The Do - Both Ways Open Jaws (2011) Flac
Rocki Stenger
I will talk about this sound I get from the Pontus II in this review but believe me when I say that this DAC has changed my belief system about what can be had from a DAC in the under $1700 US price point.
The Pontus II is a R2R Ladder DAC, so it does not sound like a traditional DAC that uses traditional chips. For example, like those from ESS or Sabre. This DAC is also different in sound from the FPGA Chord DACS. There are many fans of R2R Ladder DACs and one that is quite popular is the Schiit Audio YGGDRASIL that comes in at around $2200-$2400 US depending on your options.
Just recently I have been hearing some pretty exciting rumblings about a couple of the DAC offerings from this company called Denafrips. Their starter DAC called the ARES II comes in at only $1098 and has been the favorite among many music lovers in this price range and slightly above it. So I was excited when I received an email from Vinshine Audio asking if I wanted to review the Pontus II, the next DAC up the ladder from the ARES II.
Other favorites in my system have been the Chord Qutest and the PS Audio Directstream DAC both of which are lovely detailed music makers.The PS Audio is more transparent and the Chord is more beefy and textured. The Pontus II lies somewhere in between them in sound signature (which is a good thing).
To see a list of the complete specs of the Pontus II DAC Denafrips has a lovely page to see them all in one place. To be honest, I am not a spec head. I go by sound, build and reliability when I shop for (or review) a piece of HiFi. If a DAC plays high res files, can handle Tidal HiFi/ROON, sounds beautiful, is made to a high standard and is priced right then I am all in. On paper the Pontus II appears to have all of this in a DAC.
I was listening in the morning to my reference system with my Lampizator Amber 3 when the Fed Ex guy dropped off the Pontus II. I immediately ran out to the porch to grab the box and brought it in to my listening room. I unboxed it and placed it into the system, removing the Amber 3 out of said system. This Pontus was a new in box DAC and needed 10 days or so to burn in before critical listening would take place.
When the music started I was literally in a little bit of shock. It sounded so much different from the Amber 3 that I had just been listening to moments before. If I had to compare what I heard when going to the Denafrips DAC it was like a light was switched on and there was an immense amount of information being thrown out at me. Clarity was up, air and decay was up, dynamics were way way up, imaging was more locked in and noise was down.
The Pontus II has a 3 dimensionality that was as impressive to say the least. The air and detail was on a new level from what I have heard prior. With all of this there was a nice level of musicality. It was never dry or etched. It was never thin or bleached. It was alive and ever so slightly warm and meaty.
On the front of the Pontus II you have a simple display with red lights. The lights show you what the sample rate of the music is that is currently being played. There is a button that allows you to turn on or off oversampling. When the LIGHT IS ON you are in NOS mode. When it is OFF you are in OS mode.
While I loved listening to the Amber 3 in the wee hours of the night, the Pontus became like an addiction for me night after night. The music became electric yet at the same time there was a superb smooth rhythmic flow that had me tapping my feet and reveling in the instrument separation that was taking place. Again, the beauty was that it was doing this without sounding thin or bright.
The imaging performance was stellar with all instruments and voices in their perfect place in the soundstage. As for the soundstage? It was as wide, deep and tall as I have experienced in this room and this was all before the DAC had its 10 days of running in. I have to say though that most products today can deliver a nice soundstage width and depth so this is nothing special or unique to the Pontus. Rather what the Pontus does within that soundstage is what makes it special.
Upon placing the Qutest back in I noticed a difference from the Pontus II immediately. The Chord is tiny and small but well made. I was running it via USB (same way I was running the Pontus II). I have had the Qutest long term and have come to enjoy its unique presentation.
The Lampizator Amber 3 is the much more expensive DAC and it was completely different from the Pontus II. The Lampi had a fuller sound, bigger mid bass and was less transparent, less airy and not as 3 dimensional as the Pontus II. Also, it was not nearly as dynamic as the Denafrips DAC. It also had a teeny bit of noise that comes from the unit itself.
The Pontus II has an ever so slightly leaner midrange and specializes more in the detail retrieval department along with a dose of beauty and realism. Some would prefer the Lampizator and others the Pontus. Depends on your tastes.
The Lampizator is warmer and inviting but less exciting and dynamic. The Chord has punch and slam but can be thinner sounding compared to the Lampizator. The Denafrips Pontus II is a different kind of DAC and brings the detail. dynamics, and room filling soundstage with all of the audiophile tricks yet never sounds bright or edgy.
The Pontus II does walk a fine line as it somehow finds a way to bring those details, micro details and magic without being analytical. It is indeed a fine line though as I feel any more of this goodness would make the DAC too much of a good thing. In my slightly warm leaning system it is a killer DAC that brings the most from the music I listen to. I can get lost in the beauty of the music for hours on end when listening and that my friends says a lot. Denafrips have created a gorgeous DAC in the Pontus II.
This was hands down the best of the lot for me. These $14k speakers were right at home with the Pontus II. They lost some of their magic with the Chord Qutest. Drums have slam. Piano has serious weight,. Guitars have meat and detail. Vocals are life sized.
As one would expect, when I loaded up Tidal HiFi things got even better than with Spotify. I have subscriptions to Qobuz, Tidal and Spotify. To me Qobuz sounds the best followed by Tidal and then Spotify. I use them all.
With the Amber 3 it was darker and I missed out on some of the sparkle and low level details that makes this song shine though it still sounded beautiful with a richness and suppleness that I assume comes from the tubes inside of the Amber 3. With the Qutest I had no complaints but it could not muster the transparency and air that the Pontus II was bringing forth.
The Denafrips DAC brought amazing life to this song and fleshed it out every nicely. It allowed me to enjoy every single instrument used and as stated, the vocals were absolutely gorgeous. This is one of those songs you listen to at 1am, in the dark while sitting in the sweet spot.
I was listening at midnight and every aspect of the musical performance was delivered in such a fluid and real way. It did in fact remind me of analog but without the hassle of analog. THIS IS HIGH END SOUND my friends. The dynamics were top notch. This song has moments of softness and moments of HUGENESS. The Pontus delivered the goods yet again.
Listening to the new James Blake album made me appreciate what this DAC was doing. No other DAC I had here brought the air, depth, soundstage or floating details of the Pontus II to these tracks. I sat and listened to the entire album and I am not really a huge James Blake fan!
The imaging is so fantastic. The music comes at you from all sides bringing you into the performance and while other DACs can do this most of them cost more than the Pontus II. Some can do it better but expect to pay up to $10k to get there.
The Pontus II DAC delivered the goods in my system in so many ways. It was detailed yet smooth and never offending. It brought forth micro details with magic and air. It kept the bass tight, tuneful and solid and while there was no midrange hump here, it offered up a clean transparent sound like few others I have heard. It managed to do this without ever sounding bright or analytical. Amazing.
The Pontus II is musical as all get out and at times reminded me of a truly great analog front end but without the grit, crackles, cost and hassle. After 3 weeks of use from new it sounded warmer, fuller and yet it remained insanely transparent.
The Pontus is for those who want clear, clean, detail along with transparency, holographic imaging and a nice body to the music without it being overly bloated in the midrange. It is for those who want the truth, the best from good recordings. The Pontus II has a way of doing all of this without sounding digital or overcooked. It walks that fine line with ease and yet it never crosses it.
The Pontus II has a sound that is more dense, with a gentle detail retrieval. It has transparency and body and it is a touch laid back. The Amber, in comparison, was more forward and a little more lit up in the treble. Would depend on your speakers/amp.
I used a Lumin U1 mini with an Audioquest Diamond USB to the Pontus II. That was fantastic. I would leave upsampling off on the Lumin and let teh DAC do its thing. I would also use the volume on your amp, not the Lumin. I set my U1 to fixed volume and allowed the amp/pre/integrated to do the work there.
I took my chance after reading this and some other reviews. The Pontus ii is still not working well after a month. Did as told a firmware upgrade but still experiencing distortion while playing via coax or usb. Just wondering how you got the perfect one while service support asks me to wait for another firmware upgrade?
I have a few friends who own the Pontus II and have no issues at all. I have not heard of the issue with distortion, nor have I experienced it with the Pontus II or Terminator II I am reviewing now. How are you connecting your source to the DAC? What type of cable? What is your source/streamer? Thank You.
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