šŸ”· Denafrips Ares II

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories [Official] DACs
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Itā€™s the way the DAC is designed internally. I would assume that this is a conscious design choice.

I donā€™t mind that at all. 10 seconds to switch physical outputs.

If you realllllly want multiple amps just run XLR to a switch.

Get the clears over the Elex (if the comparison with the Elegia is accurate) any day. Would highly recommend just going enog + erish + clears and upgrading later. The clears will keep up with the upgrades. Use the money you save to get a better cable than the pos board that Focal gives you.

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Yea i have hart cables on the way for sundaras and focal. Thanks for the req. You like your clears over the eikon right?

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Yea. I just picked up an OFC ZMF cable for the Eikons and a usb a to b. I use a hart cable for my clears.

Not really, no. Depends on the mood. If Iā€™m listening for mood or acoustic, Eikons. Listening for analyzing or detail, Clears. Theyā€™re pretty on par with each other in terms of technical chops with what I have right now. Clears are the more obviously detailed can, but the Eikons hold their own there while giving the music and staging a more natural feel. They are both consummate all-rounders.

Back to the Ares. This is nice, but very different from the Enog. Will have to nail down my thoughts over the next few days, but am liking it so far. Just waiting for the RS-08 on Monday to see what itā€™ll do with an even better amp.

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How do you like the eikon on the Erish? I may lean more towards eikon/auteur for a more fun sound than the clears though.

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Not a conversation for the Ares II thread lol. Throw it to me on the Eikon or Erish thread or in pms.

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Hey @M0N. If I have a Topping D50S + RNHP, will I get a greater improvement if I upgrade the D50S to an Ares II? Or if I upgrade the RNHP to something like a GS-X mini or V280?

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With which headphones in mind? Generally I would say the amp first for the most improvement imo in this case

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I was just thinking in general. But we can say Clear and HD800S. Iā€™ll prioritize the amp if you think thatā€™s more worthwhile

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Hmmmm. So with those headphones personally I like the v280 more unless you wanted a more forward, brighter and analytical experience with the gsx mini (still great, just depends on what you are after imo)

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@Pr3ssAltF4 I saw you were selling your Ares II. Was there a particular reason? It was a pretty recent purchase wasnā€™t it?

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Great DAC, but downsizing setup to single box. Getting a QP2R for portable (QP1R has a short in it and talking with questyle about it right now), and a Chord Hugo 2 to replace the dual box stack on my shelf. If I kept my headphones, I wouldā€™ve kept the Ares, but downsizing takes priority rn.

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44

I just received the Denafrips Aries II a few days ago and have had ample time to burn in. This DAC is absolutely the best DAC Iā€™ve ever owned. The sound clarity is almost unreal, great stage presence, sounds natural and and neutral at the same time. My first time owning an R2R, so I didnā€™t know what to expect. I have the Chord Mojo, RME ADI-2, and Topping DX7s all sound pretty good, but this DAC is the clear winner. I am listening with THX AAA 789 amp, and HD650 and HiFiman Sundara for headphones.

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45

Nice, glad you are enjoying it, itā€™s pretty sweet for sure :+1:

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The first thing I noticed with the Ares II, was the space all instruments got between each other. They were suddenly far apart. I really like it.

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The THX amps donā€™t do the best with R-2R DACs. At some point I would look an amp with better synergy. Enjoy the DAC!

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47 comments eh. Seems like this thing is criminally underrated on the forum lol

Initial impression here and they are all positive. Separation and staging is very precise and deep giving a very holographic presentation. I really love this. In term of depth and layering I think itā€™s superior to the bifrost 2. Maybe more resolving as well but I need more listening time because I think it also may be that the ares ii is just more forward in showing details.

Not really neutral. Seems to have good energy and impact. The bifrost 2 is more laid back and neutral in comparison.

Iā€™m loving it with my 2 channel because of the depth and the extra energy in the mids. Probably still prefer the bifrost 2 with the bottlehead crack + speedball though.

Very very nice DAC :+1:

6 Likes
49

Pretty much agree, while imo the bf2 has a larger stage width, the ares ii has better depth and placement. Also detail is more forward than the bf2. Are you running in nos or os mode btw? Glad you are enjoying it so far :+1:

50

NOS. I havenā€™t listened in OS mode at all yet. Can I expect much change?

Width has been harder to gauge for me so far but Iā€™m sure Iā€™ll fall in line there. To me the other staging qualities have been more obvious.

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OS mode gives you a bit more clean and neutral ish sound with a bit more forwardness, but imo you lose some timbre accuracy, take a hit in dynamics and impact, and also spatial recreation suffers a bit, so imo not worth the tradeoff, I much prefer this dac in nos, but itā€™s worth trying

To me the bf2 does sound a bit larger and bigger, but at the same time it lacks some depth and also isnā€™t as accurate placement wise where the ares ii gives you more of that information. Also since you mention the bhc pairing with the bf2 I would also agree, I do prefer the crack with the bifrost 2, but other things like lets say a violectric I think the ares ii is a better pairing than a bf2, but really both dacs are excellent and imo it comes down to system synergy for what one you pick

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Iā€™ll try it for sure. Part of it being my curiosity if Iā€™m able to differentiate them sonically. If itā€™s anything as subtle as a filter for example I may not be able to.

So honestly I do envision this sitting under the v200 I have coming and then a higher tier DAC, maybe the Pontus, in my room.

1 Like