↗Associated Component List In Video Description ↖ ☝Be careful of scammers in the comments or social media platforms who pretend to be me and trying to scam. 👋I'm not hosting giveaways or asking you to contact me. 👍A real comments/replies from me has a GRAYED OUT profile name just like this comment. 🫵 Also, due to spam posts, links are No Longer Allowed in comment section. Thanks for watching! 🙏
Sounds lovely! I just started my building my setup again! Got the car solid now for the home! Thanks for all the info and tips! Semper Fi and Can Do OORAH
This is the best sound sample of this song I have ever heard on your channel, especially the air after "Look at the Sky" is so much better than most of your DAC reviews.
Hallo Tharbamar. Pairing with the warm sound of speakers Wharfedale LINTON 85th, is it good an R2R DAC like Pegasus II or is it better something of more transparent like a Sabre delta-sigma (for example D90III or SU-X) in order to balance a bit? Thanks so much.
Based on my experience with Linton 85th, Pegasus II should pair well together. Some DS DAC may sound like lacking body and texture but as always sound is subjective and depends on paring components, Thank you.
Would not worry about that. Version 1 was the first product of a new company - then put on the market at a very competitive price. 3 years later, with enormous inflation, the version 2 is the same price. From a company perspective, bringing an updated product on the market at the same price can be the result of both development and cost reduction (in audiophile land also known as cutting corners). These two factors will with a good company (that I think Musician is) not lead to a real difference in performance. The new red board inside makes it look better, more premium, but nothing more than that. That had to be a design choice. Matching red caps should draw interest - are they the same quality? A direct comparison of both versions would be interesting, but how it's described here, I think very close, and th new one not necessarily better.
hi, recently have an rme adi2 dac fs pretty happy about its performance , do you think ot will be an upgrade to but this in terms of musicality ? aldough more or less same price rme a little high
Hello, Very important question - Does the USB Module have a Galvanic isolation or somthing like that? (It prevent the unwanted noise that come from the PC) Thanks in advance
Nicely Done. Was there a difference in using the bal. vs rca ouputs ? I thing there website said for best performance use bal. Thanks for sharing your tracks. Cheers
@@Tharbamar So I was going to buy the Pegasus, but now by your advice, I will check out your advice, I have a Sugden A21SE Amp so it's RCA, so by your indication the SMSL will match better?
Hi Tharbamar, Thanks for another great review. I have the same question I always ask! It seems like most of your testing was done with the HAP-Z1ES as the source/transport. What sounds better to you, the HAP-Z1ES using its internal dac or the HAP-ZIES using the Musician Pegasus II DAC. Thanks in advance!
HAP-Z1ES offers one of the most transparent neutral sound itself but paring with Pegasus II brings out more of excellent musical performance and truly enjoyable sound, thanks
@Tharbamar Thanks! So in your opinion the Musician Pegasus II would be an upgrade over the HAP-Z1ES. Could you briefly describe what the improvements are? That would be very helpful :)
Only "upgrade" would be to an R26 but that's not for sonics so much as all the other functionality it comes with (streaming/pre amp/transport) the other "upgrades" will run thousands over or require off board upsampling and HQP filters run to an end point at which time you've spent an extra 2k on licensing for Roon and HQP 🤣.
Hi, great work! Love your channel! How it compares to Draco? I was just about to buy Draco, but saw Pegasus II… Now bought used Schiit Bifrost 2/64, but Musician DAC would be my next purchase anyway, which one you recommend?
Do they select you Brand ambassador? You reviewed many of Musician products. Wish you make a list about DAC's , because there are lots of DAC's in youtube reviewed as good or great at price/performance.
@@net_newsthanks. I think, speaking in generalities, which is always dangerous in audio, that is the one thing lacking from most R2R DACs. Seems R2R are great otherwise for imaging, sound stage, and tonality. But yeah, I listen to a lot of genres of music, from jazz to EDM to acoustic bluegrass and rock, so I always wonder if I'd be satisfied with an R2R or want "more". Maybe I could get a good R2R like this and keep a cheaper chip-based DAC for when I want to listen to EDM or rock. Just an idea. I didn't want to spend $2K on a Denafrips Pontus II and not be happy. This Pegasus II might be "good enough" for jazz and acoustic music, then supplement it using a $500 chip-based DAC when jamming to EDM. Thanks for your input and experience.
@@rosswarren436 if the chinese were a little bit more creative they could create an hybrid DAC using R2R for mid/highs and a Delta Sigma chip for the lows... innovation is not their thing haha
@@net_newsof course that might add $500 to the price point. LOL. But yes, why not a hybrid to get the best of both in one box? Maybe that's what the higher end DACs in the $2K to $4k and up range do...but I mean they "get there" by other means. AFAIK, there are no "hybrid R2R/delta-sigma DACs" out there. Cool idea though. I'd sure love to hear a $4K (delta sigma) PS Audio Stellar Gold DAC compared to a similarly priced R2R Holo May and see how they compare.
Thanks for the upgrade suggestion, the SU-9 ultra is perfect. It is paired with a WIIM pro, Marant amp, Wharfedale evo 2 speakers and a Topping A30 pro headphone amp. What are your suggestions for upgrading headphone amps? If you can pair amplifiers to suggest me up to 600-700 dollars Thank you very much.
I have the topping a70pro. If you just need a headphone amp with more power, it has 17w. If you just need a headphone amp and not a preamp, the geshelli archel 3 pro is $450
This DAC is great for people who wants simple set up with good sound quality, FYI A8 is not hyped it's a real deal, I replaced much more costly DAC with it. State of the art DSP chip and tuning options are biggest advantage over any standard DACs.
Got A8 on demo, hyped wrong choice, but it’s not staying, I have a vega g1 & much prefer the app, A8 is more laid back sounding, the A8 streaming side doesn’t do such a good job sorting my artwork from my nas. Now if I could find a standalone dac sounding like the A8 & purchase a used Aries g1 for the streaming side I would be happy 🎉
Dont know about pegasus 2 but PEGASUS I IS FAILING UNIT FOR SURE. I have enaugh experience with him to so I feel I can easely claim it. On top of that I cant add review on aoshida audio where my purchase from them is not listed anymore, nor it is possible on the web of muscian company where are listed only 5 star reviews.
How is it failing? I've owned the first pegasus for over 2 years now and have not had any issues with it. A friend of mine has one too, and it's performed well for him too. Maybe you got a lemon? I got two lemons from Denafrips once.
@@buckethead84 lemon? What is it. It was failing in imaging, placing instruments in soundstage. For example song: 2 chellos smooth criminal with such a think like smsl su 1g you have very nice placement wit pegasus it was shrinked and messy. This using rca outputs of pegasus. This song is easy, nothing busy, complicated.
@@janulik9535 That hasn't been my experience with it, and I've had DS dacs before that were very precise. Ofc it wasn't as precise as those, but I didn't experience what you describe. However, I did experience that with the Denafrips Ares, so there may be QC issues between the units.
It would be nice if you could make us a video comparing the three R2R DAC, like you did with the Pontus II Vs. Gustard R26 Vs. Ladder Schumann. I like warm analog sound and I wanted to buy a Pontus II, but now you have thrown me into a dilemma.
↗Associated Component List In Video Description ↖
☝Be careful of scammers in the comments or social media platforms who pretend to be me and trying to scam.
👋I'm not hosting giveaways or asking you to contact me.
👍A real comments/replies from me has a GRAYED OUT profile name just like this comment.
🫵 Also, due to spam posts, links are No Longer Allowed in comment section. Thanks for watching! 🙏
Спасибо за обзор! можно ли сделать вывод, что данный аппарат ( musician pegasus) превосходит , denafrips pontus 12 ?
Toujours un plaisir de regarder vos vidéos, bravo et merci 🎉
Thank you ☺️
This Dac should have a see - through plexiglass like the topping dx9. The red internals looks good, especially with black casing.
Sounds lovely! I just started my building my setup again! Got the car solid now for the home! Thanks for all the info and tips! Semper Fi and Can Do OORAH
Great to hear!
This reviewer was a devil dog?
Hi Tharbamar, thanks for the review. My piece has been with me by more than 2 weeks. I fell in love with it!
Great to hear!
Great work! It would help if you give more details of width and depth of soundstage together with comparisons to other dacs, for example Gustard A27.
This is the best sound sample of this song I have ever heard on your channel, especially the air after "Look at the Sky" is so much better than most of your DAC reviews.
Great review!! I’m thinking about pairing this with an Eversolo DMP-A6.
That would be great 👍
Hallo Tharbamar. Pairing with the warm sound of speakers Wharfedale LINTON 85th, is it good an R2R DAC like Pegasus II or is it better something of more transparent like a Sabre delta-sigma (for example D90III or SU-X) in order to balance a bit? Thanks so much.
Based on my experience with Linton 85th, Pegasus II should pair well together. Some DS DAC may sound like lacking body and texture but as always sound is subjective and depends on paring components, Thank you.
So, Pegasus II is definitely better then Pegasus I ?
Going to buy this from your review. Also love the Accuphase and JBL.
Nice Choice.
just bought the original Pegasus three months ago , too sad to hear an update version so soon.
Yeah it is much needed refresh because first gen is in the market for 3 years now.
The specs look identical, from the looks of it it seems like they just changed the caps, maybe there was a firmware update too?
Don’t worry about it. The advances in sound quality is very very slow. Different flavors of ice cream
Would not worry about that. Version 1 was the first product of a new company - then put on the market at a very competitive price. 3 years later, with enormous inflation, the version 2 is the same price. From a company perspective, bringing an updated product on the market at the same price can be the result of both development and cost reduction (in audiophile land also known as cutting corners). These two factors will with a good company (that I think Musician is) not lead to a real difference in performance. The new red board inside makes it look better, more premium, but nothing more than that. That had to be a design choice. Matching red caps should draw interest - are they the same quality? A direct comparison of both versions would be interesting, but how it's described here, I think very close, and th new one not necessarily better.
hi, recently have an rme adi2 dac fs pretty happy about its performance , do you think ot will be an upgrade to but this in terms of musicality ? aldough more or less same price rme a little high
Hello,
Very important question -
Does the USB Module have a Galvanic isolation or somthing like that? (It prevent the unwanted noise that come from the PC)
Thanks in advance
What exactly changed inside other than the colours of the parts? As far as I can tell, the caps got an upgrade? Maybe new firmware?
Nicely Done.
Was there a difference in using the bal. vs rca ouputs ?
I thing there website said for best performance use bal.
Thanks for sharing your tracks.
Cheers
Yes Balanced is better, RCA is ok.
@@Tharbamar Is there a DAC better than this? In this price range that uses RCA, because my amp is RCA only
@@mizujunior2519 This would be great choice.
SMSL SU-X DAC World Premiere Review and Comparisons
th-cam.com/video/mZSRO3t-0l0/w-d-xo.html
@@Tharbamar So I was going to buy the Pegasus, but now by your advice, I will check out your advice, I have a Sugden A21SE Amp so it's RCA, so by your indication the SMSL will match better?
@@Tharbamar Your videos are the best in the áudio world
Hi, Pegasus 2 vs Shumann Ladder??
Hi Tharbamar. Great video! What opamp is output stage of the Pegasus II based on? Is it different then the Pegasus I?
Hard to see in the pictures, If you let me know Pegasus opamp, I can look at it.
Hi Tharbamar,
Thanks for another great review. I have the same question I always ask!
It seems like most of your testing was done with the HAP-Z1ES as the source/transport. What sounds better to you, the HAP-Z1ES using its internal dac or the HAP-ZIES using the Musician Pegasus II DAC.
Thanks in advance!
HAP-Z1ES offers one of the most transparent neutral sound itself but paring with Pegasus II brings out more of excellent musical performance and truly enjoyable sound, thanks
@Tharbamar Thanks! So in your opinion the Musician Pegasus II would be an upgrade over the HAP-Z1ES.
Could you briefly describe what the improvements are? That would be very helpful :)
i have the Pegasus 1 very happy with it. Is worth the upgrade to pegasus 2?
If you are happy with Pegasus I would stay with it. May be Upgrade to Pegasus III in next 3 years.
@@Tharbamar thanks bro!
Only "upgrade" would be to an R26 but that's not for sonics so much as all the other functionality it comes with (streaming/pre amp/transport) the other "upgrades" will run thousands over or require off board upsampling and HQP filters run to an end point at which time you've spent an extra 2k on licensing for Roon and HQP 🤣.
Hi, great work! Love your channel! How it compares to Draco? I was just about to buy Draco, but saw Pegasus II… Now bought used Schiit Bifrost 2/64, but Musician DAC would be my next purchase anyway, which one you recommend?
Sound sample definitely brilliant on this video
Thanks for sharing.
Do they select you Brand ambassador? You reviewed many of Musician products. Wish you make a list about DAC's , because there are lots of DAC's in youtube reviewed as good or great at price/performance.
I thought Bonita Applebum sounded better on that Tribe Called Quest album.
Great review as always
It's very nice track too.
A very good review.
Thanks!
Does it offer enough bass "slam" for rock music or EDM compared to the chip-based DACs?
i have the peg1 and that slam is the only thing i miss from delta sigmas. Maybe peg2 solved it but it's a thing to take into account for sure
@@net_newsthanks. I think, speaking in generalities, which is always dangerous in audio, that is the one thing lacking from most R2R DACs. Seems R2R are great otherwise for imaging, sound stage, and tonality. But yeah, I listen to a lot of genres of music, from jazz to EDM to acoustic bluegrass and rock, so I always wonder if I'd be satisfied with an R2R or want "more".
Maybe I could get a good R2R like this and keep a cheaper chip-based DAC for when I want to listen to EDM or rock. Just an idea.
I didn't want to spend $2K on a Denafrips Pontus II and not be happy. This Pegasus II might be "good enough" for jazz and acoustic music, then supplement it using a $500 chip-based DAC when jamming to EDM. Thanks for your input and experience.
@@rosswarren436 if the chinese were a little bit more creative they could create an hybrid DAC using R2R for mid/highs and a Delta Sigma chip for the lows... innovation is not their thing haha
@@net_newsof course that might add $500 to the price point. LOL. But yes, why not a hybrid to get the best of both in one box?
Maybe that's what the higher end DACs in the $2K to $4k and up range do...but I mean they "get there" by other means. AFAIK, there are no "hybrid R2R/delta-sigma DACs" out there. Cool idea though.
I'd sure love to hear a $4K (delta sigma) PS Audio Stellar Gold DAC compared to a similarly priced R2R Holo May and see how they compare.
@@rosswarren436 I don't think so... delta sigma chips are super cheap ($5 no joke).
What feet are you using under the DAC? I would love to get some!
how would you compare it to Gustard R26?
Тоже интересно
Very interesting
R26 is in distance memory for me but If you don’t need streaming option Pegasus II is great choice.
Teşekkürler.
Thank you.
Thanks for the upgrade suggestion, the SU-9 ultra is perfect. It is paired with a WIIM pro, Marant amp, Wharfedale evo 2 speakers and a Topping A30 pro headphone amp. What are your suggestions for upgrading headphone amps? If you can pair amplifiers to suggest me up to 600-700 dollars Thank you very much.
I have the topping a70pro. If you just need a headphone amp with more power, it has 17w. If you just need a headphone amp and not a preamp, the geshelli archel 3 pro is $450
Is now the best soundstage depth and 3D holographic under 2K?
This or Gustard R26?
I wanne know aswell
R26 is in distance memory for me but If you don’t need streaming option Pegasus II is great choice.
Which DAC would you choose - Pegasus II R2R or A26 Delta-Sigma?
Thanks.
А26 выбрал. Но там верха песочат, нужно менять предохранитель на gustard или лучше
Hello
that isquare cable is it avaible on Amazon? Who makes it?
Thx
It’s made by Boa Acoustic, I have included link in the video description, thanks
Ok, sorry didn’t see it. JIB cable, got it thanks!
Is this DAC better than a SMSL DL300?
How would this dac stand against say the much hyped Eversolo A8 dac ???
This DAC is great for people who wants simple set up with good sound quality, FYI A8 is not hyped it's a real deal, I replaced much more costly DAC with it.
State of the art DSP chip and tuning options are biggest advantage over any standard DACs.
Got A8 on demo, hyped wrong choice, but it’s not staying, I have a vega g1 & much prefer the app, A8 is more laid back sounding, the A8 streaming side doesn’t do such a good job sorting my artwork from my nas. Now if I could find a standalone dac sounding like the A8 & purchase a used Aries g1 for the streaming side I would be happy 🎉
um... story of cable inside and connector (hk version). sz product... spring 3 is 1 of the competitor in their world.
How about this vs the new ares from denafrips?
I do have comparison comments with it in this video.
@@Tharbamar sorry, may have missed it. only heard about pontus II
Im waiting on Draco 2 lol
That’ll be nice 👍
How old is your tv?
Since 2012, best $3k ever spent on a TV.
Dont know about pegasus 2 but PEGASUS I IS FAILING UNIT FOR SURE. I have enaugh experience with him to so I feel I can easely claim it. On top of that I cant add review on aoshida audio where my purchase from them is not listed anymore, nor it is possible on the web of muscian company where are listed only 5 star reviews.
How is it failing? I've owned the first pegasus for over 2 years now and have not had any issues with it. A friend of mine has one too, and it's performed well for him too. Maybe you got a lemon? I got two lemons from Denafrips once.
@@buckethead84 lemon? What is it. It was failing in imaging, placing instruments in soundstage. For example song: 2 chellos smooth criminal with such a think like smsl su 1g you have very nice placement wit pegasus it was shrinked and messy. This using rca outputs of pegasus. This song is easy, nothing busy, complicated.
@@janulik9535 That hasn't been my experience with it, and I've had DS dacs before that were very precise. Ofc it wasn't as precise as those, but I didn't experience what you describe. However, I did experience that with the Denafrips Ares, so there may be QC issues between the units.
too bright to my ear
How do you listen? Please don’t say you listened with your favorite two channel audio system.
I own Pegasus and it is analog sounding. If bright it's your speakers or other components.
It would be nice if you could make us a video comparing the three R2R DAC, like you did with the Pontus II Vs. Gustard R26 Vs. Ladder Schumann.
I like warm analog sound and I wanted to buy a Pontus II, but now you have thrown me into a dilemma.
May be when I have more time, thanks