Denafrips Pontus II vs Venus II

@ryder 

I’m interested to know which DAC you are considering over the pontus ii. I do think, halo makes some amazing DACs and wish I could have tried one of their models before purchasing the pontus ii. I really do like the pontus and think the sound is improving over time. The hi-fi store I go to let me take home a transparent premium and a cardas clear beyond power cords to try with the pontus. I’m excited to find out how they will sound. Denafrits makes two other DDCs in addition to the iris which are more expensive (hermes and gaia). 

Best of luck. 

@stevebohnil, please let us know how the pc's work out.  I typically use Clear pc's in my systems but did not have an extra one for my new Pontus.

@marco1 

Wow, what a difference! I have a few cheap pangea and audioquest power cords on hand just in case I need them. I had the pangea hooked up to the pontus until I could audition a few higher-end cords. I auditioned the transparent last night and everything came together. The pontus came alive with even more soundstage and amazing detail. The soundstage was always big but the detail had been lacking. I’m going to try the cardas clear beyond later tonight. I have to say, I’m a little scared to try it because it is a little out of my price range! I’m currently using all cardas cignus and clear cables. I might try a clear power cord with the pontus before purchasing the transparent just to ensure I’m making the right decision…lol. 

@ryder 

I use a AES/EBU from a Bricasti M5 streamer into a Denafrips Hermes, which outputs via I²S to a Pontus II.  Everything in the digital chain upstream from the streamer is powered by quiet linear power supplies and is also power filtered.  The level of detail and focus is still much greater than when bypassing the Hermes.

Check out the specs for all the Denafrips devices, and in particular the clock type. My guess is that my Hermes + Pontus II setup via I²S gets one closer to the Terminator II performance than a Venus II because of the OCXO clock in the Hermes.

@gladmo 

Which HDMI cable are you using from you hermes to your pontus ii?