Just how important is the I2S for the DSD?

Audio Components Transports
1

So I am in the market for a new transport as my very old and original PWT (yep, 14 years and counting I believe) is getting erratic. It feeds my DS Dac Mk1 via I2S and still sounds good. In an ideal world I’d just get the current PS Audio transport and be done but the price is too steep for me. So reading around I learn about the Jay’s Audio option and others so have narrowed it to a shortlist – the Jay’s CDT2Mk3, NuPrime CDT10, and the TEAC 701T, all relatively similar in price but with one major difference presence or not of I2S output. So my question is really how much, or if at all, the lack of I2S on the TEAC would matter here?

Thanks, Patrick

2

The main advantage of I2S is to play SACDs (but Jay’s does not), if you do not play SACD then you do not have to use this connection.

However, DS Mk1’s best connector is I2S. So, if you plan to keep using Mk1 then it is better to find a transport with I2S connection.

You can trade in your PWT to PST when there is a sale going (or check with PSA). I found PST with MK1 using I2S produced the best SQ in my system.

4 Likes
3

How is your PWT misbehaving? Most likely the drive is the cuplret. You can easily swap out the drive and continue to enjoy it. The PWT does play DSD over i2s as long as the file is DOP. I make and play many hi-rez formats on dvd disks in the PWT. The dedicated cd transports cannot do that.

3 Likes
4

Thanks dchang05, that particular point about the Mk1 best being fed via I2S is a sort of key issue it seems. For some reason I’d gained an impression that this was not really the case with the DSD but perhaps that only applies to the MkII version.

1 Like
5

Actually the DSD is the unit best served by i2s. The mk 2 is much less sensitive to the input type.

2 Likes
6

I experience it that way as well. However I like to play my SACDs so I just use I2S.

7

From my experience, I like USB input more than I2s on MK2 in fact, but I2S was the only input that sounded good for me with MK1.

8

So I scared up a coaxial cable to hear for myself. In short, the differences between I2S and Coax are subtle to me. The DDS remote allows for rapid change that is so seamless it’s hard to determine a difference in real time. That in itself is interesting. I have to listen for a few mins on each then I think I prefer the I2S but of course it’s sighted and I’m primed to believe it. Need to have someone come over and control the playback to see if I really can tell the difference reliably. All to say, I feel the right replacement transport won’t just be determined by its output options. Thanks all.

1 Like
9

In my experience a few minutes is too short to judge a cable. You will find out the sound will change after 30 minutes (for used cables), and in fact the next day the sound will be better for most audiophile cables (meaning expensive).

I suggest you put it in and listen for a day, then switch to the other one for another day to compare.

However, if you have too much imbedded noise in the chain, it is likely you would hear little difference, speaking from my own experience.

10

I’ve been listening for days with both, but only consciously trying to compare inputs for mins at a time. The challenge is I usually know what I’m listening to so I really need someone else controlling the ‘switch’ so to speak to remove any confirmation bias. Both sound great to my ears most of the time (and I have a pretty revealing system). I do appreciate cords and cables can make a meaningful difference, just not convinced I am hearing one here. Blind test coming when I have a colleague over.

11

If outputting digital to an external DAC, I believe i2s is capable of supporting higher resolutions than coax. USB may be better yet. It would be nice if the transport and DAC had a full compliment of input/output choices to evaluate because your ears are the final judge. If you find yourself needing a DDC, the Singxer SU-6 and Denafrips GAIA are well regarded.