There are quite a few DDCs on the market. With the RS130 is there any justification for using one?
My DAC has USB and I2S, coax, optical and AES inputs. am I gaining anything using a DDC in the chain?
The RS130 and my holoaudio spring 3 dac have an issue when using I2S. If PLL is off you get a click at the start of most songs. With PLL on the first 2 seconds of music is missed while it locks. Would a DDC change this? Maybe stabilize the clock signal? Im just guessing. Any ideas?
Great question. I’d like to know the answer as well. It seems to me to be going backwards to have to use a USB out from the RS 130 to convert the signal to I2S in the D to D converter. That can’t help but introduce more issues.
As an aside, shame on me, I bought a Gustard R26 R2R Dac and its I2S is not compatible with the two options in the RS 130. It would help a lot if 1) pinouts on the I2S were assignable or 2) if at least Rose would test and say these DACS are compatible with the RS 130 configuration.
StandardModel
@paqua @StandardModel
This problem appears to be a HoloAudio Spring DAC problem as you can see in the link below.
Disabling PLL is accompanied by a “plopp” sound at the beginning of eyery new title
In a playlist the first2 seconds of every title are completely cut off.
Except it only happens with RS130
I will not go into the scientific sense of things (above my pay grade), but empirically: yes. Here a DDC really improves the SQ. The setup is Rose130 > fiber isolated USB > Audio-GD DI20HE > I2S > Leaf Audio CMD27.
Anyway for me I forget the I2S, according to my tests the sound is much better via USB.
When you say “The sound is much better via USB” are you saying USB on the output side of the RS 130 or on the input side of the DAC or both?
By the way Amir is very much in accord with your opinion.
There is a sort of discordance in I2S and it is paradoxical as in I2S the clocks of the DAC and the source are synchronized.
The sound is tense, acidic, in short I find the worst connection between the two :-/
I can’t identify the culprit, because I don’t have the opportunity to have another pure DAC to test
What does the leaf audio do?
I have an RS130 and a Holo May KTE. I experienced the same PLL I2S issue.
After some side by side comparisons and addition of the RSA720 Fiber Hub, I determined a marked improvement for the USB interface on the Holo DAC. I would recommend you give it a try. I know some argue for I2S over USB but with the galvanic isolation of the Hub you get a lower noise floor and the hub is only $395.
EDIT: BTW - the RS130 is by design a DDC. In my opinion, a great one, I have a few…