I think you are overthinking things, the Oppo can’t tell what’s out there so it doesn’t do anything differently based on what’s out there.
In more detail:
Ignoring HDMI for a second. There’s no feedback on S/PDIF, TOSLink, AES3, connections at all. The source device can’t tell what’s out there so it won’t change anything depending on whether something’s connected to any given output.
USB isn’t an issue in your question, so we’ll ignore it.
Standard HDMI does bidirectional communication so that the source and destination can find the things they can do that are compatible. But once again we aren’t talking about standard HDMI and using HDMI for I2S doesn’t use the HDMI protocols.
The I2S using HDMI connectors protocol that PS Audio uses doesn’t define a way to tell if there’s anything on the other end so I doubt that the Oppomod board even tries to tell if there’s anything connected. And in any case I doubt that it would try to talk back to the Oppo just to say whether there was anything connected.
If you want to burn in everything, hook up everything you care about. The DS hardware won’t know which input is selected and the Oppo can’t tell either so everything will break in together.
“I think you are overthinking things, the Oppo can’t tell what’s out there so it doesn’t do anything differently based on what’s out there.”
I think we’re missing each other here. What I’m trying to figure out is what the Oppo does do, so I can understand if allowing the 203 to play music with the DS off is actually burning in the Oppomod card. Last week my coax cable was away, but it’s back and connected. The question in trying to burn in the Oppomod card which then came to mind in my technical ignorance is whether or not the signal is actually passing through Oppomod card vs. the electronics that feed the coax port; i.e., what is the Oppo doing?
I agree that we might be missing each other. But my point is that the Oppo can’t tell what’s happening outside so what you do outside doesn’t affect what it does or what parts are being burned in. E.g. hooking up an S/DIF cable or an HDMI cable doesn’t change anything in the Oppo or how it might direct signals.
If your question is whether the electronics for, say, the S/PDIF output is being burned in without a cable connected, then almost all of it is - the tiny difference depending on how much current is going thru the actual connector is very unlikely to be an issue (at least in this situation.)
Looking at things another way, unless you use the power switch on the back of the DS, there’s absolutely no difference in what the inputs are doing whether the unit is in standby or not - all inputs are always on and being used by the FPGA.
Yes, my question is whether or not what I intend to burn in is being burned in, mainly right now the Oppomod card. As I say, I’m only playing the Oppo (music via USB); everything else is off. What I wondered was how the Oppo knows which set of output electronics to burn in. If I understand your answer correctly, it doesn’t need to, just let it play.
Maybe get a more technical answer to your question on an Oppo forum Gene, as it’s quite specific to that unit?
Im not aware of how the Oppo works with regards to its outputs myself, my experience with the Oppomod card was it sounded great right away.
The Oppomod card connects to the internal dac’s ribbon cable, so that could be a starting point?
With my unit, I fitted a new HDMI cable at the same time, so didn’t think about burn in knowing the canle was a factor too.
Got better sounding after a couple of weeks, was it the card or the cable who knows.
As I said though, sounded great from the get-go.
Mine is only 13 days in, including settling time. Waiting for it to come down to earth. Hearing first signs hopefully. Should be able to report in another week to ten days.
It’s been awhile… I and someone else had commented about the DSD output being very atmospheric and, at least in my case, emphasizing the top end if not a bit bright. In late November, I picked up the Purist Audio Design Neptune s/pdif cable and their (copper and inexpensive) HDMI cable to use with the Oppomod I2S card. Now that they are well on the way to being burned in, I can say both not only represent substantial improvements over the Snake River Boomslang and PS Audio I2S-12 in my system, but also the differences between the two routes narrowed considerably when playing non dsf files. While the nature of the spatial difference hasn’t changed, now some music sounds better with one or the other, and with some the difference is too close to call. In general, the atmosphere makes the HDMI/I2S route more “exciting” or alive. If the recording is on the bright side, the HDMI cable will still be somewhat unbearable and I’ll switch. Interesting is that at a low-moderate volume, the I2S route is better, but when I jack up the volume about four or five clicks on the DS, the difference with the s/pdif pretty much disappears; that is, the latter becomes fuller.
The Oppomod board quit on me a couple of days ago. Opened the 203’s case today and discovered that the HDMI port had come completely loose from its soldered bearings (it had become tilted up its opening). Since I had only plugged and unplugged an HDMI cable into it two or three times, on first install and then changing cables Nov 27, this seemed odd. Even more so considering that I have had HDMI cables in and out of the external board, DS dac and Oppo dozens of times without problem. Of course, Jaehong is claiming I was too rough and wants me to have it soldered, which given the distance is the easiest first step in any case. But given that this is the second HDMI/I2S board that has been defective, caveat emptor.
Update: After a further exchange of emails, Jaehong backed off the accusation.
I have a question, looking at the HDMI port and identifying why the Oppomod card stopped working: What is the purpose or goal of soldering it to the board in terms of functioning, beyond stabilization? That is, if its four legs are pushed down fully so that the 18 strips or pins on the port touch those on the board, shouldn’t the needed electrical connection be made? If so - and that’s what I did in checking - then how could the HDMI port be the culprit?