I ordered a new Pontus 12th-1 direct from Vinshine about 8/9 days ago; it was delivered this morning, but, it wasn't a Pontus 12th-1 I unboxed - it was a Pontus 15th????
I had no idea, and haven't come across, or read anything that there was a new version coming.
I've emailed Vinshine, but with the time difference, they're probably all tucked up in bed right now in Singapore; while I wait for a response, does anyone else have a clue about this "15th" version?
I'd post a picture of the front panel, but I have no idea how to upload photos on A'gon
@marco1 unfortunately for me, I'm pretty finicky when it come to my audio gear thats why I thought I would just buy a new unit this time.. but when there are so many upgrades in the line up, it even takes away the worth of the older models.. for me it's the principal of it.. I don't like when a company does that. I understand the upgrade path, I'm in this hobby for more than 40 years. Why should there be that many upgrades in such a short span of time.. If theres not much difference in the sound quality after a few upgrades, why bother. Thats the way I feel about it..
@grpkmp if you’re that concerned with resale buy a used model. Quite frankly I think you will be hard pressed to hear much of a difference between a recent version Pontus II and Pontus 15th, if you hear any difference at all.
From the Denafrips site, it states they have used silver wiring internally, and upgraded firmware for the FPGA chip. I think someone else posted some spec changes
Hi, I don't post on forums much but I was looking to purchase a Denafrips 12th anniversary dac in the very near future and came across this thread.. I emailed Alvin a couple of weeks ago asking for advise for which Denafrips dac to purchase, his answer was the Pontus ll would be an excellent choice for my audio system.. With all the updates with the Pontus ll in what seems like the very recent past and now a 15th addition? I have now become wary to make a Pontus purchase.. I've owned a Chord Qutest dac a couple of years back and it did sound wonderful in my main system but thought it was time for a change for no other reason then to try something new.. The Qutest hasn't had an upgrade in years and the Pontus just came out with its 5th iteration (if my count is correct) with the model 15th. I've read all the comments in this thread and I'm no longer getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about a Pontus purchase.. How long is the 15th going to be around? What's the resale value of my purchase gonna be in a year or two? I have purchased two sets of HifiMan headphones in the past which now seems to be near worthless after just a few years.. I'm done with them and told them as much.. What other dac is available in the Pontus price range or is there any?
@audiostickhi, I already had the Iris 12th, which I was feeding the Ares 12th-1. I've read multiple times that a Pontus and Iris pairing takes you almost to the Venus, so I went with the Pontus. I also had earmarked money for other HiFi stuff, such as new speaker cables
@audiostickI’ve read that some people prefer the Pontus with a DDC over the Venus and allows use of the i2S connection. Just another (and maybe cheaper) option to consider. FWIW.
May I ask why you chose Pontus vs Venus? Was it purely $? I have asked Vinshine for guidance based on my system, but no reply. I do believe that there is a point of no return.
@pwdmark agreed, Alvin is a good guy, he's not the one calling the shots at Denafrips, he knows most likely this is not recieved well by Westerners, but FYI culturally it's common practice in China. I sold my Terminator II last year and bought a Lampizator Baltic V4, very happy with it. Would buy a Denafrips product IF resale value wasn't an issue for me, otherwise no.
Love Alvin. Honest, open, thorough.. BUT! When they began this model of the month.. NO WAY! Now... it has created a different used market if you want a DEAL on say a Terminator, cuz due to the marketing design they are employing... A 5 year old Terminator isn't worth much to most!
Sold mine and moved on. The complete opposite of other non ChiFi manufacturers.
Some NEVER change a model. Upgrades should be a additional model. Imagine their used market. You would have to study a while to know what you are after...
And for Chinese HiFi??? NO, No, No!
Pride off ownership??? Are you proud of your 5K Chinese DAC?
There are so many good DAC's out there... And sure $28K for a Lampizator or $14K for a Mola Mola is a lot, but I assure you they don't butcher product lines to sell more product.
After 24hrs, not much change from initial power-up; some nice things going on - as mentioned, bass was tightening up with greater definition
After 48hrs - Meh! Just sounded all over the place, a bit of a hot mess
After 72hrs things settled back down again, bass a little tighter, micro parts like light cymbal taps and hits coming more to the fore and stand-out
After 96hrs - more if the same with a greater sense of the ambience of recordings. Spaces between notes are palpable if that makes sense.
Bass seems to be the stand out at the moment though; I have bass traps in either corner of my room behind and to the side of my speakers, but was still having some residual bloom. This seems to have almost disappeared in contrast to how it was with the Ares 12th-1. I’m a little tentative on this aspect as I know it’s relatively early days and probably have a ways to go yet, but it’s certainly positive and promising right now
@audiostickon the top banner on the Denafrips webpage, at least when I looked yesterday, it features only the Pontus and Terminator as having 15th versions at the moment. I'm sure the Venus will get the same treatment eventually
It’s very strange that there wasn’t some kind of announcement of this new version as communication has been usually excellent with this company in my experience. I have had my Pontus II 3 years and have been extremely happy with it.
It seems you have to go to the “Buy Now” link on the Denafrips website to see the reference to the Pontus 15th as well as other 15th models. This brings up another interesting factoid in that pricing which appears to be in US dollars on the Denafrips website differs from the Vinshine website S$ price after it is converted to US dollars. Would also seem like Vinshine and Denafrips have to get on the same page regarding both the model numbers and pricing.
I’ve got the Terminator “12th” and it gets better and better. It’s been 4 months and the sound opens up and bass gets deeper and tighter as it breaks in. I’m still wondering what the spec differences are between that and the 15th. It’s now on their website as a 15th. This is fun
@moonwatcherWhat I did notice in the brief time I listened, was that bass notes, say on electric bass guitar were definitely more defined. I wouldn't say more bass slam, but more discernable. This was one of the things I did pick up on, plus better micro detail generally. Individual track components better isolated from each other.
Once I've put some decent hours on the unit (it'll be running Radio Paradise 24/7 for the next week or more), I'll update.
@painter24when you get more time to evaluate it (and after say 50 to 100 hours are on it) please let us know if the Pontus 15th or whatever it is has more bass definition (or "slam") than the Ares II. I’m on the fence about getting an R2R DAC but considering the Pontus, however, "everyone" says chip-based DACs offer better bass. Well, maybe, maybe not. A Venus or Terminator are out of my price range, but something in the $2k range might fit the bill if it is a significant step up from the Ares II. Thank you and good luck. It will be interesting what they tell you about the "15".
Ah, I see on the Maverick Hi-Fi site you referenced that someone has posted a blurb from their website...So it is a 15th edition with some slight upgrades. Nice to see.
But I do kind of agree with others that small changes don't warrant an "edition" and can be off-putting for those wanting to buy and yet have their device hold value longer and not seem like "the flavor of the month". Too many "editions" too quickly smacks of SMSL's marketing techniques and "cheapens" the brand's cachet. Most companies do small updates or improvements during production runs and don't change the "edition". I mean, if Ford beefs up a bracket on a truck during one year's production, they don't call it a F-150 Mark 57. It gets silly after a while.
Save "editions" for significant changes. Maybe it is a Chinese cultural thing compared to Westerners. I'm not sure. PS Audio out of Colorado only changes editions after several YEARS, not months.
@ozzy62thanks Ozzy. That takes me back. Haven't done that for a long long time 🤔😊. I have vague memories of a hosting site called something like Photo Bucket, or something like that 😊
@kairosmanyeah, I was surprised to say the least. I didn't even notice the "15th" on the front plate of my unit until after I'd configured the I2S pin out 😂.
I paid the normal 12th-1 price allowing for S$ to UK £ conversion, plus I took advantage of the offer of S$149 off for Vinshine loyalty membership.
Wow, it would be a world premiere first in hifi if you paid for the most up to date version AND GET A PREVIOUSLY UNANNOUNCED UPGRADED VERSION FOR NO UPCHARGE!!!
Suffice to say I am eagerly awaiting further updates!
I haven't given it much of a listen to be honest; I was so confused, I wasn't really taking it in as I normally would when receiving a new component 😊. What I did hear from it was impressive, considering I only had it plugged in and listened to it for about half hour.
The Pontus replaced the Ares 12th-1 which I bought on auction on a whim in February. I was so impressed I added the Iris 12th, which was a nice uplift. But I was so impressed with the little Ares, I took the plunge on a Pontus.
I'm very interested to see what Vinshine comes back with, and also to find out what changes have been made for the 15th. I'll update as soon as I hear back again 👍
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
