Coax to I2S


Hello all,

My DAC recommends the I2S as the preferred input for best performance. I see some DDCs in the 4-$500 range that convert USB to I2S and do some re clocking/cleaning of the signal etc. I am really wanting to try the I2S but I am only seeing units in the 1.6-1.8k range that will convert Coax to I2S. Are there cheaper options out there for this? At that price I would almost consider getting an upgrade of my cd transport to a better one with I2S if there is nothing more reasonable out there for a convertor.

 

Thanks all

 

Jason  

mofojo

For that kinda long green you might as well get a streamer with i2s out.

But then again there is no clue to what source you are trying to convert. You MIGHT not discern any difference.

 

 

You very well may be correct that there would be no to minimal difference. Interested in trying it as there has been many accounts of the I2S input being a noticeable improvement. If I could find a reasonably priced solution. 

 

Not interested in streaming at the moment. 

I recently added a used Denafrips Iris to enable me to use my Musician Pegasus i2S input and the improvement was huge. Even using these cheap Monoprice 0.5m cables provided a great improvement. BTW, the shorter the HDMI cable for i2S the better.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=13576

Forgot to mention the Musician Leo DDC takes SPDIF (similar unit to Denafrips Hermes) and at around $1200 while not cheap is at least a bit less expensive.

https://audioartcable.com/products/musician-leo-digital-interface

You’re forgiven.  Heh heh.  Very easy mistake to make. Understand with the Leo/Hermes you’re also getting a much better clock than the Pisces/Iris and probably better than any transport you’ll get anywhere near the price of the Leo/Hermes.  All I can say is my performance went to an entirely higher level of transparency and performance going with i2S, and if your DAC manufacturer says it’s the best input I think you should take that as a meaningful suggestion for a significant upgrade. 

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