Best place to purchase a new Denafrips Pontus II

@ozzy62 Vinshine is the official dude for US distribution. Alvin is very transparent and communicative. Just do it! Listening to Laura Marling on my Pontus II as I type this, pretty impressive DAC. Cheers,

Spencer

Thanks. The price is about 400.00 more on vinshine. Wonder why the difference?

@ozzy62 The prices on Vinshine are in Singapore Dollars S2298 = $1699USD

Ahh ok

Vinshine 100 percent. Just bought a Terminator 2 from Alvin. Top-tier service. 

I tried to contact Vinshine but their contact form won't submit.

Alvin at Vinshine

You can also PM via Agon at  @alvin1118 

Calling or using their form is the best option. Remember the time difference will cause possible delays in a response.

Shenzen is 1899.00 USD including delivery. Just confirmed.

Can get Pontus ll for $1698.00 USD. Cost is more if you use paypal instead of personal credit card.

I purchased mine through Vinshine and got excellent service and communication from Alvin.  This is definitely the way to go.

Thanks for all the replies. I have reached out to Alvin.

Oz

Alvin is A+++

You are in Good Hands with All Van!!!

Another upvote for Alvin. Very responsive customer service, and worth a touch extra, if necessary, in my view.

Vinshine is great. Alvin Chee is very responsive and pleasant to work with. Very customer focused. Denafrips products are overbuilt and overperform. I have a collection of DACs and my Terminator Plus and Gaia DDC are prized. 

I ordered my Pontus II from Alvin at Vinshine a couple of months ago when they were on backorder. Paid via AMEX Platinum for white glove dispute resolution if needed (why deal with endless emails on PayPal?). No need for worry. Alvin is awesome, and kept me informed as to when production started, when the DAC was ready, and when it shipped (with tracking number). And the Pontus II itself is a phenomenal DAC. I couldn't be happier with either Alvin or the Pontus...

At what level Amp and Speakers do you need to hear the benefit of a DAC like the Pontus II?

From what I recall, Vinshine (in Singapore with Alvin Chee, the proprietor)  is the only official dealer for all things Denafrips.  I bought my Denafrips Ares II  directly from him and he has been amazing to work with !  Outstanding customer servcie as I asked a ton of questions before placing the order.   I would not go anyplace else due to potential warranty issues.

Considering going with the Venus instead. Any comments on this DAC? Not much buzz out there about it.

Oz

I have to agree with the above responses regarding Vinshine and Alvin Chee...  I bought my Terminator-Plus from Vinshine/Alvin and he is all about customer-service, quick response communications, and time commitments.  Highly recommended !  Going to get the highlly-regarded Jay's-Audio CDT2-Mk3 C/D Transport via Vinshine too.  Beware of e-Bay and other non-authorized sellers of new Denafrips or Jay's-Audio equipment as it may not have any warranty !

Happy Listening !...  John  

If you want a non-grey market unti is there a choice?  Vinshine is the distributor. End.  Prices are uniform.  And Alvin was very nice to work with.

Bought a Benchmark DAC3 B, extemely happy with it. However, I did consider the Pontus 2 quite heavily. It was literally a toss up. Was very nervous about a return if necessary. Has anyone had any issues with their Pontus 2, and had to return them for any reason. Their unit is very reasonably priced. Just very nervous about the above. Robert TN  Thanks

@robshaw no issues

Cheers,

Spencer

Just placed my order for a Pontus. Thanks for all the feedback.

Oz

Congratulations...

@ozzy62

glad you got your pontus ordered, it is an excellent dac and great value

of the several dena dacs i have tried i kept only the pontus

what streamer will you use? the current gen dena gear have an issue receiving higher res bitstreams from the b-s node, so be forewarned if that happens to be your streamer

good luck, have fun

I have a Lumin U1 mini. Think that will be an issue?

i am pretty sure it’ll be fine with the lumin, although i sold my lumin before this ’series 2’ dena stuff came out

it is some compatibility issue only just with the node coax digital out, for 96k and above, the dena input circuit won’t read it - i have not had this problem with any of the some 40 other dacs i have run over the past couple years... just this current gen of denafrips ones for some reason has this stupid problem

I've got the Ares 2 and absolutely love it....If I move up to the Pontus 2 will I really notice much of a difference....

I picked up a Terminator with the updated DSD board with the notion that I'd be able to enjoy the full spectrum of the Dac's resolution...well, turns out that the Terminator's isn't compatible with the usb2.0 port in my Aurender streamer. I reached out to Alvin and he quickly responded. Apparently I need a usb firmware upgrade which requires a windows computer and some knowledge of wtf your doing...neither of which I have. 🤦‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ The point I'm trying to convey here is...go new with Alvin and avoid the headaches. 

Why use USB? Doesn't the Aurender have SPD/IF out?

Why USB?

USB is a superior interface.  SP/DIF has issues - depending on the mode, the clock is the sender (not good) and without a dedicated clock wire (clock is derived) timing/jitter is suspect.

G

@ozzy62 

N100SC has usb2.0 and coax. On the Termi, DSD 1024 / PCM 1536 is via usb only. Not really a big deal nevertheless id still like to be able to play with it.

Understood.

My Lampizator ships out today to it’s new owner. I will be listening to a lot of records in the coming weeks awaiting my Pontus.

Oz

@ozzy62 

I'd be really interested in knowing your thoughts on the Pontus vs Lampi. I was hot on the hunt for a Lampi or the Pontus. the Terminator came at a steal so I jumped all over it.

I liked the Lampi, it did a lot of things right. But the timbre just seemed off. The upper midrange was spotlit to a degree. Not noticeable on all recordings, but there on some. It was quick, detailed and dynamic, but just didn't engage me for some reason.

Oz,

I just ordered the Pontus ll. Looked at several DAC's. I'm looking forward to getting this dac.

According to Alvin, this current batch of DACs might ship next week. Fingers crossed.

@ozzy62 Looking forward to your listening impressions. FWIW, I use the non-oversampling mode almost always. Cheers,

Spencer

You would know it that two Pontus IIs appear on the used market just days after I place my order...🙁

I live in Chicago.

I ordered a Pontus II from Vinshine and it arrived at my house exactly 2 weeks later. Alvin was a great communicator.

By the time you pay the fees to PayPal and shipping the cost would be amost the same.

Yes, you are right. The only thing I would get is the DAC in my hands a little quicker. I'm not too bummed about it. 

I ordered mine 2 days ago, and have confirmation it should be shipped today.

I got the same confirmation. 😀

@ozzy62 

Yay us! Curious what your impressions will be with this dac. Are you using it with a streamer? If so, what brand/model if you don't mind me asking?

Tim

I have a Lumin U1 mini. I have a myriad of cables to try, balanced, coax, BNC and USB. If the Pontus ends up being a keeper, I may invest in the Iris and go I2S.

Oz

Got my Pontus ll today from Denafrips. Took just a total of 5 days from order to delivery at my door. All with good communication. 

Impressive  on Denafrips part. Seems like Alvin takes his customers seriously. 

Thanks for the support, guys!

Best,

Alvin @ www.vinshineaudio.com

Mine arrived at the distribution facility, 40 miles from my home, at 4:06 am this morning. I can't believe they couldn't get it on the delivery truck for today. Says Friday is the date. F&*kin Fedex........

Oz