The difference between the 501 and 502 is the headphone amp. The 502 has a fully balanced headphone amp while the 501 does not. The DACs and other features are identical between the two units which is why there is only $1000 difference in price.
Has anyone compared the Terminator Plus to the Holo Audio May (KTE edition)?
I know each of these has been discussed separately on this forum, and I've seen comparisons between the original Terminator and the Holo Audio May. But I haven't seen direct comparisons between the Terminator Plus (which is supposedly a substantial upgrade to the original) and the May. So I thought I would pose the question.
I'll be upgrading from my Chord Qutest soon (I like the Qutest a lot, but I know there's better out there), and my budget will be around 5 - 9k. I'm interested in R2R DACs because of their supposed natural/analog sound. And I've heard/read that these two R2R DACs punch above their price points.
I'll be upgrading from my Chord Qutest soon (I like the Qutest a lot, but I know there's better out there), and my budget will be around 5 - 9k. I'm interested in R2R DACs because of their supposed natural/analog sound. And I've heard/read that these two R2R DACs punch above their price points.
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I have been using a Denafrips Terminator+ with Gaia DDC for about a year now, and the source rig is a BIG step up from my last source, which was Auralic Aries G2, Vega G2 and Leo GX clock. That was a an $18k MSRP stack that does not hold a candle to the Terminator+. Of course just my opinion, like others. No better, no worse. For reference, my system consists of: Harbeth M40.3 McIntosh MC601 monoblocks McIntosh C50 preamp PS Audio P20 Power Regenerator Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC Denafrips Gaia DDD SOtM sMS-200Ultra Neo streamer Custom built NUC8-i7 with Teddy Pardo PS running Roon ROCK Good luck! |
John Atkinson was very impressed Even more so with the Holo May, the Weiss only "rivaled" it. https://www.stereophile.com/content/holoaudio-may-level-3-da-processor-measurements In almost every way, the HoloAudio May (Level 3) is the best-measuring D/A processor I have encountered, rivaled only by the Weiss DAC502 and MBL N31.—John Atkinson And then there’s this review also. Watch the 2nd half as well. https://youtu.be/Wa3sOSRa-U0 Cheers George |
orosie ("oh girl"), that's some impressive gear. And i'm surprised the terminator+ and gaia outperform the Auralic stack, considering the price difference. Great bang for the buck. George, if i remember correctly John A. was more impressed with the May than the Weiss only with regard to measurements. But in terms of actual sound, it was about even, with maybe a slight edge going to the Weill. (But i could be misremembering). Thanks for the links! |
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