@audioman58 I know that the new terminator 15 is the old terminator plus. I spoke to you on the phone a few days ago about the new terminator15 you said that there have been some upgrades in the last couple of years. Can you go over these upgrades in the a post. Where the upgrades when Denafrips came out with the 12th edition models or after. I am also just curious if the DAC has changed since people have reviewed the DAC.
Denafrips Terminator II 12th anniversary VS. Terminator PLUS 12th anniversary
I currently have a Pontus II 12th as my first dive into digital and since I have been enjoying the flexibility of having digital as a supplement to my vinyl front end, I have been considering potential upgrades (sigh. it never ends, does it).
I am a bit confused about these two offerings, however, and was wondering if anyone has heard them both:
Terminator Plus 12th - $7700 approx USD
Terminator II 12th - $4975 approx USD
An approximate $2725 premium for the PLUS. The only difference in specs I could find is 'high end OXCO' in the PLUS and a 'fancier' faceplate. I'm not sure if these small differences warrant a ~55% premium?
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As a side note, I do enjoy the Pontus II I have now, but after hearing some higher end DACs recently - Lampizator Poseidon was a big stand out - it's glaringly obvious that the Pontus II is a lower price point DAC. 😅 While it definitely sounds excellent for the price point, I'm definitely wanting for more, even with the Gaia DDC.
It's not quite as 3D and can get a little bit veiled sounding to me - especially on the top end sometimes. The better DACs I've heard are better able to get that 3D effect and get more detail and air around the top end without sacrificing a laid back or natural sound.
While I was enthralled with the Poseidon I heard, it's quite outside of my price range (and I simply do not have room for that monster of a DAC, nor pretty much any of the Lampi DACs due to their height). I feel like it probably makes more sense to stick with Denafrips for an upgrade as I can continue using the Gaia with either of the Terminator options easily.
I am open to consider other DAC options in the 5-10k range, but need to be 7" or shorter (with feet). I'm not really interested in any streaming/DAC combination units as I use a stand alone digital source (Innuos Zen mk3) so would prefer to have a DAC without all that extra stuff thrown in.
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Yes the new engineers thought That from a engineering stand point last fall they upgraded to lower noise regulators ,better tolerances in certain capacitors in key areas and higher performance clocks ,especially the oven controlled clocks, by doing this they could save well over $100 k in R&D just to move from the Pontus to Terminator up one mode just look at the Venus 15 for example a whole new much Bigger case and at 42 lbs ,on the Terminator now it clearly shows on the sealed shieldedDual Oven Clocks - Terminator Plus on the cover The only difference no machined rounded front plat or cover . It’s all very apparent if you cross reference , and a $12-$1400 savings to the consumer vs last years model it’s a win win for Denafrips as well as the consumer. |
@marco1 I wonder too since the T 15th is the "old" T+ inside. They selling a new faceplate and some hand selected parts? |
@fthompson251 the plot thickens 🙃 |
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