Carlsbad,
You mentioned "I2S is mostly a fools errand in my opinion."
Can you explain further? I have had experiences where I2S was the best connection (by far) in both my current BS Node to Iris to Pontus set up, and the Jay's CDT-2 MKIII to Pontus. I can also see that a well constructed streamer or CD transport topology will reduce the need for an I2S connection.....because they do such a good job with their other topologyies.
I am NOT trying to say anything negative, but just curious what your experience has been