The optical connection is fine on my unit. Try replacing the cable first as itās the cheaper and easier option.
The cable should fasten into place and not move about.
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I read in a forum that someone was having the same problem with their soundbar. The weight of the cable was causing the cable to disconnect from the soundbar. Switching it fixed the issue in his case. I ordered a shorter and more lightweight optical cable which should hopefully, solve the issue. I just got a bit paranoid when my Ares II wasnāt receiving any signal from my PC.
Has anyone ordered the ARES II to the USA via Fedex priority? Iād think it wouldnāt take long. But everyone I see tends complain about the shipping. Also thereās at least two up for sale over on Headfi. Right after my order was in, they started showing upā¦ -_-*
Interesting, mine came via DHL and actually came very fast, to the USA, once it shipped. If you have the opportunity to cancel the order and buy one that is already in the USA I would do that.
Edit: My bad, sorry that was a pair of Ether C Flows that came via DHL. My DAC was shipped via FedEx.
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Mineās already shipped. The long wait times must be preshipment waits
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Did you have to pay customs?
I did not pay for customs on the DAC.
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It looks like most prefer running the Ares II in NOS mode. When in NOS mode, does your sampling rate set in Windows affect the sound (if running a 44/48 kHz source)? Generally I always leave my audio set at 24bit/192kHz.
I messed with my sampling rate in windows and found no change to the sound. The lowest present was CD quality (16bit/44.1kHz) and the highest is the exact same as the one you described, 24bit/192kHz. I also have my Ares 2 in NOS mode.
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Good to know. When I tested it, I thought there could be a slight difference. It could just as easily have been my imagination though
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I have been thinking a lot about some amp and dac upgrades. I currently have a pair of 6xxās and ZMF Auteurās as well as hoping to go down the th900/lawton road at some point. Iām kinda sold on getting either the Burson Soloist or Burson Funk and I have also just recently finished my Bottlehead crack +speedball.
From my understanding the Burson house sound is on the warmer side, so Iām wondering if the Ares II would not be a great pairing do to its also warm and smooth sound and if a Bifrost 2 would synergize better (or something else 
).
My preference leans more towards warm than completely neutral I think. Given I have only had some thx amp and now my Crack and of those 2 the crack is way more up my alley.
Is there anyone who can chime in with opinions on any of these points?
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Nice
Cool cool, I would go for the soloist if you can, itās pretty great
Hmm it is on the warmer side of things, but not overly warm. I think it might actually come down to other aspects, the bf2 would be more balanced sounding but might be too relaxed or too thick, the ares ii might be more energetic sounding but be less balanced in signature. Generally I think both pair pretty well, I might say if you wanted to maintain balance with a bit of warmth the bf2 works well, but the ares ii will tilt it a bit more towards warm (but not overly so) if you donāt mind that. Given you also have a crack, the bf2 has better single ended outs and I think has better synergy with the bhc. Also you can run both the SE and bal out at the same time on the bf2 which you canāt do for the ares. So I think the ares and bf2 might be a toss up on the soloist depending on preferences and goals, but the bf2 is more my pick for the bhc imo
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Yes, that makes sense. I think a bf2 would work really nice with the bhc especially and the fact that you cant run XLR and SE at the same time with the ares 2 sound like a frustrating quirk.
Also just freed up some extra money which helps justify the extra bit for the soloist
Thank you for the input M0N. Its a real blessing to have such a pillar of knowledge in here
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Wait, why canāt you do that with the Ares?
The ares has itās se and bal tied together, so having both connected at the same time results in sonic deterioration to my ears
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New review:
Denafrips told him he should leave his unit on for 10 days before evaluating it. Is that supposed to be a burn in time? That seems really excessive for a warmup period.
I normally leave mine on standby when not in use. Is it better to leave it fully on always?
With R2R DACs generally yes. Some people believe itās best to leave all non-tube electronics on all the time
However, Iām pretty sure I read somewhere that Vineshine does in house burn in before they ship it out
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burn in is different from warm up though.
with some r2r designs it is normal for a lengthy amount of time before itās fully warmed up, iād say 10 days is probably a little excessive, but i have heard of some r2r taking around a week to sound its best. and yes leave it on all the time
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