Denafrips ARES II USB R2R DAC Review

[zepplock]

Yes, they are both factual.


Incorrect. The function of a DAC is to reproduce the audio as it was recorded without adding or taking anything away. The DACs do a veryyy good job of this.


It's in your imagination. Do a blind AB/X test with other DACs and you will see that.

Brutal reality, but so true.

 

[voodooless]

I currently own a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 which I have had for a few years and sounds comparatively worse and worse the better the rest of my downstream system gets,

So, question: what got better downstream? And what defines better?

 

[AaronJ]

Yes, they are both factual.


Incorrect. The function of a DAC is to reproduce the audio as it was recorded without adding or taking anything away. The DACs do a veryyy good job of this.


It's in your imagination. Do a blind AB/X test with other DACs and you will see that.

Claiming something subjective as the desired function of a product or the intent of an artist to be factual in a science based forum. Oy.

I am willing to accept that many DACs do sound the same. My statement about my DAC sounding worse and worse was not specific to the DAC itself, it is relative to my vinyl playback. I do not believe anybody is going to claim the differences between vinyl and digital sound the same in a blind test. If all DACs do actually sound the same, even the ones that measure very differently, then it’s probably time for me to bail on the medium.

 

[gvl]

My statement about my DAC sounding worse and worse was not specific to the DAC itself, it is relative to my vinyl playback.

We can probably all agree that your DAC sounds different from your vinyl, as for what sounds better or worse, that’s not so clear.

 

[AaronJ]

So, question: what got better downstream? And what defines better?

I shouldn’t have written better - I should have written different and preferred sounding. I was previously running everything through my Pioneer Elite VSX 52 receiver. Eventually picked up a Parasound 275V2 to run out of the preamps which seemed to make some difference though not huge (I’m not claiming any scientific basis to this and never tested it 4 years ago) but the biggest difference was going to passive preamp which I did blind test. This was very easy to test using an RCA switch after level matching, and it was very clear the receiver was coloring the sound in an undesirable way to my ears.

I do not know how much the amplifier changed, but getting the receiver out of the playback chain was the difference maker to me.

What was also pretty clear is that digital playback suddenly became fatiguing to me when it previously wasn’t. This isn’t even something I was looking for since I expected it to also sound better to my ears with the entire down strain chain improved. I had no plans to get a new DAC until I started researching and researching.

I am willing to accept that digital just might not be for me in this system, and that I do prefer distortion and coloration. Maybe what I need is a DAC with a ton of filters I can play with, or maybe I need one that measures very poorly like vinyl which I can listen to all day.

 

[Doodski]

Claiming something subjective as the desired function of a product or the intent of an artist to be factual in a science based forum. Oy.

Word salad.. I don't exactly get what you mean.

I am willing to accept that many DACs do sound the same.

Please do so because it's inherent in the format.

I do not believe anybody is going to claim the differences between vinyl and digital sound the same in a blind test. If all DACs do actually sound the same, even the ones that measure very differently, then it’s probably time for me to bail on the medium.

You must have a bad boy turntable.

 

[voodooless]

If you were to measure the frequency response of your vinyl system, and apply the same using DSP on your digital, I’m pretty sure they would sound very close.

 

[Doodski]

This was very easy to test using an RCA switch after level matching, and it was very clear the receiver was coloring the sound in an undesirable way to my ears.

Did you level match with a AC meter or a oscilloscope?

I do prefer distortion and coloration.

So do I. I EQ like a mad man!

Maybe what I need is a DAC with a ton of filters I can play with, or maybe I need one that measures very poorly like vinyl which I can listen to all day.

I had a CD player that sounded extra smooth, engaging, fun and the imaging was great. It was colored. It's fault was it sounded good on some CDs but horrible on others. If you get a colored player it will sound good on some stuff and off on others.
Philips transport.

...and The player.

 

[AaronJ]

If you were to measure the frequency response of your vinyl system, and apply the same using DSP on your digital, I’m pretty sure they would sound very close.

Would that be something like miniDSP?

 

[voodooless]

Would that be something like miniDSP?

Possibly, but one could probably emulate this in software first. With a little luck there are some measurements of the phono pre out there and you can use a PC based EQ to test it out.

 

[Killingbeans]

If the way to achieve that sound is through distortion then so be it.

Try a Boss DS-1?

 

[billyjoebob]

Claiming something subjective as the desired function of a product or the intent of an artist to be factual in a science based forum. Oy.

I am willing to accept that many DACs do sound the same. My statement about my DAC sounding worse and worse was not specific to the DAC itself, it is relative to my vinyl playback. I do not believe anybody is going to claim the differences between vinyl and digital sound the same in a blind test. If all DACs do actually sound the same, even the ones that measure very differently, then it’s probably time for me to bail on the medium.

1,000's of DAC'S have been produced and they all sound the same?
I have a MAJOR problem believing that!
Even a little bit!

 

[Doodski]

1,000's of DAC'S have been produced and they all sound the same?
I have a MAJOR problem believing that!
Even a little bit!

They don't sound identical of course. There are tiny variations. They are all of such good specification that they are beyond your ears capability to discern a difference for near all of them.

 

[gvl]

1,000's of DAC'S have been produced and they all sound the same?
I have a MAJOR problem believing that!
Even a little bit!

If you exclude weird DACs such as those with tubes, NOS, or using other questionable design approaches, the rest of them sound much the same.

 

[billyjoebob]

They don't sound identical of course. There are tiny variations. They are all of such good specification that they are beyond your ears capability to discern a difference for near all of them.

I was of the same thought once!
I once had nice Marantz reciever (SR7012) I replaced it with a amp/preamp and had to add a separate DAC.
In came a topping d50 and the difference was startling.

 

[BDWoody]

1,000's of DAC'S have been produced and they all sound the same?
I have a MAJOR problem believing that!
Even a little bit!

No, just the competent ones.

There is some crap out there, but for the most part they do the job well enough that telling them apart (using proper controls of course), let alone declaring a preference becomes beyond challenging.

 

[Doodski]

I was of the same thought once!
I once had nice Marantz reciever (SR7012) I replaced it with a amp/preamp and had to add a separate DAC.
In came a topping d50 and the difference was startling.

How did you compare them? Listened to one and then switched that out for the other and listened again?

 

[billyjoebob]

How did you compare them? Listened to one and then switched that out for the other and listened again?

No blind test as the avr was now gone. Just the subjective analysis of a better listening experience.
Not scientific, I know.

 

[ohnonate]

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.

I email Denafrips in regards to the Pre 90 and the Ares II and they even though the impedance of the Pre 90 is a bit low that it still should be fine. Just curious where you heard that from?

 

[MBL'er]

I email Denafrips in regards to the Pre 90 and the Ares II and they even though the impedance of the Pre 90 is a bit low that it still should be fine. Just curious where you heard that from?

Do you know the input impedance of the Pre D90 ?