@traudio I also use an opticalRendu and recently had the same question. Hear to echo comments about how terrific the Denafrips Pontus II is.
I've owned many dacs made all over the world from PS Audio -US, Metronome - France, Meridian - UK and others. The construction quality, fit/finish and most importantly, sound quality from the Denafrips are hard to rival. While I own American speakers, amp & preamp, along with a Swiss phono stage, my Denafrips doesn't in any way seem out of place or make you think Chinese = cheap.
The Chord Qutest was the alternative that got the most consideration from me. After researching, although both are beloved by many, my take was that the Denafrips provided more of the design elements found in SOTA DACs( e.g. balanced, dual mono ladders & power supply). You can see that you're getting lots of value for your investment. That coupled with positive experiences listening to Denafrips, and voila. Cheers,
Spencer
I've owned many dacs made all over the world from PS Audio -US, Metronome - France, Meridian - UK and others. The construction quality, fit/finish and most importantly, sound quality from the Denafrips are hard to rival. While I own American speakers, amp & preamp, along with a Swiss phono stage, my Denafrips doesn't in any way seem out of place or make you think Chinese = cheap.
The Chord Qutest was the alternative that got the most consideration from me. After researching, although both are beloved by many, my take was that the Denafrips provided more of the design elements found in SOTA DACs( e.g. balanced, dual mono ladders & power supply). You can see that you're getting lots of value for your investment. That coupled with positive experiences listening to Denafrips, and voila. Cheers,
Spencer