Musician pegasus DAC or Denafrips Aries 2

@vthokie83 Please do update.  I’d be very interested, and frankly I’d be surprised if this doesn’t produce a relatively large improvement that results in near end-game performance.  But that’s just a guess. 

Alvin at Vinshine hinted at such. I've got a complete Denafrips stack; Pontus II DAC, Hades Pre-Amp, and Thallo amplifier......all connected via Morrow Audio MA4 XLR cables that I LOVE, but he thought this might take it to the next level. Will report back in a few wees

@vthokie83 How’s the Iris? Worth the five bills?  Have been considering a Pontus II but only if it doesn't "need" a DDC

How’s the Iris? Worth the five bills?  Have been considering a Pontus II but only if it doesn't "need" a DDC

@steven5737 I wouldn’t look at it like that.  If you read reviews the Pontus ll is more than capable of standing on its own as is my Pegasus and I’m very happy as is.  I just look at i2S as a future and meaningful potential upgrade for not all that much $$$, at least in audiophile world.  Just my $0.02 FWIW. 

Steven,

These are my opinions based on my system, in my home, with my ears. I am also a HUGE fan of Denafrips products, as I own the Iris DDC, Pontus II DAC, Hades pre-amp, and Thallo amplifier.....so take my opinion as a  committed Denafrips owner, and maybe a grain of salt. My speakers are Buchardt Audio S400 MkII, and Anti-cables 3.1 speaker cables.

Bottom line, the Iris is absolutely worth the $500....but the Pontus II does not need the Iris to sound incredible. The Pontus II is the best sounding DAC I've heard in it's price range or even near it. For me the only DAC that I would buy as an upgrade (that I have heard) is the Holo Audio May DAC two piece system, but that starts at $4,000 and goes up from there to more than $5,400 for the KTE version that I want.....as SOIX pointed out, refer to any of the dozens of written and video highly positive reviews for the Pontus II.

So why consider the Iris? Well I had spoken frequently with Alvin Chee (owner of distributor Vinshine Audio) about ways to maximize the Denafrips stack (cable types/which connections/filter settings/etc), and when I asked him about the DDC products, he did mention the Denafrips DDCs as a probable improvement. For $500 why not give it a go, and if not I can always sell Denafrips products easily. Here is some of the technical jargon:

(1) The Iris has both galvanic isolation (magnetic) as well as optical isolation (fiber optic), thus the signal is getting purified and reclocked along the way. The Iris uses TCXO (temperature controlled crystal oscillators) to reset the clock prior to sending it out to the DAC. The best input to the DDC from my Node 130 is USB (I use a 1 meter Supra Audio Excalibur USB cable)

(2) Because of this I can take a clean reclcoked and jitter free signal, and transmit it to the  Pontus II via I2S HDMI (I use an Audioquest Vodka 48 8K cable). I2S is the native signal used internally in most signal components, so there is no conversion of that native signal to the DAC.....as would happen if I used any of the other outputs from the Iris. In this scenario, the higher end clock in the Iris is controlling the timing as opposed to the internal clock in the DAC.

(3) Because of the above, I would also suggest that any DAC with an I2S connection would get a performance boost from using a high quality DDC that has a high end crystal oscillator.

Sound improvements; please bear with me as I am not very good at verbalizing what I hear. And remember this is with an already amazing Pontus II.

1. Clarity – Not sure if it’s the blacker noise floor, or if it is a true change; but everything sounds as though I’m hearing more detail across the board….the information that is packed into the audio is more audible in separation of instruments and vocals
2. High frequency – Definitely more detail here, more information across the board….but without sibilance which I HATE. Cymbals are clearer and for the first time I can hear the decay that everyone talks about if I listen for it. Songs that I love which I could not listen to before because of the sibilance are enjoyable again. Example “Under the Milky Way” by the Church, the combination of the Pontus II and Iris made this song a joy once again.
3. Soundstage – No real improvement over the Pontus on width or height, but noticeable on depth. Musicians and vocalists have more separation not just left or right, but how deep they are on the stage in the recording.
4. Control/Attack/Impact? – Everything sounds more “purposeful”, the bass though not any deeper is quicker/tighter, and vocals (especially female) are more soulful and rich as long as not auto-tuned. Male vocals were already terrific on the Pontus II, and remain so with the Iris placed into the stream.

I hope this helps a little. I’ve been loath to do a review, as I wasn’t sure I could do the Iris justice while at the same time not indicate that the Pontus II needed the DDC…..it is simply an amazing DAC, even more so at the current $1,730 price point at current exchange rate.