[Saleh84]

I use AES. I also found it very interesting that this connection is very cable sensitive. I didn't expect that.

Same here. I can recommend Audioquest diamond AES cable (not the diamond USB thou) after trying many AES cables. This cable simply rocks! Tight, deep bass, lovely mids and highs are just perfect. A year ago I would have never believed a digital cable could change the sound of a system that much!

 

[jmpsmash]

Same here. I can recommend Audioquest diamond AES cable (not the diamond USB thou) after trying many AES cables. This cable simply rocks! Tight, deep bass, lovely mids and highs are just perfect. A year ago I would have never believed a digital cable could change the sound of a system that much!

Any reason you use AES instead of USB? Are you driving it from computer a streaming device / transport?

I guess I need to spend the time to do the experiment.

 

[johnzz4]

Same here. I can recommend Audioquest diamond AES cable (not the diamond USB thou) after trying many AES cables. This cable simply rocks! Tight, deep bass, lovely mids and highs are just perfect. A year ago I would have never believed a digital cable could change the sound of a system that much!

I tried several, but the top contenders were the Wireworld Platinum and the Shunyata Sigma. The Sigma is a bit more analog sounding and dynamic, so it won out.

 

[Saleh84]

I tried several, but the top contenders were the Wireworld Platinum and the Shunyata Sigma. The Sigma is a bit more analog sounding and dynamic, so it won out.

I have not tried the cables you mentioned. What I liked about AQ diamond is regardless of the transport you use, it still sounds great. Worth noting, even though I believe a cable can change the sound, I think it's all about it's ability to pass the signal unaltered. So most probably those cables you preferred allowed you to hear the sound signature of your transport, which was analog/dynamic, by a having a fine conductor and a proper shield.

 

[Saleh84]

Any reason you use AES instead of USB? Are you driving it from computer a streaming device / transport?

I guess I need to spend the time to do the experiment.

I used to play my music from a PC. But now I highly recommend a dedicated streamer/transport. I have an aurender N10. to answer your question, in order to get the benefits of using its OCXO clock, you have to use SPDIF out. I've tried coax, optical, and AES. The latter sounded the best to me. Any of those was superior to USB output of the N10 in my opinion.
USB is a different protocol and it will depend on your DAC internal clock, which could be good depending on what DAC you have. An aurender N100H will be perfect for that task with only USB out at a fraction of the N10's cost, as it doesn't have that expensive OCXO clock.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Nice photos.
And I'm sure the DENAFRIPS sounds nice. I like the switchable oversampling mode.

HOWEVER...

• It weighs 19kg (42lbs).
• Large physical size
• All those electro caps ... they have limited lifespan.
• That PCB with all those resistors and other ICs. A low-tech, inelegant, brute-force approach. Topology = uggggh!

That's really the only valid point. Capacitors do have a limited span & do degrade & need to be replaced after a few years, especially in anything that is turned on most of the time.
Companies do state their capacitors life span in their spec sheets. Some maybe last for over 15 years & some I seen have a 800 hour rating.

 

[michkhol]

That's really the only valid point. Capacitors do have a limited span & do degrade & need to be replaced after a few years, especially in anything that is turned on most of the time.
Companies do state their capacitors life span in their spec sheets. Some maybe last for over 15 years & some I seen have a 800 hour rating.

The DAC (any DAC) would be long obsolete by that time.

 

[Thenewguy007]

The DAC (any DAC) would be long obsolete by that time.

Good point. Most people don't keep their equipment after a few years. So unless you plan on keeping the Terminator for 10+ years, it's probably not going to be an issue.
Though a full recap down the line would be impossible, with all the capacitors it has inside.

 

[Alcophone]

The DAC (any DAC) would be long obsolete by that time.

I usually sell gear I want to get rid off. That's harder if it's broken because one or more of the gazillion caps have to be replaced.

 

[martin778]

Has anybody from Western Europe got their Terminator? How much did it cost, were there any additional (besides VAT) costs involved?

 

[rumina]

i get my terminator from vinshineaudio, paid the price in the webstore, no shipping fees and vat was declared low. sold my yggy, hugo 2 - i'm very happy with the terminator. more musical than any chord dac i owned or heard. but it's a question of max technical performance vs musicality, at this level it's a lot about personal taste / preference, not better or bader.

 

[S Crowther]

i get my terminator from vinshineaudio, paid the price in the webstore, no shipping fees and vat was declared low. sold my yggy, hugo 2 - i'm very happy with the terminator. more musical than any chord dac i owned or heard. but it's a question of max technical performance vs musicality, at this level it's a lot about personal taste / preference, not better or bader.

I agree. I bought the terminator to replace my chord TT. Far better sound via my V281 to hifiman HE1000.

 

[Whazzzup]

Far better? I found adding antipodes DX to TT did wonders, but understand the appeal of r2r versus FPGA wta. Source matters course I'm interested in impressions, holo spring also holds some appeal to chord users who want more musical versus transparent experience.

 

[alvin1118]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019!

Best wishes,
Alvin

 

[S Crowther]

Far better? I found adding antipodes DX to TT did wonders, but understand the appeal of r2r versus FPGA wta. Source matters course I'm interested in impressions, holo spring also holds some appeal to chord users who want more musical versus transparent experience.

Far better? Absolutely! Different league altogether. Tone, staging, detailing, all far better.