As promised, here are my 2 cents to this comparison, as it was a really interesting process to decide between these two. I had really high hopes after reading all the reviews and seeing all the hype around the Ares II. When I found one on the 2nd hand market (this specimen is a bit over 1 year old, so it is well burned in) I immediately jumped on it to give it a try. You may or may not know, or conclude from my rig, that I am a fan of an easy-going but detailed sound. This is what I was expecting from the Denafrips, since this is what all the reviewers are raving about. Let me break it down to frequency bands, starting from the top. Highs: the Ares II has better high end extension, which is good with my KF LS50 Metas, but is a tad too much for my liking with my pair of Dynaudio Evoke20's. Weirdly enough, I did not experience the added benefit of this in the time domain (did not get better spacial clues). High-mids: not a lot of difference between the two. Clarity is great on both - if the SPL in the video were matched, you wouldn't her a difference in the recording. Mids: weird, but a clear win for the Hegel here for me. I expected a lush, thick midrange that would make chesty male vocals and movie dialogues more impactful, but I did not get that. The mids were a bit edgy on the Ares II, but are to my ear way smoother on the H95 - simply easier to listen to. This results in a but of a more musical sound, although only by a small margin. Low-mids: again, not a discernible difference really. Instruments like double bass and saxophone were raspier, more natural with the Hegel, but had a tad more heft with the Ares. Lows: definitely more weight and speed on the Denafrips with the KEF's that tend to be a bit soft here in this system. Introducing the Evoke20's though, the picture changed, and the overall sound was better with the Hegel - fuller, more impactful even. Where the Ares II lost me was in the details department. The frequency comparison was pretty evenly matched with one being better here, the other there - but since I also use my stereo rig for watching movies, where background noises, small cues are important (to me), the Ares did not deliver here. It has quite some detail up top, but in the all important midrange things like lipsmacks, rustling of leaves, hammering in the background (so "the transparency" if you will) was mostly lost on the Denafrips, whereas the H95 delievered a good chunk of that info. Lets say 3/10 with the Ares and 8/10 with the Hegel. Same thing applied to the perceived soundstage. As the spacial clues were better and player outlines were more etched with the Hegel, I never experienced the "huge 3D soundstage" of the Ares everyone is going on about. So in conclusion, the Ares II went back. I'm planning to audition the SMSL M400 and the Topping D90LE next, maybe the RME ADI-2. IMPORTANT: the youtube compression algorhythm cuts off a great chunk of the high frequencies. So if you feel something to be dull, it may be just right IRL; and vice versa what is great on YT may be obtrusive in person.
@34332
2 жыл бұрын
Very nice and detailed write-up 👌 Even through all compression YT quirks, if any, I mostly heard and felt the same way about the Denafrips. Speakerchoice is a good one (like always), but the Hegel earned even some more stars in my redbook. Impressive stuff and many thanks for the comparison!
@andreasmoller9798
Жыл бұрын
@P T i can insure you that denon a110 is way better amp than arcam avr5, way more power in denon its power house its even comfortable driving 2 ohms loads all day
@andreasmoller9798
Жыл бұрын
@P T no you are right but denon beats the arcam for sq as well, their more to an amplifier than just the dac. And an amp that can double its power 8-4-2 Ohm and so on will work with wider varity of speakers with good results, and those kind of amps is quite expensive
@34332
2 жыл бұрын
At first I thought I preferred the Denafrips for being more 'live', but after a while I noticed it tilts higher frequencies (or so it seems). The electronic tracks felt too sharp and somewhat unpleasant. The Hegel seems less 'sparkly', but in fact it isn't and reveals al information in a more relaxed or balanced way. I prefer the Hegel DAC.
@IQisDEAD
2 жыл бұрын
….I feel very similarly...
@NosEL34
2 жыл бұрын
I think you perfectly described what I was hearing and felt as well
@CDgrorg
Жыл бұрын
I must say I am surprised how clear the differences are audible. Just listen to the high-hat on the queen song, the Denafrips brings it out with greater volume and more clarity. In the last metal song the Denafrips sounds thin, while the Hegel is full. Astonishing, actually almost shocking how big the difference really is. The worst thing is: For metal I would choose the Hegel, but for all other I would choose the Denafrips.
@egis7908
2 жыл бұрын
I like your approach. Thanks. Subscribed.
@NosEL34
2 жыл бұрын
Obviously it's impossible to feel or hear the full effect from a KZitem video but ultimately I would have gone with the internal of the Hegel. For me, just because a piece of gear is able to extend the upper frequency's isn't always a good thing. The Ares did, at times, make the Hegel sound a little more compressed, maybe smoother to some ears. Hegel seemed more natural with the mid tones..again I'm going by a KZitem video. I would love to hear some comparisons against the RME ADI Dac I seen you mentioned about trying. I purchased one a couple months ago and it sounds just fine to my ears..it does have a lot more functions than most DACs though.
@georgedomse
2 жыл бұрын
You are almost 100% correct with your assessment. As I mentioned once, YT will kill the high frequencies, but will stay more or less true to life with the rest. That is what the two DACs sound like in real life, just as you described. Also things that YT can not deliver are soundstage depth and size, where I did not get the effect from the Ares I was hoping for. That may be completely due to my room acoustics, though. I missed out on the RME, it was purchased by someone before I could get my hands on it. TBH, I am slowly realizing that my DAC hunt is over - in this room, in this system, the Topping D70S may be the upper limit. More expensive stuff does not add anything to this system - that woul need a bigger room, a better amp etc.
@higobatman
2 жыл бұрын
The difference is very big in favor of Ares 2. It seems that you changed boxes or integrated amplificador.
@apmihai82
2 жыл бұрын
there is clearly a better high freq extension on the Denafrips. Perhaps this gives a bit more "airiness" and "space", and from video listening i can't comment on width of soundstage. Maybe you can comment on that. But is this a good comparison as the Hegel never claims that its DAC is top of line like DFrips is (for
@funcionyforma
Жыл бұрын
Thanks, inmediatly sub! I'm looking to upgrade the internal dac of a Hegel H95 too. Do you ever test the RME ADI? i'm on the verge of going that way
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
Nope. I was going to, but I simply disliked the design I am more for a minimalistic look. Also some friends of mine do own that one and they describe it as a "very technical sound" in their words, meaning a lot of details and a "matter of fact" presentation. I like a warm, rich, full bodied sound - the RME ADI is more of a 'pro' device with all its bells and whistles.
@funcionyforma
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse thanks for the answer. Do you test other DACs on the H95?
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
@@funcionyforma a lot. Topping E30/d50s/d70s, SMSL M400, Roksan K3, Ifi zen One Signature, Denafrips Ares II (as in the video), and I'm sure there a bunch I don't even remember anymore. My favorite was the D70s.
@funcionyforma
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse i'm looking for something that could be a noticeble upgrade on my H95 internal DAC. I'm also looking for a more rich body and more hollographic soundstage presentation. The internal Dac of hegel's it's pretty good with detail retrival and instrumental separation, but it's kind of a flat 2D presentation. I've only tested a chord mojo and altough it's does sound good, and it's has a little more depth on the soundstage, it's not convenient for a two channel set. Do you found a Dac with this kind of sound features? How about the m400? I got a chance to got one of those for a fair price. Thanks in advance
@davidcarr2216
2 жыл бұрын
On the first track (Queen)I felt that the Ares II sounded much meatier with better drive, even to the point that I figured the volume levels might be mis-matched.
@georgedomse
2 жыл бұрын
Just as it says in the description. It is particularly hard to level match the Ares with basically any chip-based solution, because the dynamics are wildly differrent. The Ares sounds quieter off the bat, therefore you turn DOWN the volume on the Hegel video, then it turns out it was just a difference in clarity and dynamics.... But by then you already made your mistake.
@AbsoluteFidelity
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse hence the importance of volume matching, especially in double blind ABXs. How do you try to volume match btw?
@alcal600
2 жыл бұрын
Hegel H95 internal DAC very musical and outstanding PRaT
@Mestre_tainha
Жыл бұрын
Dude, awesome content.
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
Thanks.
@easyphotoshop1264
2 жыл бұрын
I see you changed volume levels giving the Hegel dac less volume so that’s probably why i hear the denafrips more fuller sound
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
Somehow I missed your comment, sorry. Yes I did. Interesting lesson learned for me was that on the same setting, the Ares II sounded more quiet to my ears. Measure SPL from both units was the same when I recorded the video (I always set it to 81 dB peak at 1 kHz).
@FunnyVideosLover
2 жыл бұрын
I feel denafrips has slightly cleaner sound but not sure if it is worth 1k extrA
@alexherceg9496
Жыл бұрын
What’s the source? The Ares wont be able to show the full ability with a mediocre source. I found this with my Pontus 2
@_andreas_
2 жыл бұрын
The lower the sample rate, the more you have to choose between a faster / sharper attack and a slower / fuller decay. That's my working theory, because the sound image isn't fast enough to give you both at the same time. Hm I feel like the sound image of the Ares kinda backfires on to you. As if the attack and decay have been everso slightly reversed in delay. A bit like in this video: "Electro-Harmonix Attack Decay Tape Reverse Simulator Pedal (Demo by Bill Ruppert)" Thanks for the interesting video.
@georgedomse
2 жыл бұрын
That's an interesting theory and there may be some merit to that. The result for me would be the same though, as most music I like to listen to is not really hi-res. The Ares II may not be for me.
@_andreas_
2 жыл бұрын
I also suspect that the R2R dacs may be better suited for bigger listening rooms.
@roa5359
2 жыл бұрын
I am a Hegel H95 user. Previously I owned the H90. I was somewhat taken aback that I found the H95 DAC less 'involving' than the previous incarnation despite the apparent upgrade Hegel made to the digital section. Whilst I did not have the two side by side, I went active for a while, the older version seemed more together, cohesive and driving. The H95 has a better, wider soundstage, more separation but seems a little more tame. As to your comparison, I preferred the Denafrips.
@oysteinsoreide4323
2 жыл бұрын
Why upgrade from H90 to H95? Just curious since it's not really a big step. More a side step in my mind.
@oysteinsoreide4323
2 жыл бұрын
And by the way: Ares II DAC outperforms the DAC of the H390. Not by a huge margin, but still better. Using the balanced output of the Ares II of course.
@psicolorama4918
Жыл бұрын
Los volumenes no están igualados con lo cual la comparativa falla. Denafrips, aun así, parece ofrecer mejores agudos
@roddersh5396
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the interesting equipment comparisons. I think I spotted a room acoustic issue in that the speakers bass frequencies are effectively firing into a corner thus you will always get high and mid range frequencies compromised even if you have those frequencies free from the side walls. So it might mean that for your room, you can only use equipment which are bass light otherwise clarity will always suffer. Do you think that's accurate?
@georgedomse
2 жыл бұрын
Well, yes and no. Indeed the room has a bass bump aroung 55Hz (quite drastic one), but this has nothing to do with the speakers firing into the corners. In fact, the speakers fron baffle are over 1m from the front wall, which is plenty enough for most bookshelf speakers [to avoid over-accentuated bass]. The bass bump exists because of my room modes (room size). That is something I unfortunately cannot change and this is one of the reasons why Hegel amps tend to sound good here (high damping factor, well controlled bass).
@higobatman
2 жыл бұрын
Did you get the Evoke 20? Then put the differences for the Evoke 10 you already had. Some Interesting DACS for you to test: * iFi Audo ZEN One Signature * Musician Draco * Loxjie D50 * Topping D70s
@georgedomse
2 жыл бұрын
I already had the D70s, and I REALLY regret selling it. I have an Ifi Zen One Signature lying around, I'm not impressed. The Musician Draco is a DAC I really, really would like to try, but I've never seen one going on the used market.
@nc3419
2 жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse Would be interested in how you find the d90le. Supposedly, per one review, Topping may have figured out a way to get more stage depth/dimensionality out of DS dacs. Although, I feel my D70s has decent depth. I have it paired with a Keces E40 and together it's nearly as good as my Hegel h160 for my listening levels with the speakers I use.
@oysteinsoreide4323
2 жыл бұрын
Ares II is a balanced DAC and will not perform at its best unless it uses a balanced input.
@AbsoluteFidelity
Жыл бұрын
Get a good DS DAC and be done with... R2R DACs in general are more pleasing to certain ears but lose a lot of detail masked by harmonic distortion and noise. I have the Topping D70S and D90SE DAC and never felt that I needed anything else. Heck I would be content with just the D70S!
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
I had just about all DS DAC's in house up to the 1500€ mark. The D70S was an outstanding contender indeed, but the Gustard X26Pro or even the iFi zen One Signature sounded awesome. DACs are a rather subjective thing I concur.
@AbsoluteFidelity
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse yup, many things in audio are subjective but I believe that there is a path towards accurate sound, whether one likes that accurate sound or not is another totally different matter, hence the love for R2R DACs and tubes, and thats totally fine. In your case, would you think that the x26Pro or the One Sig is an upgrade to the D70S?
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
@@AbsoluteFidelity no, they aren't. The D70s is remarkable, especially for the price. It strikes a good balance between detail retrieval (of which the Gustard gives you more) and warmth (where the Ares II or the iFi are better). As an overall sound, I'd prefer the D70s to those.
@AbsoluteFidelity
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse good to hear that... warmth is usually the artifact of added harmonics so I think I would skip that personally. The X26Pro is something I think I would like, its not in anyway cheap though...
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
@@AbsoluteFidelity I lean to the other side. Warmth and musicality is something I really tend to prefer as long as it does not mask macro details. Too much info is fatiguing for me on the short term already. But to each their own I guess.
@HECTORTOVARBASTIDAS
Жыл бұрын
Denafrips win 🎊
@obiessen
Жыл бұрын
it sound like the second dac is invertet please change polarity when you chanmge DAC
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
What? Sorry, I don't really understand. The polarity is correct for both.
@obiessen
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse it sounds invertet
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
@@obiessen no offense, but I don't think you really know what inverted phase sounds like.* The Ares, as an external DAC was connected correctly, you can be sure of that. The internal dac of the Hegel is phase correct, otherwise it would be an engineering mistake. (*: inverted phase will push balance to one of the sides, thus bringing soundstage directly to the listening position making the sound aggressive, upfront and 'pushy').
@obiessen
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse \You mistake it for out of fase ,(as you discribe it as it sounds) that would be adesign mistake) i mean invertete fase,,a lot af amps and products are invertet in design. even recordings, i hope i am helpfull for you.
@obiessen
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse out of fas;e ;one channel is 180 out of fase invertet fase; both channels are 180 out of recordings fase, but in fase with each other, solution put speaker cable of both speakes + to _ of the spealer. invertet sound hollow, lack of dynamik and low / high ends. soundstage is more flat . Out of fase sounds like you discrbe. try it. you will be surprised. some DAC like the DC90 accuphase have a special invertet knob( possibility )for invertet recordings.
@andreasmoller9798
Жыл бұрын
The Hegel dac is clinical it might folk,you to belive it more detailed. and i am sure denafrips outperforms it. I am going to give it try for my h190 and b&w 702 s2. As its claimed to be smoother and fuller sounding.
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
tbh the Ares II is not detailed at all, nor is it precise with imaging. You can't be fooled into thinking something's more detailed - the details are either there or not. And with the Ares, they aren't. Having said that, some may prefer this presentation. For me, it was vague and unprecise. If I go with an external DAC, I would choose the Topping D70S in this price range.
@andreasmoller9798
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse it might also depends on the speakers you match them with, i use bright speakers and its to clinical with my h190 dac. I have heard most people prefer the denafrips ares ll over h95/h120/h190 Dac and even say it perform better, i am going to find out my self if i am agreeing about it
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
@@andreasmoller9798 absolutely. I never was a fan of BnW, every speaker I heard from them (up to the 7xx S2 range) was way too bright for me. I can imagine that in a system Hegel+BnW an R2R DAC brings the necessary warmth and calmness. However, you still won't get the precise imaging you'll be looking for. Don't be fooled - 95% of reviews on youtube are paid in one form or another. Don't listen to the reviewers, listen for yourself.
@andreasmoller9798
Жыл бұрын
@@georgedomse thats why i taking it home, but so many praise the denafrips dacs not just reviewers, normal people as well, they are still plenty of reviewers that dosen’t get paid, but even of that was the case then all products could be paid not just denafrips, b&w speakers are bright 600 series is proably as bright if not brighter than 700 series, 702 that i have is forward sight of neutral, they have a lot of details and very good clarity, they are very good with imaging, they sre not for everyone through, they are so demanding of source recording or the amp you use very revealing speakers, the Hegel h190 can’t take full advantage of them you need to step up to Hegel h390, h590 for that, they are so damn powerhungry
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
@@andreasmoller9798 not a single BnW is even close in power demand in my experience, to my Dynaudio Special 40's for example. And even the Hegel H120 drives the Sp40's comfortably. For me, the chase for more power is a myth. I mean come on, who would want to drive 2000 euro speakers with an 8000 euro amp? Simply (in my humble opinion) Hegel and BnW are not a good match. Both tend to have great high end extension, and together its simply too much of a good thing. Right now I drive the Sp40's with a Norma revo IPA-70B (70W at 8 ohm), and the sound is cosy, warm yet detailed and insightful. BUT! By all means, listen for yourself with the Ares II. I really missed the imaging, the etching of the isturments, the transient, the speed... In my (already warm leaning) system it was underperforming.
@KrisKringlenutz
Жыл бұрын
The Hegel DAC's are horrible. The entire line is overpriced and over-hyped. The Denafrips easily handles it; hell, a Ifi Zen handles it. Save your money.
@georgedomse
Жыл бұрын
I made the complete opposite experience. The Denafrips was poor on detail (although pretty smooth sounding), the Ifi Zen One Signature was great but all other Ifi stuff was just awful for me - bloated bass, tilted treble, linearity and neutrality nowhere to be heard. The Hegel DAC was a good middle ground between tonality and detail.
@andreasmoller9798
Жыл бұрын
Adrian i kind of agree, the Hegel dacs is not their strong points, i have h190, the best part of it is not the dac, as an amp its very good, dac is decent but they sre a lot better options out there for sure, denafrips ares is absolutly better, people even claiming its to level of h390 dac witch is better than h95/h120/h190 dac, i think you need to have xlr to take full advantage of denafrips ares, witch you don’t get on Hegel h90/h95
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