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DENAFRIPS 'ARES' R2R discrete ladder DAC - close up view
Jan 8, 2023 at 3:41 AM Post #3,631 of 3,909
I preferred the sound of coax over optical. Optical is better if you have interference and ground loop issues however.
 
Jan 8, 2023 at 8:00 PM Post #3,632 of 3,909
I was looking at various denafrips DAC models and I noticed:

  1. ares2 has 2 banks of "DAC circuit"
  2. Venus has 4 banks of "DAC circuit"
does it mean the Ares2 is not fully balanced and it's using some sort of "trickery" to convert the single-ended stereo signal to balanced?

2023-01-09 11_29_18.png2023-01-09 11_29_01.png
 
Jan 9, 2023 at 4:24 AM Post #3,635 of 3,909
JerryLeeds said:
The number of banks in this case does not matter … the Ares is balanced and the Venus is also balanced but it is doubling up on the decoding when converting to analog
Click to expand...
Nothing is doubled here, aside the number of "banks" does matter (the whole circuit). Try again. :upside_down:
 
Last edited:
Jan 9, 2023 at 7:20 AM Post #3,636 of 3,909
mrjayviper said:
does it mean the Ares2 is not fully balanced and it's using some sort of "trickery" to convert the single-ended stereo signal to balanced?
Click to expand...

The Ares is clearly natively balanced off the ladders. It has two ladders per channel and two channels. This is both visible and measurements back it up.
If you have a choice run it off the XLR. If you use RCA you only run off half the ladders. Whatever you do don't plug in RCA and XLR at the same time. One ladder will have a different output impedance and the XLR will be unbalanced.

The Venus just doubles the ladders. That's always been a way to improve the SNR in DACs, but it's of limited benefit.
 
Jan 10, 2023 at 2:14 PM Post #3,638 of 3,909
Any Ares II owners here use it with an Iris DDC?
When I use the Iris with the Ares II I get a digital artifact sound every few minutes. I've tried it connected via optical and coaxial cables. I've tried USB streamer (rpi4) and my iMac. I've tried 3.12 and 3.14 firmware.

Sample rate of music doesn't seem to be a factor. 44k vs 48K vs higher. All the same issue. I've tried Roon, Audirvana, Spotify, Qobuz.

I've tried a few different USB cables.

None of those variables change the random sound I get every few mins. If I use the Iris with RME ADI-2, no artifact. I'm confused. I've contacted Denafrips, they're working through troubleshooting steps, no solution yet.
 
Jan 10, 2023 at 4:29 PM Post #3,639 of 3,909
hifitoaster said:
Any Ares II owners here use it with an Iris DDC?
When I use the Iris with the Ares II I get a digital artifact sound every few minutes. I've tried it connected via optical and coaxial cables. I've tried USB streamer (rpi4) and my iMac. I've tried 3.12 and 3.14 firmware.

Sample rate of music doesn't seem to be a factor. 44k vs 48K vs higher. All the same issue. I've tried Roon, Audirvana, Spotify, Qobuz.

I've tried a few different USB cables.

None of those variables change the random sound I get every few mins. If I use the Iris with RME ADI-2, no artifact. I'm confused. I've contacted Denafrips, they're working through troubleshooting steps, no solution yet.
Click to expand...
Got it too until the latest firmware.

@alvin1118 could maybe help here!?
 
Mar 9, 2023 at 7:03 PM Post #3,640 of 3,909
1678406384800.jpeg


Hey guys,

Greetings!
We will be rolling out the FPGA firmware update by stages. Ares II / Enyo will be the first, follows by Pontus II and so on.

Notes:
1. The FPGA firmware update is for all DENAFRIPS DACs with the latest FPGA BGA chip.
2. It does not apply to the older DSP (Amanero, released in 2017-2019). If you have a DENAFRIPS DAC purchased after 2020, in general, it is upgradable.
3. The firmware update fixes some bugs, and enhance the sound quality for all digital inputs
4. The firmware update changes the NOS response to what Vinshine Audio believes it's NOS (Raw, Staircase Waveform output for 44.1kHz / 48kHz)


Areas of Improvement:
  • Improved Adaptive FIFO Buffer & Reclocking Architecture
  • Reduced the effect of Buffer overrun/underrun due to the Source's Clock and the DAC's Clock differences
  • Reduced Audio Latency
  • *Eliminate Phase Difference between L/R Channels
  • Optimised DSP to improve the sonic performance

Steps:
1. Identify the FPGA chip used in the DAC
2. Submit a FPGA Firmware Request via the webform found in the link below
3. Vinshine Audio shall provide a Firmware Update Tool (FUT) specifically made for the particular FPGA chip and DAC model
4. Use a Mac or Windows computer to update the firmware as detailed in the link below

Readmore:
https://www.vinshineaudio.com/post/denafrips-12th-fpga-firmware-update

Many thanks,
Alvin Chee
www.vinshineaudio.com
 
Last edited:
Mar 9, 2023 at 7:48 PM Post #3,641 of 3,909
alvin1118 said:
1678406384800.jpeg

Hey guys,

Greetings!
We will be rolling out the FPGA firmware update by stages. Ares II / Enyo will be the first, follows by Pontus II and so on.

Notes:
1. The FPGA firmware update is for all DENAFRIPS DACs with the latest FPGA BGA chip.
2. It does not apply to the older DSP (Amanero, released in 2017-2019). If you have a DENAFRIPS DAC purchased after 2020, in general, it is upgradable.
3. The firmware update fixes some bugs, and enhance the sound quality for all digital inputs
4. The firmware update changes the NOS response to what Vinshine Audio believes it's NOS (Raw, Staircase Waveform output for 44.1kHz / 48kHz)


Areas of Improvement:
  • Improved Adaptive FIFO Buffer & Reclocking Architecture
  • Reduced the effect of Buffer overrun/underrun due to the Source's Clock and the DAC's Clock differences
  • Reduced Audio Latency
  • Reduced Phase Difference between L/R Channels
  • Optimised DSP to improve the sonic performance

Steps:
1. Identify the FPGA chip used in the DAC
2. Submit a FPGA Firmware Request via the webform found in the link below
3. Vinshine Audio shall provide a Firmware Update Tool (FUT) specifically made for the particular FPGA chip and DAC model
4. Use a Mac or Windows computer to update the firmware as detailed in the link below

Readmore:
https://www.vinshineaudio.com/post/denafrips-12th-fpga-firmware-update

Many thanks,
Alvin Chee
www.vinshineaudio.com
Click to expand...

Will all new Ares 12th DACs be provided with this latest FPGA update?
 
Mar 10, 2023 at 1:25 AM Post #3,645 of 3,909
commtrd said:
Is this firmware update also for the Ares II dac?
Click to expand...

The email I received stated the ares 2 would be the first to get the update.
 
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