Sample Test - Denafrips Terminator Plus -VS- Denafrips Venus II -VS- Denafrips Ares II
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- There are some days that are just very interesting. We were able to directly compare the Denafrips Terminator Plus, Denafrips Venus II and the Denafrips Ares II. Of course we took some recordings for you! Enjoy this interesting comparison of three nice D/A-converters.
Lossless samples can be found on www.alpha-audi... and www.alpha-audi....
I'd listen to this setup all day long without any fatigue. Indeed there is something analog there.
Just not fortunate enough or lucky to know guys like you.
Well done. Thank you for such high quality productions
Well done! My thoughts: The Aries has a bit less weight and air, The Venus and The Terminator are very close, the Venus has a bit less space and decay but the slam and PRAT are right up there with the Terminator. Too bad you didn't have a Pontus to add to the mix, it seems to be the sweet spot in the Denafrips lineup.
Very helpful and high quality work to make things obvious. Thanks a lot !
Thank you very much!
I enjoy the videos you guys create - at least the ones I can understand - the sound is at the top compared most other channels. I have the Denafrips Terminator-Plus with the Gaia DDC. I have yet to put it in the rig though. Looking forward to your full review.
Thanks for the compliment!
The wide soundstage and mid-base smoothness of the Venus II does it for me. But, I am surprised at how similar the Ares II sounds compared with it's big brothers.
I'll be waiting for the review, to my ears sound similar, only in tonal character, especially the piano they sound different but not night and day w/out having them side by side, I will choose ares2. This is where the law of diminishing return comes in. For 3-4, k dollars I'd rather pocket the difference and enjoy Ares 2
What a demo! Outstanding comparison. The difference is very subtle. But it is there. Terminator Plus sounds best. Biggest stage, refinement and better midrange. Ares worst of the three, but still very good and difference is indeed marginal. Sound is a little grainy. Venus sits in the middle, marginally narrower soundstage than Terminator Plus. Refined than Ares, but worse than Terminator. Venus has weaker mid-base than Terminator Plus and even Ares. What a demo!
Leuk, dat jullie weer in de lucht zijn met de tests . Volgens mij en zo te zien is de verbouwing aardig gelukt .👍
Jep! We kunnen weer. Nu de Neumann mic en dan is ook deze setup compleet en kunnen we weer een kwaliteitsstap maken.
It could’ve been a “perfect life” if we’d only had a Pontus ll…
Oh, now I need a Terminator. The delta is extraordinary. Terrific recording. Thanks!
Thanks! Welcome!
thank you, thank you, thank you.... this REALLY helps
The T+ is the best.... wow.... I can totally hear the difference. More body, better bass extension. Having said that none of them sound bad!!! (I'm using HEKSE headphones, Mytek Broooklyn dac/hf out)
Welcome!
That is what the doctor ordered! Thank you!
First song was more difficult to assess, but with Jacques the differences where quite obvious in both tonality and decay of piano notes. The terminator almost sounds like a real piano. The Venus tries very hard to sound like a piano, decay is better than Ares, but tonality wise it is really off and sounds lighter. The Ares just doesn't sound like a piano. Tone is better, but decay is almost not present. Would be nice to compare the Terminator to the Merason Frerot dac you recently reviewed, with the POW1 LPSU.
What you mention with respect to the reproduced piano sound seems to do with time smearing happening with certain DACs and not with others (better ones). Phase integrity information which is not preserved.
The Ares can play piano very good.The other two are better but much more $
Can you please give us your comments on this comparison cause not all of us have the appropriate equipment to hear the difference. Keep going with the really nice job
There will be a full review this week!
Where is the review?
@@ramasuharman7962 search alpha-audio.net.
What I would change in the setup is MY DAC! I hear some differences, but it's difficult with all of the changes in the music at the time of the switching.
Indeed, it would be great to have a montage of 5 sec dac 1 , 2 ,3 and then a longer piece of 1 min. so you can really get into the song. And in the text the time captions.
Thanks a lot! Venus has the most natural sound of those tested (even better than Terminator for me)?! Subjective differences between ares and venus naturally exist, but they can be easily "swallowed" for such a difference in the price of these devices.
Do you think Venus has the more revealing top end ? I noticed a bit more sparkle more shimmer and air up top. But no one seems to be mentioning it so i was thinking maybe i am hearing things lol
Help. I listened to the CD transport test and found it rather easy to tell the better transports like the Cyrus CD-T, even though there all Red book playing machines ! then the other week I listened to some speakers on here and could not tell the difference the same as I can't tell the difference between these three Denafrips DACs. my desk top speakers just don't cut it. So how should I listen to Alpha Audio TH-cam sound via my PC. I do own a per of Focal Elegia head phones and a Lehmannaudio Drachenfels headphone amp. The PC has a six core AMD processor on a Gigabyte PCIe 4 motherboard that has USB- C, USB 3.2 connectors and the normal headphone and mic jacks if that helps. Thanks.
To my ears...
Terminator = Sweet side of neutral / clean detailed sound.
Ares = Warm and musical.
Venus = Powerful, slightly sibilant, brighter top end.
I'd personally pick the Terminator. Reminds me of the Luxman kinda sound signature which I like.
Thanks for this, it was and awesome test. Looking forward to the full review.
Very well put.
@@TheAlphaAudio
Thank you. Good to know that I haven't lost my hearing abilities (yet).
Impressive setup and awesome job/efforts in capturing the differences between them. Keep up the great work.
Ps: Thank you for introducing me to that awesome first song.
@@MrSanjeevsan welcome! And thanks! :-)
Over TH-cam they sound the same !
@@r423sdex no, they don't...
Listening trough ARES II, STAX L-700. Amazing sounding...
Yes! It's very good.
The Venus ii does seem the least "house sound" of the Denafrips range. Might one of the engineers at the company have designed a dac with emphasis on great vocal and acoustic music abilities?. In this scenario , the result was the Venus ii. There is a raw organic feel to the Venus ii , never overly polite yet so smooth and surefooted in delivery. A natural energy abounds. The Ares is a foolproof purchase at $1k. In the $3k range , the Venus is class leader and a game ender for many audiophiles. As for the Terminator plus , worth 2x the price of the Venus ? , better for sure but the Venus ii is the pound for pound champ.
I definitely like the Plus best. No stress.
Such a great idea! I couldn’t hear any meaningful difference if I’m being honest. My Pontus II 12th with the Iris sounds incredible in my set up and so much better since I added them. The effect of the Iris is subtle at best with a little more space though I’m not certain that’s not my ears justifying the purchase.
I have the Pontus II 12th-1 and Iris 12th and the Iris improves the sound quality.
source=Apple Music lossless
The Ares lacked weight, compared to the other two but still had the same sound signature. The terminator sounded just right - still very close to the untrained ear.
The only difference is the bass is bigger in the more expensive units.
Thank you for doing this, you really helped me out here... Diminishing returns... I can hear the difference in sound, but I think I will keep my Ares II... I was thinking about upgrading to the Pontus II. But, after hearing this, I believe I will simply purchase the Iris DDC, and to my thinking, that should take me to the big boy DAC territory. I'll be pulling the trigger on the Hades and Thallo combo here shortly. I hope this will end this audio journey, for a bit anyways... This should all work well with my KLH Model 5 speakers. My big issue, silver or black on the Hades and Thallo, keep everything matching with the black Ares II and coming Iris... Decisions, decisions... I am seriously thinking black... Off to Vinshine!
I have both the Ares II 12th and Pontus II 12th-1, and I've used the Iris 12th with both.
Iris does improve the Ares. And the Pontus + Iris is even better.
streaming Apple Music lossless
My video: th-cam.com/video/G4IWhmkKsvM/w-d-xo.html
Excellent comparison, well done Alpha Audio!! Sound from Terminator, WOOHOO!! , what a sound. Not sure why you did not consider Pontus II instead of Ares II. What Network Streamer you have used to compare.
bass amount and quality improves with each upgrade . everything else is really close.
Bass is the hardest I think.
Ben al tijdje aan het twijfelen of ik nu moet gaan voor de Venus of de Terminator,
gezien het forse prijs verschil. Deze test kan wel eens de doorslag gaan geven.
Top!
Fijn dat we kunnen helpen.
A bigger difference between the Area II and the Venus II than between the Venus II and the Terminator Plus on the first sample, but definitely a larger step up going the Venus to the Terminator on the second sample.
I think Pontus II is the performance/cost optimal.
VENUS II IS more analog than TERMINATOR PLUS.I prefer VENUS II is more airy and transparent.
I think i heard the same thing. To me Venus has the more natural top end with a bit more air sparkle/shimmer/decay whilst remaining very smooth. Maybe better suited for tube or warm system ?
Look. From Memory, the T+ sounds worse than the Rockna Wavelight.
The Jump from Venus to T+ is Noticeable, albeit slight. But I don't seem to hear differences with A2 as of 4:29?
Edit: 7:01
The bass on Ares sounds like a Joke in comparison with Terminator.
I felt same way, Voice is very profound in Terminator
This time it is very difficulty to determine the differences, didn’t think , these 3 DACs were so close in sound signature. Even the Ares was not overly „warm“ ( many reviewers opinion). It would have been helpful, if you could have added your Metrum DAC in the mix, as a reference, since we have heard this DAC a lot.
I do have a feeling, that all 3 DACs are not the best in timing or „musical flow“. Have heard Jacques much more engaging in the past on your systems?
Am I right ?
Don’t like the Venus, seems too bright.
Surprised by the quality of the Area.
The Termi has a very detailed & defined bass and a less “nervous “ presentation.
Funny you mention timing I have the denafrips Aries pretty much the same as a rega turntable on timing in my head. Don’t know if anyone else has a rega but that was instantly the vibe I got
the stiffer and cleaner power supply really shines in the terminator versus the ares... better clarity and extended dynamics
I could hear the difference through my blown laptop speakers!
I was fooled @4:15! You point to Ares II and I heard an improvement?!?! I was puzzled for a second but than the title shows its Terminator playing :)
Sorry... Must have made an editing mistake. :-)
@@TheAlphaAudio Not a problem at all! It just proves that one should trust its ears ;)
Just out of curiosity... do you really think this video has any value? You are playing music over different equipment, then capture it with a microphone, convert it to digital and compress it in TH-cam. Then the viewers stream that compressed digital signal and convert it back to analogue using their, probably, less then perfect DACs. So, from a viewer point of view, do I listen to the device you played the music on, do I listen to analogue to digital converter you used, do I listen to the TH-cam compression or to my own DAC turning that back into analogue?
The differences between the products - dacs, speakers, amps - will stay the same... as they are absolute. Also: we offer lossless samples on our websites: www.alpha-audio.nl / www.alpha-audio.net. Just use some decent headphones and you will get a good idea of the performance.
@@TheAlphaAudio Right, so when I listen it's my own DAC that I hear, it's yours. OK, I'm out, good luck with whatever you think your doing.
PS: just to make myself clear - you capture the analogue sound, then convert it to digital with a ADC. The ADC can cancel any differences you hear and may introduce coloration of its own. Then I take the digital sound on convert it back to analogue with my own DAC. This can further cancel our any differences and introduce coloration. Then I run the analogue sound through my pre-amp and amp. These can also cancel out any differences and introduce coloration. Finally, the sound goes to my speakers/headphones which, you guess it, can cancel out any differences and introduce further coloration.
Then, of course, our rooms are different, and headphones don't provide the same sensation of space as your speakers do.
What I hear is not even remotely similar to what you heard at the time of recording.
@@Xerxesro1 the differences between the three DACs are absolute. You're right, this is a bad test if you want to hear what a specific DAC sounds like. However, it's not for that. It's a comparison of three DACs. You are listening for how they sound different from each other, not how they each sound specifically. Of course, you are hearing it colored by your own setup, however that coloration is also uniform. The differences can still be identified because the only variables are from the DACs being switched out.
They are fun to listen to.
I'm listening on a decent pair of IEMs & honestly it was hard to hear a difference which I think comes down to the house sound of Denefrips, yes each time you went up in level I thought the sound stage opened up a tiny bit more & maybe the tonality sounded more natural but it's hard with 2 tracks & TH-cams own limitation in streaming. Speakers & Amps seem to be easier than DACs to hear the difference.
How anyone can hear a difference with a TH-cam video, no matter what headphones are being used, amazes me. It must be the "young ears" 🎶✌
Thanks for the compliment.
Great and high quality recording, thanks!
it seems the difference is not as far as the price difference,
Please compare it with DAC LKS I read the reviews it looks good too
Impressive test,, +👍👍👍👍👍/👍👍👍👍👍.
Thanks!
how does the
Sugden Masterclass DAC-4 compare to these...i was thinking a Denafrips...does someone have experience with both models and what would you suggest❓
-- Ok, I had to relisten. What I heard was the difference of the acoustics of the recording environment and that threw my ears off.
I'm not a fan of the Denafrips warm enveloping sound. The more expensive the DAC, the bigger the soundstage and the more detail. But they are definitely belonging to the same family.
I have the feeling this Venus II example might not be 100% OK. It sounds less than both the Ares and the Terminator Plus to my ears, which I wouldn't expect.
I think you have mixed up the file sequence in the video and it is confusing which dac is playing. The Denafrips terminator plus has wider soundstage and deeper with lovely treble. The Venus and particularly the Ares treble are so piercing. Great recording btw and thank you for your time.
Nope. Didnt mix them up... Sorry... :-). Thanks for compliment.
There's a static HF noise in the background.... From the beginning till the end!!!
Increase the volume at min 7:39
Has anyone tried using HQPlayer with their DACs? It does something like what M Scaler would do to a Chord Hugo TT 2 right? So I'm wondering if it would significantly up-level DACS like ARES II, PONTUS II, or even something like RME ADI-2 DAC FS which has a lot of built in features but DAC chip may sound a little more digital (to some), with a somewhat good wideness in soundstage but lacking depth? Is that something that one can even EQ or use room customization software to bring, or is the only solution to move up in DAC?
@TheAlphaAudio have you ever reviewed that MC-3+USB...I'm considering adding it to my HugoTT2 as a step towards the HMScaler later....would appreciate your impression of it. I noticed you've had in in your system for a bit now.
Yes. We have a review on the Dutch website: alpha-audio.nl. It is a remarkable device. There is a version without USB as well. And you can upgrade with the REF10 clock.
I would suggest you to make use of recordings of purely acoustic music. Studio-based productions do have a more synthetic-like sound which does not reveal as many nuances as acoustic music would.
Thanks for the suggestions. We try to be diverse and to use well recorded but accessable music. We have used some live acoustic music.
Given that I need a DAC to listen to this on TH-cam, surely I need a DAC that is as good as if not better any of these and amp/speakers to match so as to make a realistic judgement?
Not to notice the differences. As they are recorded, you Will notice them. The recording stuff is more important.
Venus II Carrie’s it all the way . I get quite a bit of detail on terminator but on instrumental track 2 they were all close but Venus still stood out. It might be the recording itself that may suit one more than the other. But I think overall Venus has more presence.
Ares II wins! Most pleasureable listening! BTW, buy better loudspeakers if you want to hear true difference between dacs.
We have TAD E2's now.
Why does everything sound like it was recorded in a reverberation chamber?
?
Well done!
Seems like anything playing through your system in your studio sounds fantastic!
No audible difference here. I will try the flacs with better headphones but i am sceptical that even then i will come to the conclusion that the sound difference isn't worth price one
I really really can use some very very very very freaking good good Audiophile DAC what's options do I have for high end systems DACs
For me, the denafirips T-Plus more digital sound than ares 2, but ares 2 need more weight in sound. In my ear, denafrips T2 more analog sound with weight than T-Plus. T2 more like vinyl sound (refer to other you tube channel).
I would add Acustica Aplicata Vulcan in between speakers.
What happened to that other, better mic that had, I think, 100kHz range?
The DPA's are omni. They dont work well in ortf. I have a Schoeps mk8g on order to make a M/S setup like we wanted to. Delivery takes a while.
Can anyone hear 100khz ?.
@@r423sdex :-)
@@r423sdex You need infinite bandwidth in order to reconstruct the signal, especially transients
Sorry can’t tell too much difference event I use a susvara headset with good amp
How do you find these dacs compared to the Metrum ones, such as the Jade?
I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the Jade, so I'm just curious if you guys comapred them too..
Thanks!
Comparable. But in the Jade price class I like the Metrum more... Especially with DAC3.
I think dac3 will be a future upgrade for me, considering the price of the Jade as it is, with dac2 :)
@@TheAlphaAudio one final question, Jaap: have you found dacs like the Jade to be a good match with class D amps, such as the Nad m22 v1 that I'm currently using to drive a pair of Dynaudio Evoke 30s?
Thanks!
@@Csaboo a neutral sounding dac like the Jade will match in any system is my experience. But why Jade and not the newer and better Sonnet Morpheus?
@@TheAlphaAudio first time I hear about it tbh, I'm reading on the brand now, makes sense... what's going on with Metrum, are they still functioning? Sent them a few emails and nobody is responding...
Seems like price is considerably higher for the Sonnet, esp. given that there is some discount on the Jade according to their webshop.
Thanks for the recommendation!
De Denafrips Terminator Plus 👌🏻.... (ik hoor wel een hoge soort van pieptoon in de opname, ik weet niet of dat jullie is opgevallen?) verder is de verbouwing top geworden!
Ik hoor geen piep... Gek!
Op 4:50 als de muziek is gestopt hoor ik het....maar oke ik ben beetje gek 🤣
@@ESuutgrunn Hmmm... je kan gelijk hebben. Ik ga eens checken. Zou niet moeten!
T H A N K Y O U ! !
so are supposed to evaluate this on MacBook Pro speakers?
You evaluate this however you want. You could use some headphones for better results. The differences will be more obvious.
Which amplifier did you pair it up with ?
Pass labs pre amp and Bryston 4b sst3 power amp.
Sorry can't hear a big dif even if any at all. I love the Build Quali of the Denefrips stuff, but in this case the huge price dif between the three DAC's is not worth it
I do think the Terminator is more balanced and detailed.
First Song was very nice but hard ..to judge by when being switched in real time between components .. but The T+ can be picked out .. i just ordered A Holo Audio May Kitsune edition .. 1 week ago .. now to be patient fro 5 weeks till it arrives …arghhhh
All the difference i can hear is the bass is bigger with the more expensive units which is not always a good thing!
They were all pretty darn close. I did hear a bit of a difference, but in my untreated room with KLH Model 5 speakers, I cannot see the point in upgrading from the Ares II. They only thing I can think to add is the Iris DDC, I think that would take me up to at least to the Pontus II level, and save a few dollars. We are at the point of diminishing returns. The Ares II is the sound I was looking for, these chip DACs just kill my ears, extremely fatiguing. The Ares II solved that issue.
@@michaelwright1602 Treated or untreated the difference you will hear will be the same.I tend to agree that Ares 2 will satisfy 90 percent of your hifi needs!But if you want 100 percent satisfaction get the Pontus 2!I think that DAC can compete with x5 priced dacs and the sound it offers is not fatiguing...Pontus is like Ares on steroids with even more natural and dimensional sound.I can say that from the sound tests in TH-cam and the arcticles i have read about them.So yes...Pontus 2 is 100 percent satisfaction for not that much money...
I hear no difference
I tried, but it was totally seamless to me.
I want Terminator vs Robocop vs Alien
How does Denafrips compare to Metrum?
Good question. Actually... Metrum went ahead as Sonnet Audio. Metrum still exists though. I think Sonnet is more innovative. Bot sound great.
@@TheAlphaAudio I guess I am asking which is better? Quite a price difference between DACs in both brands.
@@johnratcliffe6438 Both brands have different models.
@@TheAlphaAudio I know that. You aren't making this easy...
So take Onyx and Pontus. Roughly same cost. Which is better?
I want to know whether Denfrips R2R or Metrum Transient modules gives best sound.
And Metrum are still selling - spoke to them about Onyx last week.
@@johnratcliffe6438 I try to get to the core question. :-).
Metrum invented the technology that Denafrips now uses in it's dacs. So in a way they sound pretty similar. But... I think DAC3 sounds more transparant.
Pointless really, by the time TH-cam have compressed the hell out of it and you listen through your computer or ipad speakers, it sounds nothing like it does in reality. But people still come on here and say “WOW”, “AWESOME”, “SO GOOD”, etc, etc! 😂😂😂
That's why we have lossless samples and advice a good pair of headphones.
Everytime I hear focals, I cringe. These thiongs are just a little better than tin cans. Hate the looks and sound coming out of these. Otherwise, a great comparison BTW. Thank you for doing this.
Yet, most people love them - Looks and sound...
3:58 4:54 5:48 6:49
Plz play Terminator OST =)
ik ga voor de terminator plus 😀😃
Mooi ding idd!
I'm sure that there is a big difference with the right equipment but listening with a cheap phone and cheap ear buds the difference isn't so apparent judging what I hear the arises doesn't sound 4000$ worst then the terminator only 1,000 $difference
Differences will het smaller, the higher you get.
speakers are not moving, the video are fake!!!
@@balazsbukovics3569 uhhhh
All similar.
Lucky you!
poor video. repeating same track segments on each DAC would have been better.
Thank you for your feedback.
@@TheAlphaAudio probably will get one. thanks
3:43 4:23
NO DIFFERENCE
There is at least a difference in size and color... You have to agree on that.
@REX4340 ,you should get your ears checked out !
It is the speakers that cut off all frequencies under 100Hz. Monitors and high end audio are fierce enemies
@@Burevestnik9M730 uhhh... You are not serious I hope...
Thanks for demo. In typical fashion the demo music is cringeinducing. But of course I realise its not music you listen to for enjoyment but for the quality of the recording. Its so laughably bland it was hard to concentrate on the demo.
You really need to invest in better speakers. This is like cutting all frequencies under 100Hz