DAC Questions

Is there a technical reason i2s should sound better? Just wondering. 

@mofojo Yes. A lot has to do with the word clock and like everything else is probably system/DAC dependent, but it seems by and large AES/EBU or i2S are by far the preferred connections into a DAC. I can only say that using a cheap 6” HDMI cable from Monoprice from the Iris to my DAC made a huge improvement in transparency, detail, and soundstage expansion to the point I’ll never go back. Just thought since we both had Musician DACs my experience would be useful. Maybe contact Musician and see what they have to say about the quality of their various inputs, but I know what I heard with i2S and, to me, it’s on a different level.

Hmm food for thought. Thanks I will look into it. Interested for sure. 

My God, DACs are a rabbit hole! I was feeling confident about the Lampi, but now there are just so many choices. Geez! I guess part of the challenge is that as a relative newby to digital there is a lot that I don't know. I got a lot to learn. 

Any tips on how to narrow things down? My budget is around $3K. I'm always willing to sacrifice accuracy for a warmer sound. The whole R2R thing seems to suit me, but I'm not unwilling to consider anything. System basics include: Salk Encore 3 speakers, Wells Audio Innamorata amp, Vac 20.1 linestage preamp. 

@rblondeau 

Hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! Per your last posting I guess you’re realizing there is a lot to absorb- the good thing is there are great components out there within your budget.

If you haven’t done so already I would steer you to the site search engine- there are MANY threads discussing this (R2R vs Delta-Sigma) with recent comments by those that purchased them.