Why are people selling their Denafrips Ares 2 DACs

[amit11]

So yesterday I ordered the Denafrips Ares II 12th anniversary (more power, better firmware, and i2s input) which reviewers say sounds even more realistic than the original Denafrips Ares II. I'm looking forward to hearing the Denafrips (R2R technology) compared to Delta-sigma chip based from ESS Sabre

Congratulations on your purchase.
Curious to know your listening impressions for the 12th edition.

 

[amit11]

What did you guts think about the comparison between the Chord Qutest and the Pontus?

I have the chord qutest. It is a damn good dac.
The first few month's were roller coaster ride and i was disappointed and i felt i made a wrong decision buying it.
But couple of reviews on net mentioned... that it is a keeper and just give it some time.

And i am happy that i was patient and the dac really opened up after a substantial burn in time. It really is a keeper.

Normally i never focus on lyrics of a song, but this dac makes me hear and absorb every word.

Ares and pontus i have not heard directly, except for on whatsapp clip recordings of one friend. I an enticed to buy them reading their reviews and obviously need to gather some money for it. But i dont want to fund it by selling qutest. I am worried that after buying pontus/ares i may miss something of qutest in case i sell it.

 

[sidvee]

I have the chord qutest. It is a damn good dac.
The first few month's were roller coaster ride and i was disappointed and i felt i made a wrong decision buying it.
But couple of reviews on net mentioned... that it is a keeper and just give it some time.

And i am happy that i was patient and the dac really opened up after a substantial burn in time. It really is a keeper.

Normally i never focus on lyrics of a song, but this dac makes me hear and absorb every word.

Ares and pontus i have not heard directly, except for on whatsapp clip recordings of one friend. I an enticed to buy them reading their reviews and obviously need to gather some money for it. But i dont want to fund it by selling qutest. I am worried that after buying pontus/ares i may miss something of qutest in case i sell it.

I have heard/had the qutest and Ares (older one). No contest, qutest sounded significantly better. Not heard the pontus, but heard the terminator which was much better. However at those price points one has to compare to hugo tt2 , I guess.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[DB1989]

This maybe a good time for current owners of the Denafrips DAC to chip in with their impressions and feedback, specifically those who are not planning to sell ?

I have not heard this DAC personally and am struggling to make sense of the various perspectives and opinions in this interesting discussion. I remind myself about the role of system matching and synergy and how critical it is for great audio reproduction. As in almost everything in life “context matters a lot”

I have bought and sold components including several DACs) that sounded very good in others’ setups (different rooms, amplifiers, speakers and music) but left me feeling unsatisfied in my set up.

If you have a BBC loudspeaker, try out the Gustard R26. Heard it paired with a Luxman 509ax-ii driving a pair of Spendor Classic 2/3s' and they had fantastic synergy.

I have the chord qutest. It is a damn good dac.
The first few month's were roller coaster ride and i was disappointed and i felt i made a wrong decision buying it.
But couple of reviews on net mentioned... that it is a keeper and just give it some time.

And i am happy that i was patient and the dac really opened up after a substantial burn in time. It really is a keeper.

Normally i never focus on lyrics of a song, but this dac makes me hear and absorb every word.

I had a similar experience with the Chord mojo. Initially thought it was shrill and mehhh till I put in some effort to setup my speakers right and voila, 5 years and counting though my daily driver is an RME ADI-2 DAC FS. In fact, it trumps the RME in certain aspects at 1/5th the price. It's a keeper!

 

[Vette]

Congratulations on your purchase.
Curious to know your listening impressions for the 12th edition.

I have the Denafrips Ares II 12th (newer version of Ares II) and I love it, even more with the Iris 12th (a DDC).
The reason I'm selling my Ares II 12th is because I love the sound so much that I want more of it. I want to upgrade to the Pontus II 12th (which can sound even better with my existing Denafrips Iris 12th).
My setup: