Tube DAC with i2s input?

@steakster Thanks for replying, what is your $6k DAC and what did you do to clean up the power and signal? I do have a Niagara power conditioner and as far as signal I primarily listen to CDs on my digital side. 

@ghdprentice I'm concerned with i2s so I can still use a DDC into the DAC. 

@fthompson251 Thanks, Terminator is top of mind for me, I wish there were more comparisons between it and tube DACs so I had a better info. My amp is tube based (Rogue Audio), and owning a Pontus and liking it (but not loving, as mentioned I wish the quality of it was richer with more air and especially depth). I imagine the Terminator would provide much of that but would it be as good as an equivalent tube DAC? 

@soix I appreciate your POV and you may very well be right, but IF it existed wouldn't it be a nice option to have the possibility of improving the tone further with a DDC? But yes, it's possible that isn't a choice and a Lampi is something I"d lean towards over a Terminator. BTW anyone have any experience with Veridian Utopia Sirius DAC? Custom made and i2s is a possibility but communication with the builder has been slow and lack of info also gives me pause. 

@jbuhl I considered the Modwright AB but already have a Hagerman Baratone tube buffer used in the same fashion - I liked the result for a while but eventually found the overall definition / detail too smeared with the buffer. While yes the Modwright is a better unit I fear a similar thing might happen? So I thought just take the plunge for an all-in-one tube DAC...

@pwoodard922 Very interesting to hear, thanks for chiming in. 

Yes the Tubadour also has i2s but only comes in silver and I need black. It's always sumthin...! 

Well, I will pat myself on the back as mostly all of the options are ones that I've already considered (I'm amazed, amazed I tells ya, that of the outrageous quantity of DACs available today, there isn't one that threads the needle between tube driven, with i2s input and in black):

@nepfotos I looked into the LaScala, no i2s input and not available in black. 

@jbuhl I agree with you, but for the moment I'm going to stay focused on trying to find an all in one solution but thanks again.

@rbstehno As mentioned it depends on how the input was configured, but because my DDC only has i2s output that's what I'm looking for (but I'm with you that currently if configured compatibly, it is the best option)

@baylinor Yes! Tubadour V would be ideal, except it isn't available in black. Vlad (builder) claims he might have an extra black faceplate around but for the moment hasn't gotten back to me.

@gregjacob OK those are products I wasn't aware of and are gorgeous! Sadly out of my price range (I'm only willing to go so far on expenditure for my digital rig - I'm a more dedicated vinyl/analog listener and went deep on that expenditure). 

At some point I'm just going to buy a can of black spray paint and solve this problem the easiest way! 

Suffice it to say, I'm going to hold out for an option that ticks all the boxes, I may be waiting over a year but at some point some builder WILL offer all of these options. 

@nepfotos OK thanks, but my i2s is the HDMI style, it seems theirs is different? 

@lanx0003 I very much appreciate your POV and thanks for chiming in! There certainly is a lot of validity to trying to calm down the "audiophilia nervosa" and yes, I'm deep in the throes of it currently with my DAC quest. I'm a fan of Tarun btw and I often did wonder to what level adding the DDC to the Pontus II takes it to so thanks for pointing that out.

Normally I'd take my setup as better than just "good enough", but not too long ago I was window shopping on USAudiomart and came across an unbeatable deal - a practically new Grado Aeon3 cartridge (my dream cartridge) for an absurdly low price - All checked out and I took the plunge. At the time I was running a DV XX2 MkII, a well-regarded cartridge I was more than happy with. Well, once I slotted in the Grado I was nothing less than completely astonished by the difference in fidelity. I mean a true case of really getting what you pay for with minimal "diminished return".

I see a DAC as the cartridge in the digital arena and while I really can't complain about the sound I'm currently getting, I think going to something like a Tubadour V will equate the experience I had going to the Grado. To be sure I put back my XX2 cartridge tonight and spent a fair amount of time listening to it, then went to the Grado. Yup, just as floored at the difference as I was initially.

So while I have a perfectly fine setup now, I'm going to wait until the right DAC appears that ticks all the boxes for me - As part of my vetting experiment tonight I sat and looked at my complete rig (all black) and thought what would a silver Tubadour look like amidst all the other components? Ugly! Sadly my rig is on display in our living room so it would not be aesthetically pleasing. Ah well, first world problems...