DENAFRIPS DAC ---- Owner Impressions, Feedback, General Discussion, Questions and more....


Thread for OWNER IMPRESSIONS, FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS, ETC. regarding DENAFRIPS DACs.

DENAFRIPS lists the following R2R DACs:

Ares, Pontus, Venus, and Terminator (in increasing price order).

"DENAFRIPS incorporated in year 2012, focus in developing high end audio equipment at a very affordable price. Throughout the years of intense Research & Development, and continuous improvement of the product lines, DENAFRIPS had finally settled with the current product range equipped with R-2R ladder DAC technology. The reason behind this is the designer strongly believe that R-2R DAC is the best way to reproduce music.

The name, DENAFRIPS, stand for:

D-ynamic
E-xquisite
N-atural
A-ttractive
F-idelity
R-efined
I-ntoxicating
P-ure
S-ophisticated

This mean a lot and it is the house-sound of all DENAFRIPS products." [Copied From Denafrips About Us section]
david_ten
Post removed 
Hello guys,

Our warranty coverage is comprehensive.

- Defective within 30days, we cover both way shipping fee
- Within a year, we cover one way return shipping fee
- Within 3 years, client to cover both way shipping fee

DENAFRIPS DACs are rather easy to be serviced, in most case, it can be done by swapping the board. If you’re a hands on person with electronics knowledge, the board can be replaced easily with a few screws and a little soldering. The PSU and the DAC board are modular, it’s almost plug and play (except for Ares). We will work with the client to decide mutually the best economical way forward.

All these policies are in place. You’re well covered.

Many thanks.

Sincerely,
Alvin @ VINSHINE AUDIO


@alvin1118 thank you for clarifying.

The terms fall in line with what the typically reputable company provides, and I believe that’s fair.

Coincidentally, just as you posted this, I followed the link you provided earlier in this thread to read through the terms. One benefit folks should consider is the TRANSFERABLE warranty.

Having shipped a lot from China and Singapore, I’ve found FedEX and DHL two of the better options, though FedEX costs a fair amount less. For those at home and for sake of convenience, I’m providing a few (3 shipping options exist, with delivery times listed as within 2 days of one another) rates to Singapore for packages ranging from 15 - 50 pounds, as I would think the DENAFRIPS products fit in somewhere close to that range. Interestingly enough, pricing did not change from both the East and West Coasts of USA - perhaps related to FedEX using their hub in TN regardless?
15 pounds: $267 - $357
25 pounds: $333 - $389
35 pounds: $486 - $592
50 pounds: $584 - $753
Well, I've been waiting for everything to settle in before giving my thoughts on the Pontus. I bought the demo at Axpona after hearing the all four in the Denafrips room. The Terminator was out of my price range and the Ares was gone, but the Pontus was right in my wheel house. My system: Amp: ATI 1807
                               Preamp: Modwright swl 9.0
                               CDP: Denon2900
                               Speakers: Usher Audio CP-6371
                               Computer: Asus desktop.
Once everything was plugged in I fired up one of my playlist on Spotify. I was not impressed. Everything sounded dull and lifeless. Cd's sounded just ok and I was wondering why this thing didn't sound like it did at the show. I changed ic's ,power cords and usb cables. I let it play for a week straight and no change. Then I read the manual. The button for NOS/OS was set to NOS(no over sampling) I changed it to OS(over sampling) and it made all the difference in the world to my ears. 
The Pontus is a very good dac. The sound leans ever so slightly to the warm side with a neutral presentation. Micro detail from the Pontus is so good , you will here new music in old music. On some familiar tunes I heard things way back in the mix.  I'm a jazz guy with a good amount of classical thrown in,  and the amount and sound of bass is perfect for me. You can hear the timber of the instrument whether plucked or bowed. Cymbals sound like cymbals, not white noise. Pianos are real and dynamic. With it being such a quiet piece of gear, you can hear the venues on some live classical recordings. I've never heard this in my room before.  
I started out using my Acoustic Zen silver ic's from the dac to the preamp, and it sounded fine. But Vinh and Norm with Gingko Audio gave me a pair of Dana Cable Onyx interconnects. I took out the Zen's and in went the Dana's. The Zen's gave me more air, but the Dana's made everything sound more natural and real. They will stay.
Some things I don't like about the unit are the tiny lights. Unless you have the dac setting at eye level you can't see them. So I moved in my rack so I could see them. Also a remote would be helpful in switching between sources instead of getting up to do it. All in all the Pontus is well worth the price. The music it makes will make you smile and listen. What more could you want. 
@coach59   Great to hear you are loving your Pontus. Thanks for your write up and sharing your impressions!