Musician Pegasus R2R DAC Review - Probably the Best R2R DAC up to $2K!

[@Acura1NSX]

I've owned a number of high DACs under $15K and I am here to tell the Musician Pegasus beats almost all of them. It has incredible channel separation with a wonderfully wide soundstage and gobs of sweet detail. Once broken in for 300 hours this DAC has NO competition in NOS mode for it's price against any DAC under $6K! A true giant slayer!

[@aleksandarstojceski3139]

What about Denafrips.

[@Josh-os2px]

Lol 🤣 stop lying 😂

[@ramalingam108]

I have just received my Pegasus fews days ago and starting the 300 hours of burn in. But I could not wait and I listen a bit of music. I don't have an other external DAC, but an AK4490 chip in my integrated amplifier a Bur-Brown PCMI 1792 chip in my CD player. And up to now the Pegasus give me a better sound than the chips, better details of the instruments and better sound stage. I have choose Musician Pegasus instead of Denafrips because they have a return policy in the first 30 days after the purchase. I confirme with them the that I could return it without questions.

[@mikecees2230]

Hi Sandu, Great review as always. Will this DAC end up on your best DACs list?

[@DHayut]

Excellent review and quality production! I own the Denafrips Ares ii and was thinking to upgrade to possibly Venus that you reviewed. How do the Pegasus and Venus compare? Do you still have it? Did you do a direct shootout? Thanks

[@Dilyaev]

What isn't sufficient for you with the ares 2? I thought of maybe purchasing one.

[@DHayut]

@@Dilyaev bass should be deeper and more textured. I own a chord qutest as well and the ares ii is a little digital sounding compared to qutest. I'm looking for a dac that provide the qualities of the ares and qutest which are very different soundings.

[@aleksandarstojceski3139]

@@DHayut What do you use as transport?The ares is analogue sounding dac.

[@ciaoamore2634]

pegasus is 4 times better than ares, it sounds much better than Pontus and 1/2 the price of Pontus....

[@Flavius7]

Very interesting design. Although it's different shaped, to me is somehow close to Denafrips types. Elegantly modern. For a first device it's an excellent job. Good review, man!👍

[@nwestmoreland1]

Because it’s made by the same guy from Denafrips. Check out the article Chinese Chimera on Darko’s website.

[@ruffandruff]

Amazing as always...very well reviewed. Thanks for your reviews...keep them coming!!!!

[@EllasPOSEiDON]

Sandu. "The Next Best Things Studio" reviewed the Denafrips Pontus and in their opinion Pegasus can be competitor for Ares II only. Looks like there are very big difference between taste and hearing here and there. Actually it is obvious, we are all different, but was strange to hear it. Even a polish review was very very impressed and pleased by Pegasus.

[@jonw7757]

If you carefully look at their channel... you can clearly see they have an affiliation to Denefrips.. take their reviews with a grain of salt.

[@goodsound4756]

@@jonw7757 - they claim they‘re not, so how do you know better?

[@nc3419]

Regarding Next best thing audio reviews...I tried an amp he gushed about but didn't find it had strong lows or midrange like he stated. He did say it could sound bright with revealing speakers which it did...too too bright in the upper mids thru highs. I take his reviews with care, as well as Tharbamer's. Not because they are wrong or are trying to deceive, rather I tend to like things they may not and dislike things they like. At least I know how to interpret them. Sandu's views seem to mesh more/less with mine with my experience so far. Still, we are all different and interpret things differently.

[@Josh-os2px]

@@nc3419 I bought the Pontus 2 off of Jays review a big step up from the ares 2 , D90, bifrost 2 and yes I owned all of em. For Sandu I bought the topping a90 off his review saying it's the same level as the Benchmark but the A90 is very linear straight line no flavor boring the problem is Sandu says everything is good and over sells it .

[@kingjongun7295]

I just got one in black a couple days ago and the sound quality has blown me away

[@Soundnews]

Hi Supreme Leader, didn't know you are into Hi-Fi. Welcome aboard!

[@locmanw1583]

How would you describe the sound compared to your last dac?

[@ychilds99]

What a time to be alive! The DAC options just keep getting better for the price. Thank you for the review.

[@georgedrakopoulos2906]

Another awesome review, thanks Sandu so much for taking the time to give us such great content. I've decided to get one of these as I've recently been playing around with DACs (m500 & m400) for the first time. I'm curious, and looking forward to seeing what this R2R DAC has to offer. I'm planning on using this with Tidal through my PC. Do you use USB noise filters like the one I have (Elfidelity AXF-100 III) or find the Pegasus works fine without noise plugged directly into PC? The filter made a huge difference with the m500, for my setup anyway, and a more subtle difference with the m400. Also, I've seen online that R2Rs run in is recommended and normally a week or so should begin to show the R2R DACs potential. Did you have to run it in for that long? Sorry for all the questions, and thanks again. Keep up the fantastic work.

[@rockman22]

Great review. Will you ever review the RME-ADI 2 Dac, for $1150 I really wonder how it compares to the Gustard and the Pegasus.

[@Soundnews]

You know what, I'm gonna shoot another email to Schneider Weisse, I meant to RME

[@wa2368]

@@Soundnews Man, you need to hit 100k+ subscribers soon....None of the dudes i know knew about this channel or this content....I shared it to them today.

[@Soundnews]

@@wa2368 Thank you dearly. Appreciate it. Who knows, in time that might happen, but my beard might be grey :)

[@User_not_found_403]

@@Soundnews I'm buying and trying this DAC, only because I concur with your assessment of the A90. I have ADI-2 and Ares II as well, would love to hear your thoughts on how they stack up against all this emerging, yet really good Chinese gear.

[@ruvamsi]

@@User_not_found_403 Could you share your impression of ADI-2 vs Ares II? I'd love to go for an R2R dac but don't know if I could give up all the features of the RME

[@morganwilliams6687]

These comments always amuse me. After a while, it seems the majority of them share one thing in common: the writers' deep insecurity about the investment they've already made, or are about to make. They yearn for the critic's reassurance that they have selected the best possible component for their system and feel the need to defend their choices against an imaginary audience that stands ready to judge their audio taste and competency. Who cares? There will always a "next best thing." Just try to audition products that have received uniformly good reviews (most direct order companies will give you a trial period after which you can return it if you don't like it), and if you find something that enhances your enjoyment of your music--you win.

[@johnhallkenney]

Another awesome review. This compared to the new Gustard R26 Sandu?

[@Soundnews]

R26 is better, by a lot.

[@romanticul999]

@@Soundnews X26 pro is better that Pegasus?

[@damgar]

Great review, how it sound with Flux FA-10 is good pairing?

[@Jeipr]

Love the Stands!!! What brand?? Need them in white

[@Soundnews]

Hey mate, the wooden one is an one of a kind stand made by one of my friends. From the aluminum ones, the one on the left is a WooAudio HPS-T and on the right is a Silverstone EBA01.

[@petermartin9494]

Wow, this makes me happy I have held fire and not purchased any of the previous flavor of the month dacs.

[@micatske]

Nice review. I curious how will this one compare to D90? I am quite curious R2R Dac

[@cesargutierrez4999]

Great review Thank u Have you bu any chance listened to luxman DA-250 if yes how does it compare to this one?

[@Soundnews]

Sorry, never tried a Luxman product

[@sphaera3809]

Thanks for the review Sandu! This looks like a promising DAC and possibly much better value than all other R2R DACs out there. But I have to say that modern DACs are sounding very much alike given their excellent S/N and distortion numbers. I'm unlikely to go to another R2R having just liberated myself from the "Multibit" world... ;-)

[@emilianpredescu3477]

I don't want to buy this , I don't need to buy this...WELL , I ORDERED! Why? Cause I'm a sucker for affordable new stuff with good design. Thank you , Sandu!

[@Dilyaev]

So how does it sound?

[@pathdoctor1]

I ordered one about a week ago. It was supposed to be in stock but has not shipped yet. How long after you placed your order did they shipped yours? Also, how did it take to be delivered after it shipped? How do you like the unit? Thanks in advance.

[@Thiago_TS_BR]

Look above !

[@joshuabrain9751]

How are you guys liking the Pegasus? Currently waiting for my order to ship

[@alanchan920]

thks Sandu will be ordering one immediately .. always wanted a r2r .. with such performance at this price cant find any reason to consider other r2r

[@josepessoa8543]

How does this DAC compares with a SOEKRIS dac2541? Had you the opportunity to listen to the DAC's from SOEKRIS?

[@supergiddy3]

Great review, again!!

[@wokthetalk3079]

I like that you take the time to asess each DAC that you with earphones, headphones and speakers. Not all DACs can perform in all genres of music either. Can I ask you to review the Audiobytes Audio Dragon DAC? I have read some positive reviews on this entry level unit. Can ask you if you have a recommendation for good headphone/pre-amp for this DAC. After watching and reading your review, this DAC has made it's way to my short list along with the similarly priced Gustard A22. I plan to use it as part of two channel home stereo system that I am currently upgrading. My living room is small and there for it will be connect to a yet as of yet undecided headphone/pre-amp which I will use during the times when quiet listening would be a better choice.....thank you

[@Soundnews]

I don't want to spoil my next review, but please come back next week, it will be something better than that Black Dragon...something that mostly probably will replace my reference DAC

[@LuxAudio389]

Excelent review! How do you think it compares to the Rockna Wave Dream 🪜 DAC?🇷🇴

[@ramasuharman7962]

hi Sandu, did you had a chance to compare it with internal DAC of your Hegel H190? i am on the fence as i am eager to experienced what the R2R sound like. will it be an upgrade from the hegel's?

[@petermartin9494]

I really like it that is has a NOS button.

[@Soundnews]

Dominic Toretto approves your comment. Vroom Vroom

[@klepp19]

Is the Pegasus warmer and smoother than the Aquarius? Which of the two have airier highs? I'm will to sacrifice some bass slam.

[@Soundnews]

Hi mate, Pegasus is both warmer and smoother to Aquarius. The latter is considerably bigger and more technical sounding

[@klepp19]

@@Soundnews Thanks Sandu! I ordered the Pegasus from Amazon today!🙂

[@Thiago_TS_BR]

The review of " The Next Best Thing Studio" was NEGATIVE ! Check out before order .

[@sphaera3809]

How would you say the Pegasus compare to the D90 MQA?

[@N0va]

Pegasus is better in almost every way. Way more open stage and better retrieval, warmer, more lively and energetic.

[@joshuabrain9751]

@@N0va have you heard both? I have the D90 and am considering the Pegasus.

[@N0va]

@@joshuabrain9751 I have owned both. Pegasus sounds way better in every way.

[@joshuabrain9751]

@@N0va thank you. I find the D90 too forward and it’s like there’s not enough separation in the soundstage, it sounds confused on some tracks and sounds too digital. Hopefully R2R will fix that

[@joshuabrain9751]

@@N0va have you heard the Ares 2 by chance? If so how does it compare to Pegasus?

[@giness1965]

Which would you prefer Draco or Pegasus much love 💯

[@gauravgoel8092]

Hi Sandu, would you please rate pegasus vs Gustard R26. Please I need to decide between these two. Thanks !!

[@nikkonkde]

I was considering matrix X-Sabre pro. You said it outperformed the reference x which is 3k$. How do you compare it with Denafrips Venus?

[@Josh-os2px]

Dude this is the guy who said the A90 is basically the same performance as his Benchmark Amp which he never sold. He hypes too much Crap uses the same words the describe all his flavor of the month products he like the European zeos

[@MWeston2]

Did an engineer from Denafrips quit to start this company? This thing is either a collaboration, knock off or repeat design from the same person who did the Denafrips based on the artwork. A PCB design is an artistic output and it matches right down to the trace widths and via sizes/placements. Even the fonts are the same. It doesn't surprise me the performance is as good as the Denafrips stuff. ;)

[@victormoreno2767]

I thought the same! I feel like I am looking at a more stylish Ares II with internal parts just moved around! : )

[@Soundnews]

I will not defend any company, on one hand the case design of Pegasus is reminiscent of the Venus, but the internal design is different. Venus does not have 8 output transistors and encapsulated voltage regulators and Pegasus doesn't have as many power filtering capacitors. Only the resistor ladder looks the same, but in this regard all R2R ladders are looking almost the same.

[@wokthetalk3079]

@@Soundnews Hi Sandu, Thank you once again for a very detailed review. However, I am not sure if you have made the case why not having so as many power filter capacitors is a good thing. Care to to explain?? Oh BTW..... I would have rather this DAC manufacturer put the components of this item in a well built rectangular box..... it look weid next to your Benchmark.

[@bruunm1975]

This or Denafrips 2? Having just gotten the D90SE I like it but can only hear the wall of sound and if anything it has less depth than the dac inside Node2i. I know ironic. So since MQA is ehhhmm behaving odd… I’m going to the other end. My Rega Brio-R and Focal Chora 826s can handle a little smoothing on top for less fatiguing. But I’d like to have as big a sound and depth as possible… (I know i know…. )

[@georgepusavat6620]

Musician Pegasus, how do you know they are 0.005% resistors? The manual and the website specs do not indicate this. Where can I find and confirm? Thanks

[@Soundnews]

Since I didn't have a user manual, I asked for all the specs and internal components the Musican team via email, that happened weeks before publishing my review, they replied back with everything. Sadly, there is no way of checking if those are indeed 0.005%, but I see no point of lying to your customers, it's like shooting yourself in the foot.

[@moukiebengal9753]

how do you compare this to the deneapris prontus or venus

[@Koopagamelouda]

Please answer this!

[@arrowzen7433]

How does this compare to the X26 Pro? - which is better?…

[@JMAudioEditions]

Topping D90 vs Musician Pegasus R2R DAC - I know Topping uses no power for USB wire - thats why its so dead quiet- and I love my D90 so much! Wonder if Pegasus uses power part of usb- do you know? and btw- Nice Kennerton Magni + Ghorns!! from Russia- reviewing or your own? I did a review on both the Magni and Gjallarhorn - I modded the Ghorn and its my favorite HP of all time - the owner is working on new version of Ghorn called JM version! so honored! Message me anytime man! cheers! -JM

[@lupoal4113]

another top ranking dac... the last one, few days ago, was Topping D90... roughly same price level... it start becoming a challange to choise a dac, they all sound wonderful... is the average quality that grown a lot in the last period or is you that are too gentle?

[@Soundnews]

Digital grown a lot lately. Why? Femtoclocks are costing about 10 to 100 times cheaper in 2020, FPGA coding is done by third parties nowadays and newest D/S chips as ES9038 PRO and AK4499 are much easier to work with (less R&D time), USB implementations are much better and way cheaper (XMOS) and the list goes on.

[@lupoal4113]

@@Soundnews clear... then what is your ranking? this one is in the same priuce range of D90 ... Metrum Amethyst... RME-ADI 2... if you could only buy one, what would be your choice? (classic music... Qobuz mainly... sometimes Tidal)

[@geoffreyvanhouwaert8677]

@@lupoal4113 hello Sandu, I get what he is saying, since you test so many dacs maybe you should make a Dac index like John darko used to do...

[@ekjellgren]

Which input would you say sounds the best?

[@ramalingam108]

USB was hard to connect to my MacBookPro, I return my Pegasus and they reimburse me without problem. But when I succeed the sound was very good.

[@jeffkalina7727]

Is this the product Jay said was a knock-off of Denafrips for 1/2 the price?

[@aceofspades6667]

Have you heard the Holo Audio Spring 1 level 3 (KTE) or Holo Audio Spring 2 level 2 R2R dacs? Or the MHDT Orchic & Pagoda balanced R2R dacs? Both Holo and MHDT received wide rave reviews across the interwebz but there are few youtube reviews. Just wondering your thoughts on the Pegasus in comparison to either of those units (all same price range).

[@Soundnews]

I know that brand, amazing internal layout and design (among the best I've seen actually), especially their May is looking like a piece of art on the inside. Would love to test one, someday... I have owned the MHDT Havana maaaany years ago, upgraded everything in that one (tube, caps, etc). MHDT is very Old School, in 10 years or so they had little to no advancements in the digital domain, they use off-the-shelf R2R DAC chips which I don't quite like at this moment. 10 years ago, it was cool for me, but right now, not so much. I will shoot an email to Holo Audio and MHDT, maybe I can score some loaner units, who knows. I had maany DACs in my life, way too many... A fetish of mine? Probably

[@aceofspades6667]

@@Soundnews Thx for the feedback on MHDT for some reason I thought their Orchid and Pagoda Balanced were significant improvements. On the Holo Audio Side I've heard great things of the Spring 1 and Spring 2 KTE dacs with the Spring 2 having much cleaners USB input. I don't know much about the May but everyone seems to love their product.

[@RyuMasterEX]

How does it compare to the similarly priced gustard a22 and d90?

[@Soundnews]

A copy/paste from my website: "They have different sound signatures, one wants to impress with a sharp leading edge and treble response (A22) and one wants to tie all the notes with silk thread. Pegasus is not about perfect measurements or amazing detail retrieval but more about the simple act of music listening."

[@r423sdex]

@@Soundnews why would a Dac have a sound signature ?

[@ahmadieb]

@@r423sdex every dac has a sound signature dump we dont live in perfect world...

[@AngryChineseWoman]

@@r423sdex Let me guess, you come from the Audio Science Review forum ?

[@marks.2909]

I’m only 7 months behind ,..Excellent review,..

[@666chew]

Another reviewer was approached by this company and internally, it's a Denafrips knock off. It seems that some people noticed the success of Denafrips and approached their supplier and paid lots of money to get this made. They even went so far as to trash Denafrips, who've been very civil about it all. I think the equivalent would be the Ares II.

[@Soundnews]

There area lot of things that a person as myself can't know or check. In my meantime it was revealed by a bigger audiophile publication that Denafrips subcontracted their workers, most likely their engineers to work for another brand - Musician. That is common practice in China. There are a lot of brands that are having the same factory and are sharing the same HQ. I will not defend any side, they know better why they did that, I'm here to talk only about sound quality. Still, if Pegasus would be a complete copy/paste and I would know that in advance, I would refuse making a review.

[@rizalahmad4207]

No link to the product website or where to buy?

[@Soundnews]

Just updated the video description with that info

[@Andyusa11]

Can i use it for gaming ?

[@IsaacChew]

Looks like a Denafrips dac. Even the way the top plate has a wavy cut at the back of the dac is so similar to Denafrips. Is this DAC related to Denafrips in any way?

[@Soundnews]

The case indeed looks like a Venus, but on the inside everything is their own. At least to me, it looks that way

[@IsaacChew]

Thanks for your reply 👍

[@floydmanfloydman4147]

This DAC appears to be directly related to Denafrips DAC (see Postscript at the end of following article where Mr Zhao of Denafrips basically confirms this) darko.audio/2020/06/kih-77-chinese-chimera/

[@rumcoffee3067]

How about versus Topping D90 and Qutest?

[@EllasPOSEiDON]

What about Soekris dac1541 Sandu? Did you hear about?

[@Soundnews]

Inquired about a loaner unit, never heard back from them.

[@peterserrano9320]

it seems you have "The Best" DAC every week...even if I were to buy one now, there will a better one next week...it's the never ending game of chasing the dragon's tail...its pure neurosis, need to use time enjoying music more

[@Soundnews]

I Peter. Since the inception of this KZbin channel, I put the word "best" in the description of just one review, in this one more exactly. I don't plan on using it weekly. There is another channel that uses this word quite often, but that is not me...

[@peterserrano9320]

@@Soundnews my sincere apologies to you...your reviews are outstanding, keep up the great work !

[@Soundnews]

@@peterserrano9320 no offense taken, we're cool! ;)

[@pathdoctor1]

Has anybody here already ordered and received this DAC from Aoshida Audio? I ordered one two weeks ago and have not received shipping notice yet. I emailed them one week after placing my order and they replied saying that the new units were being tested. I am concerned. Thanks.

[@Dilyaev]

Those are apparently modified ares 2 dacs, there's a big story behind it. darko.audio/2020/06/kih-77-chinese-chimera/ It also seems reviewers get to keep this unit for free to rave about it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3mTfoxmaZmLbrM

[@funkurs]

They had closed for the Chinese national holiday. I ordered mine right before and received it very quickly. They provide great service and this DAC is the real deal. Compared to the RME and Qutest in my rig, definitely my favorite of the 3.

[@roms4277]

The best dac under 2k is gustard X26 pro, better schiit yggdrasil or metrum onyx!!! This dac is smooth with 2 ess Sabre 9038!

[@brighidclaire]

Does this unit remind you of DENAFRIPS?

[@Soundnews]

Yes (thanks to that majestic sounding R2R ladder) and No (because all Denafrips DACs are slower sounding)

[@brighidclaire]

@@Soundnews Will there be other models? Thanks.

[@ciaoamore2634]

1/2 price of denafrips Pontus and it sounds much better,2x power supply do not mean much....pegasus rulle

[@richardblaauwgeers4349]

I searched for this online but all the places that sell it scream fraud.

[@coffeesnob7600]

Try Amazon, it's available in the UK and US Amazon.

[@philipw7058]

But a rug down it will make a world of difference

[@DueM]

your intro was messed up thought my dac was losing clock signal.

[@Soundnews]

This intro works only with R2R DACs, it was put on purpose :)

[@DueM]

@@Soundnews ess sabre32 weeps softly in the background.

[@kopczas]

It looks like Denafrips and Musician are the same company. Both pegasus and ares II looks to much the same. Even product names has the same source.

[@Soundnews]

Hi Piotr, I have asked Musician to come forward and release a statement regarding their products. I hope it will happen sooner, than later

[@kopczas]

@@Soundnews Let us know :)

[@ywsx6489]

Does anyone know if the values of resistors in r2r dacs drift over time?

[@Soundnews]

As far as I know, they don't

[@rashiquebinnasir9528]

This vs D90MQA?

[@Dilyaev]

Lol even the ares2 is better than the D90.

[@Soundnews]

Depends on who you ask ;)

[@r423sdex]

Hope they get to measure this on ASR . Then we will see how good it is.

[@aabuahro]

Measurements doesn’t always translate to performance! Listen with your ears and not with your eyes!

[@r423sdex]

@@aabuahro you keep dreaming, tell me what measurements don't matter ?

[@r423sdex]

@@aabuahro i see you got a big love and kisses from the reviewer, but why would you believe that what he thinks he hears is true. What makes a Dac transparent ? What is crosstalk ? How about dynamic range , can it be measured ?

[@Soundnews]

​@@r423sdex Nobody forces you to watch things you don't like. I don't pretend to have perfect hearing or golden ears, my opinion is still an opinion of a single man so take it as it is. If you don't agree with my opinion, that is perfectly fine. It would be a sad world if everyone would have the same opinions. No need to start a war.

[@DueM]

@@r423sdex if all you hear is measurements then every dac will sound the same...

[@kvrhifi]

Unfortunately comments you mentioned about delta sigma DACs not appropriate . It just how well engineered and designers intension what they want achieve. chipsets names .. r2r .. tube DACs .. all these doesn’t matter if engineered properly and genuinely like RME . After listening RME I feel all these technology doesn’t matter to me . I am not saying RME is only one the great, just saying do not fall or fooled by technology terms r2r , delta sigma.. tubes ..

[@Soundnews]

You clearly misunderstood some of the info in this review. I cannot be fooled when it comes to DAC design, I know how they work on the inside, I know their limitations and I understand the thinking that went into all of them. At the top of the top (and by that I mean the best DACs money could buy), there are only R2R, 1Bit and FPGA units. But for mere mortals as myself, Delta-Sigma is way more affordable and much easier to get. I'm pretty sure your RME unit is an amazing DAC, but it will still perform by the limitations put in place by its silicon (DAC chips), clock management, USB interface, FPGA coding, power supply and filtering. With R2R, 1Bit and FPGA, sky (and our wallets) is the limit as they can go wild and design everything I have mentioned before according to their needs, specs and so on.

[@kvrhifi]

@Soundnews : I trust your knowledge no doubt about that . But look this review about RME here. My personal experience is also same as this review taww.co/post/621563416104108032/first-take-review-rme-adi-2-dac-fs He mentioned very close to ps audio direct stream dac . Technology you mentioned does not matter here .

[@r423sdex]

@@Soundnews I would rather trust audiosciencereview.com. Now they do know what they are talking about, no where to hide on that forum. Measurments never lie.😀

[@kvrhifi]

@Dave G : trust your ears 👂.. not numbers . problem is we can’t generally generalize things based on one thing .. example.. still we love vinyl analog sound even there is lot of distortion ..

[@sphaera3809]

Unfortunately my experience with the RME adi-2 v2 was not to my liking at all. Even though it shows a high SINAD number on ASR, I couldn't make it sound like music in my multiple systems. It's unfortunate because I really liked the features it provided and well designed volume control. I hope their next gen of products will sound better.