Denafrips product owners please fall in
- Thread starter Abyss Man
- Start date
Denafrips Venus II user here. Picture from last night:
Currently playing around with power supplies on my HQ Player endpoint (the little Pi in the picture) and have some other things on the way to construct a USB DDC so I can output i2S into Venus II. I'm actually quite happy with USB in via a Ghent dual head cable, but at this point in time I'm bored and just looking to see what else this thing can do.
Edit - not bored as in uninterested. Bored as in - still isolating, lots of time on my hands, looking for little projects here and there, and I can't clean the refrigerator better than I have already.
Very satisfied with the Venus II though. I started with an Ares II and moved up very quickly. I am currently feeding it DSD256 using the heaviest modulator I can muster through HQ Player (ASDM7EC) and the detail, musicality, and dynamics of everything in sum is extremely satisfying. My poor vinyl rig wants a turn but I keep listening to my digital library. Even signed up for Qobuz as I've falled down a Classical music rabbit hole, thanks to Venus. This just speaks to how it has integrated into my system.
That said I don't think my signature is up to date, but the rest of the system looks like this at this point:
Everything is fitting together in a real bit of harmony; the room is small but the C2s do not overpower it, in fact they fit really well together IMO. Imaging is outstanding, 3-dimensional and appropriate recordings can sound as if they're behind the listener, with a soundstage width that appropriately expands seemingly outside the room on larger scale orchestra recordings or something like Chocolate Chip Trip which is just a huge, panning track.
The USB DDC I'm putting together will use an Amanero USB combo 384 board, Ian Canada FIFOPi reclocking board with AccuSilicon clocks capable of DSD512, and will output via HDMI with gustard pinout like Venus is now set up for (mode 1/1/1 on the LEDs).
Any questions or criticism welcome!
Currently playing around with power supplies on my HQ Player endpoint (the little Pi in the picture) and have some other things on the way to construct a USB DDC so I can output i2S into Venus II. I'm actually quite happy with USB in via a Ghent dual head cable, but at this point in time I'm bored and just looking to see what else this thing can do.
Edit - not bored as in uninterested. Bored as in - still isolating, lots of time on my hands, looking for little projects here and there, and I can't clean the refrigerator better than I have already.
Very satisfied with the Venus II though. I started with an Ares II and moved up very quickly. I am currently feeding it DSD256 using the heaviest modulator I can muster through HQ Player (ASDM7EC) and the detail, musicality, and dynamics of everything in sum is extremely satisfying. My poor vinyl rig wants a turn but I keep listening to my digital library. Even signed up for Qobuz as I've falled down a Classical music rabbit hole, thanks to Venus. This just speaks to how it has integrated into my system.
That said I don't think my signature is up to date, but the rest of the system looks like this at this point:
Everything is fitting together in a real bit of harmony; the room is small but the C2s do not overpower it, in fact they fit really well together IMO. Imaging is outstanding, 3-dimensional and appropriate recordings can sound as if they're behind the listener, with a soundstage width that appropriately expands seemingly outside the room on larger scale orchestra recordings or something like Chocolate Chip Trip which is just a huge, panning track.
The USB DDC I'm putting together will use an Amanero USB combo 384 board, Ian Canada FIFOPi reclocking board with AccuSilicon clocks capable of DSD512, and will output via HDMI with gustard pinout like Venus is now set up for (mode 1/1/1 on the LEDs).
Any questions or criticism welcome!
Hi Blake,
There was a technical hiccup, I was not getting any sound after plugging it in, there was only some static. The cable works fine with most other DACs but some how its not on the TP. Tellurium are now working on it and it should be resolved soon.
I know it sounds weird right, and to all the naysayers about 1 and 0s' being just that and non-belivers in cables its a lesson I guess. My Silver Diamond USB (2X) work just fine. This incident just cemented my believe in having really good cables in your system.
It can be an easy fix, but Tellurium are not satified with just a fix, they want their Statement cables to make a Statement, they want it to sound as it was designed to. One of the reasons why I'm a big Tellurium fan boy.
Hi folks, my first post here.
I've been enjoying reading your wide ranging experiences with the Denafrips models, particularly yours journey towards the Terminator and more recently over the Terminator plus. Well I finally pulled the trigger on my first R2R DAC purchase - I could not afford to go T+ but interestingly there has appears to have been some trickle down of that model into the new Terminator (termed the 'Terminator II'). So I have one of these on order and should be with me in 3-4 weeks. Can't wait to join the club.
Having read the feedback on this thread partnering the T+ with the GAIA but using the T+ superior clock out, I was really happy today to here from Alvin that the new TII will also have the same OXCO clock and the ability to use clock out with the GAIA. For those not quite able to afford the T+ it's quite a nice bit of news and maybe a halfway house towards the sonic brilliance that some of you have described with that T+ / GAIA combination. I can already see that upgrade in my future! For those interested, Alvin emailed the update this morning:
DENAFRIPS resumes business at the end of Feb, after the 3 weeks long Chinese New Year holiday. The production is in progress and ramping up steadily and nicely as I type. We have been actively following up the production status with DENAFRIPS. The shipment of the Terminator II DAC will start progressively at the end of March - early April. The schedule is confirmed.
The Terminator II DAC is a big leap forward, of which leveraged the technologies found in the Terminator Plus DAC - OCXO, Supercapacitors, Clock-Out, Segregation of Digital/Analog circuitry, just to name a few. It is essentially a trickle down of the Terminator Plus DAC. What's more exciting? The Clock-Out feature of the T-II will be able to synchronize the precision OCXO clocks with the DENAFRIPS DDC, further improve the Digital front-end to another level.
Best, John
I've been enjoying reading your wide ranging experiences with the Denafrips models, particularly yours journey towards the Terminator and more recently over the Terminator plus. Well I finally pulled the trigger on my first R2R DAC purchase - I could not afford to go T+ but interestingly there has appears to have been some trickle down of that model into the new Terminator (termed the 'Terminator II'). So I have one of these on order and should be with me in 3-4 weeks. Can't wait to join the club.
Having read the feedback on this thread partnering the T+ with the GAIA but using the T+ superior clock out, I was really happy today to here from Alvin that the new TII will also have the same OXCO clock and the ability to use clock out with the GAIA. For those not quite able to afford the T+ it's quite a nice bit of news and maybe a halfway house towards the sonic brilliance that some of you have described with that T+ / GAIA combination. I can already see that upgrade in my future! For those interested, Alvin emailed the update this morning:
DENAFRIPS resumes business at the end of Feb, after the 3 weeks long Chinese New Year holiday. The production is in progress and ramping up steadily and nicely as I type. We have been actively following up the production status with DENAFRIPS. The shipment of the Terminator II DAC will start progressively at the end of March - early April. The schedule is confirmed.
The Terminator II DAC is a big leap forward, of which leveraged the technologies found in the Terminator Plus DAC - OCXO, Supercapacitors, Clock-Out, Segregation of Digital/Analog circuitry, just to name a few. It is essentially a trickle down of the Terminator Plus DAC. What's more exciting? The Clock-Out feature of the T-II will be able to synchronize the precision OCXO clocks with the DENAFRIPS DDC, further improve the Digital front-end to another level.
Best, John
Welcome @Todcakes ,
May your life be now blessed with many hours of audio nirvana. They scale very well with footers and cables, sadly for our wallets. Take baby steps, but having said that, straight out of the box you will be introduced to a very superior sounding piece of kit. Happy listening.
Thank you - I appreciate the welcome and the advice.
I have some reasonably nice cables and resonance control that I'm pretty happy with right now, whether they stay in place with the TII for the long haul, who knows...but I have done some cash splurges of late on gear and I think it's time to sit back and reflect for a while once the Denafrips turns up. Looking forward to that date and to sharing some of my thoughts on the new Terminator with you all.
Hello everyone,
Great thread, first post. I'm considering Terminator + with Gaia and would like to stream. While I can swing it, cost is a consideration. With all the cleanup the Gaia is doing, with there be any benefit in getting a better streamer than something like a raspberry pi? I have noted the comments that it didn't seem to help much with the Antipodes ex/cx combo. Thanks.
Great thread, first post. I'm considering Terminator + with Gaia and would like to stream. While I can swing it, cost is a consideration. With all the cleanup the Gaia is doing, with there be any benefit in getting a better streamer than something like a raspberry pi? I have noted the comments that it didn't seem to help much with the Antipodes ex/cx combo. Thanks.
Every system is different and reacts differently to gear changes. FWIW the TP and Iris had a very positive effect on the USB from my Innuos Statement. And, before I clocked the Iris with a TP, the Terminator and Iris were also an improvement.
I was surprised by the amount of benefit as the USB from the Statement is highly touted.
I was surprised by the amount of benefit as the USB from the Statement is highly touted.
Hi @Alsatian ,
You are only as good as your weakest link boss. There is a whole market out there for dedicated streamers for a reason and rightly so. Just look at the Taiko thread, having said that, enjoy the ride. Be patient and audit your gear before taking the plunge and yes, streamers do make a difference, again, sadly for our ever thinning wallets. Stay safe and happy listening.
Improvements of the Terminator II over the older Terminator:
- Total segregation of Digital Signal Processing and R-2R Network Arrays (Analog) boards
- Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillators OCXO replace the TCXO clocks.
- High-speed Digital Isolation. The silicon-dioxide (SiO2 ) isolation barrier with isolated power supply effective isolate the ground and block the noise from one end to the other
- Redesigned Power Supply Unit (encapsulated underneath the DAC board)
- Supercapacitors for Digital & Analogue circuitry for high energy storage to ensure supply of constant cleaned DC power to the circuitry
- Clock Out eco-system to sync with DENAFRIPS DDC.
Now you ask, what are the differences between the Terminator II and the Terminator Plus?
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
Exciting, isn't it?
Denafrips DDCs do not support dual AES/EBU outputs. I would like to see dual AES/EBU as well as I2S pinout feature there. I suppose Denafrips could add such feature via software update, because I think it is a purely software matter. It would be even better and more versatile device then...
Alvin , I wasnt aware that there was a Terminator II , ( I thought there was The Terminator and the terminator plus ) when was the T2 introduced and what are the exact differences between the First Terminator and the T2 ? ( I a m pretty clear as to the what the " plus " model changes/upgrades are and its clear that there is no upgrade path from the basic to the plus ) I am curious to learn about the T2 model though .
Regards , Max
Regards , Max
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