I’m interested in getting a new Denafrips DAC

todd king is a great guy... based out of texas

excellent repair tech too ... 

The one advertising on audiogon when I talked to him on phone said he was sick.hope he gets well soon. I have heard good things about the Texas dude. I have alot of denafrips stuff but like my aries that just went out of business no support on a 8k product.thats why I buy alot of Mac stuff been around forever and service centers and tec support. Same with rotel michi don't see them leaving anytime soon and my marantz avr amp 10.hope it lasts.enjoy the music.

Denafrips has proprietary parts designed into their DAC's that cannot be sourced in the USA. The FPGA-based DSP engines and discrete R2R resistor ladder networks are just two DAC board level components that are unavailable to third-party distributors in the US.

So, if you got a piece that needs work, anyone in Texas - even if he is the best - is hamstrung by the policies of the company that supplies parts. It is why Vinshine Audio cut relations with them - the inability to work as a third party supplier without having to send the units to China for repair. 

I have a Denafrips Gaia and when I bought it, I knew very well that if it failed, I likely be left with a paperweight. Denafrip's DDC's have even more proprietary board level products that the DAC's. It ain't getting repaired unless I send it to the black hole that is China. 

Service centers with good reputations are useless when it comes to Chinese gear. Good luck getting a schematic for any Denafrips product, which is crucial  in the complex gear they produce.

If you still want a Denafrips product, you can occasionally find them on the second hand USA market, but don't buy one without first accepting the risks. 

i am personally aware of at least one case where todd king obtained and installed the correct part from denafrips in china to repair a first gen gaia ddc

so i think there is some bad info in the post above

@curiousjim the writing on the wall is right there. Customer service horror stories can be read online. One repair center in TX that may potentially drop out of engagement with denafrips leaving no alternative options. 
 

I’m just puzzled why, with abundance of comparably priced DACs from established manufacturers and scarcity of support from Denafrips, would someone continue to pursue this brand. 
 

Terninator is close to $9000 and venus is $4000. You have Bricasti, Berkeley, Meitner, Weiss, Chord, etc. in the same price range with better support snd arguably better or at least comparable sound quality. Some of these options include a built in streaming card that may eliminate the need for a separate streamer, giving you more funds to focus on the DAC. 

Unless I’m missing something, these other options are way more appealing. 

I have no affiliation with this seller but this is a great dac

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650301913-mint-meitner-audio-ma3i-w-emm-labs-upgraded-power-cord/