• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Denafrips ARES II USB R2R DAC Review

BitPerfect_

Active Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2021
Messages
178
Likes
43
Denafrips website, Ares II specs:

DSD64-DoP On All Input
DSD1024* On USB Input

PCM24bits / 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192KHz On All Input
1536kHz* On USB Input

NOTE* USB Firmware V3.4.1 - PCM1536 / DSD1024 supports disabled for compatibility with macOS

Do you have any idea how to interpret this information,
In other words beginning with USB Firmware V3.4.1, the Ares II is unable to process PCM1536 / DSD1024?

Not so sure that I follow correctly ...
Thank you,
 

Veri

Master Contributor
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
9,596
Likes
12,036
Do you have any idea how to interpret this information,
In other words beginning with USB Firmware V3.4.1, the Ares II is unable to process PCM1536 / DSD1024?

Not so sure that I follow correctly ...
Thank you,
The XING USB interface that Denafrips uses freezes my Mac. I think it means this firmware disables the rates in question, and 'solves' this Mac issue. It's a bit of a half-assed fix though because there are other manufacturers which support PCM1536 on Mac.
 

toyer889

New Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2021
Messages
2
Likes
1
I just got the Schiit Modius, and for anyone wanting a Denafrips Ares II, but not being able to get one for whatever reason: Having replaced an Ares II with the Modius, I can't hear a difference between the two; they sound identical to me. While the Modius and the Ares II sound very different from some of my other DACs, these two sound the same, at least IMO. Yes, this is highly subjective, but I've been listening to the Ares II on my desktop system for the better part of a year, and I know the DAC well. YMMV - but if you want an Ares II but can't get one, I think you have a viable option with the Modius.

Thank you so much for the insight! I have a modius right now, and thinking about getting the Ares II, just curious what headphone and amp you are using in your system? I heard from other reviews say they are similar also, so wondering if its worth spending the extra to upgrade the modius.
 

decoRyder

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2019
Messages
99
Likes
161
Thank you so much for the insight! I have a modius right now, and thinking about getting the Ares II, just curious what headphone and amp you are using in your system? I heard from other reviews say they are similar also, so wondering if its worth spending the extra to upgrade the modius.

I use the Modius with a dedicated, linear power supply and RCA outs on a PuriFi/Eigentakt amp, and a DYI tube preamp - all of that feeding a set of very, very revealing Polk R 200's. Sounds absolutely brilliant, and I own a lot of gear to compare it with. I don't listen to headphones, ever - can't help you there, sorry. No, I do NOT think the Ares is worth the upgrade if you have the Modius. To be sure, the Ares has a slight edge in terms of imaging and soundstage, but it's very, very minor. If you're looking for a DAC, I would honestly suggest you save your money for a real high-end DAC, and chose whatever suits your taste. I have 15+ DACS, most of them more expensive than the Modius, and right now I spend 90% of my time listening to the Modius on my desktop system - can't give a higher endorsement than that:)
 

Veri

Master Contributor
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
9,596
Likes
12,036
I have 15+ DACS, most of them more expensive than the Modius, and right now I spend 90% of my time listening to the Modius on my desktop system - can't give a higher endorsement than that:)
Why so many DACs, haha. Guess the conclusion here is Modius is plenty for 90% of people :p and those others probably prefer buying the best of the best; even if it's just on paper ;)
 
Last edited:

voodooless

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Messages
10,227
Likes
17,807
Location
Netherlands
Why so many DACs, haha.

Well, look at his profile picture:

1627032833923.png


Isn't it obvious :cool:
 

toyer889

New Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2021
Messages
2
Likes
1
I use the Modius with a dedicated, linear power supply and RCA outs on a PuriFi/Eigentakt amp, and a DYI tube preamp - all of that feeding a set of very, very revealing Polk R 200's. Sounds absolutely brilliant, and I own a lot of gear to compare it with. I don't listen to headphones, ever - can't help you there, sorry. No, I do NOT think the Ares is worth the upgrade if you have the Modius. To be sure, the Ares has a slight edge in terms of imaging and soundstage, but it's very, very minor. If you're looking for a DAC, I would honestly suggest you save your money for a real high-end DAC, and chose whatever suits your taste. I have 15+ DACS, most of them more expensive than the Modius, and right now I spend 90% of my time listening to the Modius on my desktop system - can't give a higher endorsement than that:)
Wow thats great insight thanks! its true i do find the Modius is very different from other dacs I tried, the soundstage is pretty wide and it sounds really good for a 200 dollar dac. Pairing it with the a90 especially synergy is great, but i definitely didnt know the Modius is That good.
 

decoRyder

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2019
Messages
99
Likes
161
Wow thats great insight thanks! its true i do find the Modius is very different from other dacs I tried, the soundstage is pretty wide and it sounds really good for a 200 dollar dac. Pairing it with the a90 especially synergy is great, but i definitely didnt know the Modius is That good.

I find that a stable, noise-free power supply makes a difference for any DAC - if you want to give the Modius an 'upgrade', run it off a 5V Lithium-Ion power pack, or better yet - get a linear dedicated power supply. To what extent that matters is debatable - I think it does - there's a reason why the Modius has that second micro-usb input for a dedicated power source - Jason Stoddard from Schiit knows what he's doing :)
 

Veri

Master Contributor
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
9,596
Likes
12,036
I find that a stable, noise-free power supply makes a difference for any DAC - if you want to give the Modius an 'upgrade', run it off a 5V Lithium-Ion power pack, or better yet - get a linear dedicated power supply. To what extent that matters is debatable - I think it does - there's a reason why the Modius has that second micro-usb input for a dedicated power source - Jason Stoddard from Schiit knows what he's doing :)
It quite literally says here in the FAQ the input is going into a switcher and using a super fancy power supply is just about pointless
https://www.schiit.com/products/modius

So yes. Schiit knows what they're doing. Your battery pack or linear supply won't change a thing.
 

ThomasMac

Member
Joined
May 4, 2021
Messages
19
Likes
9
Has anyone actually listened to Ares 2 with the Topping Pre 90? Read a review where the reviewer said it'd be a great match. But both Topping and Denafrip said No...don't do it.
 

jkr

Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2021
Messages
48
Likes
79
Titanium dome tweeters. Yes, they can be harsh depending on a lot of different factors and yes I may very well be sensitive to certain frequencies .
Them L7 use the JBL 035TIA Tweeter which has a foam damper pad behind the dome that deteriorates over time and therefore no longer dampens the dome. I have a pair of L7's that I installed new foam dampers and that fixed this issue. no more over bright sound. Do yourself a favor and get them foam pads replaced. Nothing will sound good until you do. They can be found on eBay.
 
Last edited:

Mister C Melon

New Member
Joined
May 29, 2021
Messages
2
Likes
0
This is a review and measurements of the Denafrips ARES II USB DSD DAC based on R2R architecture. It is on kind loan from a member. I think it costs US $680 so not too high for a custom DAC.

The overall look of the ARES II is rather plain:


The LED indicators are quite tiny so standing top of it, I could not tell they were on.

There is a large toroidal transformer in there making the ARES II quite heavy. So at least on that front, you get the feeling that you are getting your money's worth.

The back panel has the usual connectors:


I was pleased to see balanced XLR outputs as this increases the cost substantial in R2R implementations. I used that for all of my testing.

R2R DAC Audio Measurements
As usual we start with our 1 kHz dashboard:

View attachment 47939

Oh, this is pretty good! THD+N is 10 times better than the specification and the highest distortion product is below -100 dB. SINAD as a result which represents level of distortion and noise is respectable for R2R DAC:

View attachment 47940

Signal to noise ratio is very good:

View attachment 47941

Intermodulation distortion is very important in the case of custom DACs like this and here, we do see variations that are level sensitive:
View attachment 47942

There are some clear jitter components visible but they are well below audibility threshold:

View attachment 47943

Linearity once again is good for an R2R DAC:

View attachment 47944

Multitone response representing "music" is surprisingly good:

View attachment 47945

THD+N vs frequency once again shows better than expected performance:

View attachment 47946

The spec says there are two filter settings but I could not figure out how to change that. Here is the only one that I used for all my testing:

View attachment 47947

Thermal Stability
There seems to be no change in performance with temperature:

View attachment 47948

Yes, I got bored and stopped it. :) Usually when the performance has temperature dependency, it is obvious out of the gate.

Conclusions
It has become a common retort to say that R2Rs measure poorly. Indeed even the manufacturer says this. Good thing that is not the case here as that is just an excuse. The Denafrips ARES II has very good performance as an R2R DAC. And its faults if any, should not be audible.

So if you are itching to have an R2R/custom boutique DAC, the ARES II makes a good candidates.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

The panthers are complaining that they are looking too short relative to the size of the speakers I have been testing as of late. So they are demanding that I buy them pedestal shoes to make them appear taller! These are not cheap as there is not a big market for such shoes for panthers. So please donate what you can using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
 

lordvader

Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
15
Likes
9
I noticed there's now a 3.6.0 firmware. Anyone know what's new? Descriptions are kinda vague.
I'm currenly on the 3.3.5 firmware as it supports PCM1536/DSD1024.
 

helom

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2019
Messages
64
Likes
45
For some reason these R2R DACS remind me of trying to optimize a 1936 Ford flathead pushrod v8 to compete with a 32 valve 4 cam Cobra..:)

In that case the 36’ Flathead would have to outperform the 32 Valve OHC in a dead heat race.
 
Top Bottom