Denafrips Terminator Plus vs T+A DAC 200


I currently own the T+A DAC 8 DSD and it's great! But I'd like to upgrade, move the T+A to my headphone rig and place either a T+A DAC 200 or Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC in my main rig. Anybody had a chance to compare these 2 DACs? I know the prices of the T+A and the T+ are close. Unfortunately, there are no used T+A DAC 200's to be found in the USA, but I can find a couple of T+ (used) for almost $2K less. If you've had a chance to hear both of these DAC's I'd appreciate knowing how they stack up to each other? I'm not interested in any other brands. I've narrowed my wish list to just these 2 DACs. 

mewsickbuff

Thank you all for your input. I almost purchased a Terminator 2 last week. (Un)fortunately it sold just before my inquiry. But wouldn't you know the very next day a T+ went up for sale. I'm waiting for its delivery this week. I guess the deciding factor was Steve Guttenburg's review. He said "if you are a resolution 1st audiophile, you crave ultimate resolution from your digital music then T+ will make you very, very happy." That's me to a tee. 

I had a feeling you would go for Denafrips. Which is totally fine. I get that. We all look for trying new things, different sound, different experiences. It is part of the journey. Which you should enjoy in full. And gain new experiences. Best of luck @mewsickbuff , I hope you enjoy the Teminator, and you come back here with your impressions once you get it. Congratulations on the new purchase!

@thyname you're quite intuitive. And thanks for the congrats. Once I've run the T+ through a few hoops I'll post what I find.

I've had a few listening sessions with the Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC. I bought it to see how it managed 1024 upsamplling with the Signalyst HQ player. It's marvelous. Speccy shows the temp of my Alienware computer's GPU and CPU stays in the green zone, no sweat handling the 1024 upsampling. Even though I asked about the T+A DAC 200 I don't have one for comparison. So for those who are familiar with the T+A DAC 8DSD, here are a few of the differences I heard.

Not that I didn't hear them before, but now the highest frequencies on some songs (within my hearing range; like those triangles or whatever they are) and the bass was more prominent and succinct. I've always heard the middle frequencies, but they were soft and at times I felt as if I was straining to hear things (like the chimes near the end of Adele's "Hello.)". Not with the T+. I can now distinctly hear all instruments in the mid frequencies plus all drum hits. Bass guitars and drums kits with their cymbals, are placed accurately on the soundstage. Sometimes to the left or right of the lead singer but no longer does it seem the center stage singer or instrumentalist is sitting in the drummer's or bassist's lap. Voices on good recordings remain mellow and sweet, but the T+ is less forgiving of poorer recordings. Example, I have Barbra Streisand's "Memories" CD. At 44k/1024 her voice is etched with some shoutiness, which quickly led to listener fatigue. When the same album was played at 44k/512 Barbra's voice and higher frequency instruments were a tad smoother. At 48k/256 even more pleasant. Being able to hear more, I can listen at lower levels; 12 to 15 is now 9 to 10. On one classical album I could hear depth and separation I hadn't before. I could more distinctly identify multiple horns and multiple strings in their own seated sections. The separation of choir voices and/or instruments was very good on both DACs. The T+ also did a better job of separating duets, trios and larger groups or instruments when recorded that way. Voices or instruments were to the left or right of center stage surrounded by air. On a few songs there were instruments that popped up far outside of my speakers and there was even one song were an instrument seemed to be playing to the right of my chair. As I listen to more of my library I'm sure I'll find more of these golden nuggets.

Even though it came with an HDMI I2S cable, the T+ is connected to my computer by a WyWires Platinum USB cable. My computer has no I2S connection. The T+A DAC 8DSD is an excellent DAC and now has its home in my headphone rig. But the T+ is definitely a few steps up.