Denafrips product owners please fall in

[Geir]

I bought Denafrips Hermes recently, and using it with the Denafrips Pontus Dac.
I have used Audioquest Forest HDMI cable to transfer the signal over i2s. This improved the systems clarity and gave the music more dynamic flow. So happy I did this. It also reduced harshness and bloated bass, which perhaps is due to reduction in jitter. It made me question my choice of source, the Marantz ND 8006. Has anyone here experimented with different sources when using a pair of Denafrips DAC and DDC?
I did just got a new Tubulus i2s cable yesterday, but it clearly needs time to break in before a serious evaluation.

 

[richard_crl032]

I bought Denafrips Hermes recently, and using it with the Denafrips Pontus Dac.
I have used Audioquest Forest HDMI cable to transfer the signal over i2s. This improved the systems clarity and gave the music more dynamic flow. So happy I did this. It also reduced harshness and bloated bass, which perhaps is due to reduction in jitter. It made me question my choice of source, the Marantz ND 8006. Has anyone here experimented with different sources when using a pair of Denafrips DAC and DDC?
I did just got a new Tubulus i2s cable yesterday, but it clearly needs time to break in before a serious evaluation.

I had used Allo usb signature, Nuprime Omnia S1 and oladra upgraded Antipodes ex/cx with my Hermes/Gaia(previously) and Tplus/T(previously) and SQ improvement can be heard for the Allo usb signature and Omnia S1 but not the Antipodes which I connect directly to the Tplus.

I m also using the Tubulus i2s cable feom Hermes to Tplus.

My conclusion is that using DDC does improve lesser sources but beyond a certain level, you are better to skip it but I guess it also depends on your dac.

Cheers.

Richard

 

[Geir]

I had used Allo usb signature, Nuprime Omnia S1 and oladra upgraded Antipodes ex/cx with my Hermes/Gaia(previously) and Tplus/T(previously) and SQ improvement can be heard for the Allo usb signature and Omnia S1 but not the Antipodes which I connect directly to the Tplus.

I m also using the Tubulus i2s cable feom Hermes to Tplus.

My conclusion is that using DDC does improve lesser sources but beyond a certain level, you are better to skip it but I guess it also depends on your dac.

Cheers.

Richard

Thank you Richard.
Very interesting experience.
I really like the Marantz ND 8006 because it works as both a CD-player and streamer, and not practical to upgrade to separate sources, so the Hermes reclocker is perfect in my situation.
Further down the road the situation will possible be different.
But to be honest, I really like the Marantz/Hermes/Pontus combo, and tired of thinking about upgrades.

Interesting that you mention Antipodes. A friend of mine use Antipodes ex and the Lan filter I use did not improve the sound when using before the Antipodes server. Just a quick a/b comparison. Did not think the switch was needed either with the Antipodes. They must isolate the inputs well, and use advanced clocks I suppose.

 

[richard_crl032]

Interesting that you mention Antipodes. A friend of mine use Antipodes ex and the Lan filter I use did not improve the sound when using before the Antipodes server. Just a quick a/b comparison. Did not think the switch was needed either with the Antipodes. They must isolate the inputs well, and use advanced clocks I suppose.

Tks tks

I went a bit more .. I have 2x uptone etheregen before cx server and between cx server and ex player with external Afterdark double crown clock as I primarily stream internet radio stations and Qobuz in addition to 20TB in the cx server.

Uptone EtherRegens made a notable difference and external oxco clocks push SQ further .. not exactly VFM but I proceeded as Antipodes advised no planned oxco upgrade for my Antipodes.

Cheers.

 

[Geir]

Tks tks

I went a bit more .. I have 2x uptone etheregen before cx server and between cx server and ex player with external Afterdark double crown clock as I primarily stream internet radio stations and Qobuz in addition to 20TB in the cx server.

Uptone EtherRegens made a notable difference and external oxco clocks push SQ further .. not exactly VFM but I proceeded as Antipodes advised no planned oxco upgrade for my Antipodes.

Cheers.

You have a great set up with the source my friend.
As I said I did just a quick a/b comparison in a system I am not familier with regarding using the English Electric 8Switch, and Sellarz Lan filter upstream with the Antipodes EX. I always let equiment settle in over time before I evaluate the SQ at home. Often sounds dynamically constricted when plugging it in the first hours, even if the equipment is broken in before.

What is your experience with the ethernet cables in your set up?
I was very surprised about the effect the ethernet cable had here. The Ansuz A2 ethernet cable gave an even better improvement than the switch itself in my system.

 

[richard_crl032]

You have a great set up with the source my friend.
As I said I did just a quick a/b comparison in a system I am not familier with regarding using the English Electric 8Switch, and Sellarz Lan filter upstream with the Antipodes EX. I always let equiment settle in over time before I evaluate the SQ at home. Often sounds dynamically constricted when plugging it in the first hours, even if the equipment is broken in before.

What is your experience with the ethernet cables in your set up?
I was very surprised about the effect the ethernet cable had here. The Ansuz A2 ethernet cable gave an even better improvement than the switch itself in my system.

Hi,

Tks tks .. indeed it takes a bit of time with new equipment to sound its best but in my limited experience, you will still not like how it will sound eventually if you dun find SQ improves in the 1st instance i.e. it is incremental and not day/nite difference even when settled after tens or hundreds of hours.

On ethernet cable, I had unfortunately not experienced any improvement in SQ of any cable more than new equipment that I auditioned in system that I like. For switches, I did not have any difference with Nuprime S8 but Uptone Etheregen made an obvious improvement and external oxco clock supersedes internal femto CCH clock that further made music more enjoyable albeit at great expense which is more than Etheregen itself.

Dunno .. a bit of luck needed on finding complementing pieces to match but I am a believer of technologies and that you get which you pay for as well as cabling is for final "tuning" to your preference at a certain level (20% of system cost) and of the assembled system.

Cheers.

 

[Geir]

Hi,

Tks tks .. indeed it takes a bit of time with new equipment to sound its best but in my limited experience, you will still not like how it will sound eventually if you dun find SQ improves in the 1st instance i.e. it is incremental and not day/nite difference even when settled after tens or hundreds of hours.

On ethernet cable, I had unfortunately not experienced any improvement in SQ of any cable more than new equipment that I auditioned in system that I like. For switches, I did not have any difference with Nuprime S8 but Uptone Etheregen made an obvious improvement and external oxco clock supersedes internal femto CCH clock that further made music more enjoyable albeit at great expense which is more than Etheregen itself.

Dunno .. a bit of luck needed on finding complementing pieces to match but I am a believer of technologies and that you get which you pay for as well as cabling is for final "tuning" to your preference at a certain level (20% of system cost) and of the assembled system.

Cheers.

I will disagree about not liking the sound after break in if it not improves the sound at 1st instance. If I upgrade cables I often find that lesser cables that is fully broken in beats the sound of higher end cablen when brand new. It is about the balance of the presentation, and harsness and lack of bass in new cables.
About ethernet cables, I think it needs to be a very good one to achive great results. People are reluctant to use much money on those sort of cables. For me the Ansuz A2 ethernet cable was a big surprise in my system.
I am not sure I would stick to a certain prosentage of the cost when it comes to cables. Some modest priced components can sound surprisingly good with the right cables. For me it is about how involved I get in the music.
Often I like my Spendor A7 better than many high end speakers, with the right speaker cables

 

[richard_crl032]

I will disagree about not liking the sound after break in if it not improves the sound at 1st instance. If I upgrade cables I often find that lesser cables that is fully broken in beats the sound of higher end cablen when brand new. It is about the balance of the presentation, and harsness and lack of bass in new cables.
About ethernet cables, I think it needs to be a very good one to achive great results. People are reluctant to use much money on those sort of cables. For me the Ansuz A2 ethernet cable was a big surprise in my system.
I am not sure I would stick to a certain prosentage of the cost when it comes to cables. Some modest priced components can sound surprisingly good with the right cables. For me it is about how involved I get in the music.
Often I like my Spendor A7 better than many high end speakers, with the right speaker cables

Tks for agreeing to disagree

Yes, I oso prefer my vintage Spendor BC1 with some tube equipment to my current Revel Salon 2 with hires equipment but only in my heart cos I had good time with it and on limited music type but my ears tell me that it is not comparable.

I dun mean you can slap some cheap cabling and expect great sound and hence my 20% guideline but spending 5k on a power cable or whatever interconnects into a 10k system does not transform your system to 15k system of much better SQ ... period.

Further to my point on technology and equipment vs cabling, I am using 4x usd300 Audio Revive Lan0.5Triple ethernet cables needed just for internet streaming with my Uptone Etheregn and external oxco clocks amounting to about total of about usd4k and it would be much easier and wishful thinking if a single usd4k cable can do what uptone and oxco clocks can do for sound quality .. enough resolution but the rest is on matching to fix the weakness without robbing too much of the strength of your system.

On the topic of new cables, I always place analog into cable burner but for digital cables like ethernet cable I will just like it run 24/7 for days in day to day appliances before I listen to them in my system .. perhaps the reason for your different experience.

Cheers.

 

[Geir]

Tks for agreeing to disagree

Yes, I oso prefer my vintage Spendor BC1 with some tube equipment to my current Revel Salon 2 with hires equipment but only in my heart cos I had good time with it and on limited music type but my ears tell me that it is not comparable.

I dun mean you can slap some cheap cabling and expect great sound and hence my 20% guideline but spending 5k on a power cable or whatever interconnects into a 10k system does not transform your system to 15k system of much better SQ ... period.

Further to my point on technology and equipment vs cabling, I am using 4x usd300 Audio Revive Lan0.5Triple ethernet cables needed just for internet streaming with my Uptone Etheregn and external oxco clocks amounting to about total of about usd4k and it would be much easier and wishful thinking if a single usd4k cable can do what uptone and oxco clocks can do for sound quality .. enough resolution but the rest is on matching to fix the weakness without robbing too much of the strength of your system.

On the topic of new cables, I always place analog into cable burner but for digital cables like ethernet cable I will just like it run 24/7 for days in day to day appliances before I listen to them in my system .. perhaps the reason for your different experience.

Cheers.

Just to be clear, I don't say ethernet cables do more for the system than other equipment. My experience regarding this was that I first got the English Electric switch, and I used an In-akustik Ref ethernet cable between the switch and the streamer. When I changed the In-Akustik to an Ansuz A2 the improvment I experienced was bigger than getting the switch in the first place. That made me realize the ethernet cable could be a serious bottleneck in some system, and testing different types ethernet cables would be advisable for some people.

I don't think cables can transform equipment to something that is not there in the first place. My argument is this, if you find component with certain qualities you cherrish, it could be wise to experiment with cables to enhance these qualities. Then it is not the cost of the cable that is important, but the synergy it can create. In some cases power cords in the same price range as the component itself could be what get the results. I mean it is not always the right way to upgrade the components. Some expensive equipment with better clarity and resolution does not equal more musical pleasure.

In the case with my speakers. I had speakers twice the price of my current model. I used them with a sensible 10 % of cost speaker cables, compared to my now 4,5k$ speakers and 2,7k$ speaker cables, but I am much more happy with the sound now.

About new cables, yes that can explain my different experience. I had this awful experience with new analog interconnect. These was cryo treated silver cables from Argento, and I could not stand the sound at first. I had tested a burned in pair, and the sound of the new cables was so diffent that I had so get in contact with the dealer to ask if something was wrong with them. This is perhaps specially the case with new silver cables. It took me months to break them in in my system.

So think I agree more than disagree with you on most cases, and truly appreciate your advice and knowledge about these topics.

Geir