Denafrips Pontus II vs Venus II

@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?

Hi again Steve @stevebohnii

I'm using Kimber Kable HD29 0.5m. It's just barely long enough to go between levels on my audio rack. I haven't tried any others.  If you have any suggestions, let me know.

@gladmo 

Hi again, buddy! I’ve researched the tubulus comcentus i2s is an amazing cable. I’m thinking about the iris but after reading your post, maybe I should step up to the hermes. Last night was the first night I feel in love with the pontus ii. Lol.