Specific i2s cable for use with Sonnet Morpheus DAC & 3rd party DDC

I recently purchased a Sonnet Hermes and use a I2S cable from Audio Arts to connect the Morpheus.  I've not compared this to AES or COAX from the Hermes, but it is a significant boost over the USB from a Zen Stream.  The connection uses a standard ethernet cable connection between the two and if you were to use something other than the Hermes you'd need a custom cable configuration to accommodate the connection.  Anyway, the Morpheus is a top performer in my secondary system and I enjoy it immensely.

An industry expert I trust suggested AES/EBU over I2S. Which I've been using (Audience AU24SX). 

Recently bought a Tubulus Argentus I2S cable, from DDC to Dac. I really like it, and will sell the Audience.

I asked Aldwin from Tubulus what the difference in the V2 Argentus was.

"Argentus V2 model has some conductors added to make it compatible with all i2s equipment."

I'm a sucker, using a Tubulus Concentus I2s cable to my delight though.

Ditto on everything "vthokie83" said.

A very safe bet and very good for around $300 the top Wireworld I2S cable.

Carlsbad2,

While yes I2S can be carried via an ethernet "like" connection, it is much more common using an HDMI "like" connection. The problem with both, is that I2S has no industry standard pin configuration; but many transports, DDCs and DACs have the ability to configure the pin connections. And yes all things being equal, I would opt for a unit that has I2S connections.

I2S pin configuration seems to be compatible with popular Chinese made products from Musician, Denafrips, Jay's Audio, and Gustard. I use an Audioquest Vodka 48 8k/10k ($400), and a Supra Cables 2.1 8k ($80), and both of them are terrific....and needed no pin changes. In a lower to mid tier system the Supra cable is a great match, but in more revealing systems the Audioquest is my preferred choice.

Higher end streamers (Innuous/Lumin/Aurender) do a great job of handling their input signals, and probably (I have not done a side by side comparison) have less need for something like a DDC. That said, the best connection with a Jay's Audio to my Denafrips Pontus II was I2S, and it was not even close. Same is true between my Iris DDC and the Pontus II DAC.

Part of that (I surmise) is that the I2S serial bus is the internal transport for PCM data within most digital audio products, and I2S connections eliminate the conversion from that protocol between products....streamer uses internal I2S, I2S cable to DAC, and DAC uses the internal I2S to process the data.....no conversion. Connections other than I2S require that the signal be converted (RCA, SPDIF, etc), and then another conversion when back in the DAC to I2S.

Now I am not an electrical engineer, so this is an audiphile's understanding.....not an engineering expert.

It's at the very bottom of the shenzenaudio gustard x26 pro specifications page.

You are correct to want to find out exact I2s configuration of both. You need to find out from manufacturers themselves. As an example the configuration of the Jay's cdt2-mk3 and Gustard x26 pro  are identical while the PS Audio CD transport is not and thus will not work. My experience. Look at details of the Gustard X26 PRO and you will see what a I2s configuration looks like. 

In my specific case I already have a high quality streamer (Antipodes CX/EX) which outputs signal via USB. Thus I don't see the need for the Sonnet Hermes.

The following is direct from the Sonnet website:

List with compatible devices when a custom cable is used:

Aqua LaScala MK2 Optologic DAC

Jay’s Audio CDT3

Denafrips Terminator

Denafrips Avatar

Denafrips Hermes Digital to Digital Converter

A further read on the Sonnet website deals with "Pin configuration" on the i2s cable. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the info on Sonnet webpage but it seems like one needs a custom configured i2s cable when taking the output of a 3rd party (ie. NON-Sonnet) product like the Denafrips Hermes.

The author of the Stereophile review also states that he needed a "custom i2s cable" to connect a 3rd party DDC to the Morpheus i2s input. I quote him here:

I reached out to Rob Fritz of Audio Art Cable, the Sonnet retailer who'd sent me the review samples. One of his customers uses a Denafrips Iris with his Morpheus and connects them with a cable from Phasure Audio, another Dutch company, which provides cables with customizable pinouts.

I'd certainly prefer that an off the shelf i2s cable taking the digital output of say a Denafrips Hermes can work with the Morpheus, but I'd rather know the facts before I purchase. 

@soix   I just got back from running errands.  I had a polite response ready for you, but you want to throw mud, I'm done.   I have no use for comments like that above.

Jerry

@dalims4 It appears that Jerry is just making stuff up here that is either based on nothing or is just flat-out inaccurate. Not sure why he dislikes i2S so much.

The advantages of I2S are also greatly exaggerated

@carlsbad2 Well, I can tell you when I switched from USB to i2S into my Musician Pegasus R2R DAC through a Denafrips Iris DDC and a $6 HDMI cable from Monoprice the improvement was very significant and many others here have experienced the same (I’d ask @vthokie84 to share his experience with his Pontus II as well as it’s also pertinent here).  Obviously this will vary by a given DAC’s implementation of its various inputs, but i2S is clearly superior in my case — not even close.  Here’s a review where the reviewer used a DDC to use i2S on a few different DACs (including mine) and was very impressed by the improvement over USB, and his findings are similar to mine.  

https://soundnews.net/accessories/level-up-your-dac-musician-phoenix-ddc-review/

Given all this it begs the question, have you ever even actually used an i2S connection to a DAC in your system?

I2S does not use a standard ethernet cable.

The advantages of I2S are also greatly exaggerated, to the point where you see people choosing components based on IS2 availability.

Jerry