Denafrips ARES II USB R2R DAC Review

[Architectorus]

Reading last few pages got a question. If SMSL for 400, Ares for 1100 are transparent enough and further improvements are beyond human listening capabilities... Than why to buy more expensive Aquarius? And even 3k - 4k dollars DACs? Just why?

 

[Frank Dernie]

Reading last few pages got a question. If SMSL for 400, Ares for 1100 are transparent enough and further improvements are beyond human listening capabilities... Than why to buy more expensive Aquarius? And even 3k - 4k dollars DACs? Just why?

Susceptibility to well targeted marketing?

 

[Jimster480]

Reading last few pages got a question. If SMSL for 400, Ares for 1100 are transparent enough and further improvements are beyond human listening capabilities... Than why to buy more expensive Aquarius? And even 3k - 4k dollars DACs? Just why?

It is just marketing. People want to believe that there is something there which they have not experienced. That is basically it.
A long time ago these kinds of expensive devices actually gave you something for your money, because manufacturing wasn't as precise as it is now and good designs that actually were able to faithfully reproduce music were complex like these niche products.
However today you can get literally fully transparent performance from a dongle that costs under $100, or arguably even under $10 for some cases.
We have just solved "sound" as a problem with modern day semiconductors.

 

[BDWoody]

Reading last few pages got a question. If SMSL for 400, Ares for 1100 are transparent enough and further improvements are beyond human listening capabilities... Than why to buy more expensive Aquarius? And even 3k - 4k dollars DACs? Just why?

People like good stories. They don't have to be true.

 

[Bob from Florida]

Reading last few pages got a question. If SMSL for 400, Ares for 1100 are transparent enough and further improvements are beyond human listening capabilities... Than why to buy more expensive Aquarius? And even 3k - 4k dollars DACs? Just why?

Could be the old "expenditures rise to equal income" routine.

 

[Killingbeans]

Reading last few pages got a question. If SMSL for 400, Ares for 1100 are transparent enough and further improvements are beyond human listening capabilities... Than why to buy more expensive Aquarius? And even 3k - 4k dollars DACs? Just why?

One part of the audiophile mythos is the idea that there's no limit to human listening capabilities whatsoever. All tests showing limits are ignored on the basis of claims about the test procedure "tainting" the listening capabilities of the test subjects, or the test subjects not being "true audiophiles", or some other random grasp at straws.

Another part of the mythos is the idea that any big, complicated, antiquated and expensive design per definition sounds more "warm", "natural" and "alive", compared to cheap modern effective solutions that automatically sound "sterile" and "dead".

These two things clashes hard with the unwritten rule that you pay more for higher transparency. And so, there's this bizarre acceptance of a cop out that says "audiophile approved" colorations (even the imaginary ones) somehow magically makes things sound more transparent than actual transparency.

Also, humans generally love to buy new shiny toys, and will gladly throw scepticism and rational thinking out the window when doing so

 

[Boris]

People who can afford the $$$ gear like to make believe they are getting more out of their music, and look down on poor ham-and-eggers who can't afford to pay a mint on gear. You can get a really wonderful complete setup for under $1K. If you have extra cash, put it in good speakers.
Just IMO

 

[Holmz]

People who can afford the $$$ gear like to make believe they are getting more out of their music, and look down on poor ham-and-eggers who can't afford to pay a mint on gear. You can get a really wonderful complete setup for under $1K. If you have extra cash, put it in good speakers.
Just IMO

Green eggs and ham is the wrong book at XMAS time.
You sort of need to reference “The Grinch that stole XMAS.”

 

[ta240]

People who can afford the $$$ gear like to make believe they are getting more out of their music, and look down on poor ham-and-eggers who can't afford to pay a mint on gear. You can get a really wonderful complete setup for under $1K. If you have extra cash, put it in good speakers.
Just IMO

I think both sides look down on the other, it is the modern way.

 

[all24bits]

People who can afford the $$$ gear like to make believe they are getting more out of their music, and look down on poor ham-and-eggers who can't afford to pay a mint on gear. You can get a really wonderful complete setup for under $1K. If you have extra cash, put it in good speakers.
Just IMO

I've actually seen more of the exact opposite. Usually it's the ham and Eggers who look down on people with more expensive gear and proclaim they've wasted their money.

 

[BDWoody]

I've actually seen more of the exact opposite. Usually it's the ham and Eggers who look down on people with more expensive gear and proclaim they've wasted their money.

I think there is a fair bit of that, mostly aimed at those who believe more $$$ must equal better sound. Most around here don't care if people buy expensive stuff, but if they start telling us what we're missing out on in terms of newly removed veils and that lush midrange that only comes with those big $$$, you know, like they claim pretty much everywhere in audiophool land, they may get a little pushback.

If one is sold a fancy digital cable for $5k because he wants to improve the sound, I believe he's been taken advantage of due to simple ignorance. If the only goal is to improve the actual sound waves hitting his ears has he wasted his money?

 

[Boris]

I've actually seen more of the exact opposite. Usually it's the ham and Eggers who look down on people with more expensive gear and proclaim they've wasted their money.

yeah it does go both ways

 

[BitPerfect_]

"firmware burn-in"?
This is getting weeeeeird maaaan.

I hope people are joking, right? Right?

 

[mcgo]

So one of you bums finally sent me a mint Ares II for cheap -- thank you very, very much!

I hooked it up to my Violectric V280 using some new XLR cables, and to make things simple at first, connected my old Sony CD player to the Ares II via digital out. Grabbed the first disc in my pile, which just happened to be "Anne Dudley Plays the Art of Noise".

Put on the old HD800's, pressed play and... OMG. This thing did not disappoint! I was ECSTATIC! On the first track, a triangle percussive instrument is used, and each time it was struck my brain lit up like a Christmas tree! The reverberation trails throughout the first song were fantastic!!

Suffice to say, this is exactly how you want your first listen to be.