I have the Pontus II and do not find the weaknesses as described by Bard. The Pontus II being fed by my MacBook Pro sounds better than the HiFi Rose 250a I had. I've since added a Hermes DDC and it sounds even better now. It sounds detailed but musical to my ears. Excellent soundstage and imaging, etc. Sterile or analytical are not words I would ever use to describe it. I'm running it into a McIntosh MA8900 and it's a good match for me.
DAC RECOMMENDATIONS PLEASE
Hello,
Presently my system is: Qobuz > Lumin U1 Mini Streamer > Electrocompaniet ECD-1 Dac > Herron VTSP-3A (R03) Pre > Odyssey Khartago Extreme Amp > KEF r11 Speakers.
The ECD-1 dac is 20 years old. I've had issues with this dac at times not playing 24/192 music at all even though its rated to handle it. Recently I've had to adjust settings in the Lumin to play 24/192 music at 24/96 in order for it to play. So, I want to replace it with something using a bit more current technology. My budget is 1800.00 for something used.
To my ears, the KEF r11 is a very detailed and revealing speaker. Well recorded music sounds great. Poorly recorded music sounds very poor and again to me, that means edgy and fatiguing highs. I'm looking for a warm and musical presentation. Things I've done to lean in that direction are getting the Herron pre and adjusting the bias of the Khartago towards a warmer sound also.
Dacs I've been studying have been R2R NOS dacs like Border Patrol, Denefrips Pontus II, and others. I also have looked at the Schiit Yggy LIM. So I'd love to hear from anyone who perhaps has had a similar quest and what was found to fit the warm and musical goal. Thanks for any comments!
JM
Showing 3 responses by jastralfu
@ghdprentice i agree absolutely. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s very warm but it is warm and honestly I’m probably splitting hairs with you over it. I didn’t read the summary as derogatory, I’ve just never heard that about the Pontus and it’s certainly not my experience. I’m a bit surprised by it I suppose. Either way I enjoy it and it works well in my setup. Your point about each system and its context is spot on. |
+1 @vthokie83. We have similar DAC setups and I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. |