Should I add a DDC?

 @jastralfu  thank you! So yours worked first time? You didn’t have to play with the settings? So hope that will be the case for me..

@audphile1 I read a review that specifically stated that going this route is still less costly than bumping up to Terminator. Supposedly this performance is equal to Terminator when compared. Plus I could not afford to spend that much at this point and already have the Pontus…

@sls883 The 2.1 DH Labs cable specifically stated is I2S so I feel good about that😬

I2S cables should be kept as short as possible, .5M or shorter best. I2S was never designed to transmit via cable such that theoretical best position for clock is just prior to I2S path in dac. Ed Meitner of EMM Labs explains this issue for those interested in the whys and wherefores.

One should also purchase an I2S cable vs HDMI cable, you only need 8 pins wired to transmit data and clock. And if purchasing more expensive silver cable this can be money saving, silver values being what they are. I've also found quality of cable can make a meaningful difference as well. I've only had two thus far, but the Tubulus Ximius easily bettered a $70 copper cable I was using. Both Audiolund and Tubulus make more affordable cables than my Ximius, but may still be above one's present budget.

As for extra cost of ddc and cable vs using that money for a better dac, one can only speculate. I could make a strong case the ddc won't become obsolete as long as one continues using dacs with I2S inputs, it brings out full potential of these dacs whereas usb this not likely. My Musetec 006 has pretty much state of art usb board and I2S easily bests it.

A Hermes + Pontus II will not be equal to a Terminator. However a Terminator II or Plus or 15th + Hermes with clock sync is even better.

This thread has helped me decide to try a ddc, probably Hermes, so thanks for that. My question is does anyone have experience buying products off AliBabba. There are Hermes for sale there for considerably less than other sellers, but I have never bought anything there. 

@kingbr Set your Hermes pin configuration to 000, then go through the pin settings on your Pontus with low volume until you get the undistorted music. Verify this afterward with test tones for left/right channels and phase. I just went through this with my new Terminator 15th. I set both to 000 and it didn’t work, I think I ended up at 010 on the Terminator for my situation. Argentus I2s. Here> https://www.denafrips.com/single-post/2020/08/01/denafrips-gaia-ddc-terminator-plus-dac