Order finally shipped so now we wait...
Denafrips 'Pontus' R2R ladder DAC - close up view
- Thread starter PitBul34
- Start date
What was the wait time between ordering and shipping, and what did you order?
Post #1710 ⇣⇣⇣⇣⇣
Pontus II 12th-1 DAC, Artemis Headphone amp, and Iris DDC....
Went to pull the trigger on this last night... and got cold feet.
Today, after thinking long and hard, I pulled the trigger and ordered. Now all there is left to do is wait for the arrival
Ordered on the 27th shipped on the 29th, scheduled to arrive next week, though one item is already running late.
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Order arrived!!! 
Just need to get things setup now. Will post images later in the week.
Until then...
Just need to get things setup now. Will post images later in the week.
Until then...
David A Silva
1000+ Head-Fier
Congrats, have fun unpacking and setting up!Order arrived!!!
Just need to get things setup now. Will post images later in the week.
Until then...
All setup...
Iris DDC (not pictured) is feeding into the Pontus for music files from PC. Anybody do a comparison between AES and I2S connection from Iris to Pontus?
I've connected both AES, and I2S connections to the Pontus to see which sounds better, and I guess it depends on what you're listening to. Listening to Miles Davis's Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry), from Filles De Killimanjaro album, the I2S sounds flat and one dimensional. AES gives a more spacious sound with a definitive left/right channel separation. There's also more weight and heft in the notes.
On this track, I prefer AES as opposed to I2S. The tune is just livelier. On the other hand, playing Teo from Someday My Prince Will Come, I2S has lots of detail to the point things can get a little too sharp (piercing), especially Mile's trumpet. The AES connection smooths things out, yeah, you don't get that uber detail, but here, the tune is much more enjoyable.
Player is JRiver Media Center 32. Files are uncompressed FLAC via dBpoweramp. Listening through the Artemis headphone amp with a pair Sennheiser HD800S phones.
Overall, I'm finding the AES input has more weight and bottom, where the I2S isn't so heavy but has slightly more upper range and detail. In the end though I suppose it depends on what you're listening to that sounds best where. In a funny way, I suppose this can be a sort of filter as well.
Thoughts?
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All setup...
Iris DDC (not pictured) is feeding into the Pontus for music files from PC. Anybody do a comparison between AES and I2S connection from Iris to Pontus?
I've connected both AES, and I2S connections to the Pontus to see which sounds better, and I guess it depends on what you're listening to. Listening to Miles Davis's Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry), from Filles De Killimanjaro album, the I2S sounds flat and one dimensional. AES gives a more spacious sound with a definitive left/right channel separation. There's also more weight and heft in the notes.
On this track, I prefer AES as opposed to I2S. The tune is just livelier. On the other hand, playing Teo from Someday My Prince Will Come, I2S has lots of detail to the point things can get a little too sharp (piercing), especially Mile's trumpet. The AES connection smooths things out, yeah, you don't get that uber detail, but here, the tune is much more enjoyable.
Player is JRiver Media Center 32. Files are uncompressed FLAC via dBpoweramp. Listening through the Artemis headphone amp with a pair Sennheiser HD800S phones.
Overall, I'm finding the AES input has more weight and bottom, where the I2S isn't so heavy but has slightly more upper range and detail. In the end though I suppose it depends on what you're listening to that sounds best where. In a funny way, I suppose this can be a sort of filter as well.
Thoughts?
How long have you burned in the Dac, ddc and cables?
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I've got maybe 25 hours burn in. And I'm keenly aware the DAC, Amp, and cables aren't even warm yet 
And I do plan on revisiting the sound in about a month.
And I do plan on revisiting the sound in about a month.
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David A Silva
1000+ Head-Fier
All setup...
Iris DDC (not pictured) is feeding into the Pontus for music files from PC. Anybody do a comparison between AES and I2S connection from Iris to Pontus?
I've connected both AES, and I2S connections to the Pontus to see which sounds better, and I guess it depends on what you're listening to. Listening to Miles Davis's Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry), from Filles De Killimanjaro album, the I2S sounds flat and one dimensional. AES gives a more spacious sound with a definitive left/right channel separation. There's also more weight and heft in the notes.
On this track, I prefer AES as opposed to I2S. The tune is just livelier. On the other hand, playing Teo from Someday My Prince Will Come, I2S has lots of detail to the point things can get a little too sharp (piercing), especially Mile's trumpet. The AES connection smooths things out, yeah, you don't get that uber detail, but here, the tune is much more enjoyable.
Player is JRiver Media Center 32. Files are uncompressed FLAC via dBpoweramp. Listening through the Artemis headphone amp with a pair Sennheiser HD800S phones.
Overall, I'm finding the AES input has more weight and bottom, where the I2S isn't so heavy but has slightly more upper range and detail. In the end though I suppose it depends on what you're listening to that sounds best where. In a funny way, I suppose this can be a sort of filter as well.
Thoughts?
Flat on I2S, betcha that opens uo a lot in 100+ hours! Looking good, nice setup!
I don't doubt a lot will change after that, but even this compared to the Teac, which always sounded light and underpowered, sounds better; here the Artemis plays with authority. Nothing sounds starved.
But yeah, I know I'm not hearing the setup at its best yet. The mids and bottom sound a little muffled right now, and that's where I suspect things will really open up as the cables and amps burn in.
Smoothstereo
100+ Head-Fier
All setup...
Iris DDC (not pictured) is feeding into the Pontus for music files from PC. Anybody do a comparison between AES and I2S connection from Iris to Pontus?
I've connected both AES, and I2S connections to the Pontus to see which sounds better, and I guess it depends on what you're listening to. Listening to Miles Davis's Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry), from Filles De Killimanjaro album, the I2S sounds flat and one dimensional. AES gives a more spacious sound with a definitive left/right channel separation. There's also more weight and heft in the notes.
On this track, I prefer AES as opposed to I2S. The tune is just livelier. On the other hand, playing Teo from Someday My Prince Will Come, I2S has lots of detail to the point things can get a little too sharp (piercing), especially Mile's trumpet. The AES connection smooths things out, yeah, you don't get that uber detail, but here, the tune is much more enjoyable.
Player is JRiver Media Center 32. Files are uncompressed FLAC via dBpoweramp. Listening through the Artemis headphone amp with a pair Sennheiser HD800S phones.
Overall, I'm finding the AES input has more weight and bottom, where the I2S isn't so heavy but has slightly more upper range and detail. In the end though I suppose it depends on what you're listening to that sounds best where. In a funny way, I suppose this can be a sort of filter as well.
Thoughts?
I have played around with the AES vs i2s inputs on Pontus 2, and as mentioned on a previous post, I have also tested the dual AES to i2s. But to make this a fair comparison or a more accurate test, one would need same brand and model cables to isolate the real difference of the digital inputs which I am not able to do (yet).
Are you using the same brand/model cables in your AES and i2s comparison?
First, any thoughts I post are from what my system is doing as a whole, not from a technical nature. I may list equipment, but for reference.
With that...
Yeah, that matters but by how much given the different interfaces? (generally speaking)
At any rate I was just posting what I heard and was wondering what others thought?
Yeah, mine was just a general observation over a couple of days. I didn't deep dive it, but yes, I am looking at cables.
With that...
No, I'm not, but they are of similar quality.
Yeah, that matters but by how much given the different interfaces? (generally speaking)
At any rate I was just posting what I heard and was wondering what others thought?
Smoothstereo
100+ Head-Fier
Yes, same here. I didn't have same brand/model AES and i2s cables. For my brief test, I had a pair of WBC Mogami AES vs Audioquest Vodka 48 i2s (hdmi), different price points $45 vs $450.
When l used one Mogami AES against the AQ Vodka 48 i2s, I felt the i2s sounded a tad better. But when I tried the dual Mogami AES vs AQ i2s, they traded blows. The AES had better channel separation, slightly wider stage, more space between the instruments and vocals. Just more open feeling, and easier to hear individual notes more clearly. The AQ i2s had more body and weight, a tad more bass impact, and it was more refined and smooth, where the dual Mogami AES sometimes can sound glaring up top, not as refined.
The fact that the $45 pair of WBC Mogami showed some good qualities and traded blows against a higher tier cable gave me enough evidence to pursue a nicer pair of quality AES cables. If I can find another pair of AES that can retain the attributes I heard from the Mogami with the strengths of the AQ Vodka 48, that would be ideal.
The AES cable, I'm using are the WBC GAC 2 AES/EBU cable. HDMI is a Kabel Direct.
I'll be looking to upgrade all my cables, but only to a certain point. Your AQ Vodka is way more than I'm willing to pay for a cable. That's me.
CalvinandHobbes2020
Head-Fier
I don't have personal experience with the I2S connection, but I've read others' reports that the HDMI cable used for the I2S connection doesn't make a difference in sound quality. I think that is due to the nature of the I2S connection.
Also, if trying out different power cords and Ethernet cables on the Pontus are of interest to you, I've found the Supra Cat 8 Ethernet cable (https://www.ebay.com/itm/156063208423) and Supra LoRad power cord (https://www.ebay.com/itm/1560986711...RAPPPF&hash=item245834b1ff:g:faEAAMXQTZhR2e2y) work really well. In the case of the power cord, I listened to 11 other power cords ranging from $15 to $1400 and the Supra LoRad power cord at $91 sounded best.
FWIW, of all of the cords attached to my Pontus DAC, I would say that the power cord made the most difference in sound quality.
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