I upgraded from my Denafrips Ares II 12th (with I2S) to the Denafrips Pontus II 12th-1 (a DAC with R2R technology for 3D live/realism) for the mancave/theater. I'm using the Denafrips Iris 12th (a DDC) to further enhance the Pontus II 12th-1.Exactly this! More opportunities to sink my audiophile money in. Not kidding, this is what makes the hobby so fun.
As-is my Ares II measures better though. Of course not a network streamer, I understand, but I don’t need that either. If the Ares had an I2S option I would be quick to order a DDC to go with it.
My setup:
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After I upgraded my mixed use theater/music room's 2 front L/R speakers to GoldenEar BRX with the awesome AMT ribbon tweeter, these tweeters are soo revealing and realistic (gave me goosebumps) that it got me to upgrade the weaker links in my chain:
- Added a 3rd GoldenEar BRX as my center channel speaker.
- Added a DDC from Denafrips Iris 12th which improved the sound for my already great Denafrips Ares II 12th (a DAC with R2R technology for 3D live/realism)
- Eversolo DMP-A6 streamer with native Apple Music for hi-res lossless and ripping my CDs to it.
source=Apple Music (hires lossless, and spatial audio surround music) and Denafrips Ares II 12th dac