May 1, 2020
A few years ago I decided to get back into listening to 2 channel audio and picked up a Dual 1229 Turntable with a Sure V15 Type iii Cartridge and a high end Phono preamp. I basically stopped listening to CDs as they were too digital sounding to me. There was kind of a metallic sheen to everything, if that makes any sense. I Had a pair of my fathers Klipch Forte speakers from the 80s and played them thru my Yamaha AVR.
Having several hundred albums I immersed myself into the vinyl resurgence. I got a record cleaning machine and enjoyed the entire vinyl experience but quickly realized I was missing out on much music that I loved which was not available on vinyl. At that point, I decided to start streaming. I started on iTunes then Pandora and finally Spotify. Now I was hooked, but I had a lot of trouble with losing connection to the internet thru my Yamaha whether thru wifi or hard wired ethernet. It was beyond frustrating. At some point, I decided to get an Integrated Amplifier, so I picked up a hybrid Mcintosh that sounded very nice, and I was still 85% vinyl playback with the rest of the time streaming. Having very efficient Klipsch speakers and a large HSU Subwoofer it was a very nice audio listening experience. Reading on audio forums I saw that Klipsch fans claimed that the ultimate way to enjoy Klipsch speakers was to power them thru a good Tube Amplifier, so, out with the Mcintosh hybrid and enter a fantastic sounding Primaluna 100% tube Integrated Amplifier. WOW!!!!!! I had never heard my audio system sound so good.
Tired of my AVR dropping connection often lead me to get a dedicated streamer. I chose the Bluseound Node 2i and hooked that directly to my Primaluna and started streaming using Tidal. I prefer the user interface of Tidal to Spotify. This combo sounded really nice and I hooked my Micromega Dac from the Node2i to my amp, but that didn’t sound any better to me than the Node2i with its built in Dacs. After much research I came across the Denefrips Pontus and was drawn to people saying it gave them a more analog sounding experience than other DACs they had listened to. That’s what I was looking for so I ordered the Pontus and I have to agree with what the reviews said.
Very clear and accurate with great soundstage and depth. Male and female vocals sound like the artists are live in my living room. Bass response is very powerful, and the highs are very accurate without being fatiguing. Is it like playing vinyl records - No - but to my ears its pretty damn close. I find myself streaming 85% of the time now and only dropping a needle 15%. Very happy with the build quality and sound quality of the Denafrips. The combo with my Primaluna is fabulous.
David H.
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