[dq12guy]

Hello everyone another audiophile want to be has joined the ranks. Actually I have been dabbling in the sound illusion game for over 30 years now. Started with some MB Quartz speakers that I purchased my first year out of college and have been dropping quarters in ever since.

My gear is all over the place because there seems to be always greener grass in the other pasture. 

I recently picked up the Denafrips Ares II DAC. I am still braking it in, but I am impressed with what I hear so far.

Has anyone done any test to determine if the balanced output is audibly better than the line output on this unit?

[Wind Chaser]

Welcome to Audio Circle! 

I’m not familiar with that DAC, but generally speaking balanced connections are preferred to single ended.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC dq12guy   

[dq12guy]

Thanks everyone for welcoming me aboard. Here is a link to a review on the Denafrips Ares II DAC in Home Theater HiFi: https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/dac/denafrips-ares-ii-dac-review/. It just came out today.

[ntjetsmoke]

Welcome to the AC!

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome Dq12guy

[AvsFan]

Welcome!

The sound illusion game. I like that! I am going to start using that phrase.

The Denafrips Ares II was high on my list of dac's but ended up with the DAC DAC 1HS and love it. I have mine hooked up balanced. But in all honesty, I have tried both and don't really hear a difference. My equipment sits right next to each other and from what I have been told, balanced helps with longer runs.

[dflee]

Tried a loaned pair of balanced vs my single ended and didn't get a difference one way or the other.
Check out the audio shows and there is some danged expensive stuff running w/ single ended.
Think distance has a lot to do with it. Been told by a couple of cord manufacturers short runs don't
need the added expense.

Don

[AvsFan]

Tried a loaned pair of balanced vs my single ended and didn't get a difference one way or the other.
Check out the audio shows and there is some danged expensive stuff running w/ single ended.
Think distance has a lot to do with it. Been told by a couple of cord manufacturers short runs don't
need the added expense.

Don

That's what I said! Lol. 

In all seriousness though, I hear no difference but at the same time, I was under the "illusion" that balanced connects were so much more expensive than non balanced. They're not. I picked up my balanced connects for like $15.

[Phil A]

Welcome!

[fbny71]

Welcome!

[nplenn]

Hi!! Brand new to the Circle.  With the shelter in place, and with all the great YouTube reviews I've gotten a little hooked, and I think I can chime in here.  I run a Bluesound Node 2i through a new Denafrips Ares II.  I have 2 head amps, a Schiit Lyr 3 and a Drop THX 789. The Lyr is single ended, but the 789 is balanced.  I have the Ares balanced out to the 789, and its RCA out to a Schiit SYS passive switch which also takes the RCA out from the Node 2i. The switch outs to the Lyr.

Now the Lyr has pre-outs which I have daisy chained to a pair of Emotiva S8 subs and a pair of Dynaudio X14a powered speakers.  I also listen to both amps with Focal Clears and Hifiman Aryas...

Now for the punchline...the balanced out to the 789 -- which due to my setup I can only listen to on cans -- sounds incredible...real, detailed, extended.  However, the single out from the Denafrips through the Lyr sounds dirty...crunchy and veiled.  When I switch back to the single ended out straight from the Node 2i  it sounds fine, maybe not as good as the balanced out of the Ares, but good nonetheless...

Now I realize the 789 is a SS amp and the Lyr is tube, but I think this boils down to the single ended out from the Denafrips being inferior to the balanced.  I am going to replace the cables to the switch -- they are crap-- and see if that helps, but for now i can only recommend the balanced out...

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome Nplenn
The HifiMan Arya are interesting, do you could inform us the soundstage size with balanced XLR-4 plug?

[nplenn]

Sorry, the Aryas only have a 6.3mm plug.  I am waiting on a pair of DC Aeon 2 Closed Backs which will be my first XLR set...