I have the Denafrips 12th-1 and my quickest explanation is that its an extremely resolving DAC with a fantastic soundstage where the music sounds like its just ever-so-slightly burnished. People have said that it sounds like a very expensive SET tube amp. You can listen to it all day long and never get ear fatigue.
Thanks for your in-depth and detailed approach with your videos WT!! For some strange reason, I even enjoy watching the ones that boggle my mind. You know, too expensive. Or, yes this is fabulous product as long as you factor in that you'll also need new cables, a DDC, a balanced amp,... And then there are the confusing ones that make my nose bleed! But hey, great work!!
I'm an audio engineer doing "research" for moving permanently from near field studio monitors to headphones. Currently, I have Nuemann NDH30, Sennheiser HD650, and HD 800 S headphones. I plan to buy the Audeze LCD5. I quickly learned the DAC and amp are extremely important. I need a DAC and headphone amp that would be a good fit for critical listening for making mix decisions. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Chord Hugo 2 should be sufficient for LCD-5 and has a very neutral and incisive sound. If you need a bit more power the Lake People G111mk2 is a very neutral studio amp.
Thanks for another great review. I'm saving for a new DAC this summer and the finalists are the Aries 12th and the Bifrost 2/64. For a number of reasons, I'm leaning heavily towards the Denafrips. (I'd throw the Gustard R26 in there as well, but the price differential is a lot for my budget and it's rather large for my space.) Actually, the price gap between the Aries 12th and the Bifrost 2/64 is less than it seems, though it partially depends on where you live. Unlike most sellers, Schiit charges for shipping (Vinshine ships free worldwide) as well as NJ sales tax (I'm pretty sure Vinshine does not); this makes the delivered price of the Bifrost just under $900 for me.
I used and compared both Bifrost 2/64 and Ares 12th. I ended up keeping Ares 12th because of I2S connection and wider soundstage. But Bifrost 2/64 is more engaging fun to listen
@@idnoel interesting, do you think the Bifrost is more dynamic as well ? I am debating between these two amps... People say that the Ares II & 12th is holographic, do you concur? is Bifrost holographic?
Hi firts of all thank you for your great reviews i really like them, i wanted to ask you for the violectric hpa v222 in your opinin wich is better between the Ares 12th and the bifrost 2/64 for the HEK 2 Stealth? Thanks
Good review it almost wants me to upgrade my Dac because I would like to try out dsd but right now I have a 2019 bifrost 2 with a topping A90 running bal and running a Lyr+ single ended and I really do like having a strong Bal and single ended performance out of one Dac bur still that Denafrips Ares 12th Anniversary Edition is a nice piece of gear
thank you for the (as usual) great review 😎 i have really high hopes for the hifiman ef600, primarily the dac section. looking forward to your review, opinion on it 🤞🤘
How bad is the DAC for electronic music where I would need a quicker bass slam/punch? What other options on the market come close to the Ares, but with quick bass punch?
I am wondering if you will be able to review the Ares II with the 12th Anniversary firmware? And ideally compare it to the the original firmware? I hope that you can try the big Sparkos SS2590 in the RCA socket on the J2S - it fits with 2 socket risers with the smaller Sparkos in the XLR sockets. It takes the J2S to yet another level, in my opinion. ALSO, I have found that using a 12V 50W linear power supply with the J2 and J2S makes a YUGE difference - it is *much* better sound quality.
I doubt I'll revisit Ares II. I don't have one lined up nor really know of anyone who can send one. As to the J2S, I probably won't do much opamp rolling beyond the 3 'stock' options Geshelli lists on their website. I do however have a couple of LPSs to try...
Hello :) what are some high quality balanced to single-ended converter that I can use? Are those properly terminated XLR to RCA cables okay? I'm looking at one that is hand-made in the community here.
Hi, I know a lot of time has past since the review but can you recommend super synergy with amp (max700 usd) and headphones (about 1300 and less)? Thank for "honest" and "thorough" review.
Alvin is a great guy but to be clear...Alvin is the distributor of the Denafrips brand I am not sure about how much input he has in the design of the products. He does know his offerings inside and out as any good distributor should. When he introduces new products he clearly states Denafrips decided to use this "type of componet" etc. As it turns out Denafrips builds Kiki Studio and several other items not sold here.
We just mix it all into a snake oil smoothie on this channel 🤣 But I'm with you, cables, streamers, now upsampling...all doing something nonzero to the sound that we all should take the time to figure out if why like it and why. I think Admiral Ackbar was referring to this hobby when he yelled "It's a trap!"
You gave me a headache! Luckily not with the music, in my Stax setup, best sub $1K spent. I still do prefer the Ares II though. The synergy with the Stax is perfect.
I have the Denafrips 12th-1 and my quickest explanation is that its an extremely resolving DAC with a fantastic soundstage where the music sounds like its just ever-so-slightly burnished. People have said that it sounds like a very expensive SET tube amp. You can listen to it all day long and never get ear fatigue.
Excellent deep dive describing their sound signatures and staging capabilities! Thanks for the video. Subscribed.
Great, solid review. I ended up with different questions now, you answered many. thanks!
Thanks for your in-depth and detailed approach with your videos WT!! For some strange reason, I even enjoy watching the ones that boggle my mind. You know, too expensive. Or, yes this is fabulous product as long as you factor in that you'll also need new cables, a DDC, a balanced amp,... And then there are the confusing ones that make my nose bleed! But hey, great work!!
solid dac, its a gateway drug. just upgraded to the Pontus.
I'm an audio engineer doing "research" for moving permanently from near field studio monitors to headphones. Currently, I have Nuemann NDH30, Sennheiser HD650, and HD 800 S headphones. I plan to buy the Audeze LCD5. I quickly learned the DAC and amp are extremely important. I need a DAC and headphone amp that would be a good fit for critical listening for making mix decisions. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Chord Hugo 2 should be sufficient for LCD-5 and has a very neutral and incisive sound. If you need a bit more power the Lake People G111mk2 is a very neutral studio amp.
@wavetheorysound what DAC would you recommend? Thanks for your response.
@@The_Absurdistt the Hugo 2 is mostly a dac
Thanks for another great review. I'm saving for a new DAC this summer and the finalists are the Aries 12th and the Bifrost 2/64. For a number of reasons, I'm leaning heavily towards the Denafrips. (I'd throw the Gustard R26 in there as well, but the price differential is a lot for my budget and it's rather large for my space.) Actually, the price gap between the Aries 12th and the Bifrost 2/64 is less than it seems, though it partially depends on where you live. Unlike most sellers, Schiit charges for shipping (Vinshine ships free worldwide) as well as NJ sales tax (I'm pretty sure Vinshine does not); this makes the delivered price of the Bifrost just under $900 for me.
I used and compared both Bifrost 2/64 and Ares 12th. I ended up keeping Ares 12th because of I2S connection and wider soundstage. But Bifrost 2/64 is more engaging fun to listen
@@idnoel interesting, do you think the Bifrost is more dynamic as well ? I am debating between these two amps... People say that the Ares II & 12th is holographic, do you concur? is Bifrost holographic?
@@gabrielbacca381 I would say Ares II 12th is more holographic. Bifrost gives more fun element on music.
@idnoel thanks... by fun element you mean more detailed?
@@gabrielbacca381 I would not say more detailed but it is more fun to listen on bass and low range
I am waiting for the review of the new Denafrips Ares 15th
Great review. I'm really curious as to how the close 12th anniversary update takes this to the Pontus II 12th.
Are they similar in performance now?
Hi firts of all thank you for your great reviews i really like them, i wanted to ask you for the violectric hpa v222 in your opinin wich is better between the Ares 12th and the bifrost 2/64 for the HEK 2 Stealth?
Thanks
The Ares II (non Anniversary) also accepts up to 1536 kHz PCM / DSD1024
The OG ares 2 also received a fpga firmware upgrade. A comparison would be cool.
Good review it almost wants me to upgrade my Dac because I would like to try out dsd but right now I have a 2019 bifrost 2 with a topping A90 running bal and running a Lyr+ single ended and I really do like having a strong Bal and single ended performance out of one Dac bur still that Denafrips Ares 12th Anniversary Edition is a nice piece of gear
thank you for the (as usual) great review 😎 i have really high hopes for the hifiman ef600, primarily the dac section. looking forward to your review, opinion on it 🤞🤘
How bad is the DAC for electronic music where I would need a quicker bass slam/punch? What other options on the market come close to the Ares, but with quick bass punch?
Hi, will you be reviewing the gustard a26?
My bad, not the Denafrips. Just watched the Soekris 1421 and meant to place this comment there. Very nice presentations WT.
How would you say this compares to the Chord Quest?
seems the 12th on all of them have significant sonic upgrades
Has anyone tried xlr to rca cables with this? If so how does it sound vs straight rca?
I am wondering if you will be able to review the Ares II with the 12th Anniversary firmware? And ideally compare it to the the original firmware?
I hope that you can try the big Sparkos SS2590 in the RCA socket on the J2S - it fits with 2 socket risers with the smaller Sparkos in the XLR sockets. It takes the J2S to yet another level, in my opinion. ALSO, I have found that using a 12V 50W linear power supply with the J2 and J2S makes a YUGE difference - it is *much* better sound quality.
I doubt I'll revisit Ares II. I don't have one lined up nor really know of anyone who can send one. As to the J2S, I probably won't do much opamp rolling beyond the 3 'stock' options Geshelli lists on their website. I do however have a couple of LPSs to try...
@@wavetheorysound I hope you can try an LPS with the J2S. It is not a subtle improvement.
Hi, have you tried the J2S with akm4499 chip?
Hello :) what are some high quality balanced to single-ended converter that I can use? Are those properly terminated XLR to RCA cables okay? I'm looking at one that is hand-made in the community here.
Hi, I know a lot of time has past since the review but can you recommend super synergy with amp (max700 usd) and headphones (about 1300 and less)? Thank for "honest" and "thorough" review.
Alvin is a great guy but to be clear...Alvin is the distributor of the Denafrips brand I am not sure about how much input he has in the design of the products. He does know his offerings inside and out as any good distributor should.
When he introduces new products he clearly states Denafrips decided to use this "type of componet" etc.
As it turns out Denafrips builds Kiki Studio and several other items not sold here.
Would you recommend this or Musician Draco?
First it was cables, then it was streamers, now I have to pick up HQPlayer?!?
Jokes on you, Mr. Theory, the d1-unity only supports up to 24/192. 🤣
We just mix it all into a snake oil smoothie on this channel 🤣
But I'm with you, cables, streamers, now upsampling...all doing something nonzero to the sound that we all should take the time to figure out if why like it and why. I think Admiral Ackbar was referring to this hobby when he yelled "It's a trap!"
i2s vs. usb on this DAC?
I have this DAC. The I2S implementation is not mature and you may experience sound quality problems,the usb is solid. You’ve been warned
Dodge Aries?
You gave me a headache! Luckily not with the music, in my Stax setup, best sub $1K spent. I still do prefer the Ares II though. The synergy with the Stax is perfect.
Out of stock at MHA 6/2/23.
Wrong Zodiac. It's the Chinese 12 year Zodiac: Year of the Dog, Year of the Ox, etc.
Nutral in audio…start thinking….realy nutral…stop using that bs…
make an r2r dac as good or better than the $80 SMSL SU1 dac for a $100, then you are newsworthy
It's about $150, but the Fiio K11 R2R might be to your liking
Not really interested in the zodiac signs, just the sound, thanks.