Who is using I2S cables?

@donruydesilva - I had the same experience as @soix using my Denafrips Gaia and Terminator Plus DAC. Even a low cost HDMI cable was a nice improvement over AES and USB. 

Unfortunately, Denafrips's latest FPGA update for the Terminator Plus makes the i2s no longer compatible with the Gaia. I have a very early Gaia which does not have programmable i2s outputs, and for some reason, Denafrips chose to change the i2s format to be incompatible with the Gaia. I'm a bit peeved about this, but I do like the FPGA firmware update which they provided for free. 

I am currently rethinking my digital chain, so haven't invested in upgrading the Gaia yet. But I would second @soix's recommendation to get a cheap HDMI cable and give it a try.

@jaytor I have a TPlus currently connected to my streamer via usb.  I’m thinking about adding a DDC as well.  My understanding when using the Terminator II or Plus the Iris may be all you want since you will use the clock in the Terminator rather than the clock in the DDC.  Alvin made a YouTube video about it as well.  Have you looked into this?

@marco1 - yes, I agree. I am currently using the Gaia with AES3 which works well, but I think an Iris connected over i2s could still be an improvement. 

I am playing around with a DSP active crossover (dspNexus by Danville Signal) which would replace my T+, so I'm not going to invest in another DDC until I decide which direction I'm going to go. 

@jaytor. Interesting I remember hearing about this product a year or two ago.  Is it available now?  Do you have one?

@marco1 - It is available, but it is not in full production yet. They are still working on the software and an upgraded DSP module. 

I do have one and have been playing around with it for the past few weeks. I haven't had a lot of time to spend on it yet so I haven't gotten very far. In addition to my work, I have a couple other DIY audio projects that are taking up some of my time. 

I'm planning to attend the Capital Audio Fest in a few weeks. Al Clark (the head guy at Danville and HW designer) and Richard Hollis (who has done a few active crossover implementations with this unit) will be there and I'm looking forward to discussing the dspNexus with them.