Hi Alvin, my Pontus came in today, and I've been listening to it. The detail retrieval is really on another level compared to the Ares II.
Here is my system. I have Sonus Faber Lumina V as Speaker A and Opera Seconda Mk1 as Speaker B through a Rotel RA1572 integrated amp. Bluesound node feeds Pontus using coax. I have dual Starke Sound SW12 subs from pre-out of Rotel amp run through a DIY B1 Nature preamp to give the bass a little more texture. Might change it after the Pontus.
The soundstage is now so much bigger compared to Ares. Also, I find the vocals are much clearer, with a lot more sparkle in the rest of the presentation. It is not a dark sounding DAC by any means.
Credit: Chandra @ USA
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