DDC/Node, Denafrips Hades pre and Thallo amp with the KLH Model 5's, two SVS SB3000 subs bringing up the rear. I have no need for a turntable, this system, if you like an old school "primitive" sound of the 60's and 70's, this is it. I can now listen for many hours without digital ear fatigue. I also repurposed my Oppo BDP-83 and a digital breakout box to strip out the digital signal to send to the Ares II. That Grace Mahya recording, Last Live at DUB Tokyo sounds like I am in the room. Get that hybrid SACD if you have a player, it is simply a rocking the house SACD.
Money decides everything.If they buy old stuff, then it means they need to produce it and advertise that it "sounds cool".
Beautiful sound demo thank you
For a smoother more sophisticated presentation try the COAX SPDIF. This is my preferred connection with this DAC. Also try with the Ifi SPDIF Purifier 2 for a WOW you wont believe.
that is what i like about you Tharbamar,you take time to explain things, thanks a lot.
Why would you change your amplifier not dac
Shout out to the Grace Mahya recording, Last Live at DUG Tokyo, it is one kick ass hybrid SACD! If you like jazz and rock, get this CD, the band is just incredible, and it was produced extremely well, instrument separation, etc. Just an incredible Live recording from Grace. I think I will put it on right now, it is already in the tray, listening to it the other day... ;-)
it is indeed
Now do you feel the Pegasus offers superior sound quality over the Aries II? Better transparency and 3D soundstage?
Pegasus is better in every way.
I got both at my home. Pegasus is better. Ended up returning both, they got microskipping problem with Cambridge cxc, also tried audiolab cdt6000 same problem. Ended up buying audio gd r7. Better then both, more expensive also. But no problems.
@@Biefstukje can you please explain what microskipping is? I have the audio lab and was looking to pair it up with the ares.
@@dynodin81 The pegasus had/has an issue where if you fast forward/click through a song/track it can distort the sound for a few seconds. If you don't click/skip through a certain part of a track or song it's usually fine. That is the only issue I had with the Pegasus. And that issue did not happen the majority of the time.
@@dynodin81 it sounds like the cd is skipping. But it is the dac. Just Google micro skipping ares ii. Not much info about the Pegasus but mind had the same issue. It happens every cd and every song on it multiple times. Makes it unlistenable
Man I’m jealous of that Denon.
Those knight speakers … wow.
Great review which does align with my own experience. Paired up with of three different amps and three speakers, I never made it work. Still holding onto my old Rega DAC, which I prefer by miles.. Luckily it made someone else very happy :-)
The downstream gear you own will make or break the Ares II. I have a bunch of gear laying around here, the sound can be painful or incredibly enjoyable. My experience is that going full Class A takes me back to the 60's and 70's sound I was looking for.
@@michaelwright1602 Thanks for your perspective Michael 👍 Apparently the upstream gear can influence the signature a lot too. I only had USB from Allo USBridge Signature, but wish I would have given it a decent coax source. Outside of this I gave the Area II breakin time, up time, 3 different power cables, 3 different interconnects, with/without power conditioner, 4 different A/B amps and 3 different speakers and of course combinations of over sampling mode and filters. Not trying to say I wrangled all relevant parameters or tried the right component matches, but at some point you just decided to move on 😊
@@michaelwright1602 Would you mind mentioning which amp and speakers did you end up using (and do you have examples of bad pairings)? 🙂
@@thepickyaudiophile I wound up going full Denafrips, the Hades and Thallo amps with the KLH Model 5 speakers. I also have their Iris DDC with the new Node. I also repurposed my Oppo BDP-83 as a SACD/CD transport using a digital breakout box to send the native DSD signal via a digital coax cable direct to the Ares II. There is also two SVS SB3000 subs in the mix.
I have a variety of gear, SVS Ultra bookshelf speakers, Schiit Freya and Freya S, XTZ Edge A2-400 Class D amplifier, Emotiva XPA2 amp, Cambridge Audio. Nothing really fancy, but decent stuff. I played with all of this stuff in groupings with the speakers, DAC, and the Denafrips pieces.
My issue is with that gear is the digital signature and ear fatigue. The Denafrips grouping I own, with the Model 5's does it for me, the sound is very analog and simply a pleasing experience for hours of listening. No ear or listening fatigue. The British Audiophile did a good review, as did Jay on his channel. I found both of their reviews to be my experience with this Denafrips system. And Jay was using the Model 5's when he did that review.
Denafrips is as sharp as a katana. I've heard this composition many times here, but new sounds are audible now with this DAC.
Would you like to try to lower a quality factor of the port on JBL? They are like an elephant trumpeting and dancing on a drum. Try to put some wool inside the port.
Denafrips isn't Japanese though ...
I've got to be honest with you, I listened to this recording as well as the Pontus II recording back-to-back so many times, I really prefer the Ares II. I cannot hear what the Pontus II is doing more. In fact, I find the Ares II sounding much more airy with fantastic separation. May be is partially because the volume level was higher with the Ares II when you recorded it. Having said that, I have since been told afterwards that many people have said the Pontus II and the Ares II are way too close and you will not hear much difference until you go up to the Venus II. I don't know whether that is true or not, but overall I was just shocked that the Ares II being a R2R DAC could sound this extended in the high frequency, arguably even more so than the SMSL chip DACs. The closest is the SMSL DO200 MKII which is my preferred DAC out of all SMSL offerings round about that price point. But, the Ares II is better with better separation giving a cleaner sound. I know Denafrips have come out with a new Ares called the Ares 12th which is supposed to be better and renamed the old Ares II as Enyo. My question is does the Ares 12th really sound better than the Enyo or is it safer for me to just go for the Enyo? My system consists of the Denon DCD-1600NE (SACD/CD Hybrid Player), Roksan Blak (Integrated Amp) and Dynaudio Evoke 50 (Speakers). Or do you think I should just try the SMSL DO200 MKII first perhaps?
Please don’t conclude your decision based on online sound samples because it can sound entirely different in your room and also my room is perfectly treated with whisper walls.
If you want to play loud Delta Sigma DAC are better, affordable R2R DACs are not enjoyable in loud volumes for me, they are only good up to 85-90db range otherwise too noisy.
@@Tharbamar Thanks, may be I will try the DO200 MK II first and see how that goes. I think as far as DACs go, the chances are you will have to get a few before you can narrow down to a certain sound style you like.
How would this fair against the Pegasus? You mentioned the Draco but not the Pegasus.
Pegasus is a bit more refined in sound quality.
Hi, did you let it burn in for the recommended time of 200 hours before review? and my Ares II does not make any noise when changing from DSD to PCM
Yes it has more than 500 hours.
Please! Buchardt S400 MKII(U$2.000) VS Musician Knight 1.
Buchardt don’t want to send me a sample.
What dac type would people recommen for a pair of Triangle Megallan Duetto V2????
I do not have experience with exact same model but based on previous experience with their speakers they are a bit on lean side of neutral, I would try with warm side of neutral sounding DAC personally but can’t go wrong with transparent DAC if you really like the sound signature of the speakers.
Hi Tharbamar. Love your channel. 👍
I noticed that you have absorption pucks/pads/feet under your components. Which do you recommend under the Pontus 15th?
I should have links in description area, for Pontus I use Maglev footers, thanks
@@Tharbamar Great thanks.
Great to see this review. I have the Ares 2 and PMA2000IVR myself, and agree with your assessment of this DAC. I am curious though - how did you use XLR output to Denon PMA? XLR to RCA converter? Thanks.
PMA-SX11 has XLR inputs, I use RCA cable with Ares II and 2000IVR, thanks
why is the DAC on spikes? it isnt affected by vibration being solid state?
Isolation feet are intended for suprassing mechanical vibrations for audio gear that contains moving parts such as a turntable or a CD player (the latter is less sensitive due to embedded error correction). Why would you waste money on these for amps and DACs that have no moving parts? Electrons are not affected by vibrations...
Everything with power supply vibrate even though we can’t notice, that is why big companies like Denon, Sony, Yamaha etc., design their amplifier chassis to control it, add on vibration components are cheap insurance.
It’s a choice.
Crystals inside dacs are in fact mechanical components. They are indeed affected by vibrations from outside.
I got a very clear improvement when I isolated my Node. I don't know how it works, but it did. I used moongel and a cutting board so the upgrade was very cheap and insanely good bang for the buck.
@@filipviljamaasvensson
some people claim to hear non existing difference in power cords. Our brain is a very complicated and tricky. If no difference can be measured by the most accurate and sensitive equipment, then no difference exists. Also, there is no scientific sense to this. I have the Node N130 and I tried moving it to different locations including putting it on the floor while it's playing music, and no one in the room could tell any difference. Try a blind test and see if you could tell if the feet are used at least 3 our of 5 times...
@@youtubiers
theoretically speaking, crystall oscillators may be affected by mechanical vibrations, but the effect is far less significant than those caused by thermal fluctuations or aging... Try to shake ny DAC while in use and see if you could hear any different... BTW, no human can hear jitter distortion either...
VS. SMSL D300?
I owned SMSL d300 and upgraded to Aries 2 everything is better only price is twice, but happy with the upgrade.
Sir, what version of this "Kiss of life" ?
Please see the video description.
@@Tharbamar I don't see
Hollow sound.
The high output impedance of Ares II (625 ohms) is due to the fact that it does not have an output stage. The analogue signal is taken directly from the R2R circuity with a simple low pass filter. Without an active output stage (usually it involves Opamp or discrete components), one can pair Ares II with a tube preamp if one prefers using tubes over solid state for the signal source. That's a reason why I acquired Ares II and so far I'm quite pleased.
Sounds better than Gustard R26 NOS off.
I have had this DAC for a year now, and I am still totally smitten. The textures are so good. The separation and musicality are impressive. I do not find it to be bright, nor tilted up, in fact I find the opposite. I think it actually improves the modern-day, DDD, music made entirely in computers by removing all the glare and digital sheen. Beck's "Hyperspace" album sounds way better and a lot less "processed", through this DAC. Perhaps inputs sound different. Using coax and optical, in NOS mode, is definitely NOT bright in my experience. And nothing is missing. It has full detail without brightness.
Hi Tharbamar, what is the difference between Ares ii, or the 12th version, which is more musical and natural?... Greetings from Mexico.
I have seen a few mention that the denafrips is not bright. And seen a few pairens it with b&w speakers. I thinking of buying it for Hegel h190 with b&w 702 s2 i have seen a few mention that the denafrips sounds smoother than the ingegrated dac inside Hegel h190
Nice review I love mine but can u also review the denafrips Pontus II? I want something warmer too but wondering if the Pontus would have move fullness over the ares
They need to rename (Bookshelf Speakers) no one has speakers on a bookshelf. Plus those speakers wouldn't even fit on a bookshelf. Lol .... Maybe 🤔 stand Speakers?? I don't know I'll leave it up to you to make this corporate decision and come up with a name.
I’ve seen them referred to as stand mounters in multiple places.
@@quitegenius Your right, we call them Standmount or Bookshelf in the UK
Hi Tharbama bro.
I enjoy many of your reviews on speakers and amplifiers.
It’s hard to find any proper reviews on CD players
Will u review CD players too.
Players like Cyrus CDi, Roksan Caspian M2 CD player, Cyrus CDi XR, Esoteric players etc.
Hi I will do if they send me samples, thanks
@@Tharbamar
It’s a good start. Fingers crossed.
Thank u.
I 100% agree with your assessment. I have the Aries II paired with my Denon PMA-100 and Magnepan LRS's and the combination is quite amazing. Had the same setup with LS50 Meta's, B&W 705 S2' and those were also great but a tad too bright for my ears on some recordings. But the Aries II + a neutral and warm amp is a combo that's extremely hard to beat for under 5 grand.
Also, the same setup with Revel m106's was quite spectacular and not bright or fatiguing at all. I just find for the price point, you cannot beat the LRS. I've tried over 20 pairs under 3 grand and ended up going back to them every time.
Hey friend! I also have an ares ii and love it so much, but in my mind i have the idea of a even deeper feeling of 3D sound. I know the LRS have that kind of magic too, but wonder if somebody like you have the curiosity of trying for example the Pontus II, thanks and greetings from Mexico!
Best dynamic loudspeaker new for £5000 UK pounds, is the active ATC SCM20ASL. It Will outperform your passive book shelf speakers and amplification. The JBL CLASSIC L 100 is an overpriced cheaply built box, with cheap drivers, and a poor passive crossover. The musician audio loudspeakers are a poor two way speaker too. For one they are a poor ported design, which ported designs never sound good in any two way speaker. They also use cheap drivers and cheap passive crossover. The denon amplifiers are not neutral, and neither do they provide high detail resolution and transparency. The dac does not have high detail resolution, transparency, or neutrality either. For a 3 way loudspeaker, the 3 way active ATC SCM ASL are unbeatable by any passive loudspeakers and amplification high above their respective prices. You need to think again about what constitutes as high resolution detailed transparent sound quality verses price. There are too many audio products on the market today that are expensive with very poor value with poor sound quality. I suspect all the money you have spent on all your system components, you could have bought some top preforming active ATC SCM ASL loudspeakers.
@Ian john Horwood, That’s what you think you know I’ve had extensive experience with ATC and some PMC speakers, in my honest opinion they are some of the most overpriced under performance for the money but for the same or less money there is better choices, it may be you favorite but don’t think others were inferior.
Too bright with neutral amps? Why not use tone controls to knock off the edge?
musician pegasus is better...
Also costs more
Is not 😉
@@seanb3303 It is
Denafreps was the 'wow' dac a few years ago. You mentioned something that the Denafreps can be a little bright in some combinations. I spoke to a guy recently, who said the same thing, and pulled the Aries II out of his system, after replacing it with the new Geshelli J2 AKM dac. He used a linear power supply with the Geshelli, and he was sold; that surprised me. I don't know his system, so I'll ask you this... Have you ever compared the Denafreps in the chain with Solid State, then done the same with tube amps? Love your cables! Making some W3104's this weekend.
I tried the Ares II with my Schiit Freya, and Freya S, I did not care for the sound, too digital. My system right now, Denafrips Iris DDC/Node, Ares II, Hades pre and their Thallo amplifier, powering the KLH Model 5's. Two SVS SB3000 subs in the mix too. The sound is very analog, no digital signature at all, everything sounds like vinyl to my ear, which is the sound I was after. The solid state Freya and their gain just sting my ears. But, I could see where folks would like that sound, just not for me. I find the same with Delta Sigma DACs, painful to listen to for any long periods. I also have the XTZ A2-400, same issues, too digital or tinny sounding.
The music is Grace Mahya.
Respect the artists you listen to, please.
Everything is properly listed in the video and description.