I2S Streamers - Continued

A DDC is not a streamer. So it would be a lot more than just adding an Ethernet input.

I get that, but given that these specialty companies have spent (according to some of their info) up to 2 and 3 years working on these things, you’d like to hope that one of them would take an additional step to see how to build whatever that thing would be that included an Ethernet interface.

It would be far simpler to ad an I2S interface to a streamer…

Yep, that’s just a connector and a few chips. Ethernet requires a processor and a lot of software - i.e. a streamer.

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Has anyone tried/heard the Nuprime Omnia S1?

Omnia S1

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Hey, this is a new one for me! I’ve never heard of this Omnia device. I wonder if its I2S is compatible with the DS?

I’m curious as well. They list the pin out but I’m on my phone so it is a pain to go back and forth between the spreadsheet and the Omnia pin out.

Should be compatible as their CD players and transports are.

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I emailed them with a few questions. I’ll let the gang here know what answers I get, if any.

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I heard back about the Omnia S1. So I’m posting my questions, and the answer I got back. I’m not quite sure how to interpret that.

Message: Hi. I just learned of the Omnia S1 and had a few questions. First, is the I2S output compatible with the PS Audio Directstream DAC? Next, I noticed the info on the site about Qobuz being limited to 16/44.1. Is this also true if the Omnia S1 is presented with a Qobuz stream from a control point like Mconnect - which supports Qobuz at higher resolutions? Lastly, are there any online reviews of the S1? Thanks.

Answer: Regard Omnia S1, we have decided to convert it into an Linux based DLNA media server because the Android OS version that we used wasn’t stable enough as a server.

Therefore it can no long run streaming apps. Please refer to the new manual on Omnia S1 product page.

NuPrime’s I2S should work with PS Audio as some customers have successfully use our CDT-8 Pro with Directstream DAC.

:man_shrugging: :man_shrugging: :man_shrugging:

Thanks for the update. An unstable platform doesn’t sound good to me.

Yeah. Disappointing.

Apparently making something like this is harder than it seems.

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Yeah, I can imagine it is. It looks promising. I hope they work out the kinks.

I think what you refer to is the digital handshake that is required to extract the DSD layer from SACD’s when connecting a SACD transport. In order to do that both devices (SACD Transport and DAC) have to be of the same brand. Till this far this is the only official allowed alternative to circumference Sony’s electronic components to do so (according to Sony’s policy that contributed big time to making the SACD’s impopulair). This applies to any form of interface, of which I2S is a popular one.

Funny enough that handshake is not required for DSD files that are being created after Sony gave up on that format. So if you stream those files to your DAC, you don’t need that digital handshake anymore. By streaming I also mean from your in-house storage devices, as I am not sure TIDAL or QUOBUZ offer DSD.

No digital handshake is required for any ripped DSD tracks from any SACD from any point in time.

You are right. I’m confusing retracting the DSD layer from a SACD to retracting DSD from a streamer which you don’t need that handshake. My bad.

No problem just thought it would take some confusion out of the discussion.

That neither, I think it is an art to rip the DSD Layer off a SACD. Not sure if that is possible without violating Sony’s copyright rules, which I do think are ridiculous and did harm the SACD / DSD format more that that it did any good.

If you have a lot of SACD’s and like DSD also sns have the budget and the space the PS Audio proposition of Direct Stream DAC, Soon to be released Perfect Wave SACD transport and the still in the clouds Octave player are a good proposition.

But if you don’t own a large SACD collection and would like to step into the streaming solution today there are are the above listed I2S streaming solutions, but also simpler ones as well that even offer MQA decoding such as not to put any restrictions on any file format.

Not sure if they are still working on it but Pi 2 Design claims to have a PS I2S HAT (with HDMI connector) in the works:

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Yep, I have a Pi2AES HAT on my Raspberry Pi streamer, running Roon on RoPieeeXL OS.

Sending I2S into a Topping D70 DAC. (NOT A PS AUDIO INTERFACE, but it is I2S)

Works great.

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