Cen. Grand DSDAC 1.0 (vs Pontus II)

Forgive my descriptions, I'm a bit rubbish describing what I'm hearing, and the above is my best effort at approximating what I am hearing/experiencing 😜

No way man — you did a GREAT job describing what you’re hearing and I feel like I know exactly what you’re hearing and it sounds fantastic!  I wish more reviewers were as clear and plain-spoken as you are.  Many times I read entire reviews and still don’t know what the damn review sample really sounds like.  Argh!  You give me a few sentences and I feel like I know EXACTLY what this DAC sounds like and it sounds quite impressive, and I hope it just keeps getting even better for you!

@soix thanks for your kind words; extremely generous 😊👍

Bumping this one up. Anyone been able to compare the Cen.Grand against other Denafrips models or any comparable  brand for that matter? I am looking at getting the base model, which would be on the lower side of my budget. I’m also considering DACs from ANK audio kits up to around $3500.

@cd318 I used own the Ares 2, but that's not really a fair comparison with the Cen. Grande. For what it's worth, the distributor I deal with is also a distributor for Denefrips as well as Cen. Grande. 

He feels that the Denefrips doesn't compete with the Cen. Grandes with respect to the Pontus II vs Cen. Grande Standard; the same as you move up the respective lines. 

People obviously want to buy Denefrips from him; they're immensely popular at the moment, but his preferred DAC, and what he uses at the moment is the Cen. Grande Deluxe version 

I have never invested more than $600 into a stand alone external DAC, until recently I opted to get the Denafrips Pontus 12th anniversary DAC. It has taken my audio setup to another level. But if I wanted to go the DSD route, I would invest in a PS Audio model, probably used.