DENAFRIPS DAC ---- Owner Impressions, Feedback, General Discussion, Questions and more....

Thanks for the support, guys!

Happy holidays!

I've got the bug for a new DAC. My Hegel HD30 is "very good" (and resolves more detail than you'd think 16/44.1 redbook could capture). But I'm hoping to get a more organic/liquid midrange and that sense of solidity from an R2R (or comparable) DAC. 

Besides the challenge of auditioning Denafrips DACs is one other challenge my system has... no preamp. And I've spent $$ on cables that I'd hate to have to buy a pre-amp *and* another set of cables just to be able to enjoy a fixed-output dac.

The Rockna wavedream and wavelight both can be purchased with variable output (and analog at that... not digital attenuation). I'm looking for input from you guys... both to see if anyone has a thought about these two dac families (Denafrips vs Rockna... has anyone compared??) but also, given my lack preamp at present, what's a wiser way to spend. My audio is 100% digital source.

Thanks!

I recently changed out speakers and started using HQPlayer (I've been a Roon lifetime subscriber for years) and my usage of digital playback and file streaming is way up. So yesterday I decided to buy a used Ares II. I just want to see how it sounds and then, hopefully, upgrade to a Venus II down the road. 

My former DAC was a Convert-2 which was fantastic but it was also pretty obviously tilted to a specific kind of presentation. Right now I am using a Benchmark DAC3L and while I think it's an excellent DAC, I want to test the Denafrips waters and the 3L also has some things in the preamp function I'm not necessarily a fan of. I'll be pairing the Ares II with a Schiit Freya+ whenever it comes off backorder, so I can use balanced in and out from digital sources to my amp.

Really excited - I've had an R2R DAC in the past and really enjoyed its presentation, so seeing what one can do that can also handle some serious upsampling from HQPlayer should be a treat. 

@toddrhodes  Sounds like fun! Post your findings and results!

@dvdboulet  I believe you will achieve good results with either DAC specific option. You'll have to figure out the +/- of a standalone pre vs an included volume control.

I'll add that there is a healthier resale market for Denafrips.

what's a wiser way to spend