I own the Qutest and even Ares II beats it! Gl
Has anyone compared the Terminator Plus to the Holo Audio May (KTE edition)?
I know each of these has been discussed separately on this forum, and I've seen comparisons between the original Terminator and the Holo Audio May. But I haven't seen direct comparisons between the Terminator Plus (which is supposedly a substantial upgrade to the original) and the May. So I thought I would pose the question.
I'll be upgrading from my Chord Qutest soon (I like the Qutest a lot, but I know there's better out there), and my budget will be around 5 - 9k. I'm interested in R2R DACs because of their supposed natural/analog sound. And I've heard/read that these two R2R DACs punch above their price points.
I'll be upgrading from my Chord Qutest soon (I like the Qutest a lot, but I know there's better out there), and my budget will be around 5 - 9k. I'm interested in R2R DACs because of their supposed natural/analog sound. And I've heard/read that these two R2R DACs punch above their price points.
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While both use similar dac technology, they are apparently quite different in terms of their output voltages and other electrical characteristics which should be taken into account prior to purchase. Not all dacs go well with all preamps or other components down the chain. by the way, I went from qutest (with linear power supply) to may level 2 to wells audio cipher tube dac and found improvements with each upgrade. |
No familiarity with these, or the dac Im about to make you aware of, but it is an R2R and looks phenomenally well built Underwood HiFi https://www.underwoodhifi.com/products/audio-gd hth |
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Thanks. If the following is the thread you're referring to, I didn't notice a definitive "winner" between the May and the T+A: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58090-holo-audio-may-dac/?tab=comments#comment-1017566 |
I just had a customer do a side-by-side between the Weiss 501 DAC and a Denafrips Terminator+ and he said it wasn’t even close. The Weiss is far better. He does place a premium on detail and imaging vs warmth. In addition to the Weiss 501 which is an awesome DAC, I would look at the Rockna Wavedream Edition, the Audiobyte Hydra Stack (VOX, ZAP & HUB) though the hub is delayed and even the Chord TT2 and MScaler which could be in range with a trade of the Qutest. I think all would be a step up from the Terminator+. |
I have been using a Denafrips Terminator+ with Gaia DDC for about a year now, and the source rig is a BIG step up from my last source, which was Auralic Aries G2, Vega G2 and Leo GX clock. That was a an $18k MSRP stack that does not hold a candle to the Terminator+. Of course just my opinion, like others. No better, no worse. For reference, my system consists of: Harbeth M40.3 McIntosh MC601 monoblocks McIntosh C50 preamp PS Audio P20 Power Regenerator Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC Denafrips Gaia DDD SOtM sMS-200Ultra Neo streamer Custom built NUC8-i7 with Teddy Pardo PS running Roon ROCK Good luck! |
John Atkinson was very impressed Even more so with the Holo May, the Weiss only "rivaled" it. https://www.stereophile.com/content/holoaudio-may-level-3-da-processor-measurements In almost every way, the HoloAudio May (Level 3) is the best-measuring D/A processor I have encountered, rivaled only by the Weiss DAC502 and MBL N31.—John Atkinson And then there’s this review also. Watch the 2nd half as well. https://youtu.be/Wa3sOSRa-U0 Cheers George |
orosie ("oh girl"), that's some impressive gear. And i'm surprised the terminator+ and gaia outperform the Auralic stack, considering the price difference. Great bang for the buck. George, if i remember correctly John A. was more impressed with the May than the Weiss only with regard to measurements. But in terms of actual sound, it was about even, with maybe a slight edge going to the Weill. (But i could be misremembering). Thanks for the links! |
Just came across this review/comparison of these two DACs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSPBX3W1heE |
Because sonically all these discrete R2R ladder dacs are very close to each other and all have well over >2v output (most amps only need <1v for full ouput) and low impedance outputs, as strong as any preamp. I would then start looking at the one that has an inbuilt volume control to go direct with, as best best preamp is no preamp, and you’ll save a stack of money also. My MSB discrete R2R ladder dac sounds stunning going direct using it’s own volume control, and betters any preamps that have been used even $$$$$K ones friends have tried to challenge it with. Cheers George |
Not sure if it’s been mentioned yet but here’s a direct comparison of the two. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DSPBX3W1heE |