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

Terminator update.

First, the not so good: In an earlier post I stated I had sent the unit back for transformer hum. I’ve seen at least one other posting regarding the same. There was still a very slight hum when returned to me. I agree with the prior poster that this really is not acceptable for a flagship product. However, I bought an Emotiva CMX2 DC offset blocker which cured the hum. (There are few, even very expensive, power conditioners designed to eliminate DC offset). Apparently there is some degree of DC offset on my power lines, but the Denafrips was the only component not able to cope with it as nothing else in my system has any transformer hum. One more box to contend with in my system, fortunately I have room to hide it. Something to think about.

As for the sound, for the most part it is amazing! With PCM it’s detailed yet warm with stunning holographic imaging. But...On occasion there is static and a hissing sound similar to what you might experience with extreme clocking/jitter issue. Restarting play usually cures it. I am not sure if this is an issue with the Denafrips or Roon software or my nucleus+. Not quite sure how to trouble shoot that one. Any suggestions are welcome. The fact that it happens, even occasionally, haunts me... “is it happening now at a less audible level? Is the sound right? Could it be better? Is the DAC broken?“ Sometimes the music seems better than others even when I don’t hear the hiss. Just in my head???

As for DSD vs PCM. It’s hard to A/B it by upsampling. When I upsample PCM to DSD the level drops considerably which has a dramatic affect on perceived sound quality. (The opposite happens if I downsample a DSD file to PCM—the level increases) Again, I am not sure if this is a function of the DAC or the Roon software. I have tried to correct for this by adjusting the volume, but don’t seem to be able to get it just right. My very rough impression is the DSD soundstage seems ever so slightly more compressed with less detail. In fact, I have taken to down sampling some DSD material to PCM. On the surface this makes sense, as the magic in the DAC is the R2R where PCM shines.

@73max   Which board are you using in the Terminator (there are three versions now)?

Can you test via another digital cable feed?

Can you test with another server/streamer (other than your Nucleus+) feeding the Terminator?

Have you and Alvin troubleshooted the static/hiss issue?  

I had a 'similar' (intermittent) static/hiss issue which was resolved fully.

Thanks David. I haven’t addressed the hiss issue with Alvin yet. It is intermittent, but usually happens at least once a listening session and resets easily. At first I was just thinking this is part of digital audio, but lately I’m starting to think otherwise. Maybe I will contact him.

It typically happens when switching to a new album at a different sample rate. Not 100% sure that it hasn’t happened at other times, I need to evaluate this more closely.


The only digital source I have is my nucleus+ and no other way to feed it besides USB.
As for the board, it had the latest version when I purchased it last November. I don’t think there has been an update since then, has there? Is there a post that shows what the newest board looks like so I can take a look inside?

@73max  Definitely connect with Alvin. 

If you purchased in November (and it was a pre Nov. unit), there is a newer board available. Check a few posts up. Post by Alvin on 5/2. He should be able to let you know if you have the latest one or not.

You can also look at the board pics on the Denafrips site to determine for yourself. It's a simple removal of the top plate...two screws have to be removed...directions are on the site.

Also, try switching to another USB cable, as a simple test to eliminate the cable as being the issue (though it's unlikely to be, in my opinion). 

Thanks again David. Of course, it has to be an intermittent problem. The most difficult to resolve. Might not happen again for another week, might happen twice tonight. Very difficult to troubleshoot unless you can monitor 24 seven for days if not weeks.

When I bought it, the new board had just gone up for sale, I asked Alvin about it prior to purchase and he said mine would ship with the latest. I was not aware that there were three boards as you said. Any approximate timeline on when the second came out?