I'll add my +1 for the Pro-ject Stream Box S2 Ultra.. Although I don't have a Pontus (yet), I've been pleased with the performance of the Pro-ject, especially at the price point.
Streamer Advice / Recommendation for Denafrips R2R DAC
I really could use some help / recommendations on the choice of a streamer. Here's where I am in my research:
I've decided on a Denafrips Pontus DAC (R2R) because of it's sound characteristics (musical while maintaining definition). It is within my budget, while the Terminator is not.
My current thinking is I need a streamer that does not have memory, amplification or a DAC on board. I will use the streamer-DAC pairing to listen to music in a AVR / Music setup: Denon AVR3700H (105 watts) connected to a Rotel 1590 power amp through the Denon precouts. Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 (left right) speakers. Bowers & Wilkins 802 center channel (power connection by Denon amp) SVS and Yamaha powered subwoofers. When used for streaming Netflix it's a 7.2 setup.
For streaming music I listen to the usual list of suspect: Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify. In it's current setup, the system is too bright and harsh. Speaker placement is in the room from acoustic hell: rectangular 15' x 45' with the front/ center channel speakers facing the narrow width (unfortunately by necessity and I'm in the process of adding reflection panels to cover 15% of the room.
I am determined to achieve music that does not wear me out after a couple of hours listening: well produced electronic music / R&B / piano jazz. I like midrange dominance but without too much detail in the +8k hz.
I learned to budget more for the DAC than the streamer, but most of the streamers I've looked at are combo amp/hard drive/DAC or they have networking into multi rooms. The Auralic Aries G2.1 is out of my budget by about $2,500 (at 5,100 US), Willing to pay more for great sound but am unsure the streamer makes that much of a difference than the DAC.
Advice? Setup Recommendations?
I've decided on a Denafrips Pontus DAC (R2R) because of it's sound characteristics (musical while maintaining definition). It is within my budget, while the Terminator is not.
My current thinking is I need a streamer that does not have memory, amplification or a DAC on board. I will use the streamer-DAC pairing to listen to music in a AVR / Music setup: Denon AVR3700H (105 watts) connected to a Rotel 1590 power amp through the Denon precouts. Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 (left right) speakers. Bowers & Wilkins 802 center channel (power connection by Denon amp) SVS and Yamaha powered subwoofers. When used for streaming Netflix it's a 7.2 setup.
For streaming music I listen to the usual list of suspect: Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify. In it's current setup, the system is too bright and harsh. Speaker placement is in the room from acoustic hell: rectangular 15' x 45' with the front/ center channel speakers facing the narrow width (unfortunately by necessity and I'm in the process of adding reflection panels to cover 15% of the room.
I am determined to achieve music that does not wear me out after a couple of hours listening: well produced electronic music / R&B / piano jazz. I like midrange dominance but without too much detail in the +8k hz.
I learned to budget more for the DAC than the streamer, but most of the streamers I've looked at are combo amp/hard drive/DAC or they have networking into multi rooms. The Auralic Aries G2.1 is out of my budget by about $2,500 (at 5,100 US), Willing to pay more for great sound but am unsure the streamer makes that much of a difference than the DAC.
Advice? Setup Recommendations?
- ...
- 56 posts total
+1 Bluesound Node The OS sucks less than a lot of others seem to. I’m unwilling to cough up for Roon yet. I’ve been thinking about upgrading and moving my Node2i to a second system, but none of the under $3k offerings from all the usual players are a slam dunk. There are conflicting reports on improved sound quality ranging from negligible to marginal to significant but not sufficient to justify the price. I really don’t want to buy another Node if there’s improvement to be had for a reasonable investment. |
pmreagan2If you stream in DSD for that an ESS base (delta sigma-bitstream) Dac could fair better than an R2R based dac. If you were going for PCM Multibit Redbook 16/44, 24/96 or DXD then yes the Denafrips or Holo R2R would be my choice. Cheers George |
The Auralic Aries G1 is very close to the G2.1 (according to most reviews) and is an excellent unit. I found it indistinguishable from the Bricasti M5 sonically, but it offers many more features. So if you were thinking of the Aries G2.1, you might consider the Aries G1. One of its features is outstandingly transparent DSP for adjusting tonal balance. If your room/speaker combination gives too much at 8 kHz and above, you can set a filter in the Aries that will fix that. I very much doubt you (or anyone else) will hear any audible side effects of that. |
- 56 posts total