DENAFRIPS Terminator and Schiit Yggdrasil Evaluation and Comparison

Currently I have the Ares https://www.denafrips.com/specs-ares, but digital inputs are only Coax x 2 , TOSLink x 2, and USB Combo384 Amanero which I believe was an upgrade over the old Ares which had XMOS implemented a year and a half ago. So it cannot be fed with AES /EBU, (the 2nd model up in the Denafrips departmen Pontus has AES /EBU).

As much as I like the Ares sound signature and I am enjoying it, I will be looking to seriously purchase either the Schitt Gunir or Yggydrasil depending on how my music tastes match up since the detail retrieval is substantially more revealing. 

So if I am to use my gaming laptop as a transport (Razer Blade 2017) it is a question if I am really gaining something by using the 2020 USB implementation Schitt freshly installed on new DAC or if as you say something like you have would be worth it.

The company rings a bell but they’re latest model I have not come across in any reviews when I searched modestly last year. Of course my budget was sub $1500 so perhaps that is why. However, for him to say "at a ridiculously low price of $2500" is typical audiophile writer hogwash to be taken with a grain of salt. $2500 is NOT ridiculously cheap it is reasonable though. If it matches Chord Dave’s performance than I can see how that comparison works.

Like when Absolute Sound in their testimony on the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 2, mentioned "The Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 2 would have received my highest recommendation had it cost $15,000. Yes, it sounds that good. That it sells for $4995 qualifies as a minor miracle." That is just typical salesman downplay of price phycology.

Taking an aside, I will definitely take your recommendation up and do some research on the ifi DSD Pro Dac though. $2500 is probably the most I would ever spend on a DAC even if I became a millionaire as I think that seems to be the sweet spot on the price to performance curve for anyone really serious about audio in a positive way for sound alone and not fancy appearance or exotic parts.


Does can it compare to Schitt’s Closed-Form Digital Filter solution though and how can it not be less accurate?

More importantly than ever in this evolving market does it utilize off the shelf DAC chips?

But thanks for the reply @zoophaugus. Let me know if you can answer my previous questions as I would like to know that part of the chain as I think I could gain a better understanding on the DAC upriver side of things. 

Thanks.

RE, Reggy,

The Matrix only accepts a USB input.... although I wish it also accepted an spdif signal so I could feed my CD transport into it as well...

My transport to the Matrix is a windows based laptop via a Usb cable.. My high res and standard flac files run through Jriver media and I also subscribe to Tidal. 
After trying all the various outputs of the matrix to the yggy, it is the AES/EBU  that I stay with...
Is it the best output final word? I dunno, but it works for me ...and its definitely better than usb but digital coax is close to it..

One only need look at the really high end streamers and dacs to see that they sport not 1, but 2 AES/EBU input/outputs... YES 2 , one for each channel L and R..
Being the cheapskate I am I decided to build my own streamer...as you can see those streamers can get quite expensive really fast... but they have built into them what I have as external components, a linear power supply, reclocking and delivery of a very clean signal to the DAC so that it may function at its full potential ..
How does mine compare to a high end Auralic streamer .. I dunno to be honest...but I'd like to think it should be at the very least close ...

I use a custom made AES/EBU cable (7ft long-to eliminate reflections)  from the matrix to the yggy, the yggy feeds an LS26 via balanced cables, the LS26 feeds Bryston 7B3 monoblocks via balanced cables, which power Elac speakers...

Reggy the reason we are going to get a sample of the Ifi DSD pro is that it is being compared to really expensive dacs, Herb compared it to a $7k dac and the Six Moons reviewer compared it to a $28k Lampizator Golden Gate Dac and a few other mega expensive dacs and the little Ifi DAC held its own very very well.


https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/ifi/4/

The Ifi DSD pro use an FPGA combined with four burr brown dacs in an inter leaved fashion which enables very high sampling rates.

The FPGA allows for feature upgrades via firmware as MQA is also being added.

The fact that in this one product you get a great dac, heaphone amp, streamer and a tube output stage with volume control makes for a very attractive package for $2,500.00

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ