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??? Denafrips Pontus 15th vs Ares 15th.???

Ground up rebuild of my end of life system nearly complete..
Furman PST-8 > Dedicated & optimized Lenova Thinkpad 1i > Pangea Premier SE USB cable (6% silver plated OFC) > Pathos Classic Remix Mk.II ( 1962 Amperex Holland Orange Globe 6922 & Nordost Red Dawn Leif power cable) w/HiDAC Mk.II module (ESS 9018) plugged into an APC H10 stabilizer/surge protection> Tellurium Q "Black II cables & BiWire jumpers > ProAc Response D2D (latest build )...
 I want to add a more organic,warmer DAC & have narrowed it down to one of these 2 Denafrips R2R DACS...
 I am not a super critical listener,more a music lover who revels in everything that is happening in a song..Sometimes I focus on specific instruments or listen for the super low level details but I'm not anal about that..I do love a wide,deep soundstage...
 My budget would allow for the Pontus 15th.but I'm unsure if I am the kind of listener who will really notice the difference between it and the Ares 15th..I realize the Pontus is a considerable step up in price,build quality & parts but don't want to throw $ at something I wouldn't really benifit from when I could get 90% of it's performance for many hundreds of $ less...
 I guess I'm looking for validation that my system is capable of extracting the benifits of the more expensive DAC & I won't have to rack my brain to actually hear it..So Audiogon'ers,what is your opinion on this matter?
Thanks much,take care & happy holidays to you & yours...

freediver
soix
11,238 posts
 

I’d be very curious what the tariff charge comes to if you’re willing to share.  Hope it’s not too bad. 🤞🤞🤞

freediver OP
1,451 posts
 

@soix I will update here when I find out.

freediver OP
1,451 posts
 

 Pontus 15th.has been delivered..Import tax was $78.00 & change..I do not know how much Denafrips claimed on the import value but the Way Bill was clearly marked as "DAC for Conversion of Computer Audio".
 Shipment was created on 11/27,picked up by DHL on the 28th..It could have been delivered Monday but I chose today due to my work schedule so 4 days shipping from Hong Kong included in total price and as I said,no sales tax was charged at time of order...
 I also received a refund of $161.52 from Denafrips as the DAC went on Black Friday sale 6 days after I placed my order..Denafrips communication from customer service regarding price difference was immediate,courteous & effective..
 All in all a satisfying purchase experience..
 I will get it set up tomorrow with an inexpensive interconnect & start burning it in but it will be a while before I do any critical listening as I am waiting on a new Balanced Interconnect from Audio Art & want to put at least 250 hours on both cables & DAC before focused listening begins...
PS:Potential buyers NOTE..DHL left a $2000.00 package sitting on my doorstep with NO signature(which was supposed to be required) & NO KNOCK at my door so be warned if you have porch pirate problems..

soix
11,238 posts
 

Thanks for the follow-up info.  So about a 4% tariff penalty — not too bad and coulda been worse but still annoying to have to pay it at all.  If you want a really nice performance bump for $300 there’s a used Iris available and you can run i2S from it to the Pontus.  I and several others have gotten significant improvements from this relatively cheap upgrade…FWIW.  Enjoy the new DAC!

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650268513-denafrips-iris-ddc/

freediver OP
1,451 posts
 

@soix Well eBay has been charging State sales tax on every purchase,including out of country purchases for years now,most all internet purchases nowdays charge State sales tax & the import tax I paid was equal to my State sales tax so I see it as a wash.

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