The Denafrips Pontus II DAC Review!

Just how much do I like the Pontus II? There's only one way to find out... If that's your thing, you've found your place. Welcome to the Vinyl Attack!
0:00 - Intro
0:58 - Pricing
2:28 - Review Components
3:06 - Some Specs
6:38 - The Sound!
12:06 - Any Caveats?
13:18 - My Overall Rating
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[@danashay]

I'll be damned. John and I share a birthday! Having been out of the loop lately, it's a pleasure to be back. Very informative review, great script, and impressive, to me, sound track. And here I thought I couldn't afford Dennifrips. All of your hard work seems to be bearing fruit, and we all benefit from it. Please carry on!

[@thevinylattack]

Thanks for dropping by, Dana!

[@paulwisconsin456]

Wonderful review, thank you

[@thevinylattack]

Glad you liked it!

[@jimsregaturntableshifijukebox]

Very interesting and well done, thank you Chris. Jim 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🙂

[@thevinylattack]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@audiorick841]

I have used all the Pontus II inputs simultaneously. A remote to switch between all of them to make easier comparisons would have been awesome. I absolutely loved my Pontus and I miss it sometimes but the remote did play in my decision on moving on and moving away from Denafrips (still have my little Ares in the bedroom lol) So all in all I agree with your assessment, and on the remote part too. Having tried all inputs I don’t agree on optical though, my favorite by far is i2S. BNC and AES were a tie for me. If someone has a node as a streamer and uses coax, I would say that it is 95% of the BNC and i2S. I tried it with the Node and Node 2i, ifi Zen Stream and Pi2AES. The “old” Node 2i was the best bang for the buck. I kept one as a streamer only. In my system and beats all the other ones in terms of wide soundstage, even the new Node. Hope that feedback can be useful for someone looking into one of those .

[@thevinylattack]

I2S is certainly better than toslink, but most components have a toslink and not an I2S, hence why I think there should be more toslink connections. It's just my opinion though. To each their own.

[@gryphongryph]

Can I ask what Dac you have now ?

[@audiorick841]

@@gryphongryph Current DAC is a Holo May KTE (it has a remote ;) Also kept my Burson Composer I switch with the Holo May once in a while… cannot get rid of that one. A little Denafrips Ares in the bedroom setup, very nice for the price.

[@MrTabacon]

Enjoyed your thoughts on the Pontus after watching many of your analog related videos. I have also been happy with the Denefrips products. No complaints and I use the coax connection for my main streamer with great results.

[@thevinylattack]

It'll most likely be the last digital review for quite some time, so I'm glad you liked it.

[@knivespipesandcigars9290]

​@@thevinylattack Same here. I prefer my coax (also from a node 2) to my Denefrips (Ares 2). Good review 👍

[@thevinylattack]

​@@knivespipesandcigars9290 Nothing wrong with that.

[@theobserver4078]

Thank you for the great reviews you are making Sir. I just want to mention that the prices asked for the audio equipments are just ridiculous. This greed from the companies can be stopped by not buying overpriced stuffs. Thank you again.

[@thevinylattack]

I think the Pontus is priced very fairly considering its performance.

[@GeirRssaak]

You are a healthy person!

[@fmrhkyfan]

Love the mention of blackthorn in your review- great vocalist as well

[@thevinylattack]

I'm glad to hear it.

[@rodrigoarias390]

Thanks for the amazing review, I wish more audiophiles had your musical taste! Prog rock deserves marvelous sound quality. I would love to know your opinion on the Gustard R26 (which has been preferred by some to even the Denafrips Terminator II) Thanks again!

[@thevinylattack]

Thanks for watching!

[@christian2123]

Great review. I totally agree on your optical comment! It's why I would choose the Enyo (formerly Ares II) over their Ares 12th anniversary edition. There are two AES inputs on the Pontus, but only one optical seems a little crazy. I still haven't seen a standalone streamer with an AES output. I've only seen that output on used on digital clocks.

[@thevinylattack]

It was an interesting choice on their end.

[@rogerschofield3324]

Matrix elemnt s standalone with AES i2s etc

[@larrywe3320]

FWIW-- From 'WHAT HI*FI' "If it’s a straight choice between coaxial and optical, we’d go for the former. In our experience, a coaxial connection tends to produce better audio quality than optical, allowing for a higher level of detail and greater dynamics."

[@thevinylattack]

It's possible, but coax can also introduce more line noise. Honestly I should just get some quality USB cable and have done with it.

[@rangerscoach]

⁠@@thevinylattackyep coax can hold higher bit rate but the the toslink can do 44.1 redbook cd without any noise. I have a bryston bcd 1 that I use as a transport for the dac and switching between them I couldn’t tell which is which

[@thevinylattack]

​@@rangerscoach I need to get my hands on a coax and do some comparative listening myself.

[@rangerscoach]

@@thevinylattack in short I think the Pontus will pretty much sound unreal on both 🤣

[@acd784]

Hi Chris. I just love your work and your ethics, thank you for that. In this particular video, when you say the Pontus II. Is overkill for your system, I understand you kept the Buchardt S400 mk2 hooked to a better Hegel Amp. So am I right to assume that the S400 mk2 are revealing enough? If this is the case, what type of an amp would you say is "good enough" for the Pontus II? Thanks, have a great day.

[@thevinylattack]

The Buchardts did very well with the Pontus, but the Alyssa's were a step up. There are so many good amps out there it'd be hard to name them all, but I'd fathom a guess that you'd probably want something around double the price of the Pontus. The Rotel RA-6000 would probably be a good start.

[@mcrelly]

Nice review! Concise and informative. My question is when you are talking about improvements and presentation are you contrasting between the pontus and Aries two or pontus and what other previous digital conversion?

[@thevinylattack]

I'm not sure what improvements you're referring to.

[@keeferdog5617]

I’ve owned the Pontus ll for over a year, in a high end audio system and have only one thing to say about it…IT’S A KICK-ASS DAC FOR THE JACK

[@thevinylattack]

That about sums it up.

[@LimePieMusic]

What do you mean "for jack"?

[@keeferdog5617]

@@LimePieMusic JACK = MONEY IN THE STATES

[@keeferdog5617]

@Nick Virago It’s a no-brainer, Nick. The Pontus and “don’t look back”…BOSTON ‘78

[@keeferdog5617]

@Nick Virago That’s a decision you have to make. There’s a noticeable difference between the two. Their entry level dac is good too. Your call…I’m sure you’d be happy with the Ares too…

[@therevrockinrollin]

Exceptional review. I think it would be hard for me to move off Border Patrol but this review gives me pause to that thought. The caveats are reasonable.

[@thevinylattack]

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts should you do a comparison.

[@therevrockinrollin]

@@thevinylattack You have a gift for reviews. I’m not sure it would be helpful (also - when I meant caveats were reasonable I meant you had some key points. Just wanted to clarify that)

[@latheofheaven]

I had never heard of Sons of Apollo. The first few drumbeats of MMXX blasted my nutz up behind the back of my neck. Now, I hafta go see a doctor, thanks a lot! 😲

[@thevinylattack]

You're welcome.

[@latheofheaven]

@@thevinylattack 😁👍

[@benyHiFi]

Hi Chris, great review, and thank you for amazing channel. I wanted to ask how did you connected the pontus 2 to the hegel 390 amp. I have the 390 and love the internal dac but have the itch to upgrade the dac. I'm between pontus 2 or holo spring 3. Any suggestions 🤔

[@thevinylattack]

I used a toslink cable. I've not heard the Holo in person, so I really can't say how it would compare to the Pontus.

[@MikeK6046]

Thanks for the great review!!! I like your pragmatic/ real-world approach to evaluating this and other equipment, much appreciated!!! BTW, have you ever tested the $250.00 Geshelli JNOG2 [J2]? It would be interesting to see if it competes (at all) with the lower-priced DENAFRIPS ARES II

[@thevinylattack]

I haven't reviewed anything other than Denafrips DAC's thus far. I think it'll be quite some time before I do, if at all.

[@MikeK6046]

@@thevinylattack thanks for getting back, I understand.

[@brianhaselden5680]

@@thevinylattack I own both. Upgraded to the Pontus II and moved the Ares II into my office system (I couldn't bear to part with it.) They have the same character but the Pontus II casts a bigger soundstage and is a bit cleaner. Also has an I2S input that the Ares II does not which improves the sound even more. Worth the extra if you can afford it.

[@paulwisconsin456]

I just order a Pontus II 12th. I will be using it with the Rogue Cronus Magnum III and Magnepan’s .. thank you for the review. Next to find a turntable … any ideas?

[@darrenm01]

What electric guitar setup do you use in the intro music for this podcast? It’s a killer tone.

[@thevinylattack]

It was a Les Paul through a Fender amp that were both destroyed when my basement flooded.

[@waldowsxxghostxx8577]

Would the Pontus 2 be suitable for a setup with Audiolab 9000a and Tekton Impact Monitors? Or would ares 2 be better for that system? I plan on pairing a eversolo amp-a8 as my streaming solution

[@jimmcginn2820]

Appreciated review. Have more of a question on purchase of a Dac. I am pretty much vinyl listener. System and vinyl playback would be conservatively higher end components. Witn that said my CD player is a Oppo BDP-105 (which in its day was held it's own over many higher priced u nits ) With that said it does not even come close to vinyl play back.Looking to get closer will a DAC ie. ARES II or Pontus II get me closer ? & Have you A/B and compared to vinyl of same music ? Your rely would be much appreciated.

[@thevinylattack]

No digital product is going to create the vinyl sound. That's why the vinyl sound is still so popular today. The Ares and Pontus are great DAC's though, and I recommend them highly if you're looking to step up your digital listening.

[@3dimensionsofmusic3D]

Thanks for your review. I'm interested in a denefrips dac. I currently only use a CD transport - a CDP6000 from Audiolab - hooked to an internal dac1 in a McIntosh 8900 integrated. Since I don't stream and have the funds for the Aries or Pontus , would my money be best spent on the Aries? Love your style sir Greg

[@thevinylattack]

They're both excellent choices. It would really depend on what you're looking to accomplish and at what budget.

[@bobb.9917]

I am looking forward to the free FPGA firmware update for my Pontus II to be offered on April 1st. 👍🏼

[@clesposito9744]

Do you feel that the Bucchardts weren’t resolving enough to showcase the differences in DACs?

[@thevinylattack]

The Buchardts definitely did, but the Alyssa's brought out that much more.

[@marcgoldstein2957]

I have owned it for over a year now, and have it coupled with a Gaia DDC linked via I2S, which brings added clarity to the imaging and that impossibly black noise floor. Also found that Coax far surpassed sound quality compared to Optical. But every set of ear is different.

[@thevinylattack]

I'd like to move up to an I2S at some point.

[@rangerscoach]

I have it. It’s not perfect but it’s like having a beautiful instrument in your house. It’s not accurate but it’s dreamy in ways other dacs just aren’t . I’m always thinking of songs and when I do I can’t wait to hear how it’s going to make the songs sound . All I’d say about tweaking is use manufacturers settings (Audirvāna can do this automatically) and slow filter for anything not classical and sharp filter for classical. I love rock music out of it I just want to open a bottle of wine and get crazy when I hear it. I love the qutest but I just didn’t get that feeling from the qutest it’s great but not the creamy analogue performance you get from the Pontus

[@pinkyfloydyfan1]

Hi Chris! I have the Hegel H190 and the Denafrips Ares2 with iFi Zen Stream. I listen mostly on Tidal. Does it will give me a real good upgrade to go for Pontus 2 12th anniversary edition? Thanks for the answer.

[@thevinylattack]

I might take a pass with that system depending on your speakers.

[@pinkyfloydyfan1]

@@thevinylattack My speakers are the SVS Prime Pinnacle.

[@thevinylattack]

@@pinkyfloydyfan1 I'd probably stick with what you have until (if) you decide to upgrade speakers. They're fine speakers, but in that setup, they're the weak link.

[@Qthepug]

1.) Is there a import tax or do you have to pick it up from customs? 2.) What color looks best?

[@thevinylattack]

I didn't have any taxes, and it was delivered directly to my house. The best color is the one you like ;-)

[@alexherceg9496]

I have one of these too! The optical is the least good input, you should give it a go with USB or I2S :)

[@thevinylattack]

As I hear that more and more, I'm going to have to give it a go.

[@colindoyle9876]

To heck with remote !!

[@thevinylattack]

Not at this price.

[@jim586]

Hi. Not sure if this has been mentioned but an Optical digital input has bandwidth limitations compared to coaxial (and the others) and so is seen as inferior especially with the future of digital having higher bandwidth’s of 96khz. Cheers

[@thevinylattack]

A fair point.

[@dan-qe1tb]

I'm an engineer. Go read the Nyquist sampling theorem, sometime. More frequent sampling, doesn't equal "the future" or better sound. The replica, can't be any better than the master.

[@snomofilms]

Pontus is very wooly- lacks so much sparkle, detail. But it’s smooth. Lived with one for nearly a year. I’ve since upgraded and really appreciate what the Pontus lacked.

[@gryphongryph]

What did you move too ?

[@snomofilms]

@@gryphongryph Holo Audio May KTE

[@Mike_Jones68]

​@@snomofilms I've seen this dac mentioned a few times here. But wow that price$$$. Basically doubling the cost over the Denefrips, is it really almost an end all be all dac then?

[@kevinreynolds6792]

Not woolly at all….lots of detail and sparkle…. Not analytical however, that’s why I like it…. It has soul …

[@calvinnapier9977]

I you can, would you do a review on the Rolls Bellari vp549 phono preamp?

[@thevinylattack]

If they send me one, certainly.

[@calvinnapier9977]

@@thevinylattack Yeah to my surprise there is little talk on KZbin about it. I'm considering replacing my Art DJ Pre II.

[@tttdrr2293]

Feel like a Guinness right now for some reason.

[@brettclarke6798]

Why would you use optical instead of coax? Optical tends to be restricted to 16 bit 48khz as opposed to coax 24/192. I would call the 2 coax and 1 optical a BIG win not miss

[@thevinylattack]

Because I like the zero noise the Toslink provides.

[@samidebs3559]

I think you’re wrong about the Buchardt S400MKII & the Pontus they sounds perfect 🎸

[@thevinylattack]

When did I say they didn't?

[@thetownspeople6486]

I like your channel but your way above the price range I want to spend on Vinyl music. But I love the way you conduct this channel.

[@thevinylattack]

I'll be covering a wide range of prices in the coming videos. No worries.

[@Bunno1177]

Nobody should choose toslink over coax. Why would you want extra conversion (elec-light-elec) and what quality is that conversion? Interference benefits over that distance aren't worth mentioning

[@thevinylattack]

Everyone chooses toslink over coax that I know of. I'll continue to do so as well.

[@daimozu]

Toslink is immune to noise.

[@louisfrangopoulos6604]

You need two or more coax connectors because they sound better than toslink. One for my streamer and one for my transport

[@thevinylattack]

That's what I've been hearing from people. I found it interesting though, that the people I know all use Toslink. Go figure.

[@brunohebert1351]

The Digital Attack? Sorry couldn't resist. Great review but way out of my price range. And also I don't have any IEC cables laying around unused. I got a few but they're all being used. So, come on, for the additional cost of $0.5, they could put one in the box. Even if people are going to change it, still, it makes your product usable right away.

[@thevinylattack]

Again, their thinking is if you have the money for this, you probably have spare cords lying around. Not what I would go with for marketing, but I'm just the messenger.

[@brunohebert1351]

@@thevinylattack don't worry, my comment was for them. Nothing you can do for sure. Like you said, maybe they surveyed their "target customer base" and found out that they never use the cable.

[@michaelmityok1001]

Hey although it's a good idea to review this DAC using toslink it should also be said toslink is not its strong suit, AES and especially I2S are the best inputs. Also it's good you use the entry level node to stream as that's what most people will use, but it should be said this limits the DAC ultimately. Finally it would be more useful for your subs to have another similarly priced and well known DAC on hand to do an a/b comparison. IME everything that comes before the DAC from the wall including cables affect the DAC's performance particularly with streaming versus local files on one's NAS for example. I know you are vinyl/analog focused, but you will definitely gain new subs if you address these kinds of points I raise when reviewing digital gear.

[@thevinylattack]

The Bluesound can send the same high res digital information as any other higher end streamer so I wasn't worried about that. Being that I'm not a digital guy, the AES and I2S aren't something I have around the house. While I very much enjoyed this DAC, it will also be the last digital review for quite some time. I'm just not into the format as much.

[@danielmack4276]

I prefer coax to toslink. Sounds better IMO.

[@thevinylattack]

I'm hearing that quite a bit. I'm going to have to dig deeper.

[@brjoon1021]

Digital coax is a superior sounding connection to digital optical

[@thevinylattack]

That depends on who you ask.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

@@thevinylattackI was surprised by this as well TBH. From a jitter perspective, coax should be the much superior interface (though apparently you can get special multi conductor toslink cables that try to address that). You do of course gain galvanic isolation, that eliminates noise transfer and issues with ground potential, which would be a valid concern for someone like me that mixes and matches components with and without a ground pin and connects them up using rca/unbalanced. I do believe I get superior results using a a high quality coax source with a good digital cable (1.5 meters). I try to get around issues with ground potential by running all my gear off of a single plug in the wall and making sure the polarity of the power is sorted (anyone who thinks this is BS can come over and listen to the difference in transformer hum and borrow my potentiometer to measure the different in potential between the casings of my units 😉)

[@thevinylattack]

​@@thepickyaudiophile Coax will provide a higher bit rate and a more 'direct' connection. Toslink is completely quiet and resistant to any outside interference.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

I’m considering the Pontus II, but am concerned it might be too forward/textured in the midrange. I’m very sensitive to any midrange emphasis, no doubt magnified by the fact I only listen at lower volumes. This was the main reason I did not get on with the KLH model 5’s. I also had the Ares II, which I found lacked body in the lower mids, along with the occasional sharpness/forwardness in mids (a specially on vocals), that meant it had to go as well.

[@thevinylattack]

I didn't find it that way at all.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

@@thevinylattack Pontus or Ares (or both)? 😅

[@thevinylattack]

@@thepickyaudiophile Either is a good option, but I like the Pontus.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

@@thevinylattack Thanks buddy (though I do think you missed the context of the preceding posts, but no worries!) 😊

[@buckethead84]

Toslink?? That's like putting regular gas in a sports car.

[@shinvergil]

No subwoofer output is a deal breaker.

[@thevinylattack]

It's a DAC, not a pre-amp.

[@craigrobertson9667]

WTF, it's a DAC

[@HailKingCeezer]

@@craigrobertson9667 A lot of people run Dacs direct to power amp. I do, my dac has 2 unbalanced analog outputs and 1 balanced output. 1 set goes to my power amp and the other to my subwoofer.

[@shinvergil]

@@thevinylattack and how does a pre amp send a signal to the Sub? Through its DAC. Again, companies should start incorporating atleast 1 dedicated sub out if not two.

[@thevinylattack]

@@shinvergil All a DAC does is convert a digital source to an analog one. There are no speaker outputs on a DAC.

[@Mike_Jones68]

Omg cords....cords....wires to deliver power. I get it, Denefrips knows who they are selling to, lots of snake oil drinkers out there. To each their own!

[@dan-qe1tb]

I have a good laugh every time I see people talk about just which speaker cables and interconnects and power cables they had used with the equipment that's being reviewed. Many of them aren't well versed in electrical engineering. That's why the Audioquests and Kimbers of the world aren't bankrupt.

[@Rob-hj6sg]

Just bought the pontus II used, I spent a lot of time on reviews, even listened to a friends system that has it.. now I just went through listening to some of my key reference pieces and I am not impressed.. It's boring, the soundstage has shrunk, I'm losing details, too silky and wishy washy.. compared to the 10yr old, $300 Maverick D1 Tubemagic I've had since new I expected it to take my system up a level, it's the opposite.. Maybe it'll work better on someone elses system?

[@thevinylattack]

Without trying to be an argumentative jerk, I don't believe any $300 product from any era can perform better than the Pontus.

[@thepickyaudiophile]

Have you come around to the Pontus? I had the Ares II and I never warmed to it, finding my 10 year old £500 Rega DAC superior in every way (sound stage, imaging, flow, tonality, musicality, sounding less digital and hazy). I am still considering if I received a “dud” and giving a used Pontus a chance.. I mean, that many people cant be wrong can they? 😅

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

But you can't compare a beautiful looking Turntable with a Clinical, sterile, boring looking box

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

looks cheap

[@thevinylattack]

You're kidding, right?

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

@@thevinylattack no i'm not. it's an oversized overbuilt generic box. goes together with a 7.1 denon to complete a system with no taste no pride of ownership no innovation and never an endgame in site... my old nuforce hd(299$) was also made in china ,it was a design masterpiece compared to any denafrips dac. the chord dave is one of the best designs ive ever heard and seen . even ifi products which are made in china as well look great ,sound great and never take too much space. did you know that some ifi products have nos tubes? look for that in any chinese product...good luck. my dac (1.5k$) was handwired for me by the designer .it's called border patrol se i made in usa with a nos rectifier tube. you will get more resolution from denafrips but sigma delta will bring you even more resolution so what? it's all about the T O N E. and it takes people with ears that care in order to get there it's not random it's not luck, it takes quality components and denafrips figured only that part and combined it with mediocre design ,ugly look ,the result: slightly over bright sound that lacks bass but hey... if it's not good enough there will always be the next model.

[@thevinylattack]

@@yaniv-nos-tubes So brushed aluminum, high-quality components, and overperformance for the price are cheap to you? Got it.