Denafrips Terminator II 12th anniversary VS. Terminator PLUS 12th anniversary

I have the T2 12th running with a Mini Zen 3 and LPS, my understanding is the mini with the LPS is about 90% of the Zen Mk 3. The synergy of the mini/LPs with the T2 is very good. Big soundstage on depth height and width, instrument placement is exceptional, very warm weighty sound,and amazing layering,  far exceeds my Eversolo T2 combination. The T2 12 is a killer Dac, I’ve never heard had a T+ for comparison unfortunately. It also seemed to me the premium for the T+ was too much for for what it brings over the T2 12. Many times the price for the top isn’t warranted by performance levels, I’m extremely happy with my T2 and it really loves the Innuos sound. I think you’ll love the Zen MK 3 with the T2 12.

I have the Pontus ll as well and have the same Terminator questions.

@toneranger58 Thanks for the info! Yeah, I am struggling to see what premium the + offers over the T2 that warrants that big of a price jump. Some hand-selected parts and a new faceplate seems like a bad deal. But, if it made a big difference in the sound when compared between the two then perhaps it could be justified.

Good to hear that it sounds great with the innuos gear. I have a Zen now, but may end up upgrading to a pulsar in the future. I got the zen + pontus II to get a somewhat entryish level streaming setup to see how I liked it and if I ended up using it often enough to warrant investing in nicer components, and sure enough - I have been using it quite a bit to supplement vinyl. Lot of modern music doesn't sound the best on vinyl unless it's specifically mastered for it, so being able to queue up on Qobuz and utilize that has been very nice.

Anyway - thanks for the info!

Hopefully there's someone out there that has listened to both and can give some feedback on the comparison.

@curiousjim Ditto.

I emailed Alvin at Vinshine Audio to bring this thread to his attention so that he will hopefully respond.

Thanks for the headsup, Bill!

The Terminator II / Plus 12th DAC is a great choice! Can't go wrong with either.

(Sorry, my salesman hat was on)

Let me take this opportunity to explain the differences between the TPlus and TII.

The differences between the Terminator II and Plus, the Terminator Plus comes with premium offering of:

• Aluminum anodized curvy front panel
• Precision, hand-picked, premium OCXO
• Hand-picked R-2R board

Essentially, the Terminator II DAC is a trickle down of the more expensive TPlus. In my opinion, it sounds very close to the TPlus, and most of the serious audiophiles will be very happy with the TII DAC. It ticks most of the audiophile 'boxes', if I may put it this way.

Hope this clarifies things!

Many thanks,

Alvin Chee

Vinshine Audio

Now you don’t have to  worry the New Terminstor Gen-15  now has the exact Terminator +  ocxo oven controlled shielded sealed clock s  a few capacitor difference is now the only difference  they are very close now for much less $ monies , next year a Terminator + Gen -15 will be coming out  

the new Terminator Gen-15 is the way to go , vs the Holo springs May KTE 

the new Terminator Gen- 15 has a bitt more depth of image and slightly warmer .

the KTE ifyou like more neutral.

@audioman58 I was wondering how you are aware of Denafrips future product releases.

Are you a Denafrips dealer?

If so, you should disclose your relationship to make it clear as other dealers/reps do.

Yes I have owned many dacs and in a Very large Audio club and having owned a Audiostore until 2015 and before in the U.K after Alvin left I reached out As. 4 decade Audiophile Denafrips had no representation  now I do I  show retail pricing 

but offer attractive pricing when emailed through my advert Audioman58 email 

address. Without hesitation the 12th was not a upgrade much imo 

the Gen-15 dacs much better ,the new engineering decided to move most  models

to the next upper model , Thst is how I know I own the new Pontus Gen15 

and Terminator and  compared with the older 12th anniversary , a noticable increase in resolution and soundstage width and depth,if you look at the terminator pages it even showed Terminator Plus on the shielded isolated Dual oven Clocks.

@audioman58 you need to make this disclaimer so members here know your bias and that you are a dealer. Even @audiotroy is doing that in their signature. It is the ethical thing to do. 

I am a Denafrips online Dealers , the New Terminator Gen-15  is the Terminator 12+ ,as well as the New  Pontus 15 is = to the Venus 12th 

the Venus is discontinued a new Venus 15 coming out next month 

the Terminator is Identical even on the most critical part of the dac The Ultra precision shielded encapsulated Dual Oven ⏰ Clocks are the same it says right on the clocks Terminator plus look in the ad I just took these close up pictures this week to the terminator on top of my rack and compared them to a Audiophile in our
large Audiophile club , Exact.  Where the 12th was not a valid upgrade IMO ,upgrade IEC ,better silver wiring and transformers a bit better . The Gen 15. is a evolutionary upgrade, the New engineers thought the Enyo, Ares worth the upgrades , the Pontus,stepped into the Venus , and Terminator to the plus ,a great strategic move and save $1000s in engineering costs ,and the buyer benefits ,at least the ones who are technical ,that is why I pointed this out. next year maybe a Terminator 15+ , at the moment the Terminator Gen-15 is the current flagship it says so on their website  I am using this with a Gaia and or Hermes DDC trying to see if it’s worth the extra $500 for the Gaia  .maybe 2-3% better Maybe. I hope that helps .

I recently got a new Terminator 15th. I have been "shopping" for my next DAC for over a year to replace my Venus II. I was being careful to get something I would feel was an upgrade and would be good enough to stop my desire for more, I cannot afford it anymore being retired with limited disposable income. I was interested a long time ago in getting a Terminator plus because I was curious about the ability to take advantage of the clock snyc feature with the Hermes I already have. I also own a pretty good I2s cable, the Tubulus Argentus so this seemed like the most logic step, but that $7600 price kept me from it. Once the Terminator 15th became available and is basically a Terminator + I became more serious about it. I contacted @audioman58 about one and decided to make the buy from him. I have been running it constantly since I got it with my Aurender N200 streaming Qobuz. I have 100 hours on it now. I bought Oyaide DB 510 clock cables because they get good feedback, they are not a compromise for this intended use. I am sure there are better clock cables but this will have to do for now, I spent all I can. I can say I am absolutely thrilled with this Terminator 15th DAC. It is exactly what I was hoping for and has the inherent Denifrips House sound but just a LOT better han the Venus II. I always felt the Venus II was good and it is, but holy cow this new DAC is just giving me what I wanted. Here are some of my notes in comparison to the Venus II I had. (I sold it before the Terminator arrived)

Terminator 15th

Realistic timbre to instruments and vocalists, just so real!.

Bass is deeper but more defined and textured,it surprises me how it jumps out so realistically

More holographic and airy around instruments and vocalists-I can hear them so easily now

clearer separation of voices coming from the background

Get up and Boogies, music has great drive and tempo

Realism, palpable, I can just listen for hours on end

comes from Quiet

soundstage bigger, hearing well outside the speakers now, deeper too

piano is so real

delicate overtones, reverberations and decays

smoother

So this is what I am hearing for now. My system is in my profile. i must say that with what I am done with cabling recently I am really hearing the changes i make now more easily. So FWIW this is my perspective. I was so very close to buying a T+A DAC 200 but this new pricing tipped the scales for me, I am happy with my purchase. I just prefer the R2R sound for me.