Holographic DAC With Air And Decay

++++++1 Denafrips Pontus II (latest edition). I have had mine for a few years, and it is still one of the most musical and enjoyable DACs I've ever heard.....and for the $2,000 cost, is a ridiculous deal. I run mine out of a Denafrips Iris DDC (another great deal) via I2S, which takes the whole game up another notch.....you'll notice a bunch of us use the Denafrips Pontus/DDC combo

Yes there are better DACS, and yes I will upgrade the Pontus at some point, but that will be with a DAC 3 to 5 times the cost.

I think there are multiple factors that go into a holographic sound with air (aka ambient cues).

1. The acoustics of your room have to be right. Uncontrolled stray reverberation can reduce the sense of air as can rooms that are too acoustically damped.
2. Speakers have to be set up correctly for better resolution in the sweet spot.

In terms of DACs, I have a Denafrips Pontus II with the original firmware version. It conveys air and ambient cues in an organic sounding way. I’ve heard both the dCS Bartok and Rossini. Both sounded somewhat synthetic in tonal quality to me while the Pontus, though not the last word in resolution, produces music that sounds like its produced from blood, sweat, and tears. As crazy as this will sound, I wouldn't take either one of the dCS DACs I heard over the Pontus.  If I step up from the Pontus, it will be to the Linn Organik DAC in one of their network music players. That takes the organic sound that the Pontus offers to the next level of resolution and presence.

Here’s some ways to make the air and 3D soundstaging from the Pontus be even more audible in order of increasing price.

1. Audioquest Jitterbug if using the USB input: This ~$50 device increased the clarity of the sound and reduced digital edginess.
2. Power cable: I’ve tried 11 power cables including a basic $15 Tripp-Lite Heavy Duty power cable up to a $1400 Shunyata Research Delta XC (admittedly for power conditioners but not DACs but it was loaned to me for free by a friend). My DAC sounded best with $95 Supra LoRad power cable. Beneficial effects from the perspective of making "air" and 3D soundstaging more evident were:
   • Quieter background
   • Better separation and placement of instruments and voices

   • Better resolution of low-level detail

3. Power conditioner: I got an Audioquest Niagara 1200 this past July. Effect of the power conditioner were more of the same as produced by the Supra power cable.

Topping E70 Velvet. Even when level-matched (which most comparators fail to bother with), it sounds a fair bit better than many costlier options.

DAC technology is completely mature. Dacs like the Benchmark DAC3 and Bryston 3 are old news. One reason for this is that DAC technology has largely mirrored the evolutionary pace of other consumer electronics such as TVs and smartphones. The same can’t be said for the likes of 2-channel amps and large speakers. A $300 DAC made today meets or exceeds the performance of $3000 DACs of a decade ago. And no, I’m not saying that as a zealot of the ASR forum cult. I say that because it’s true in my personal experience.

If you want more “air and decay” from your system, in 99/100 cases, the best route is to upgrade your speakers, especially to models that are phase and time aligned and incorporate truly high end drivers. That or invest in room treatments.

In terms of DACs, if you’re convinced of the alleged superiority of R2R, then I recommend going with one of the only couple brands that manage to employ that topology and still manage high resolution: Holo or Denafrips.

I would definitely look at the Wyred4sound 10th anniversary DAC, one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said it was every bit as analog sounding, on that review I decided to buy it and try it and I totally agree it is so smooth and detailed but not analytical, best DAC I've had in my system and they also give you a 30-day trial period if you don't like it you can send it back and get your money back I obviously didn't, this dac has also gone up against DAC's double and triple the price and beat them from many other well-known companies.

Since you mentioned you prefer R2R DAC’s maybe look into the Dutch made Metrum and Sonnet DAC’s.

Depending on the model the price point for new or used would be within your budget.