Denafrips Pontus II : 3D - Sumptuosity, Soundstage & Tone (v Chord & Holo Audio)

[@stevezeidman7224]

Stunning presentation as usual. You’re an amazing animator. I’ve got an Ares II. I’m amazed the Pontus makes a wider soundstage. When I first heard the Ares, the soundstage floored me. I’m in the US. No import taxes applied.

[@bengleason508]

Steeeve!!!

[@stevezeidman7224]

@@bengleason508 Haha Ben!!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Steve. 😀🙏

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

Well done sir, your commitment to a well polished presentation is duly noted and admired by this viewer. This is a dac that is solidly on my radar. Your review has provided a wonderfully brilliant perspective. Thank you.

[@TheKent2288]

Just got the Pontus II and not disappointed. Getting some emotion from music again, especially after upsampling with HQPlayer. Organic and musical are the words that come to mind.

[@Immersive-r4c]

Your productions are outstanding Simon, and very entertaining. Thank you.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you Mark

[@juliancrun]

Thank you very much for the video, I have bought the Ares II with the DDC Iris, after seeing your videos analyzing the two DACs. Greetings from A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.

[@cruise2023]

Great presentation, graphics, clarity of photo's, best on KZbin. Will be buying the pontus II in the near future.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Alain, if you’d like to do a review for me on Facebook would be really appreciated as haven’t had any on there for a while.

[@cruise2023]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Yes okay, though you may have to wait awhile. Moving back to Australia shortly and will buy the Pontus II then. I currently have the RME adi 2 fs dac which I do like and will hopefully have the opportunity to compare it with Pontus II before I sell it. One reason to upgrade to the Pontus II is the i2s input which I can hook up to my Oppo bdp105D, HDMI out to play SACD and use the P II as an external dac. I originally was going for the Chord Qutest but found the RME with its additional features and remote won out. Pontus II will be my end DAC so it better be good Lol!

[@sonusancti]

Hi Simon. Splendid review as expected. What I notice with Denafrips is their generous attention and approach to power supply design. Given more is better in terms of filter capacity they chose to distribute the total amount to as many capacitors instead of using fewer but larger cans. I believe the reason is speed i.e. smaller caps work faster than bigger caps and it is this speed that imbues it with a more natural and analog tonality. I recall this was the same design pioneered by Spectral's Keith Johnson back in the 80s for his power amplifiers. Highly rated those amplifiers were from a brilliant engineer. Thanks for your insighful review Simon!

[@TheFilletingfish]

Thanks again Simon. Just amazingly well produced video content.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Dennis.

[@BerndtNorten]

Thanks for your reviews. Very well done. And I love your sense of humour

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Tim, I’m modelling some Acoustic Energy speakers in 3D at the moment, as well as the Argon Audio Solo

[@TheBlissfulWalrus]

Great review, very fun to watch. I've got a Pontus II and love it, mine will slice you up if you handle the machined logos though haha, sounds like maybe they've fixed that!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you very much 😀🔊🎵

[@romeozulu57]

Wonderful video! Stunning quality as always! I own the Qutest and the Ares II and i find myself unable to judge which one i like more. Currently i am using the Quest to a Yamaha A-S2200 driving Gauder Arcona 80 MKII speakers and the Ares II via XLR Outs to a SPL Phonitor Headphone Amp driving Focal and Audeze Headphones.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you , they are close and both have strengths and weaknesses and depending on tastes. 😀🎼🔉

[@unklecorky2181]

I’m glad you touched on qutest vs Pontus for electronic music. This genre of music is rarely mentioned with denafrips reviews and I always had the suspicion it wouldn’t be a great choice for this type of music.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I think that’s a fair point, but then again many audiophiles prob fit into the only jazz, acoustic, sit in a chair alone mantra. Yawn….where is my ‘music for the gilted generation’ album!

[@unklecorky2181]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 hahaha agreed. Not many people evaluating their DACS with tracks like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnWtmmyKmpurhLs

[@mjbmark]

Great reviews very helpful.

[@gaetancharbonneau3902]

Great review Simon, cool visual effects!

[@benyHiFi]

Hi Simon, A great review like always! I know you have the Hegel H390, I do too, and I love it. I am thinking down the road to get an external DAC and I am looking at the Denafrips Pontus II. How does this compare to the internal bit perfect Hegel Dac? How about the Venus Dac compare to the Hegel? I appreciate your answer!

[@morrimoto]

thumbs up on the vid for boris from texas!

[@HungNguyen-dm3nr]

I have never felt that the Ares2 treble is brittle. On the contrary this Dac manages nicely to soften the high frequencies of my B&W 702 S2.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

It was a comparative assessment just so you know. Bw

[@brucecomerford]

Thanks Simon. Great review.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Bruce

[@furiososso]

Very helpful review….thank you.

[@stephencosta6814]

Fantastic review 👍❤️😍we love you NYC. USA🇺🇸

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Steve.

[@uccelino]

Very intresting, Simon. Thanks for a great review.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much.

[@charlesclifton1006]

As usual, an informative and interesting review. I am keenly interested in this DAC. You and other reviewers seem to concur... this R2R DAC is a worthy investment. This unit might marry-up quite nicely with a Hegel H120. In any case, great review !!!!!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Charles. 😀👍

[@wingtang2380]

learned a lot........Thankyou very much !

[@BERTVVANHORCK]

Well done Simon!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Bert

[@PeloncitoBarragan]

Excellent video mate! cheers from Mexico City!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@robertwang7825]

Yes I have the Pontus 2 , it is 15% ( IMO ) better if you use the Iris DDC with a Jays Audio I2S connector. Tighter bass , sharper pinpoint imaging , wider soundstage etc. I’m very happy with it. The next thing I plan to do is buy the Jays Audio CDT2 Mk3 ( which is now heavily discounted at US1.2k - in China at least ). Chi fi has never been better.

[@IrenESorius]

One day,,,, 😋 Cheers Simon,, 🍻😎👍‍‍👍‍‍

[@stevethetoolman2435]

Great review!

[@geoffreydebrito7934]

A fine, useful review that nicely lays out the differences between the DACs. FWIW, Sarajan Ebaen editor for the hi-end audio site 6moons strongly prefers audiophile SD card readers as digital source, having found them to provide superior fidelity to streaming, whether over the internet or from a NAS. As it avoids transmission through Ethernet cables and equipment. MusiCian Audio's MDP-2 Digital Player has an i2s out that would presumably provide the cleanest connection to a DAC with an i2s input. It also comes with a convenient remote for track selection. I too prefer adjusting volume at the amplification stage. Food for thought ;-)

[@robcaputo9708]

Great review thank you!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Glad it was helpful!

[@chrisbailey2471]

i tried lots of dacs and settled on the RME DAC ,i rarely liked the openness and the equalizer .the menu can sometimes be annoying .

[@peterwood2633]

I'd love to know your thoughts on some tube DACs e.g. musical paradise/doge 7 etc hope they'll send you some?!

[@johnhallkenney]

Another excellent review Simon, and I appreciate your calm, balanced and informative reviews.I am a headfier (running balanced cans ZMF VC, HD800s LCD-3), have the Soloist 3X GTand The unit has a very black background, has wonderful instrument separation, and imaging, and is incredibly detailed. I'm looking for an R2R DAC to match this unit. Pontus II, Pegasus or something else? Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much John, more experiences on patreon now.

[@medonk12rs]

After getting the ARES II in the some time ago, and loving its sound, I could not resist the temptation in spending a big amount on the VENUS II, "skipping" the PONTUS II. While of course the VENUS II sounds better in every respect in my system, I was kind of... hm. How to put it? Underwhelmed is not the right expression, but honestly I was prepared for a bigger bump in sound. Probably my speakers are a limiting factor now. Wonder what your honest opinion about the improvement ladder ARES - PONTUS - VENUS is, since you've had all three already in for comparisons.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

They are about what I’d expect at the cash tbh. I can’t know without going through all the system.

[@johnkom2339]

"horses for courses"?? You Brits have some funny expressions. But very good review! For one, I bought the Denafrips on the pre-owned market for $1300. Second I'd agree that for tone, Denafrips is king. Tone and timbre are amazing with the Pontus but on the other hand I've heard 'faster' Dacs whatever that means -- on fast tap-your-foot stuff, it can be beaten, but not by a lot. However now there is the Cyan... that's tempting.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks ….love that one, and my dad uses ‘money for old rope’ a lot ie a rip off. Obviously horses (people) like different types of race courses (different hifi). Sorry if you got it. Faster is dynamic intonation or how fast the bass starts and stops but equally for mids etc. 😀

[@IvicaMarusevic]

Great review! You should sell your renders to Vinshine audio :P

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you 🙏

[@rangerscoach]

i bought the pontus 2, spent a bit of time with the chord dac too, the chord dac did sound better with audiophile music. but the denafrips seemed to do everything better. it has a sound. id say its like the ares 2 with a better string section. using roon i was able to get the denafrips to sound pretty great with classical with a little fiddling and everything else sounded pretty much incredible. the qutest sounded good with most things but made some bad things just intolerable.

[@keeferdog5617]

I just ordered a Pontus ll from Alvin two days ago. I’m a long time analog guy (or, at least I was until this week- thanks Mofi) and I’m hoping this dac will help alleviate issues, I hear when listening to digital streaming and cd listening to my current dac. It’s a Cary Audio 100t (with a tube analog output stage- running a pair of nice NOS 6922’s) To me cymbals sound fake, guitars sound metallic and the overall sound, sounds “edgy” and “brighter” to me. Hoping the Pontus ll will help me enjoy digital listening…Cheers from the States Btw- my wife is a Scouser and has no clue about my HiFi audio journey (for example- she can’t tell the difference between 480p and 4k when watching tv and doesn’t recognize the difference between my 35k 2 channel audio system and her Bose player- yikes!)

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Alvin is very diligent and on the ball I’ve found. Hope it goes ok.

[@damn5987]

How did you find the Pontus 2, in the end?

[@keeferdog5617]

@@damn5987 It’s the classic, “for the money you can’t beat it.” I’ve been enjoying it, since I purchased it. Alvin is great to work with too.

[@keeferdog5617]

Any chance you can do a comparison between the Pontus ll and the Venus ll? Thanks Simon

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Not easily as I don’t have it anymore and it was a while ago and it would be hard as the character (not quality) is very similar. Sometimes when the character is different I can say eg between two brands products one of which I have and the other has gone back. But I did say in this vid that it impresses at its price - I used the words value quotient - and the reason I said it, was to field a question like this, so if you are eyeing Pontus 2 or venus 2 they do perform well at price……I can say when the sound quality is much more impressive between two products, one of which has gone back, but it has to be marked.

[@keeferdog5617]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thank you so much for your quick reply and through response. I purchased the Pontus ll, two days ago from Alvin. After learning of the MoFi digital revelations, I decided to upgrade my dac. I own a nice dac ($3k in 2016- Cary Audio 100t w a tube analog output stage- using a pair of NOS 6922’s) Although a good sounding dac, I’ve always felt when listening to cd’s or streaming hi rez files from Qobuz that cymbals sound fake, guitars sound metallic and the overall presentation is “edgy” and bright. I’m hoping the Pontus ll will help alleviate the digital issues I hear in my system (a tube pre, a tube amplifier and Sonus Faber speakers) I like a warm & spongy, colored, non fatiguing sound. Do you think the Pontus will be a good fit, Simon. Thanks again for your great input. I really appreciate your efforts in your vid reviews. Well done and Cheers from the States

[@MusicLover-01]

@@keeferdog5617 If you like spinning vinyl you'll be shocked by R2R over most Delta Sigma. Digital sounds so much more analogue to my ear, it really starts to sound natural, it is still digital but very much has a vinyl or more pure analogue nature. Specifically, depth of sound is improved, roundness of edge, shimmer of cymbal, richness of vocal, tonal decay and air, all more realistic and emotionally engaging and far less digital glare. Pontus 2 is a masterpiece for its price and probably twice its price! You are in for a treat!

[@keeferdog5617]

@@MusicLover-01 Thank you for the response. Great description! I’m really looking forward to hearing it! I just got the first FedEx notification. I didn’t realize it shipped from the factory in China. Assumed it was shipping from Alvin’s in Singapore. Can’t wait…thanks again

[@MusicLover-01]

@@keeferdog5617 Total pleasure, keep in mind this thing needs to be switched on for a good 10 days to two weeks constantly before it fully opens up hence a degree of patience is needed. Also, recommended setting is oversampling and slow filter, you can can play with others, this was my favourite. Wait will be worth it, enjoy 😀

[@conanshinn8348]

I had the Qutest for a bit, but there was something artificial to my ears in the top end. Had the Ares II for about six months, but sold it to upgrade to the Pontus II. For me, the Pontus II is much better than the Ares II. The nice thing about the Denfafrips DACS is that if you decide to sell them, you get back close to what you paid for them. I think I actually made a few dollars on the Ares II due to a price increase.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Good call Conan, I suspect the direct selling model keeps second hand prices buoyant.

[@oscarmassey9388]

I have a recommendation listen to Sonny Rollins Way Out West album on this DAC

[@18yearsoldnot]

Simon could you also review the Sony Walkman DAPs? They seem to be very popular in Japan - make sure you import the Japanese version without the volume limit.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I tried the pr person at Sony once for some noise cancelling headphones I ended up buying, then reviewing, but they have such a massive following themselves already I think it doesn’t make sense for them to use even the largest of audiophile reviewers, so I’d have to buy myself. I can’t buy too much as am conscious of costs, but I’d be happy to if you imported and sent me some. Up for it?

[@riccitone]

I’ve grappled with buying an Ares II vs so many other dacs…interesting dacs with unique topologies (regardless of chip makeup and type). Granted, in the under 1k range. I’d settled onto Topping D70s, and am floored by its r2r-esk qualities, although a dual akm design. Speedy, but very natural presentation. Would be great to have a review of the latest interesting dacs that break the “mold” so to say, or are unique in their sound sig qualities/output stages. I think you did something like that a while ago? Not sure, but would be great among those in the 1-2k with recent offerings (dac tech is moving way too fast). Wonderful vid, again!

[@JTB--]

Excellent Review and Production value. 👍 I was considering getting the Pontus II... but I just don't have the room for it. Denafrips TOTL stuff is just too big

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you JTB, I suppose it’s probably due to the ladder dac board space and dual toroids.

[@xstensl8823]

me too, so i bought the Ares2

[@JTB--]

@@xstensl8823 I just got the Hifiman EF400 for a secondary audio setup and it' is an R2R DAC/Amp all in one combo and it's amazing. The HIMALAYA R2R DAC sounds as good as DAC's costing much more and the Amp portion is very powerful. It has XLR, 4.4 and 1/4 inputs. Most people not looking to spend a fortune on an audio setup could have an end game DAC/AMP combo for their desktop with the EF400 for the steal price of $600 and call it a day. The only real negative is it only has USB C and USB B inputs on the back. No Optical or Coaxial etc... Probably a cost saving measure to offer this AIO for $600. Hifiman continues to impress

[@paulmcvicar9648]

Thanks for the video Simon. For hard rock e.g. AC/DC what's your pick. Denafrips, Chord or Holo?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Paul, a tough one although I think they probably all have a shout out on that score . Although not really my music tbh so I’m not sure 😀🔊🎶

[@barrybrennan2135]

Have you tried the Cutest with an upgraded PSU? Very good anecdotal reports.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Yes see other posts to avoid repeating

[@baronofgreymatter14]

Would you say this DAC would be improved by a better power cord?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

No

[@johnkom2339]

YES. Power chords always always do make an improvement with anything digital.

[@andrewmeates7633]

Good graphics once again. As a qutest owner I feel the issues would be best resolved with the alchemy of other components. The other issue is aftersales service, which is very straightforward with Chord electronics, although I have had no issues. Any thoughts on power supplies for the Qutest. Good review.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Andrew. Other components may or may not sort it, and the changes are pronounced between the two…After sales is becoming less and less an issue for such reliable and well made audio gear and local repairers, to my mind, with many hifi dealers just being transactional. I’ve had so little go wrong if you buy brands that have low faults. Buying where you save money online and direct selling models make lots of sense. Chord don't like people using different PSU's for their DACs as I don't believe they will support warranties with any faults that happen.

[@maxvdl1262]

I use my Qutest with Farad Super3 power supply. And this power supply absolutely removes all harshness from the Qutest. Also better definition and (deeper) soundstage. Treble is somewhat tempered, but not at the expense of detail. I compared with standard PS and also (cheapo) Chinese linear PS (U-core type). Farad far most pleasing. Makes the dac warmer if you wish. My other components are Naim SN3 with Teddycap, nd5xs2 streamer (digital out) and PMC twenty5.26

[@romeozulu57]

I am using the SBooster BOTW for the Qutest. Imho there is a very suttle improvement in soundstage and bass reproduction.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

@@maxvdl1262 the Denafrips is still of an ilk that there is no such effects ever. I’ve tried various other psus with mine and it’s still a little there (if sensitive to it which I’m not really and many aren’t) but it’s always dependent on system and taste and the rest of the kit and synergy of the kit as Andrew alludes too. I’d expect the effect with your Naim and pmc’s to be quite different using the Pontus, as with my pmc’s and Hegel.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

romeozulu57 there is a slight difference in tone. I use a mcru one (uk). Not that expensive

[@shreddherring]

I'm torn between the qutest, which I can pick up second hand for considerably less than a denafrips dac where I am, even though intuitively it makes so much more sense to have the digital signal physically decoded instead of a digital algorithm making its 'best guess' as it were. I have seen it said that using good isolators and a better power supply can help to improve the qutest, just wondering whether these are things you have experimented with?

[@18yearsoldnot]

I personally went with a used Hugo TT (original). Check that one out as well if you don’t like the cheap power stages of the qutest.

[@LimePieMusic]

Holo May 2 (level 2) will be much better then Denafrips Pontus / Terminator dac

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

The May I did on this channel is the improver on the Pontus 2, donno about terminator

[@LimePieMusic]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 I'll tell you more - Holo May will be better than all the dacs in this price range, and even better than DACs like MSB

[@jochvomberg5541]

As all Denafrips dacs warm and smoth,soft sounding,maybe with tubeamps to much.

[@robertwang7825]

I’m using the Pontus 2 with the Willsenton R800i 50w class A SET with upgraded PSVane 300B Western Electric tubes ( connect XLR Mogami gold ) - sounds magnificent. ( spkr Kef LS50 meta and Rel T5X )

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Cool

[@RigVader]

Hi Simon, I’m looking to upgrade.. Would you say the Pontus or the Holo Spring is the more forgiving/full bodied source? I had the Ares II and found it too lean and sharp and somehow it was a bit chaotic/uneasy to listen to (hard to quantify objectively), so switched back to my Rega DAC and was not sorry. I was using USB from my source (USBridge signature) at the time, so that might have been a factor (Now use the Digione Signature).

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Please see the description many thanks Simon

[@ericjohnson829]

Nice review. I’m curious if you have followed any of the recent reviews/measurements of the higher end Chord Dacs at ASR? I know the Qutest measured really well when test by Amir but the Hugo, Dave and M-Scaler seemed to possibly reveal some less than stellar technical performance. I know some of these things have to be taken with a grain of salt and let your ears be the judge but I found some of the test results surprising given the praise I’ve heard about them.

[@dan-qe1tb]

Amir's an idiot. He's obsessed with SINAD and distortion measurements. These people fail to grasp that the DACs that have the best measurements don't sound better, because real music isn't a sine wave. They post measurements that show IMD, or this or that, to -120 db below source, then complain about "inferior" products that have -105 db below source or inaudible IMD spikes at a certain frequency. What is that distortion compared to what your speakers or room are doing to the signal? THD has to be 1.8% before it is audible at 1.8 kHz, from your listening chair: the music is masking it to that extent. That's about -30 db below source.

[@willmac5642]

Guessing a Qutest 2 can't be that far away

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I think they’ll add dsp to it Will, like the mojo 2. They’ve developed the technology and it makes sense to incorporate on other products plus take away from detractors who dislike a brand house sound because chord does get (wrongly imo) opinions that their sound is bright. Dsp obviates that. 😀👍

[@lextr3110]

Too costly for 0.01% resistors and fpga error correction add latency

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

The proof is in the eating - and whether you like it or not.