Better than vinyl!

Better than vinyl!

The Terminator Plus has replaced my long-term reference, the PS Audio DirectStream DAC. Initially, it was fed by my Sonore Signature Optical Rendu streamer, which converts optical ethernet to USB. I still consider the DirectStream to be an excellent DAC, but I knew immediately that the Terminator Plus was in another league, so I put the DirectStream up for sale a few days later.

Terminator-Plus/Iris with Sonore Signature Optical Rendu and Uptone EtherREGEN on the right

Next, I ordered an Iris DDC to convert USB to I2C, as I wanted to take advantage of Denafrips' unique Clock Out feature. Incredibly, with the Iris in place, the Terminator-Plus got even better! I’m streaming files over my network from a NAS, using an Uptone EtherREGEN to convert ethernet to fiber for the Optical Rendu. I also let the Terminator-Plus do the oversampling, with the digital filter on the Slow setting.

Terminator-Plus/Iris with Kuzma Stabi Reference turntable and Supratek Grange DHT preamp on the left

I was convinced the sound quality of my previous digital front end had matched that of my analog system, but with the Terminator-Plus/Iris combo I think digital has now surpassed analog! The sonic image is denser with blacker backgrounds, the inner detail and transient retrieval is superb, and sibilance control is clearly better than what I had with vinyl. And the best part is that my extensive collection of vintage CD’s sound almost as good as the finest DSD256 recordings.

Sound Lab A-3 ESL speakers and PS Audio BHK 300 monoblocks

I recommend the Terminator-Plus/Iris combo without reservation, and, at the current price, I consider it one of the greatest bargains in high-end audio.

Credit: Kevin C.

PRODUCT INFO:

https://www.denafrips.com/dac

https://www.denafrips.com/ddc

WHERE TO BUY?

https://www.vinshineaudio.com/shop