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Denafrips R2R DAC (plays 512 DSD) reviewed as giant killer


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On 12/12/2017 at 10:33 AM, Ben-M said:

I just emailed Denafrips about the DSD playback limits, they confirmed in Q2 2018 they'll release a new DSP board that supports DSD512 over USB and I2s inputs. So, the Terminator DAC is officially getting DSD512. And that puts it square on my list for my DAC replacement. 

 

I'd love to have a shootout with this and the T+A DAC 8 DSD. 

I've got my eye on this DAC too. Every impression of it I've read has been highly favorable and I love an "expensive bargain". ? 

 

We're nearing the end of Q2 2018, so I'm trying to hold out for the DSD512 DSP board so I can have that included. I use DSD upsampling for everything. Does anyone know how I would get DSD512 into the DAC through its I2s inputs? 

Roon Server: Core i7-3770S, WS2012 + AO => HQP Server: Core, i7-9700K, HQPlayer OS => NAA: Celeron NUC, HQP NAA => ISO Regen with UltraCap LPS 1.2 => Mapleshade USB Cable => Lampizator L4 DSD-Only Balanced DAC Preamp => Blue Jeans Belden Balanced Cables => Mivera PurePower SE Amp => Magnepan 3.7i

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1 hour ago, niner93 said:

 

I just ordered one.  And according to Alvin @ Vinshine Audio, DSD512 support was delayed to end of the year.  And it will be firmware upgrade, no new hardware.

I just ordered one too. I was waiting for DSD512 because I thought it was imminent. It'll be impressive if they can deliver it with a firmware update, but in the meantime, I want to hear what this unit can do.

Roon Server: Core i7-3770S, WS2012 + AO => HQP Server: Core, i7-9700K, HQPlayer OS => NAA: Celeron NUC, HQP NAA => ISO Regen with UltraCap LPS 1.2 => Mapleshade USB Cable => Lampizator L4 DSD-Only Balanced DAC Preamp => Blue Jeans Belden Balanced Cables => Mivera PurePower SE Amp => Magnepan 3.7i

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3 hours ago, tboooe said:

As for I2S, I use the Singxer SU-1 as input into my Spring.  I believe Pink Faun also has an I2S pcie card.  

 

Does anyone know what "standard" the Denafrips uses of I2s?  Hopefully the SU-1 supports it.

Thanks for your reply tboone. The Singxer looked great to me... then I went to the Singxer thread and there are 57 pages of discussion about different mods that make it *really* sing. 

 

Not to derail the thread, but using I2S with (something like) the Singxer could help bring out the best in the Terminator. Is there a way to use the Singxer that you recommend?

Roon Server: Core i7-3770S, WS2012 + AO => HQP Server: Core, i7-9700K, HQPlayer OS => NAA: Celeron NUC, HQP NAA => ISO Regen with UltraCap LPS 1.2 => Mapleshade USB Cable => Lampizator L4 DSD-Only Balanced DAC Preamp => Blue Jeans Belden Balanced Cables => Mivera PurePower SE Amp => Magnepan 3.7i

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5 hours ago, luisma said:

And why some people swear by pcm and are not interested in dsd at all? 

 

Not trying to argue just learning here, I'm a noob to many of these topics 

 

There are many people who feel that leaving the (usually PCM) data stream unaltered or "bit perfect" is the best way to go. The reality is that nearly every DAC out there (excluding NOS - "non oversampling" DACs) alter the "bit perfect" PCM stream fed to them into a SDM/DSD-like stream internally prior to conversion to analog. So the question is less if DSD conversion should be done, but how and where it should be done. Upsampling to DSD in the server offers far more power, flexibility and upgradability than what you can find in most DACs. 

 

6 hours ago, luisma said:

I haven't been able to judge by myself yet, how much difference there is of upsampling to 256 vs 512? 

 

 

5 hours ago, lmitche said:

I suppose it depends on the dac. I wouldn't buy a dac without dsd512. A discrete implementation is better as well.

 

3 hours ago, ted_b said:

+1. As I stated in a few reviews the DSD sweet spot is clearly 512

 

There are certainly some DACs that sound far better at 512 than at lower rates - the T+A DAC 8 DSD is an example. And it could very well be that the Terminator would sound better at 512 than at 256. Hopefully one day, we can find out. But any DAC needs to be looked at as whole.

 

There is such a thing as "DAC A" that's limited to 256 that sounds better than "DAC B" at 512.

 

There are so many more factors involved in the design of a DAC. That is especially true of a unit that is not designed around a standard DAC chip, such as the Terminator, and also what I currently own, a Lampizator L4 DSD Only DAC/Pre. Hearing people's excitement about something like DSD512 can lead to FOMO (fear of missing out), but I've learned from experience that while the bitrate matters, it's only part of the story.

Roon Server: Core i7-3770S, WS2012 + AO => HQP Server: Core, i7-9700K, HQPlayer OS => NAA: Celeron NUC, HQP NAA => ISO Regen with UltraCap LPS 1.2 => Mapleshade USB Cable => Lampizator L4 DSD-Only Balanced DAC Preamp => Blue Jeans Belden Balanced Cables => Mivera PurePower SE Amp => Magnepan 3.7i

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1 minute ago, rickca said:

Well I can't, which is why I asked.  I guess Terminator is known world-wide because of Arnold Scharzenegger's popularity.

Or you might say that Arnold Scharzenegger is known world-wide because of The Terminator's popularity. ?

Roon Server: Core i7-3770S, WS2012 + AO => HQP Server: Core, i7-9700K, HQPlayer OS => NAA: Celeron NUC, HQP NAA => ISO Regen with UltraCap LPS 1.2 => Mapleshade USB Cable => Lampizator L4 DSD-Only Balanced DAC Preamp => Blue Jeans Belden Balanced Cables => Mivera PurePower SE Amp => Magnepan 3.7i

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2 hours ago, coach65 said:

I've had the Pontus in my system for a couple of months now, and have no complaints.  Just slightly on the warm side with a lot of detail and a very natural sound. Micro detail is something special, and the way it populates the sound stage will have your head on a swivel. The Pontus is the third one down from the top. I heard the other three at Axpona, and was able to buy the demo. As a matter of fact they sold all four of them at the show. Denafrips has a hit on their hands. 

 

Thanks for sharing your impressions.

 

Have you (or anyone else here) tried DSD with the Terminator? Particularly DSD256 upsampling? If so, how was its performance with that format?

Roon Server: Core i7-3770S, WS2012 + AO => HQP Server: Core, i7-9700K, HQPlayer OS => NAA: Celeron NUC, HQP NAA => ISO Regen with UltraCap LPS 1.2 => Mapleshade USB Cable => Lampizator L4 DSD-Only Balanced DAC Preamp => Blue Jeans Belden Balanced Cables => Mivera PurePower SE Amp => Magnepan 3.7i

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