[medon]

Haha, I also posted some of my impressions into Mentor forum here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/flu...mono-headphone-amplifier.970400/post-18125673

Looks like the firmware topic is really dividing people into like/don't like. I'd like to switch more often between the versions but don't want to risk that brick moment, that would be a real pain in the ass.

... surely it would.
=== EDIT ... a 'not' was missing ===
But I would fear not -- you did it once, your PC is stable and you do not have to fear power outages... I switched firmwares on my poor Venus II at least 30 times last summer to find out which firmware I like best.

 

[Regs4]

It’s nice to see the updates from 60 to 77. I was lit about Ares12th and now it’s Pontus. I still have the Ares12th with the latest firmware. Love it!
I run Simaudio’s Moon 340 with a Sony SACD player and Rotel cd player. Qobuz for streaming through a small Samsung laptop.I just purchased Klipsch Forte IV’s and have a SVSPB1000 Pro. Throw in a Technics 1600 with Stanton 681 EEE with ProJect tubed pre amp for the vinyl, too. I love acoustic jazz like Chick Corea’s Akoustic Band with upright bass courtesy of John Pattitucci.
Sorry for the digression. Basically, whether you like the first firmware or the latest IT ALL SOUNDS TERRIFIC. Choose your own examples and play the firmware that floats your boat.

PS Burn in and expensive audio cables are more fun to laugh at then all these anxious folks who have splendid equipment.
The point is breathe easy and enjoy what Denafrips has brought to the audio table.

 

[sygnus21]

Here's my experience with the three different firmwares used on my Pontus 2 using NOS mode. Keep in mind these are relative comparisons between the three firmwares and may not be in an absolute sense.

On v1.4, detail retrieval is better, frequency range is extended from top to bottom. Mids are bit more pronounced/fwd. The separation and layering is great. Still a good balance between musicality and analyticality (if that's a word). Less lenient on bad recordings.

Thanks for the analysis. My Pontus II 12th-1 came from Denafrips with 1.4 installed, so in reading your description of 1.4, I find it to be pretty much spot on.

And yes, on bad recordings, the Pontus will let you know; just as it does on great recordings.

Anyway, I plan on sticking with 1.4

 

[sygnus21]

DUUUUUUUUUDE! (I am an old surfer Dude…so please forgive me) ..you are making me work here!!
300mm = nearly 12"!!! Nice…i bet getting them from your Uncle makes the sound even BETTER!
Edit: I added a snapshot.

Is that a Marantz CD player behind the opaque panel on the left?

 

[nighthink]

The point is breathe easy and enjoy what Denafrips has brought to the audio table.

No argue with that. The reason why it's worth discussing is those versions have significant differences. So you have kind of 2 DACs to compare or switch based on your current mood. In some setups, they really make a difference that's so obvious you have an opinion on which one you like more .

 

[PoMarantz]

Is that a Marantz CD player behind the opaque panel on the left?

(You mean Translucent Glass Panel! LOL!)
I can't get away with ANYTHING!...LOL!...Yes...Marantz SACD 30n...It is fun to look at and a pleasure to use......
I am thinking of picking up a used Venus or an LAiV Harmony to step up from the Pontus...sometime this year...But I have no complaints about the Pontus....

 

[sygnus21]

(You mean Translucent Glass Panel! LOL!)
I can't get away with ANYTHING!...LOL!...Yes...Marantz SACD 30n...It is fun to look at and a pleasure to use......
I am thinking of picking up a used Venus or an LAiV Harmony to step up from the Pontus...sometime this year...But I have no complaints about the Pontus....

Yes, translucent

Anyway, when I decided to upgrade my old Rotel CD player, it came down to the Marantz 30n and the Teac VRDS 701.

I ended up getting full-fledged 701 (with built in Delta Sigma DAC) for a really good deal. I'm happy with my Teac, but still, I wonder if I should have gotten the Marantz for my SACD playback. These are hybrid so they play on standard players, but you don't get the SACD channel. They till sound good, nonetheless. They're less than 1 percent of the 3000 CDs I have. This my setup. Mainly for headphone use....

Also have the Denafrips Iris DDC. That's off to the left of the rack.

 

[PoMarantz]

Yes, translucent

Anyway, when I decided to upgrade my old Rotel CD player, it came down to the Marantz 30n and the Teac VRDS 701.

I ended up getting full-fledged 701 (with built in Delta Sigma DAC) for a really good deal. I'm happy with my Teac, but still, I wonder if I should have gotten the Marantz for my SACD playback. These are hybrid so they play on standard players, but you don't get the SACD channel. They till sound good, nonetheless. They're less than 1 percent of the 3000 CDs I have. This my setup. Mainly for headphone use....



Also have the Denafrips Iris DDC. That's off to the left of the rack.

That looks like a beautiful and very compact CD player. Sounds like you are happy with it.. I bought mine at a very good price when I was first building this system. One of the reasons I bought it was that it had a Streamer (HEOS the Marantz Proprietary Streaming Software which is quite simple and limited but it streams Amazon Music which is what I had at the time). I do 99% of my streaming now with a Volumio Rivo streaming Qobuz. I built a Roon Server on an Intel NUC …and use Roon as my streaming interface. GREAT time to be an audiophile! Everything seems to be an evolution with LOTS of great choices in every area out there!

 

[sygnus21]

That looks like a beautiful and very compact CD player. Sounds like you are happy with it..

Not sure what you're looking at but it's no more compact than the Marantz. Overall dimensions are 444 (W) × 111 (H) × 333 (D) mm. It also weighs a ton (24.5 LBS / 11.1kgs). And it's obviously bigger than the other components shown in the posted image

One of the reasons I bought it was that it had a Streamer (HEOS the Marantz Proprietary Streaming Software which is quite simple and limited but it streams Amazon Music which is what I had at the time). I do 99% of my streaming now with a Volumio Rivo streaming Qobuz. I built a Roon Server on an Intel NUC …and use Roon as my streaming interface. GREAT time to be an audiophile! Everything seems to be an evolution with LOTS of great choices in every area out there!

Anyway, I only stream from my NAS. I ripped my entire CD collection to my NAS so I can stream to my Android phone or car using Plexamp. I stream to the Pontus, but I prefer to listen to my CDs played from the CD player. Better micro detail and note extension.

I also have Spotify (basic) but I mainly use it for previewing stuff I might buy.

 

[nighthink]

So I couldn't resist and after one year I flashed the Pontus II back to 1.0 (from 1.4) and spent today listening to that. For me, it was more.. muffled maybe. Not bad actually, there was slightly more tube-like feeling that I agree, but not because the bass on 1.0 would be deeper, actually the opposite is true - 1.4 has it deeper but also more defined. In general, there is just a bit less of that bass spectrum in 1.4 across the record. But then there is (quite more than) a bit more of a soundstage wideness and what's important more details to recognize in the music.

I felt that immediately I started to listen and remained with that for the whole day. Then once I again flashed back to 1.4 it only confirmed to me, as I again heard more sounds, details in the songs, and wider from my head in all directions.

Call me biased towards 1.4 (and after one year I might be), but I just like it more.

 

[PoMarantz]

So I couldn't resist and after one year I flashed the Pontus II back to 1.0 (from 1.4) and spent today listening to that. For me, it was more.. muffled maybe. Not bad actually, there was slightly more tube-like feeling that I agree, but not because the bass on 1.0 would be deeper, actually the opposite is true - 1.4 has it deeper but also more defined. In general, there is just a bit less of that bass spectrum in 1.4 across the record. But then there is (quite more than) a bit more of a soundstage wideness and what's important more details to recognize in the music.

I felt that immediately I started to listen and remained with that for the whole day. Then once I again flashed back to 1.4 it only confirmed to me, as I again heard more sounds, details in the songs, and wider from my head in all directions.

Call me biased towards 1.4 (and after one year I might be), but I just like it more.

Thanks for your detailed description. Nice perspective. Are you using your Pontus with a headphone set-up?

 

[nighthink]

Thanks for your detailed description. Nice perspective. Are you using your Pontus with a headphone set-up?

I'm using Hifiman HE1000SE and Flux Labs Mentor as a headamp for my headphone set-up. Connected with balanced XLR cables from Pontus II to Mentor.

 

[Riccioli30]

So I couldn't resist and after one year I flashed the Pontus II back to 1.0 (from 1.4) and spent today listening to that. For me, it was more.. muffled maybe. Not bad actually, there was slightly more tube-like feeling that I agree, but not because the bass on 1.0 would be deeper, actually the opposite is true - 1.4 has it deeper but also more defined. In general, there is just a bit less of that bass spectrum in 1.4 across the record. But then there is (quite more than) a bit more of a soundstage wideness and what's important more details to recognize in the music.

I felt that immediately I started to listen and remained with that for the whole day. Then once I again flashed back to 1.4 it only confirmed to me, as I again heard more sounds, details in the songs, and wider from my head in all directions.

Call me biased towards 1.4 (and after one year I might be), but I just like it more.

It seems plausible to me. Alvin told me that the right upgrade on my P/2/12 (original SW 1.3) is to move to 1.4 and not to look back. When I have time I'll try. I listen with speakers and a little with headphones. For the latter it could be different.

 

[nighthink]

It seems plausible to me. Alvin told me that the right upgrade on my P/2/12 (original SW 1.3) is to move to 1.4 and not to look back. When I have time I'll try. I listen with speakers and a little with headphones. For the latter it could be different.

I'm on the same boat, also have a speakers system fed from the same Pontus II in parallel and I spent a good amount of time on both headphones and speakers to make sure I actually prefer the same firmware on both of them.

 

[JacquesCustodian]

Hey folks,
I updated from 1.0 to 1.4 a couple days ago, for my Pontus II - early impressions are positive. Especially NOS sounds much better.
Since the NOS mode should be enhanced to be 'True NOS' (or, as GoldenSound wrote, sonically indistinguishable from true NOS) I thought I might trial Roon + HQPlayer. So far I've been using Audirvana and its more simple upsampling capabilities.

Getting started with HQ Player is quite complex. Lots of the filter variants I am trying out simply do not work - i.e. not sound being outputted. This leads to my question..

For those using their Denafrips as a Dac in combination with HQPlayer.. are there any settings that you've found important for making HQPlayer work smoothly?Put differently, aside of computational power needed from the computer, are there any Dac-specific requirements for settings to have HQPlayer pair smoothly with the Denafrips?
-For reference, I'm using a MacBook Pro M2, 16GM RAM, with Roon + HQPlayer Desktop, coupled straight to the Denafrips via USB.