Upgrading from Holo Red, need i2s, external clock input & HQplayer NAA

@jbuddha882 Good point on the simpler signal path going directly to the R30 and it also uses the R30's clock.  I am interested in the improvement of I2S & USB over my current signal path (if any).  For I2S I was definitely leaning towards the NT-1 over the Red for multiple reasons.  

My M4 is headless as well with an HDMI ghost display adapter and I use screen sharing from my MacBook to log in when needed.  It has been fairly stable.  Maybe because Roon is on he same M4?  The only issue I've had is with the R30 struggling with DSD512.  I get a loud hiss even with DSD Direct/NOS.  So I use DSD256 and that works great for me.  With DSD upsampling and some of the filters I was using, processing was running around 1x for 24-bit/48 kHz tracks which caused issues so another reason for me to use DSD256.  I just downloaded 6 but not sure there is anything helpful for the M4 based on what I've read.  Hopefully it helps with stability for you.

I don’t use hqplayer, but i do run Roon on Apple silicon Mac mini going Ethernet to a streamer that its function in life is to galvanize the incoming Ethernet to the I2S output to my dac, all running roon upsampled to DSD256. 

I used to run the same setup using Roon upsampled and it didn’t sound as good, so I ran Roon on a trash can Mac Pro running Linux and this combo sounded better than running Roon on the Mac mini. Even Qobuz Connect sounded better than both these upsampled configurations. But the upsampled Roon config sounds the best now.

BTW, I had the Cinnamon Ethernet in my system and then upgraded to the Vodka Ethernet cable, sounds better, more than 2x the price and 3x thicker cable. As for the I2S cable, I tried a few cables and ended up with the $1000 Revelation Audio Labs cable

You have already a streamer. Use the Gustard, it accepts NAA natively! I had one and upgraded to a R30 and use it as my main streamer, even having a Hifi Rose RS 130 as the latter haS no NAA protocol.

@rbstehno galvanically isolating how? Ethernet to i2s doesn’t sound isolated. You’ve need a glass leg in their somewhere between your wall and streamer/switch, SFP fiber for example out of your modem/router to a switch. Also, the Roon upsampling isn’t the same DSD I’m sorry to say… wait till you hear it done properly, outside of Roons internal DSPs

@greatdivide71 it helped me to select the ‘48khz DSD’ box enabled in preferences in HQP 6. Also enable the box. ‘Adaptive rate’ and then finally in DSD preferences tab over to the right a few tabs, select max sample /rate as 48 x 512, not 44 x 512