New denafrips DDC (Iris and Gaia)

[Roasty]

Do you guys turn off your Hermes when not in use? If so, how do you turn it off. I don't see any power button. Thanks in advance

you're not supposed to turn it off. just leave it on so the ocxo remains in an optimum state.

 

[shafat777]

you're not supposed to turn it off. just leave it on so the ocxo remains in an optimum state.

Thanks man. Youve been so helpful to me with my DDC. I cant thank you enough.

 

[Roasty]

Thanks man. Youve been so helpful to me with my DDC. I cant thank you enough.

No worries dude. That's what we're all here for!

 

[HPAholic]

So basically if your DAC does not support I2S, the benefits of using a Denafrips DDC + MCLK would be minimal or nothing as trying to use one of the Digital Outs from the DDC like AES/EBU back to the DAC Digital Inputs of AES/EBU? Just looking for maybe an excuse to purchase a new DAC

 

[CAJames]

So basically if your DAC does not support I2S, the benefits of using a Denafrips DDC + MCLK would be minimal or nothing as trying to use one of the Digital Outs from the DDC like AES/EBU back to the DAC Digital Inputs of AES/EBU? Just looking for maybe an excuse to purchase a new DAC

Firstly, you should absolutely buy a new DAC, just on principle.

But seriously, I think there are some benefits to using the DDC + MCLK even if you connect to the DAC via AES/EBU. The better the digital signal is coming into the DAC the better it is going to sound, regardless of the connection. But you will get the maximum performance if you can connect the DDC with I2S.

In my own experience (not exactly comparable to what you are proposing) I received my Gaia before I got the BNC cables to connect the clock out from the Terminator 2. And there was a noticeable improvement from the DDC (connected to the DAC via I2S) without the clock sync. But it got even better once I feed the DDC with the clock out from the T2. If you have a sufficiently resolving system pretty much everything matters, and I suspect any upgrade from Denafrips would be an improvement. JMO/YMMV of course.

 

[ARCXENOS]

I have recently bought an Ares II unit before going down the DDC rabbit hole, should I still bother with the Iris with it? Or should I just wait for my next upgrade cycle about 3-4 years later, no i2s support on the Ares II I believe.

I am gonna use it my desktop -> ares 2 -> feliks echo tube amp -> hd800s, but is it worth the asking price at this point?

 

[Pjotr27]

Does a cd drive (SPDIF only) sounds better when I use a Denafrips Hermes between the cd drive and my dac?

 

[mat.1]

Hi,
I have a Terminator 2 and Lumin U1 mini.
What improvement can i get if i add Denafrips Gaia ?

 

[BlakeT]

Hi,
I have a Terminator 2 and Lumin U1 mini.
What improvement can i get if i add Denafrips Gaia ?

If you've got the Terminator 2, then personally, I'd for sure get one of the Denafrips DDC's. First, the DDC will allow you to use the Termi's I2S input. Just from reading lots of Denafrips DAC reviews and from my own personal experience, I dare say a strong majority of Denafrips DAC owners view the I2S input to be the best sounding input, which I find to be more open and airy sounding.

Secondly, you can take advantage of the new clock out feature of the Termi 2. What I've found is, the clock out results in a turbo charging of clarity/detail and 3D holography (better, larger more well defined soundstage, imaging, instrumental separation).

Once you've spent funds at that level, it is a no brainer to get the DDC. You are not hearing your Termi at its best until you take advantage of the clock out and I2S input In my opinion.

 

[sajunky]

Secondly, you can take advantage of the new clock out feature of the Termi 2. What I've found is, the clock out results in a turbo charging of clarity/detail and 3D holography (better, larger more well defined soundstage, imaging, instrumental separation).

Once you've spent funds at that level, it is a no brainer to get the DDC. You are not hearing your Termi at its best until you take advantage of the clock out and I2S input In my opinion.

^^^ This.

 

[mat.1]

Is the clock cable must be better than i2s cable ? Or i just need to find better i2s cable , and just using canare 75 ohm bnc cable ? Thx.

 

[ChocolateChipTrip]

I was considering a Hermes for my Venus II with possible upgrade to a Terminator II down the line. I have a Sonore OpticalRendu. Alvin recommended that I try the Iris FWIW.

 

[BlakeT]

Is the clock cable must be better than i2s cable ? Or i just need to find better i2s cable , and just using canare 75 ohm bnc cable ? Thx.

Both the i2s (HDMI) cable and the clock cables make a difference. Depending on the music formats you listen to, you may only need one clock cable. I'd suggest you start with reasonably priced cables, get very familiar with the sound of your system and then later on, if your budget allows and you are still curious, try more expensive HDMI and clock cables and see if you hear differences.

If you don't hear improvements with more expensive cables, great, just party on with your existing setup! If you hear improvements, then you'll have to do some thinking about how much you are willing to spend to pursue those further sonic improvements. It can get very expensive, very quickly.... like all things in audio.

 

[shafat777]

I was considering a Hermes for my Venus II with possible upgrade to a Terminator II down the line. I have a Sonore OpticalRendu. Alvin recommended that I try the Iris FWIW.

If you are gonna high end like the Venus or better yet, the Terminator, then I think you should atleast spring for the Hermes. That device has been a revelation in my setup and I have the Pontus, so i can only imagine what it will do for better dacs. Alvin also recommend me the Hermes and said that that DDC should be more than enough for most users.

 

[Jacky5555]

Hi,
My dac is nagra HD dac, which has a i2s (rj45) but I cant find any more information about it, other than the manual says the i2s is “nagra standard”.
The Gaia has i2s rj45 LVCMOS standard.
Anyone pls advise if Gaia i2s is compatible to the Nagara?