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Thread: Denafrips terminator 2 dac

  1. #1
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Melbourne

    Posts: 445
    I'm Karl.

    Default Denafrips terminator 2 dac

    Hi all hope you’re well? Been a while .

    Just wanted to say that I’ve had the terminator 2 for several days now and I have to say I am now at last very impressed . My mission when looking for a dac was to find something that got pretty close to my analogue front end .

    Digital has always been a bit fatiguing for me as I found it unnatural ,sibilant, glaring , sharp etc so I was really happy when finding out that the R2R dacs were back with a bang .

    Upon plug in and power up I was really underwhelmed ,gutted actually. I thought shit I’ve made a really expensive mistake here . It was muddy ,bloated , bass heavy a bit sharp and sibilant and no way near my vinyl levels, not even close . But it was fresh out the box so I knew I had to give it some hours to burn in and relax a little.

    I left it on none stop with playlists from Spotify playing through it quietly and constantly for 4 days solid and forgot about it while I was busy with work and renovations . During that time I added playback software and adjusted some settings too and had a little listen every once in a while to see if things were improving. And to my relief , they were .

    Fast forward to now and I haven’t played it for 48hrs due to other commitments so I’m up around the 100hr mark and Christ it’s like a different machine. Man has it opened up and settled down. I’m listening to Miles Davis kind of blue 50th anniversary SACD FLAC and I have to say that it’s so close to my analogue rig now that You can hardly tell the difference . There are of course some differences, and the dac has some ground to gain. Sonically the dac has more low end weight and punch , the vinyl a touch airier and open , but as a whole the level of playback is almost up there with a serious TT and phono combo and the beauty of it is... it’s sounds analogue . None of those annoying digital traits that always put me off investing in the format .

    I can’t wait to add a streamer and digital cable and do away with the noisy laptop/USB combo. I’m sure we will unlock more sounds and who knows ,could it beat my TT?? We will have to see about that. I will always buy and play vinyl till the day I end up in a box but sometimes you just want to stick something on without the faff . This has solved the problem big time

    So did I find a dac that can mix it with my analogue gear without being fatiguing. The answer is yes. I’d say that’s mission accomplished

    Highly recommended chaps. It’s fuckin bonkers good

    I’ve added a little imgur clip so you can hear for yourselves . When the horn kicks in around 30seconds I had to go and change my underpants .

    Cheers

    Karl

    https://imgur.com/a/KVBhSKo


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Norfolk, UK

    Posts: 6,209
    I'm BigBobJoylove.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigbird View Post
    It’s fuckin bonkers good
    That's the sentence for me.

    Glad you're pleased. Digital has come a long way in 40+ years that's for sure. A decent source, a decent player, a decent DAC and some decent cabling makes pure, convenient audio magic possible.

    Ben Duncan mains conditioner
    2022 MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro 10/16/16/16
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    XMOS DSD Async USB to Coax converter
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    Chord Clearway XLR interconnects
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    Edifier S3000 Pro active speakers
    Atacama SE24 stands

  3. #3
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Melbourne

    Posts: 445
    I'm Karl.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Filterlab View Post
    That's the sentence for me.

    Glad you're pleased. Digital has come a long way in 40+ years that's for sure. A decent source, a decent player, a decent DAC and some decent cabling makes pure, convenient audio magic possible.
    Haha I was trying to be all smart with my audio talk leading up to that but the real me came out at the end there

    It really has come a long way. It’s only the last 18 months or so that I’ve started to find it bearable and comparable to my analogue

    Next I will be looking at a streamer to extract some more magic from it . Possibly the nova fidelity X50D. That seems to tick all of the boxes.

    It’s definitely going to change my listening habits that’s for sure and probably be a lot cheaper in the long run too . It cost just over half of what my TT ,cart and phono combo did and Downloads are free (if you’re naughty) so it represent good value once your setup. I spend fortunes on records . I will probably be a bit more picky with which ones I buy now


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jun 2011

    Location: cardiff

    Posts: 266
    I'm Tristan.

    Default

    I had EXACTLY the same panic when I first switched on my Termi (1), luckily after 100 hours or so it started to fly and continues improving for perhaps another 100 hours thereafter. I have no desire to upgrade / change it. In many ways it sounds better than my analogue rig (Gyorbe / Moerch / Zyx Airy 3), that's often due to poorly pressed vinyl mind you.

    A warm sounding quality mains cable helps with the Termi imo (gold plated plugs).

  5. #5
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Melbourne

    Posts: 445
    I'm Karl.

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    Quote Originally Posted by clap View Post
    I had EXACTLY the same panic when I first switched on my Termi (1), luckily after 100 hours or so it started to fly and continues improving for perhaps another 100 hours thereafter. I have no desire to upgrade / change it. In many ways it sounds better than my analogue rig (Gyorbe / Moerch / Zyx Airy 3), that's often due to poorly pressed vinyl mind you.

    A warm sounding quality mains cable helps with the Termi imo (gold plated plugs).
    That’s reassuring mate . Christ if it gets any better I will be offloading my 700 records just kidding I would never do that.

    I have some nice cables and a mains conditioner and my amps are ultra low distortion (0.002%) so it’s really extracting everything the termy puts out. It’s been a real eye opener that’s for sure

    Have you got the updated DSP in your terminator?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /

  6. #6
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: http://www.homehifi.co.uk

    Posts: 6,288

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigbird View Post
    I have some nice cables and a mains conditioner and my amps are ultra low distortion (0.002%) so it’s really extracting everything the termy puts out.
    Ultra low distortion like that means the use of feedback to keep the distortion of a steady state signal, such as a sinewave, low. The downside that is that harmonics in the actual audio content can easily be washed out by the feedback circuit in the amp.

  7. #7
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Melbourne

    Posts: 445
    I'm Karl.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by StanleyB View Post
    Ultra low distortion like that means the use of feedback to keep the distortion of a steady state signal, such as a sinewave, low. The downside that is that harmonics in the actual audio content can easily be washed out by the feedback circuit in the amp.
    Not too sure about the technical ins and outs mate but all I can say is that there is certainly no sign of that happening here .The Neurochrome 686 is one of the best amps I’ve ever heard at any price and I’m sure Tom has considered this in his design???

    The Bigbottle/Angus phonomac designed unity gain buffer just lets the signal through . They’ve both been staggeringly good additions to my setup. Destroyed my Croft 25rs and 7r monoblocks whilst being true to the recording . Very happy with the purchases


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jun 2011

    Location: cardiff

    Posts: 266
    I'm Tristan.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bigbird View Post
    That’s reassuring mate . Christ if it gets any better I will be offloading my 700 records just kidding I would never do that.

    I have some nice cables and a mains conditioner and my amps are ultra low distortion (0.002%) so it’s really extracting everything the termy puts out. It’s been a real eye opener that’s for sure

    Have you got the updated DSP in your terminator?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Nope. I did think after it was released that I'd order it. But I just haven't felt the need, which speaks volumes. I should order it just to see. Glad your mains is sorted. It makes a big difference imo.

  9. #9
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Melbourne

    Posts: 445
    I'm Karl.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by clap View Post
    Nope. I did think after it was released that I'd order it. But I just haven't felt the need, which speaks volumes. I should order it just to see. Glad your mains is sorted. It makes a big difference imo.
    Apparently it’s big step forward and for $250 it’s a fairly cheap upgrade mate I this Hifi world so worth a try

    Completely agree about mains . Really helps with a blacker background IME


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    CTC Classic 301 , SPH bearing and Hanze Hifi HAT CPS-2 all analogue power supply / Tenuto Mk2 mat / custom Panzerholz and Kewasinga articulating plinth / Track audio isolation feet / Reed tonearm / Audio Technica ART 9 / 2 box BigBottle mk3 phonostage with Clarity cap CMR and NOS Telefunkens valves / Croft 25R preamp with upgraded 12BH7A line stage and NOS 1956 RCA valves / Croft 7R monoblocks with NOS 56 RCA valves/ Dynaudio Contour 30i speakers / Spotfire interconnects and speaker cables / Merlin Scorpion mains block / Rhodium mains cables / Marantz CD DAC /

  10. #10
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Yorkshire

    Posts: 9,302
    I'm Andrew.

    Default

    I've still not plumped for a new DAC. Every month seems to see the release of a new "final solution" DAC only to find the following month something else crops up. I will just sit on the fence for a bit longer.
    SS
    CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10

    VALVE
    PRE
    Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker



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