DiscoverThe Absolute Sound PodcastBest DACs under $10,000 Series: Denafrips Terminator 15th Review
Best DACs under $10,000 Series: Denafrips Terminator 15th Review

Best DACs under $10,000 Series: Denafrips Terminator 15th Review

Update: 2025-08-29
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Description

Denafrips is a manufacturer of audio electronics, primarily known for its series of advanced ladder DACs. In this test I cover the Terminator 15th DAC which is positioned as Denafrips flagship, but at a price of $6099 is affordable compared to some of the other flagship DACs I’ve been covering. Let’s see how it performs.





This video's sponsor: https://www.javahifi.com/home





00:00 Denafrips Terminator 15th


01:34 The Absolute Sound


02:34 Specs


03:18 Overview


4:50 What's the issue?


07:57 Sound Quality


13:34 Subjective Coda


14:41 Design


16:17 Summary





The Seven Major Problems of Audio Believability: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-six-major-problems-of-audio-believability/





Methodology First Principles: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-absolute-sounds-review-methodology-first-principles/





The Physics of Describing Music Reproduction: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-physics-of-describing-music-reproduction/








Newsletter: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/newsletter


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theabsolutesound


Substack: https://www.theabsolutesound.substack.com





Tom's reference system:





Aurender N20 Streamer/Server


Roon Nucleus server


Mac Mini (M2) server





Wiim Pro server/DAC


Bluesound Node server/DAC





Topping D70 Pro DAC


dCS Lina DAC/Master clock


Berkeley Alpha DAC Reference Series 3 with Alpha USB Series 2 input module


MSB Premier DAC





J Sikora Initial Max turntable


Technics SL-1210G turntable





Kuzma 4Point 9” arm


J Sikora KV12 tone arm





DS Audio 003 cartridge


Benz Gullwing SLR cartridge


Hana Umami Blue cartridge





Hegel V10 phono preamp


Musical Surroundings Phonomena III phono preamp


DS Audio 003 optical cartridge energizer








PS Audio BHK 600 mono power amps


MBL N51 integrated amp


Audio Research 160S power amp


Magico A5 speakers


Perlisten S7t speakers


Wireworld Platinum Electra speaker and line cables


Shunyata Omega digital cables


Shunyata Venom power cables and director


Audioquest Niagara 3000 power conditioner (for analog)


Audioquest Niagra 7000 power conditioning


Rediacoustic diffusers and absorbers


Rediacoustic bass traps


PSI Audio AVAA active traps


Salamander racks


Solidsteel Turntable rack





What Is The Absolute Sound?


The Absolute Sound magazine has been a leading publication in high-end audio since 1972. Since the early 2000s, The Absolute Sound has expanded to include web, newsletter, digital magazine, social media, YouTube and Substack platforms. The Absolute Sound platforms have a global audience of over 500,000 audiophiles.











#hifi #audiophile #theabsolutesound

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Best DACs under $10,000 Series: Denafrips Terminator 15th Review

Best DACs under $10,000 Series: Denafrips Terminator 15th Review

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