Help with Denafrips Iris 12th to Ares 12th-1 - I2S, no audio

Hey all,

So I recently picked up a Denafrips Ares 12th-1 as my first foray into R2R DACs - as a "mainly vinyl" guy I'm incredibly impressed, and decided to add an Iris DDC to the mix since I'm using a mini-PC USB source.

Unfortunately, I have been unsuccessful in getting audio output when using an I2S cable - I do not have a coax or SPDIF cable to test just yet, but should have them tomorrow to see if those work. AES is not an option as there's no AES input on the Ares.

With that said, I can confirm the following...

- Both units power on as they should and seem to operate as normal - using the "setup" button on the Iris cycles through the clock "on/off" and changes settings/lights on the Ares (i.e - the units seem to be communicating with eachother)

- All drivers/firmware are up to date.

- All output options are correctly set on the PC (Denafrips as the source).

- Have tried unplgging everything and re-connecting/re-booting - no luck.

- Audio output from the Ares alone still works as normal.

After following the instructions and watching some Vinshine videos (I know they're no longer affiliated, but videos are still up), I'm kind of at a loss here. From what I can tell, I am close - but maybe an issue with all info being transferred over the I2S?

Since I2S isn't standardized, is this possibly a situation where not all cables will work, even if they're using the same pin layouts?

Really hoping someone might be able to help me figure it out/hoping the Iris isn't defective. Any help is much appreciated!