I believe the I2s interface will use the streamer clock when connecting to your dac. If your dac has a better clock than your streamer you might be able to configure it to use the dac clock. Otherwise, you are losing performance. If you use a ddc, the denafrips ddcs at least do not have an I2s input, you will need to connect the streamer to ddc via some other connection. The clock in the Hermes ddc is better than the clock in the Pontus dac so you should get improvement as @fthompson251 suggests. Is any of this worth the money and time, only you, your ears, and wallet can answer. I have a Hermes ddc connected to my Pontus II and it was worth it to me. I noticed improvements in soundstage, imaging, transients, and bass response. All good things.
EverSolo DMP-A8 with Denafrips Pontus 15th, both have i2S
For the past couple of years I’ve been using a Bluesound NODE (N130) with a Denafrips ARES II DAC (USB). I liked it very much!
Well, I got the itch to not leave well enough alone, if you know what I mean!
I purchased an EverSolo DMP-A8, thinking this all-in-one could replace what I had. It sounds pretty good, but, started missing my Denafrips DAC (which I sold). A couple days ago I ordered from audioman58 (Thank you!), a Pontus 15th Edition, can’t wait to get it!
This brings me to my question please. The DMP-A8 has i2S Output, which I plan on using to input i2S on the Pontus 15th (I hope for compatibility?). Is there still a reason to get a Denafrips DDC? Or, am I most of the way there with i2S on both my streamer and DAC?
Thanks,
Tom