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HDMI cable for I2S

Well, the old upgrade itch had to be scratched, and even though it's a little behind the times now, I've invested in a refurbished PS Audio PWT and a used PWD MKII for my redbook CDs. The former is currently being assessed by the folks at PS Audio because it seemed unnaturally noisy when I received it, and the DAC hasn't actually arrived yet but should be here in the next day or so. So now that I can connect the two via HDMI using the I2S protocol, I need to stir up the old question of whether I'll get any advantage by shelling out some money for a high-quality HDMI cable? There's been a lot of verbiage devoted to this debate, but I would like to hear some real-world experiences. Have any of you compared different HDMI cables in this application, and did it make any difference? Of course one can carry this to its logical extreme, but I was thinking more along the lines of Audioquest Carbon (I use the coax versions of these in my system and think they're very good) or even their very modestly-priced Pearl cable. There's a Wire World Silver Starlight 7 available here on Audiogon just now, but I just can't work out whether it would make an audible difference over a standard (read: cheap) high-speed HDMI cable. Thanks for any input you may have on this.
BTW, speaking of logical extremes: http://www.audiolab.com/audioquest-diamond-hdmi-digital-audio-video-cable-with-ethernet/?utm_medium=...

cooper52
cooper52 OP
187 posts
 
Johnread57: I did a little poking around about the Oppo and discovered that while it doesn’t support the I2s protocol, but you can buy an add-on card that will enable I2s output via HDMI. Here’s the link: www.oppomod.comThey have a number of different cards, so scroll down to the "I2s Card Upgrade." They confirm that it’s compatible with PS Audio but I’m not sure if it’s compatible with your particular Oppo model. I have no experience with this company, so can’t comment on their quality/reliability.
My own experience with the PS Audio PWD II is that the I2s/HDMI connection was indeed significantly superior to the coax connection.

stevecham
3,340 posts
 
I2S is the way to go. And it’s not rocket science. I2S is the standard protocol of all redbook 16/44.1 and is how the data is prepared prior to the output stage. PS Audio just decided to use that data in its naitve format and send it on from player to DAC unchanged. HDMI is simply a good conductor for multiple data transfer in a single shielded format. It it’s good enough for video, it’s good enough for audio data. I2S always sounds better than coax, USB or optical. There’s no combining and uncombining of clock and signal data. Less chance for data anomalies.
cooper52 OP
187 posts
 
And a final update here: I’ve jettisoned both of the PS Audio components, the PWD II and the PWT. Sorry, but I just never was able to come to terms with the sound of them, and no amount of playing around with the cabling could tame their shrillness. Not sure if anybody else has had this issue with these units, but in the end, I kept my Cambridge Audio CXU player and replaced the PWD II with an AMR DP-777 DAC which is in fact a tubed DAC (I swore I’d never go there, but DANG this thing sounds good!) and I’m a much happier camper.

I see there’s a newer version of the AMR DAC (the SE version) but I don’t know how much this improves on the original. AMR’s website lists all these as "Legacy Products" now, so I’m not sure they’re even in the business of manufacturing them any more. Any of you know more about this?
hphu
9 posts
 
Hello,
I am glad to have found this topic you guys are discussing :p greatly appreciated. I too was very confused about i2S protocol. My Dac has an I2S RJ45 input, but most CD transports I have found have an I2s HDMI output in lieu of Coax and Optixal. I want o utilize the I2S RJ45. Can anyone tell me would an adapter or a special cable that has a I2S RJ45 male end with HDMI female work? Or do I need a special box for the conversion?
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