Denafrips 12 anniversary

Agreed. Denafrips claim to fame has been that they provide amazing SQ and above average build quality at an affordable price point. I think they're losing the plot once they start raising the prices like this, especially as many new entrants from the chinese market (e.g. Musician, Musetec) as well as eastern europe who are making awesome and affordable DACs. Wiith all due respect, Denafrips doesn't have the panache to start acting like Chord, Playback Design, or dCS. And I say this as a proud owner of Denafrips Terminator 2.

While one’s impressions regarding sound quality can be subjective, but one thing you cannot deny is that Denafrips build quality inside out is on par with the best out there. They sell a lot of DACs and I have yet to hear too many complaints when it comes to quality or longevity. This is the first time I have heard anyone accusing them of using cheap chinese caps and micro skipping. Most reviewers who have opened up the box are impressed with the quality of parts inside.

The Terminator 2 that I own is built like a tank (weighs 42 lbs., not that it necessarily implies higher quality) and sounds pretty darn good. I had the Merason on loan for 2-3 weeks and really liked it too. It leans more towards the romantic, warm side ... similar to the Luxman DA-06 that I owned as well. But I’m sorry the build quality is just not that great. The Terminator 2, while not as warm or romantic, IMO performs at a higher level. The retrieval of micro-details, soundstage width and depth is amazing.

I have also owned Denafrips Aries II and Pontus II. I agree that Pontus is the sweet spot in their line up. But comparing the Pontus next to Terminator 2 made it clear that the T2 offers more of everything. I don’t think the difference is night and day, but enough (at least in my case) to justify the higher price.

Why are we even comparing RME with Denafrips' most expensive dac? A more appropriate comparison is between RME and Denafrips Ares II dac which sells for roughly $850. I have owned both and will take the Ares every time. 

I have owned three Denafrips dacs to date -- started with Ares II, moved up to Pontus II, and currently own Terminator 2. I bought the Ares II for $850 and sold it for $725 after three months since I wanted to move up the chain. I then bought a used Pontus II for $1600 and believe it or not sold it for $1600 after a couple of months. There are very few brands that retain their value as well as Denafrips. The market has spoken and it says that this brand is considered excellent value and not garbage by any stretch of the imagination.

While I agree that the price of the Denafrips 12th Anniv Terminator Plus is a little over the top, I don’t understand why people think it’s greed. Since when did greed in a free market economy become a bad thing? The right price for anything in the free market is what the customer is willing to pay based only on supply and demand.

Apparently, a lot of customers are happily paying $6.5K for the regular Terminator Plus. Not only that, customers are willing to pay top dollar for even used Denafrips units. What does that tell us about the quality and reputation of this company.

Or are we saying that only manufacturers in the western world have the right to charge exorbitant amounts for their gear (most of which is made in China anyways)? Didn’t realize only certain countries have the right to make high profits.