[Mr Pluto]

Yep, We must all consider that everything is taste, system, room matching components, etc. etc. ....... dependent. The more different components and links in signal path, the higher the error rate.

But as I never had any Chord, I apologize and my comments where based only on the looks and some logic.

I sincerely hope that this thread will not go to the Audiogon forums rote (mine is the latest and greatest, so it`s more expensive and therefore vastly superior all others) type of thread.

P.S. There are some old and very old classic "price no object" gear that can easily rival or beat the latest and greatest today (also in digital)!
No real paradigm change has happened in the last 20 or more years. Some new chips, clocks etc. but nothing much more to really consider. Good PCM still sound better than full DSD on decent gear (again depending on setup, recording and taste).

Lets just enjoy a beautiful music and share our wonderful experiences!

Have a nice weekend !

AL :=))

 

[AmusedToD]

The only reason I am selling my Mojo is that it's not a real desktop solution. I need something to plug and forget, not worry about its battery or use a dozen adapters. But other than that, it's a brutal little machine sound wise, a real giant killer. I've tested the Mojo against several much more expensive solutions, and it fared very favorably against them. So I do know Chord.

But I do hope the Ares won't be worse. If it equals the Mojo or appears to be better, then I will be very happy with my purchase.

Just received the tracking number from Alvin (Vinshine Audio) today!

 

[willsw]

I'm aware that the price difference isn't something we should use as an indicator of quality, but it is worth noting. To be honest, nothing about the 2qute appeals to me and it has always seemed overpriced, and if I'm not certain I'm hearing a difference I'll say so, but there was a difference that I found clear. And in the Wavelength comparison I was very ready to believe that the brand-new Ares would blow away the twelve year-old DAC with the 16/44 chip, but I heard what I heard.

I'm also certain my hearing isn't as fine as others or listening for the same things.

I have a Mojo here also, I could do a quick comparison. I feel pretty confident the Ares will be preferable.

 

[Mr Pluto]

One more note I wanted to add....
The differences may not be so evident if you don`t do the A/B comparison via remote from your sweetspot. Some components are almost impossible to A/B this way, so the ony other way is to live/listen to something in your system for a long period and see you miss something when you change it or vice versa.

Ares is a super, super DAC and for the price (in some cases up to 10X more) it`s probably extremely hard to beat. It`s also the lowest in Denafrips foodchain, so it`s quite an achievement!
But It certainly will not play in the very top league with price no object S.O.T.A digital. Probably Venus or Terminator are there, but currently I can`t pull the trigger as I have several more essential investments to be made. But DAC-wise they are at the very top of my list!

 

[willsw]

A quick comparison between the Metrum Musette and the Ares had me struggling to tell them apart. I thought I might again detect a slightly less airy presentation in the Ares, but I can't be sure. Unfortunately the Mojo was not charged so that one will have to wait.
Today's listening comparisons were not complete, and I'll follow up with more thorough ones as soon as I can. If I hear things to change my opinion, I'm happy to change my opinion. I think the Ares is as fine a DAC as you'll find up to $1000 new. If you're finding that your $6000 DAC isn't cutting it against the Ares, I think you made a terrible decision in your original purchase.

 

[AmusedToD]

Please post some Ares-Mojo or Ares-2Qute comparisons in a full desktop setup. I will as soon as my Ares gets delivered.

 

[willsw]

I'll post some more, and hopefully have some other people give some thoughts. I left the Ares at work, so the guys who work there can probably take time to have a listen, and I'll take it to a head-fi meet on the 20th where it will hopefully be able to be compared to a Bimby, which is the real direct competitor here at the exact same price point and multibit appeal. Even in meet conditions, hopefully someone can tell, and maybe I'll be able to borrow the Bimby.

 

[Mr Pluto]

A quick comparison between the Metrum Musette and the Ares had me struggling to tell them apart. I thought I might again detect a slightly less airy presentation in the Ares, but I can't be sure. Unfortunately the Mojo was not charged so that one will have to wait.
Today's listening comparisons were not complete, and I'll follow up with more thorough ones as soon as I can. If I hear things to change my opinion, I'm happy to change my opinion. I think the Ares is as fine a DAC as you'll find up to $1000 new. If you're finding that your $6000 DAC isn't cutting it against the Ares, I think you made a terrible decision in your original purchase.

Thanks!
Can you please specify what setup are you using? Headphones or speakers, did your pre and other setup allowed a fair A/B?
Funny new smiles....:=))

 

[rudra]

Curious if any Ares owners have tried up-sampled DSD 512 files on HQ Player and if they experienced any
benefits. Been reading forums saying great results are had doing this with T&A and Holo Spring dacs.

ARES does not play DSD 512. I have upsampled to DSD256 using HQ player. Benefits are system and ear dependant.

 

[willsw]

Thanks!
Can you please specify what setup are you using? Headphones or speakers, did your pre and other setup allowed a fair A/B?
Funny new smiles....:=))

This was the setup for the 2qute, which I changed after a few songs, and was also the setup for the very quick Musette comparison. With the input toggle switch I could switch immediately back and forth between DACs, though the sources ended up not being identical and the volume had to be adjusted. Regarding that imperfection, I hoped that getting used to changing the volume quickly and accurately, and repeated listenings of the same samples to make sure differences were consistent, would make the comparison worthwhile:

The first setup was a dedicated music server (high quality USB outputs) into the USB of the 2qute and the Ares. (Side note: other listening tests have shown the 2qute to have one of the best USB inputs out there.) These are going into input 1 and 2 of an MZ2-S, and then Ether Flows.

After listening to several tracks, which had both instruments and choral voices, the Ares started to distort every minute or so, as I've found my unit to sometimes do when using the USB input regardless of source. I thus switched to the digital coax output of an ibasso DX80, which is a relatively high quality digital output, using the same digital source files. Things were not perfectly synced for switching between input 1 and 2, but they were within a second apart.

The previous comparison, with the Wavelength Brick, was done with my Macbook feeding USB via Jriver to both DACs, which went into the remote-switchable inputs of the Schiit Saga that I use as a passive remote preamp to an Elekit TU-8200, which feed Tekton Lore-S speakers. With Schiit's remote, I could switch between sources without moving. For future speaker comparisons (now that I've taken the DAC to work) I'll have to get some assistance in order to switch sources without leaving the listening position.

 

[AmusedToD]

You are saying that the USB input of the Ares causes distortion every minute or so? What kind of distortion? Why is that the case? Did you get in touch with the Denafrips customer support?

 

[willsw]

You are saying that the USB input of the Ares causes distortion every minute or so? What kind of distortion? Why is that the case? Did you get in touch with the Denafrips customer support?

I wasn't sure it wasn't just my computer's interaction with the DAC until I took it to the store, and since I only used the USB input when doing comparisons I didn't think about it that much. It's not consistent, and sometimes doesn't happen while it happens often other times, and it's kind of like losing signal on a radio station for a second; it gets very garbled.

My unit was originally purchased from Vinshine Audio, but I bought it secondhand about a week after the original purchaser received it. I've just sent an email to them to see if this is something I could possibly have fixed by techs here.

 

[macan]

1st post in headfi! I am in the market for new DAC to replace my PS Audio Nuwave (PCM), i'm confused with many choices in the market (old folks here, pardon me). It seems like the discrete R2R DAC is the latest trend? DENAFRIPS Ares reviews are terrific, worth the money ?

 

[AmusedToD]

Apparently so. My Ares is on the way from Hong Kong. It appears to be a great choice for the money. There are some glowing reviews in this thread. The only concern I have is reliability, but the 3 year manufacturer warranty sounds good.

 

[Sanlitun]

As it is no longer possible to search a thread... I was wanting to ask if there are any published measurements for these DACs yet?