[kumar402]

My DAC only has RJ45 so I'm forced to use that if I want i2s.
My Cardas Clear Network cable is 0.5m.
The Hermes is on top on the Morpheus so technically I COULD use 15cm.
The manufacturer is sending me another identical cable which he says has been working flawlessly in his system.

DAMN RJ45.
Why Cees?.......Wwwhhhyyy???

Metrum and Sonnet have specific pin out which your cable manufacturer should have to rewire it perfectly.

 

[kumar402]

Just check with Sonnet if this is correct and then match it with buffered I2S of your DDC

 

[devilboy]

Just check with Sonnet if this is correct and then match it with buffered I2S of your DDC

I told the manufacturer the components I have and he said they've done that arraignment before.

 

[BlakeT]

@devilboy- oh, I just saw you have a Sonnet Morpheus. Apologies I was thinking you had a Denafrips DAC for some reason. I'm not sure if my comments about the cable length still apply in your use case, but hopefully the new cable will sort things out for you.

 

[kumar402]

I told the manufacturer the components I have and he said they've done that arraignment before.

You can use AES input as well. It’s very well implemented in Sonnet and with good DDC you shouldn’t have any issue

 

[Articnoise]

My DAC only has RJ45 so I'm forced to use that if I want i2s.
My Cardas Clear Network cable is 0.5m.
The Hermes is on top on the Morpheus so technically I COULD use 15cm.
The manufacturer is sending me another identical cable which he says has been working flawlessly in his system.

DAMN RJ45.
Why Cees?.......Wwwhhhyyy???

When I bought my Audio GD Master 7 in 2014, the Master 7 had no HDMI over LVDS, and only I2S with RJ45 connector. In any case, it was no problem for me and others to use quality cables of 0.75 meters, so it is a myth that it wouldn't work. That it then sounds a little better with shorter I2S cables is another story.

 

[devilboy]

Thanks to all for your input.

I figured out the problem. For anyone who experiences crackling and popping when using the i2s output of the Hermes DDC, here's how I fixed it:

You have to toggle through different pin configurations until you find one that works.
Push the setup button on the front panel. Then push coax button. As you push the coax button, you will begin toggling through what I believe are eight different pinout settings. I basically kept toggling until I found a setting that made the crackling go away.
Once I had music without crackling or popping, I pushed the setup button once again and now the DDC remembers that setting.

I hope this helps the next person who loses their mind after purchasing all this stuff. Lol!

 

[alvin1118]

I²S
I²S has no industry standard. If you would like to use the I²S connection, the I²S pinout matching with the DAC has to be configured correctly. Mismatch of I²S pinout may result in static/noise output. The excessive noise output level may damage the loudspeakers/headphone drivers.

Suggestion of I²S matching with the DAC
1. Connect the I²S cable (good quality HDMI cable <3ft/1m)
2. Turn down the volume (audible, minimal)
3. Play a familiar music (PCM first, followed by DSD)
4. Run through the I²S setting of the DDC (please check with the DAC manufacturer for more details)
5. One of the modes should match with the source for both PCM and DSD playback.

It's recommended to go through the Audio Tone Test to make sure the L/R channel, in phase/out of phase correctness.

Note
DENAFRIPS Hermes/Gaia DDC shipped after 25th March 2021 is equipped with I²S pinout configuration capability. Please refer to the manual for more details.

Guide for i2s setup: https://www.denafrips.com/config-i2s

 

[devilboy]

I²S
I²S has no industry standard. If you would like to use the I²S connection, the I²S pinout matching with the DAC has to be configured correctly. Mismatch of I²S pinout may result in static/noise output. The excessive noise output level may damage the loudspeakers/headphone drivers.

Suggestion of I²S matching with the DAC
1. Connect the I²S cable (good quality HDMI cable <3ft/1m)
2. Turn down the volume (audible, minimal)
3. Play a familiar music (PCM first, followed by DSD)
4. Run through the I²S setting of the DDC (please check with the DAC manufacturer for more details)
5. One of the modes should match with the source for both PCM and DSD playback.

It's recommended to go through the Audio Tone Test to make sure the L/R channel, in phase/out of phase correctness.

Note
DENAFRIPS Hermes/Gaia DDC shipped after 25th March 2021 is equipped with I²S pinout configuration capability. Please refer to the manual for more details.

Guide for i2s setup: https://www.denafrips.com/config-i2s

Yes. I even told the manufacturer of the cable I was using which components it was connecting and he said that he did that before. He said that he can figure the pin arrangement correctly. For whatever reason, I had to go through different pages on the setup process as Alvin explained.
Whatever. No worries. It's a fantastic piece and it sounds great with my DAC.

 

[centuriones]

Hi guys, if it can be useful, I wanted to share these last impressions of mine.

For about a month I have replaced my DDC Iris with the superior Hermes model.

I state that both DDCs were connected in i2s to a Denafrips Pontus II DAC.

After the proper running in period, compared to my previous DDC Iris, I found the Hermes more defined clear and detailed, well balanced and not sparkling highs, clear mids and (I think) more prominent, tighter and deeper bass, more soundstage ample.

Even though the Hermes costs a lot more, it was worth it for me.

 

[CAJames]

...Even though the Hermes costs a lot more, it was worth it for me.

It seems like every step up the Denafrips line is a good value for improved performance.

 

[dcguy73]

I moved my Gaia to my living room setup. Honestly, the server in my main setup with its galvanically-isolated I2S port sounds just as good as the Gaia, and it’s one less box to deal with.

In theory, pairing the Gaia with the Terminator Plus and using the clock sync function should sound “better” than connecting an unsynced source direct to the Terminator Plus, but I haven’t found that to be true in practice. I’ve moved the Gaia in and out of my system multiple times now, and every time I’m surprised that there’s not a huge difference with it in the chain.

If the Gaia had a galvanically-isolated USB out plus an I2S out, it would be ideal in my setup.

 

[S Crowther]

I moved my Gaia to my living room setup. Honestly, the server in my main setup with its galvanically-isolated I2S port sounds just as good as the Gaia, and it’s one less box to deal with.

In theory, pairing the Gaia with the Terminator Plus and using the clock sync function should sound “better” than connecting an unsynced source direct to the Terminator Plus, but I haven’t found that to be true in practice. I’ve moved the Gaia in and out of my system multiple times now, and every time I’m surprised that there’s not a huge difference with it in the chain.

If the Gaia had a galvanically-isolated USB out plus an I2S out, it would be ideal in my setup.

When I added the Gaia to the T+ instead of the Singer SU-6 DDC I had previously been using I heard a big improvement. When I later started using the clock sync function there was another big improvement. I am listening on headphones.

 

[dcguy73]

When I added the Gaia to the T+ instead of the Singer SU-6 DDC I had previously been using I heard a big improvement. When I later started using the clock sync function there was another big improvement. I am listening on headphones.

I have no doubt the Gaia is a more effective DDC than the Singxer model you mention. I own the KTE-upgraded SU-1 model myself, and it's bested by the blacker background and flexibility (more options for digital inputs and outputs) of the Gaia.

But in my headphones-based system, I find the galvanically-isolated I2S output of my source to sound similar to the same source via its USB output filtered through the Gaia and being output through the Gaia's I2S port, whether using the clock sync or not to the T+.

I'm not saying the Gaia isn't good at what it does, but in my main headphones-based system, it doesn't add much to what I already have.

 

[CAJames]

It makes sense to me that a source with a quality I2S output directly into a T+ would sound as good or better than e.g. USB or S/PDIF into a Gaia and then I2S to a T+. Maybe someday that will be the default digital output.