[shafat777]

Yo,

I have it on 24/7

Thanks brother for the reply. Makes me feel a lot better now

 

[joseG86]

Thanks brother for the reply. Makes me feel a lot better now

Anytime <3

By the way, what do you prefer with your HPs and GSX Mini as amp, Pontus or Yggy?

 

[shafat777]

Anytime <3

By the way, what do you prefer with your HPs and GSX Mini as amp, Pontus or Yggy?

I use my GSX mini as sort of a reference for all of my headphones and since its solid state, i like to feed it the cleanest signal and thats why i use it w/ my Yggy. The pontus 2 is used exclusively with the Elise OTL and my zmf cans.

 

[haasaaroni]

Has anyone compared a Pontus II to a Bifrost 2?

Thinking that's the move as my next upgrade now that I got my WA22.

Also interested in anyone who’s done this transition, looking for a worthy upgrade from my Bifrost.

Also, would a DDC like Hermes have a noticeable effect if only using digital coax for the input? Source is a Bluesound Node 2i.

I just made this upgrade!! Still getting used to it, but the Bifrost 2 is clearly overshadowed.

The two most noticeable differences to me are staging and body to the sound. As far as stage, the Pontus II is significantly (I mean it) deeper and a fair bit wider than the BF2. I hear this difference across all my headphones, but mostly on the Aeolus and Arya. Voices are more out of my head and centered rather than somewhere very close by and not as easily to pinpoint on the BF2. There's also a lot more layering and space around each instrument/sound, and much blacker background.

The sense of body is also much greater on the Pontus II. I didn't know the Bifrost was imparting a sort of artificial "digital" glare in the upper midrange on my system, especially in voices (or maybe I just notice it there more), but switching to the more organic and warmer Pontus made this very, very obvious. It's a much subtler sort of Schiit glare that I hear on all of their amps but didn't expect to hear on the Bifrost. And yet there it is!

I also thought the bass was looser and less impactful compared to the Bifrost 2, but after switching to the slow filter on the Pontus II, that is thankfully no longer the case. It really punches and reaches even a bit deeper than the BF2.

Also, a question for all you Pontus II veterans (without reading too far into this forum), if I wanted to make use of the I2S connection, using an iMac, how would I go about doing that? I'm very curious to hear the difference. EDIT: Never mind, just saw the conversation about the DDC.

 

[Powermankw]

So couple of questions... I2S... Can I use PS Audio? If other stuff is based on that, can I not use it?

I read before of the filters in P2, but not can't find it... Is there info on what the filters are?

I personally can't hear any difference on anything I listen to between OS/NOS. Oddly, I can't here any difference on "phase" either. I assume that reverses polarity. Any reason there would be no difference?

 

[shwnwllms]

So couple of questions... I2S... Can I use PS Audio? If other stuff is based on that, can I not use it?

I read before of the filters in P2, but not can't find it... Is there info on what the filters are?

I personally can't hear any difference on anything I listen to between OS/NOS. Oddly, I can't here any difference on "phase" either. I assume that reverses polarity. Any reason there would be no difference?

Which DDC do you have? If you are referring to the PS Audio Standard for HDMI (I2S) cables then yes you can use it but you would need to reprogram your Pontus to find the correct setting that works with the PS Audio standard (according to Alvin it is not the default setting, but it will work if you cycle through the options). You would need to check both PCM and DSD files for L R Channels and In / Out of Phase. There is an additional setting somewhere that lets you swap the L R channel for DSD only which is what I had to do with my I2S cable. Be sure to check high bitrate files (88.2 and below may work with certain settings then you play 96 or 192 and there are issues so you'll need to keep cycling through the options).

I remember reading it somewhere but I oversample in HQP so I didn't pay too much attention to them, most people prefer the NOS mode which is what I was using prior to dialing in HQP.

On NOS setting I couldn't hear a difference prior to burn in but it was there afterwards. Its not dramatic though.

I don't hear any difference on phase either. Your assumption is correct from my understanding

 

[Powermankw]

Which DDC do you have? If you are referring to the PS Audio Standard for HDMI (I2S) cables then yes you can use it but you would need to reprogram your Pontus to find the correct setting that works with the PS Audio standard (according to Alvin it is not the default setting, but it will work if you cycle through the options). You would need to check both PCM and DSD files for L R Channels and In / Out of Phase. There is an additional setting somewhere that lets you swap the L R channel for DSD only which is what I had to do with my I2S cable. Be sure to check high bitrate files (88.2 and below may work with certain settings then you play 96 or 192 and there are issues so you'll need to keep cycling through the options).

I remember reading it somewhere but I oversample in HQP so I didn't pay too much attention to them, most people prefer the NOS mode which is what I was using prior to dialing in HQP.

On NOS setting I couldn't hear a difference prior to burn in but it was there afterwards. Its not dramatic though.

I don't hear any difference on phase either. Your assumption is correct from my understanding

Cool, thank you. Yes, I get it now with configuring. How the layout is, and then get to the right "mode" to get the right setup. It's a Pi2aes. I'm not using DDC.... But if I have to swap for diierent files... That's going to be irritating.

Ya, I don't mind leaving NOS, but then OS up samples. Maybe it matter more what resolution it's getting too.

 

[shwnwllms]

But if I have to swap for diierent files... That's going to be irritating.

You won’t need to swap once you get it set, you should just try it with the various presets to make sure PCM & DSD work (at both redbook and hi res) You’ll find one that works for everything and that’s how you know you have the correct pin out configuration

 

[Powermankw]

You won’t need to swap once you get it set, you should just try it with the various presets to make sure PCM & DSD work (at both redbook and hi res) You’ll find one that works for everything and that’s how you know you have the correct pin out configuration

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

 

[Powermankw]

OK.... So can someone explain the comment that Pontus isn't "true" NOS.

 

[shwnwllms]

OK.... So can someone explain the comment that Pontus isn't "true" NOS.

It’s been discussed here. I use HQPlayer to oversample to DSD256 so this isn’t even a consideration for my setup.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/62872-denafrips-dacs-might-not-actually-be-nos/

 

[XERO1]

I just made this upgrade!! Still getting used to it, but the Bifrost 2 is clearly overshadowed.

The two most noticeable differences to me are staging and body to the sound. As far as stage, the Pontus II is significantly (I mean it) deeper and a fair bit wider than the BF2. I hear this difference across all my headphones, but mostly on the Aeolus and Arya. Voices are more out of my head and centered rather than somewhere very close by and not as easily to pinpoint on the BF2. There's also a lot more layering and space around each instrument/sound, and much blacker background.

The sense of body is also much greater on the Pontus II. I didn't know the Bifrost was imparting a sort of artificial "digital" glare in the upper midrange on my system, especially in voices (or maybe I just notice it there more), but switching to the more organic and warmer Pontus made this very, very obvious. It's a much subtler sort of Schiit glare that I hear on all of their amps but didn't expect to hear on the Bifrost. And yet there it is!

I also thought the bass was looser and less impactful compared to the Bifrost 2, but after switching to the slow filter on the Pontus II, that is thankfully no longer the case. It really punches and reaches even a bit deeper than the BF2.

This is pretty much exactly what I heard when comparing the Bifrost 2 to the Ares II.

The Pontus II is going to be my next DAC (once it gets back in stock).

 

[sajunky]

This is pretty much exactly what I heard when comparing the Bifrost 2 to the Ares II.

Pretty much, except a comment about getting close to the punchy character of BF2. Denafrips across all range is smooth sounding, relaxed and calming, I think to much. If you want comparison with a real slam sound which is not losing details during fast transients, read this review.

I think a reason for such impression is that BF2 is outclassed in terms of refinement by the Pontus.

 

[Powermankw]

It’s been discussed here. I use HQPlayer to oversample to DSD256 so this isn’t even a consideration for my setup.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/62872-denafrips-dacs-might-not-actually-be-nos/

Thank you. That is actually where I stumbled on it. Started reading part one... But it is bit past me. I'll have to spend some more time on it. The thread though, I guess I don't care either way if it sounds good. Me personally, I don't hear one bit of difference between OS/NOS. And my downstream gear is more than capable.

 

[shwnwllms]

Thank you. That is actually where I stumbled on it. Started reading part one... But it is bit past me. I'll have to spend some more time on it. The thread though, I guess I don't care either way if it sounds good. Me personally, I don't hear one bit of difference between OS/NOS. And my downstream gear is more than capable.

This post by goldenone (goldensound on YouTube) is a good technical explainer of what they are referring to when they say it’s not NOS. But above all else trust your ears.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...tually-be-nos/?do=findComment&comment=1131915