Schiit yggdrasil + Less Is More vs. Denafrips Pontus II

While I want to take the mfgr. at his word...In light of what Alvin stated about the Denafrips Pontus II 12th not having a fuse, has anyone braved taking the top panel off to verify? I might likely want the Synergistic Research Master fuse installed.

N

Congrats on the Pontus.  You should consider adding an Iris or Hermes DDC at some point to take advantage of the Pontus’ i2S input — it’s a significant upgrade in sound.  FWIW. 

Or avoid the DDC by considering a streamer like the Mercury V2, iFi NEO Stream (faster bit rates than the Mercury, but you're paying for a 2nd DAC), or other streamer that supports I2S natively. I own the Denafrips Pontus II and Iris DDC, and recently moved to the Mercury via I2S over RPI4/RopieeeXL  using USB -> Iris -> I2S, because of better sound (more resolution at the high end). I've just discovered the quality improvements of upsampling, and I'm intrigued by the iFi NEO Stream owing to the higher bit rates possible. 

Thank you soix and sfgak, I'll consider your recommendations!! I have been reading about the I2S connection.

N

Alvin is one of the most stand up guys in the industry. He always gives truthful replies why would he fib about there being no fuse in the Pontus 12th? He is not the manufacturer but does know every inch and circuit of everything Vinshine distributes. He opens Denafrips equipment on YouTube giving detailed information about what all the upgrades entail consistently.