DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR II DAC - REVIEW
DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR II DAC review
Alvin Yee is a busy man and rightly so. Alvin’s DENAFRIPS line of electronics is extremely well regarded. DENAFRIPS makes master clocks, re-clockers, DACs, headphone amps, preamplifiers, and amplifiers. All are of rugged construction, sturdy, and beautifully made, as gauged by my experience with the Pontus II and, currently, with the just over 40lb Terminator II.
To zero in on the DENAFRIPS DAC line with which I am most familiar, it currently boasts five DACs:
ARES II DAC ($880)
PONTUS II DAC ($1,700)
VENUS II DAC ($3,074)
TERMINATOR II DAC ($4,500)
TERMINATOR-PLUS DAC ($6,400)
Based upon my experience, it would be difficult to go wrong with any of the DENAFRIPS DACs.
The DENAFRIPS price to performance ratio is, well, over Saturn, forget the moon! So for a relatively ‘meager’ sum one could be well on one’s way to establishing a decidedly good, very competitive high-end system, sans a good pair of speakers and good cables.
In truth, given the research, I already expected the Terminator II to be quite good and certainly better than the Pontus II. But how much better would that be? Marginally better? A good deal better? On a completely different level altogether? Well, let me say that it didn’t take long to discover the truth of things. “And how’s that?”
REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the component actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.
The Sound
Transparency. Delicacy. Nuance. Quiet. The DENAFRIPS Terminator II is the combination of all of the preceding attributes and a great deal more. It wields the ability to parse complex passages easily, sorting musicians, singers, backing vocals, and the space between all of them with great ease. The Terminator II’s ability to preserve and render the tonal and timbral envelope in the most natural, most delicate way continues to give pause and inspire rapt listening. This I did not expect from this behemoth of a DAC (weighing in at around 42lbs). But these were just the first few insights into a wonderfully multifaceted and talented component.
“Black quiet” is a phrase found often throughout my listening notes, as tumultuous crescendos, overtures, requiems, wild jazz riffs, folk ballads, all found their “black quiet” in-between or at the end. In screenwriting one is told never to embellish “black”, as in the black before credits or film or even before the sound begins. It is simple “black”. Not “inky, tar-black, onyx emptiness” nor “light-engulfing, soul-sucking, ebony-black darkness” nor “murky, raven, black hole, profound, pitch blackness” – just “black” will more than do. And this is where the DENAFRIPS Terminator II takes one, time and again, to the black-quiet of the ‘befores’, the ‘in-betweens’, the ‘durings’, and the ‘afters’.
When I spoke of the various talents of the DENAFRIPS Pontus II, I described it as “truly spectacular, able to easily best giants, while breathing easily.” I’d also add to that description that it did not raise a single sweat molecule while doing so. Many higher priced DACs, multiples of the Pontus II’s price, were banished to the rafters and their celebrated names with them. However, as one would expect, in direct relation to its younger sibling (read less expensive)—the Terminator II is as master to novice.
There is not a single aspect where the Terminator II does not better the Pontus II. Whereas the Pontus II was the brilliant young prodigy, listening offstage to the jazz greats, who would eventually invite him—the Pontus II—up to show his talents, the Terminator II, in this respect, is the seasoned jazz great comfortable with his musical prowess.
What you will get with the Terminator II, beyond the Pontus II, is greater volumes of uncovered detail, next-level transparency and resolution, and all manner of spatial information and microdynamic cues. These attributes in combination paint with rather fine strokes venue after venue, large and small, to a degree that the Pontus II could not even begin to imagine. The Terminator II’s only betters in this respect, to date, are the Mola Mola Tambaqui ($13,500), Bricasti Design M1SE ($15,000), and Audionet DNP/w/EPX ($30,000).
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—encompasses that of the Pontus II in every respect. And when allied to electrostatic headphone amplifiers and headphones, these components enabled the Terminator II to loose its bounds and to attain even higher levels of performance which were simply outstanding. Separation of performers, their relative positioning, and their depth from the front to the back of the stage were all extraordinary. This brought a realism that once again bettered the Pontus II in every respect. The Terminator II becomes a critical element in bringing one from venue to venue with a sweet, exacting ease, and bringing flesh and blood and life—palpability—to performance after performance.
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II DAC for the purpose of the review was allied with the electrostatic/dynamic headphone amplifier—the LTA Z10e, HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE, HeadAmp GS-X Mini. The various electrostatic and dynamic headphones were—STAX SR-009S, Dan Clark VOCE, ZMF Atrium, MEZE LIRIC. Wires and cables were provided by Audience, AntiCable, and RSX. Power was provided by RSX Power8 and the Audience AdeptResponse.
Bass
Powerful. Tight. Detailed. Refined. There was more in every conceivable respect from the Terminator II than that on offer from the Pontus II. And the Pontus II will, no doubt, be selected as one of the Best Products of the Year for 2022. This should give one some idea then of the Terminator II’s collective abilities.
Dave Holland’s “Emerald Tears” (Emerald Tears, ECM) is tight, his upright bass present. Every plucked bass note carries its attendant weight, texture, finely resolved detail, and the naturalness of tone/timber that make this hearing one of the most compelling and beautiful that I have experienced. After this, Eiji Oue’s “V. Infernal Dance of King Kashchey” (Stravinsky, Reference Recording) rolls in, thunderous and powerful and haughty, traveling easily into the Stygian depths of the Holy-Bass-Head-Grail! And this bass mastery extended to every setup on hand (see Systems). The seven timpani assembled for this movement by the Minnesota Symphony were raucous, tight and convincing, bringing forth nods of “Well done.” On top of the low frequency onslaught the Terminator II loosed oceans of detail, easily lifted from every inch of the concert hall, and it accomplished this with a naturalness of tone/timbre, refinement, and nuance that were beautiful.
Midrange
Transparent. Textured. Alive. Sweet. Olafur Arnalds' “Árbakkinn” (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France)) begins with the poetry of Einar Georg Einarsson, and the birds, singing outside the recording venue, are now clearly present from the very beginning! Only the best components and component assembles can make this small thing happen so early. Palpability and realism are at another level above the Pontus II and the sound is even more immersive and detail rich. The entire piece is laid bare and beautifully so. Next, Shirley Horn’s “Beautiful Love” (You Won’t Forget Me, Verve) is flesh and blood palpable—3-dimensional—and quite real via the Terminator II, which alone puts it leagues ahead of its sibling and a good number of other DACs. Further, it brings a refinement that was clearly missing from the Pontus II’s characterization of the same piece of music for harmonica and voice. The harmonica’s tone/timbre via the Terminator II is richer, more resolute, fully fleshed out and real. And when Shirley’s voice enters, there is a beauty, entirely sibilance free, that is immersive and enchanting. The inner articulation of Shirley’s voice—the wet, the dry,—and the intermodulation that captures the forming of words, lyrics and all micro-dynamic cues are on full display, again as if real. The Terminator II’s representation is both beautiful and certainly rare at this price point. Though the Mola Mola Tambaqui and the Bricasti Design M1SE go much further still, but at 3 times the price. The Terminator II’s rendering, however, cannot be dismissed that lightly, as the various traits it exhibits and its incredible delicacy and refinement are generally expected only in the much higher prices range.
Treble+
Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) rolls in, cool, hip, and jazz ready. There is ease and great refinement—nothing steps out of place, overhangs, sizzles, or is tone/timbre antithetical—and again, there is that palpability. How on earth can this sub-$5k DAC bring so many Top-of-the-Line (TOTL) goods to bear! Joe Morello’s cymbals—hi-hat, ride, etc.—are true and air-infused and beat-on. Dave Brubeck’s piano, Paul Desmond’s sax, and Eugene Wright’s upright bass all reach out and touch, suspended in space, weighty. And the cymbals are ever doing their thing, beautifully resolved and righteously so. Next up, Jordi Savall’s “Les Pleurs for 2 basse de viole” (Tout les matins de monde, Alia Vox), reveals texture, weight, and oceans of inner detail via the Terminator II, lifted from places the exceptionally talented and award-winning Pontus II could not find, let alone excavate. The Terminator II was exceptionally capable in this range and excelled once again far beyond its price point. There will be no sibilance in the music you are listening to unless it has been purposefully recorded. Other than that there will be refinement and a naturalness that should not belong to a DAC at anywhere near this price point. Brilliant.
The Wrappings and Accessories
The DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR II DAC, like the Pontus II, comes in a nondescript cardboard box, which again gives no indication of the contents therein. Inside this box is a thick, black, substantial, hard foam case that surrounds the Terminator II. The Terminator II is nearly twice the weight of the Pontus II.
The production funds for the DENAFRIPS’ entire line, it seems, have all gone into the research and development of its various products. There is one “accessory”—a 3-year warranty that is applied to all DENAFRIPS products.
Design—Look, Feel, and Technology
Whereas the DENAFRIPS Pontus II was very substantive for its $1700 price tag, the DENAFRIPS Terminator II is doubly so, weighing in at just over 40lbs. Its weight compares to two Top-of-the-Line (TOTL) products that I recently reviewed, that weighed in at 46lbs and 50lbs with price tags of $17k and $22.5k respectively. The Terminator II is priced at a very modest $4.5k. It is beautifully constructed, clean and rather elegant, family traits, no doubt.
The Terminator II’s front face features 16 tiny lights, so tiny it is impossible to discern which one is lit from across one’s room or even from a few feet away. The lights from left to right indicate connection—coaxial, optical, balanced (AES/EBU), USB, and I2S—phase, oversampling/non-oversampling, mute, and sampling rate—44.1K, 48K, 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X, and DSD. Below these various indicator lights are seven metal buttons, left to right, that control inputs, mute, a large center button that turns the unit on/off, an oversampling/non-oversampling (OS/NOS) button, a phase button, and a mode button, which switches between slow and fast filters. The DENAFRIPS’ laser-etched logo sits at the top center of its front facade.
Its rear face, from left to right, features a pair of balanced (XLR) and a pair of single-ended (RCA) analog outputs, and eight digital inputs—COAX, optical, AES/EBU (2), I2S (A, B, C), and a USB. Its IEC socket for connection to power is centered at its lower edge.
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II, like its sibling, is a clean and straightforward affair, though a good deal more formidable as its build quality speaks to a component multiple times its cost and makes it stand toe-to-toe with the TOTL DACs.
FUNCTIONALITY
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II DAC is a balanced, 24-bit, proprietary R-2R DAC, that supports sampling rates of up to 24-bit/192kHz across all of its digital inputs. Further, the Terminator II supports up to DSD1024 On USB & I²S Inputs and 1536kHz on USB & I²S Inputs.
The Terminator II, as mentioned above, is equipped with the following various digital inputs:
1 - Coax via BNC (75 Ω)
1 - Optical
2 - AES/EBU
3 - I²S
1 - USB
The Terminator II is relatively easy to sync to one’s system, though there is a brief online tutorial that helps things along quite nicely.
Conclusion
The DENAFRIPS Pontus II was talented in the extreme and, at times, easily eclipsed DACs at multiples of its price. The DENAFRIPS Terminator II extends the price to performance ratio a great deal more than anticipated and performs far, far beyond its price point.
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II checks all of the required music lover and audiophile boxes easily and well and is a prodigious talent, especially when its price is taken into account. DACs within its ‘ambient’ pricing circle should take pause and perhaps never agree to a side by side comparison, lest they suffer a humiliating defeat.
In relation to the DENAFRIPS Pontus II which I deemed “a three-star Michelin meal”, I now bring correction to that statement. At its uniquely affordable price of $1,700US relative to its Terminator II sibling, it has retained its worth of a Michelin rating but has now been deemed a two-star Michelin meal. The DENAFRIPS Terminator II has now assumed the three-star status as testament to its greater abilities in every respect. Thus, I stand corrected.
We, AudioKey Reviews, highly recommend the DENAFRIPS Terminator II DAC and award it our DIAMOND AWARD for superb musicality and resolution and spell-binding engagement, coupled with beautiful musicality – all in all a component one will be hard pressed to part with. Bravo!
Technology and Specification
DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR II
THE SYSTEMS
GRIMM AUDIO MU1 - ROON
Trilogy H1 Energizer HPA\E
Dan Clark VOCE
STAX SR-009S
Audience AdeptResponse
Audience Front Row Cables
RSX Cables
ANTICABLE Cables
2.
MacBookPro - ROON
HeadAmp GS-X Mini
Meze Empyrean
Meze LIRIC
ZMF Véríté
ZMF Atrium
Audience Front Row Cables
RSX Cables
ANTICABLE Cables
The Company
DENAFRIPS
DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR II ($4495)
support@denafrips.com
The Distributor
VINSHINE AUDIO
33 Ubi Avenue 3
Singapore 408868
sales@vinshineaudio.com
Wechat: vinshineaudio
Whatsapp: +6588534576