It’s dawned on me I can go fully balanced in my room and I’m curious if there’s a performance gain to be had there? Bifrost 2 > freya+ > halo a23+ is the chain.
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There probably would be, worth trying out lol, generally I think all 3 components do preform a bit better balanced
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Anyone regret getting this over an Ares II?
Negative experience with the Bifrost, or asking a question?
Just asking a question, I haven’t heard either.
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Hah, I’m still on the fence deciding between these two.
You really cannot go wrong with either one. They are both the value buy in this tier and a great choice. Ares II is based in Singapore I want to say, but people herald its great customer service despite being international and Schitt is based in California.
The BF2 has a bigger, fuller, warmer, and more dynamic sound, while the Ares II is bit more resolving and technical. Both are great, depending on which you prefer.
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I for one do not regret the purchase at all…I have the Bifrost 2 and the Monoprice Liquid Platinum and the Asgard 3 as my daily driver… Absolutely love that box!!! I may change to another amp someday but for now the BF2 is King
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Thanks for the input, much appreciated. Which would you pair with a 789?
I would definitely suggest the warmer of the two.
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Thank you!
They’re both fantastic. Ares ii has more energy and the Bifrost 2 is more laid back. That’s the difference that stands out most to me. Staging is excellent with both dacs just laid out slightly different.
Would depend on the headphones you use and your preferences which dac you would potentially like best.
I haven’t heard either with the thx stuff but I’m inclined to agree with veritas based on what I’ve heard about the amp.
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Not at all, bf2 fit the description of what sound I was looking for. Great step up from an enog2
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Bifrost is an excellent dac…great performance…will last u for years!
Alex
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When you say the Ares II has more energy, do you mean in the treble or overall? Overall would seem to conflict with Veritas’s account, but I suppose we all hear differently.
To me the bifrost 2 and ares ii really comes down to preference and synergy. The bf2 is wider and more spacious, a bit warmer smoother neutral but still relatively neutral, has organic timbre, very full with good impact and dynamics, but a tad relaxed, forgiving as well. The ares ii is more colored warmer to me, is more forward in general and also more detail forward as well so a bit more energetic compared to the bf2, it does have a bit smaller stage than the bifrost but it has more depth and more accurate placement compared to the bifrost. Timbre is still good but not as accurate as the bifrost, it’s a bit less full sounding than the bf2 but can be more punchy at times, a bit faster than the bf2 as well. So generally the bf2 is a bit more neutral warm ish and laid back and a bit more organic, where while the ares ii is also warmer smoother it’s more noticeably colored and tends to be more noticeably fun and energetic but still sounds natural enough.
Considering what amp you use as well as synergy is going to play a role in which one is a better fit for your setup. Generally I might prefer the more laid back and full nature of the bf2 on a thx amp to combat it’s overdone forwardness and somewhat brittle sound at times, along with that the bf2 can provide a more spacious and wider stage and better timbre (because I think the thx amps have a pretty compressed stage already and poor timbre imo). The ares ii would be the more fun combo, but I think the thx is already forward enough and it might be a bit much with the thx, and also the thx doesn’t really let the ares ii convey it’s greater spatial accuracy which gets kind of wasted to me.
But realistically neither are going to be a bad option, both are very solid and versatile, and there really isn’t a loss in either situation lol
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Thank you so much! I don’t feel like I could go wrong with either. Which do you think would scale better with a new amp? Do you think my current headphones, Ananda’s and LCD2C would sway this one way or another?
Hmmmm I might say both of them would scale equally well imo, it depends on what sound you are after. With those specific headphones I really like a monolith liquid platinum for a bit warmer and more fun sound, really brings those headphones alive imo. If you wanted to stay more neutral clean but better technicalities and refinement, the lake people g111 does a good job of this imo.
For the liquid plat, it depends on if you would want to tilt it more relaxed or more fun for the bf2
vs ares ii, both work really well imo, my preference might lean bf2 with the liquid plat as it really gives it a large stage and sounds very organic without overdoing it. With the lake people amp I would either prefer the ares ii (to give it a bit more fun and some extra organicness without actually making it sound a bit dull since the bf2 can actually do that on the g111) or if you could find a deal on a soekris dac1421 or 1321 for a more studio neutral combo
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Hmm so when I say the ares ii is more energetic I meant more in terms of its sound signature and not as a comment on dynamics 
I think M0Ns above comment has given you a greater understanding of the two dacs so I’ll leave it at that lol
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The BF2 throws punches with DACs about 3x it’s cost. The BF2 just works and is one of the most forgiving DACs in terms of synergy. If you live in the US, the BF2 is a no brainer to be honest. If you listen at your desk with a computer, the implementation of USB with Unison is other worldly.
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