Denafrips Pontus R2R discrete Ladder DAC

General Information

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Latest reviews

jasonho

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Truly enjoyable music with less bright treble
Bass extension is deeper
Excellent details and Transparency
Wide soundstage
Value for price
Cons: R-2R architecture DAC requires some "heat up" before performing at its best.
Having a remote can be a nice option too
First of all, I like to thank Alvin from Vinshine Audio for loaning me this Denafrips Pontus DAC. I own both Hugo and Mojo for both portable and transportable (in fact desktop) audio setup. I was always looking forward to owning a true discrete R-2R ladder DAC but was always put off by the high prices.

It’s the 1st R2R DAC i tried but what really captures my attention is the well solid build casing. My friends have always told me that I have a soft spot for (visually) beautiful product, and I must admit that I was captivated by Pontus when I unboxed it.

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It’s worth mentioning that Pontus is a true balanced, dual mono R-2R network arrays DAC. I have seen a lot of “balanced” DAC/Amp around the market, but true balanced ones are far and few. Most of them are designed for high end HiFi market.

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Unfortunately I wasn't able to test out the balanced out option as I only have my Cavalli Tube Hybrid amp connected via RCA. However, I plan to own the Massdrop THX 789 amp & Liquid Platinum in near future.

One key feature that captures my attention is the inclusion of the linear power supply. For folks (like me) who appreciate the differences in having a LPS in your audio setup, this inclusion really saves you the trouble of finding one that is suitable for your DAC. Adding a LPS can easily add on another 10% to the cost.

For my setup, I have it paired with CTH and my Kennerton Odin headphone. Source is from my macbook air playing both wav and dsd music files via Audirvana Plus.

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As suggested, I turned both the DAC and Amp for 20-25 mins before trying to listen. My first impression listening to it - very large and wide soundstage. Hugo 2 is capable and known for its soundstage and transparency but Pontus brings it to even a higher level. When comparing the two, Hugo 2 is like listening to music in a room while Pontus makes me feel that i am in my hall.

Both Hugo and Pontus have excellent dynamics, transparency and details. It's hard to say which is better but there's definitely a difference when I listen to it for long. I often get a bit of fatigue with my Hugo 2+CTH setup when I listen to it for more than 30 mins. With Pontus + CTH, I was so immersed in listening to the playing music and often forget how many times have the album repeated itself.

Bass wise, it's obvious that Pontus has a clear edge over my Hugo 2. The bass hits deeper and sound much less "digital". I had the habit of putting my fingers

Overall wise, I am able to truly enjoy listening to my favourite songs and albums and not having to worry when I should stop for my ears to take a rest.

Last but not least, Pontus is a very affordable R-2R dac considering the features and price (SGD$2298 : ~US$1670). The inclusion of various digital input options (i2S, USB, BNC/Coax, AES, RCA) makes it so easy for me to plug and play any source in future!
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Auditor

New Head-Fier
Pros: - the absolute absence of digital glare, but maintaining a great resolution.
- the deep, organic and detailed bass
- the large and credible soundstage
- the really intoxicating dynamic, who keeps enjoying you for hours revitalizing any song
Cons: Not a status symbol to show
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Nowadays, no other segment of the Audio market is dynamic as the DACs one, with new models presented each day. Soon, you realize that most of them are based on the latest flavors of Sigma Delta DAC chips, with vanishing THD, three digits SNR, and sounding, basically, all the same. Not bad at all, actually quite well, but not moving your heart, or better, not moving MY heart.

You soon realize that hi-end products do not use those chips, they have custom designs, exotic, and kept confidential. Some of them, oddly, are based on simple, passive, resistor based schemes. How such solutions can be better sounding that those modern, highly elaborated, integrated circuits? Fact is, if carefully realized, they DO. But at costs that most of us simply cannot afford.

Enter Denafrips, a small, almost unknown Asian company. Quite recently, they showed up on an online shop with a small range of DAC, with different prices, the cheaper one at less than 600$. Just another low cost, average sounding, Asian product? Not at all, because all of them are R2R discrete ladder DACs, with high precision passive components, and state of the art interface circuitry. In sum, stuff not available elsewhere at less than five times the cost.

I came across Denafrips reading some enthusiastic reviews exactly here at Head-Fi. A friend of mine took the risk with the little Ares, and was so impressed that I also followed him, you can see my Ares in photo on the top of its big brother, the Pontus DAC, which I purchased a month later.

I usually listen with Stax Earphones, I owned several of them since 90', and now I have a SR507 with SRM353x (and other older models). Not the top, but a pretty resolving and transparent system nevertheless. I also have a belt drive CEC CD transport, a Marantz SACD player, Lyngdorf amplification and Audio Physics loudspeakers, composing a system with remarkable transparency and soundstage. Yes, my humble opinion, but confirmed by people that listened at it.

For liquid music, I use a Squeezebox Touch, which can seem a toy, but it is an excellent source, when paired with a good DAC. In recent years, I tried many sub 1000$ DACs, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, Violectric. They are all good products, as I said above, but Ares is in a different league, and Pontus is much much better.

Four things are really impressive, when listening to Pontus:
- the absolute absence of digital glare, but maintaining a great resolution.
- the deep, organic and detailed bass
- the large and credible soundstage
- the really intoxicating dynamic, who keeps enjoying you for hours revitalizing any song

If the little Ares has some limits on resolving power, Pontus does not show any obvious ones. Paired with the stunning transparency of Staxes, it offers tons of details and nuances.

OK, and you have a complete set of digital inputs, including state of the art asyncronous USB, coaxial, BNC, Toslink, AES-EBU end even I2S on HDMI. And both balanced and unbalanced outputs, obviously.

Just forget the not (yet) noble brand name and simply listen to it.

One last remark: I wasn't a fanatic of burn-in before, but Denafrips products will make you a believer. In the first 100 hours, the sound improves so dramatically that it seems really a different product.
John Massaria
John Massaria
anyone selling a Pontus contact me please

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