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 wasnāt it?
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 wouldāve kept the Ares, but downsizing takes priority rn.
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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 Iāve 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 didnāt 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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Nice, glad you are enjoying it, itās pretty sweet for sure 
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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 donāt 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 itās 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.
Iām 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
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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
NOS. I havenāt listened in OS mode at all yet. Can I expect much change?
Width has been harder to gauge for me so far but Iām sure Iāll 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 itās worth trying
To me the bf2 does sound a bit larger and bigger, but at the same time it lacks some depth and also isnāt 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
Iāll try it for sure. Part of it being my curiosity if Iām able to differentiate them sonically. If itās 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.
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So I think there is a pretty decently sized change from going from nos to an oversampling mode, but the different filters in oversampling mode are smaller changes
That would be pretty sweet 
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In terms of synergy, which would be better with the Liquid Platinum and CTH: BF2, the Ares II, or some other DAC in their price range?
Hmmmm thatās a hard one, both sound good on the plat lol. I canāt say Iāve ever tried either on a cth though, but I would assume based on my experiences with a cth that both would be solid. I guess it depends on what you are looking to get out of the liquid plat, like what aspects are you mainly wanting to focus on?
Probably a little of both from the BF2 and Ares II, haha. I am looking for excellent timbre, grand sound presentation and excellent depth in soundstage, not just width. Currently enjoying the Mimby+Eitr with the LP over the SDAC-B.
Hmmmm. I would say the bf2 has better timbre and a bit more organic sound, but the ares ii has that more impressive sounding stage, I would say in that case leaning more towards the ares ii would be very worthwhile
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How would you say this compares to a Gungnir MB [A2]? I am intrigued by the holographic nature of the ARES II.
Gungnir A2 is similar to the BF2, has a bit more air, a bit less slam in the bass, slightly better staging IF you can run it balanced out.
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Do you think the ARES II would be a worthy āupgradeā? I like the Gumby, but just wonder if this might be a better fit in my set-up. I have A90 and Liquid Platinum > Focal Clear or Elegia, mostly.