Denafrips Pontus *15th* ?

Ther is probably less benefit the better the source, but that may be true of all sources. I did a good amount of listening without the Iris, direct to the Pontus through the USB and Coax and while the Iris increases the soundstage and details, the Pontus is providing a quality I have not heard until now. The presentation is natural and vivid without being etched or colored. I may be biased because I did purchase the units, but I am happy with it. I've tried the Benchmark and Musical Fidelity. With the Pontus I found a bargain that in my opinion sounds better. Add to that the Iris to clean up my common Mac mini and I'm all set.

For those of you using an Iris, Hermes, or Gaia DDC, are you using those DDCs with a computer or with a streamer? I'm wondering if the benefits of using a DDC are audible when used with a streamer that inherently has less noise.

@calvinandhobbes  I’m using an Iris between my iFi Zen DAC (with iPowerX power supply) and Musician Pegasus DAC and the improvement is palpable to the point where I wouldn’t be without it. 

Thanks @pgoodfield & @soix!

Just ordered a Pontus 15 with a Hermes.

I have been eye balling the Laiv, but in the last two weeks there have been several popping up on the used market & I fully expect that to continue.

Hi guys,

It’s been almost 5 months since receiving my Pontus 15th and started this thread. Initially I was caught up in the confusion re: Denefrips/Vinshine confusion at the time, but nearly 5 months living with the Pontus, coupled with the Iris DDC, just wanted to express how happy the Pontus makes me.

For reference, when I first received it, it was feeding my Marantz Model 30, but not long after I bit the bullet and tried tubes for the first time with the Heaven 11 Billie mkii.

The Marantz combo was lovely, the Pontus was a big step up from the Ares 12th-1 I had, but the addition of the Billie was revaltory for me, being a tube virgin.

The partnership of Pontus and Billie is just marvelous to me, to the point I found I wasn’t visiting audio forums, or looking at components as potential swaps or upgrades, I was just listening 

I won’t go into hyperbole, I’m rubbish at describing how my system sounds, but as things stand I’m one happy camper.

Despite all the confusion and uncertainty around Denafrips and Vinshine that existed when this thread started, I hope everyone who bought a Pontus 15th are not disappointed; to me, it’s the best piece of kit I think I’ve owned.

Thanks guys, and happy listening 🍻