Absolutely. For an r2r DAC, it isn’t as colored as other r2r or multibit DACs. In fact, it is pretty neutral and detailed to my ears. It does possess the typical r2r strongpoints of more natural spacing and less etched and grainy in the higher frequencies. Detailed and resolving, yet non fatiguing. I personally prefer the Bifrost 2 over the Soekris dac1321…but the 1321 is no slouch and it is a solid purchase for an entry point into r2r dacs.
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I like the BF2 more because the bass is more layered and detailed, a little more thump to it, but not in a way that makes it sound bass heavy or uneven.
I’m not the biggest purist when it comes to dacs. Many in the hobby want a dac to be the most neutral sounding thing in their chain. I prefer my dacs to articulate staging, space and imaging well, but with a balanced sounding frequency range. If it is slightly colored, I’m willing to forgive it if the thing just sounds good to my ears
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That’s my other train of though - to get the the RME-ADI 2 and have the amps do the colouring for me. But people seem to praise the R2R for its layering which I’m not sure if I’ll get from my DS dac
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Exactly my preferences!
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Yeah, it’s more about synergy imo.
I do personally prefer a more neutral (uncolored) sound, but it’s nice to have options. There’s a lot of music I love that sounds terrible on a neutral-reference system.
Sometimes you just want to enjoy your music regardless of recording quality.
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Here’s my pandemic basement hideaway (sorry, the lighting in the basement sucks for photos):
Here’s the rear of the desk:
The desk is one of those motorized sit/stand deals. It’s currently at my standing height. My sciatic region is definitely appreciating it. The door you see goes to the store/laundry room. The “curtain” hanging on the back thus does dual duty of covering up the ugly spaghetti of wires and also reducing the risk of wire-on-hamper snags as someone walks by. I love having this kind of access to the back panels of all the gear, too.
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Might be the only endgame with an mdr 7506 in it. But this combo is sweet. Amazing what this headphone can do with amplification and a pad swap.
I would’ve put the orions in the picture, but I’m tied between the two 
| Portable setup |
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I can’t knock the MDR-7506. Some people mix and master with those headphones and when you find that music, it sounds best on those headphones.
Bedroom: Audio-gd R-28. Yes, it is on canned (tinned for you Brits) beans to raise it to user height. Not shown: Edifier E25 Luna Eclipse powered BT speakers. More thoughts to come on the R-28 in the R-2R DAC tiers thread.
Home office top to bottom: ridiculously overpriced Olasonic Nanocompo CD1 transport, SMSL SH-8 balanced amp, SMSL SU-8 balanced DS DAC, Denon PMA-60 integrated amp powering Monitor Audio Bronze 2 passive speakers and Polk Audio sub (not shown).
Front room main listening station, clockwise from upper left: Massdrop x Cavalli tube hybrid amp, 4 in 3 out RCA switch with BT, Focal Elegia HPs, Geshelli Labs Archel2 Pro amp, NAD C516BEE CD player, Denafrips Ares II R-2R balanced DAC, Monolith Liquid Platinum balanced tube hybrid amp.
DAPS, clockwise from upper left: iBasso DX160 (feeds Ares II coax), Cayin N3 (ampless portable listening), FiiO X3-II (feeds R-28 coax), xDuoo X10T-II (feeds SU-8 optical).
HP orgy!!! L-R: Beyer DT 880 Premium 32 ohms, 880 Premium 600 ohms, DT 177X GO, Audeze LCD-2C, Sendy Aiva Black Beauty, Nighthawk Carbon, Focal Elex, Elegia, Meze 99 Neo, HE 150Pro earbuds, Moondrop Starfield.
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I probably already asked you, but how is the Area II/LP combo?
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That is one serious lineup - I would love this, but due to the wife, kids, future dog, neighbours and the in-laws downtown, I only have my home office set-up and the OTG stuff.
A lot of your stuff is things I have or am considering to get, so you have a great taste 
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Insanely good! My two newest pieces of gear, so I’m still getting a feel for them. So far, the thing I’m hearing clearly is details. This combo is a detail monster! Acoustic instruments have delicious texture - plucked strings, harp, acoustic bass all have clearly defined attacks and long, reverberating decay. Microdetails in the performance (musicians breathing, tapping things, woodwind keys and brass valves clicking) are all apparent. In a word, revealing.
Yes, the LP is fine with SE input, but the Ares manual recommends using balanced output “whenever possible.” Still thinking about a balanced preamp with a big ol volume pot to give me better control of the LP’s atomic gain.
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Have you tried any efficient headphones with this combo? I have three that are 32 Ohm and below.
FYI, impedance != efficient.
What are you referring to?
This comment in particular.
And your reply means what?
I was originally making a comment to try and correct a potential assumption that impedance of headphones can be equated to sensitivity. That’s all.
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Rigged up listening space atm. Pay no attention to the crap behind it. Currently renovating the house. Vintage floorstanding speakers make great bookshelf speaker stands 
edit: the blankets are because i sleep on the floor these days. couches and beds kill my back
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The HPs I’ve used so far are everything with a balanced cable - 177X, Aiva, Elex, and Elegia. I wouldn’t call any of these particularly efficient. My unofficial rule is, if it isn’t XLR compatible, it doesn’t get plugged into the LP 