No sir, no there isn’t. 
But, it is what gave me a taste of what good conversion could do and led me down the path to no conversion.
What is the spec of the I2S input on the DSD . Pick Faun offers five different HDMI Outputs for I2S?
LVDS - PSA standard. Let Jord at Pinkfaun know you have a DS/DSj and he’ll get you the correct output.
thanks
I am assuming they ship to the US? If so do we have to pay the included 21% VAT?
magicknow
Thanks, guys, I am just glad to know that people are enjoying the Matrix/DS[J] combo so much. I think a consensus has developed that the Matrix takes an already great DAC to another level. And now that there is a critical mass of Matrix/DS[J] users here, we are seeing interesting and informative posts about the effects of different HDMI cables and external PSUs, which is great.
Speaking of external PSU’s, I am comfortable saying that my experience is that the iFi iPower PSU ($49) makes the Matrix sound noticeably better than it does with no external PSU, and that the UpTone UltraCap LPS-1.2 ($435) makes the Matrix sound noticeably better than it does with the iFi PSU. (thanks to @cudfoo for suggesting the UpTone). I am not sure yet how much better the UpTone sounds than the iFi, so I am going to reserve judgment until I get some more listening time with the UpTone and then switch back to the iFi for comparison.
Also, I should mention that I am using a $12 HDMI cable that, to me, sounds so good that I have not felt the need to experiment with other HDMI cables. There are guys on this forum who are using a $350 HDMI cable between the Matrix and DS[J]. If the $350 HDMI cable is in another league from the $12 cable I use, then I suppose I might not be experiencing the full potential of the UpTone PSU (or the Matrix itself!).
Interesting I was hesitant to start this thread because I had seen several posts within other threads about the matrix by bootzilla / cudfoo and some of the other members. But I was still interested in more discussion on it as I had gone over to head fi I believe and saw a monster thread on it.
I am on vacation and didn’t purchase yet because of having it sit in the polar vortex !!
Thanks to members who continue to talk about this product and give feedback in this non brick and mortar world we live in. Hope to be able to get the unit when in stock !! 
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Yes they ship to the US, and no, no VAT. The exchange rate stings a bit though.
Now that my world has been shattered somewhat on cables, I might be upgrading aggressively in the next few months(May). I have a hookup which will allow me to get Audioquest at very near cost which is a significant savings as cables have crazy markup. I might swing for fences and just get potential end game or near end game stuff now while I know I have the hook up and be done with it. How many people have experience with high end Audioquest? I know there have been some big pumps for Wireworld. I have also seen a few comments about Audioquest, but not much in terms of recommendations that I recall. I know it’s all a value proposition. Am I safe to assume that top end Audioquest at something like half off is a worth while experiment? I’m talking HDMI, USB, Ethernet, speakerwire. I’ll be punching above my system so to speak with these cable upgrades, but I might not have this hookup forever and my system will definitely grow into it over the next couple of years.
PS: Those pink faun streamers look niiiice. Might end up with one in a year or two.
@bootzilla thanks for the update on the power supply. I might just spring for an iFi now and based on consensus here on the UpTone perhaps consider that at a later date. As for HDMI cables, I just pulled one of the Audioquest Mocha HDMI cables I had plugged elsewhere and connected it to the Matrix. Even at this early stage moving from the WW Chroma to the AQ did result in slightly better and a bit fuller sound. A little more heft and body on the instruments. I think I am going to keep the Mocha on this chain. Can’t wait for it to fully burn in so I can experience it in all its glory.
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Ditto! I just received my unit today. The packaging is quite impressive. But more impressive is the built quality. Schnikies!! This thing is a little Sherman tank with regard to construction. Solid. Heavy. Formidable. Pictures do not do it justice.
Anyway, most important is how it sounds. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it installed!
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Completely agree on the build quality. I meant to mention the weight of the unit, solid.
Curious to get impressions form anyone using Toslink instead of the USB.
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I tried the Matrix with toslink and it’s very good and was a solid improvement over USB. I’ve also used a cheap usb-toslink converter with a $5 radio shack toslink and that was better than USB. The Matrix is on another level sonically with both I2S and toslink. With LPS 1.2 and WW HDMI cable, I2S \Matrix comes into it’s own - It’s excellent.
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My Matrix arrived yesterday. I have it configured as follows:
My Roon Server and SOTM SMS-200 Ultra sits 50 feet away from my audio rack. SOTM is powered by a 9V linear power supply. I utilize 50 feet of Corning Optical USB (thank you @tedsmith for the reccomendation). On the receiving end of the Corning glass, I have connected a 1M run of Curious Cables USB. I wanted to continue to leverage the excellent Uptone Audio ISO Regen and UltraCap 1.2 linear power supply, and realized that there is a dip switch on the USB connector on the ISo ReGen to provide clean 5V power from the ReGen itself. Because there is no power from the Corning Glass USB cable, I figured that powering the Matrix via the ISO ReGen would work - well it did! Connecting my DSD is a PS Audio I2S HDMI Cable the AC 12 one that is no longer made that I have kept around for several years. I was up and running with the whole set up in about 5 minutes. I let it play for 8-10 hours before having a quick listen, and so far, I am impressed. To me it sound just a bit more relaxed and extended and inviting, than the same ISO Regen connected USB directly into the DSD. Before reading this thread, I would not have expected an improvement. I would say, that I am hearing (so far) about a 10% improvement in my digital playback. My DSD sounds exquisite with this setup. I am sure things will improve over time, as the Matrix breaks in. And I didn’t mention that I am running a 3M PS Audio AC12 HDMI cable. It sounds great, but I think running a shorter length may improve sound even more. Thing is, at this stage, I am not in any rush to spend $$$ on a different HDMI cable. I highly recommend this set up to anyone with Direct Stream DAC.
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Thanks @cudfoo. Good to know. Guess I should try the toslink at some as well just to give myself another option. I’m letting the Matrix play non-stop to burn-in and then will do some meaningful comparisons. Need to settle on something and then just enjoy the music.
What are your thoughts regarding this review and the use of an external power supply?
Warning: Opinion Piece. Thinking aloud after Too Much Good Coffee.
Spinning Now:
“I drink good coffee every morning/ Comes from a place that’s far away/ And when I’m done I feel like…talking/ Without you here, there is less to say”
This all gives me that “itch”, reading all of the excitement.
On the other hand - it reminds me of when I got a pair of USB to Ethernet boxes, a few months prior to the PS unit coming out in beta.
First it was better USB cables, then LPS, then better Ethernet cable, then better LPS…soon way over $1k worth of stuff strung together, each making the sound better, replacing a Single USB Connection. (See also current Gigafoil thread).
Bits are Bits folks were wondering, “Why and How can this make a difference?” This was the Olden Days, When Bits Were Bits, and Men Were Men, and we smoked our Camels straight ; ). Like…what? Maybe four years ago? Donkey’s years in Computer Audio.
Eventually I came to the conclusion that these tweaks were making it “less bad”. That’s why it works. Sounds like semantics, yeah. We always talk about how it is improving this or that aspect of SQ - which is the perceived sonic effects of cleaning it up. It’s letting more of what should be there (is in fact there, as the Bits Boys will tell you) through to the next device, with less crap.
If the upstream rig or USB connection (or any other means of getting the bits from A to B) itself, was not so prone to/open to interferences and interactions of various sorts (see Ted’s clear explanation for the perceived effects in different systems) none of this would have much effect.
In this respect, and believe me, it pains me to admit this as some of you will know - but the EE guys are right insofar as suggesting that, “If it was Properly Engineered in the First Place, it Wouldn’t make a Difference”. Of course though, that’s easier Said than Done, all Devices are Not Created Equal, nor are they perfect, work well in every system, have a sound you like…and so on. And it seems those repeating the above saw most often do not actually produce devices for the purpose, because if they do, they KNOW how hard it is, and keep quiet about it.
So - quite frankly, in part inspired by the Gigafoil thread and countless CA threads…I bought an Auralic : ) Now - I’ll say right off the bat that I’m not saying This Is the Answer, or the Best, or go buy one. And frankly, I wouldn’t be at all surprised, given my past experience on this particular Tweak Train, that the Bootzilla Signature Matrix with LPS, etc. would make an improvement over the single decent USB cable I’m currently running from the Auralic to the DSJ.
But I did replace a whole messy chain of diverse boxes and wires with one purpose-built box, which is isolated on the input by virtue of being wireless (one design aspect that I suspect solves a signifcant portion of these issues). If I had just bought one of these back before I started, I would have saved money and lots of time (though not all unhappy time…it is fun, after all, especially when you feel you’re making sonic improvements for not a lot of money).
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Ha ha, good one, thanks for the laugh!
We should collaborate on one. BootzBeef Binary Bifurcator sounds sufficiently alliterative and obscure ; )
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Hi Narbooty, when I switched from bridge to usb I tried a lot of cheap usbs, AQ coffee and AQ diamond. The diamond blew everything else away, even the coffee by a large amount. I’m still using it now. However, with the the matrix inline the improvements may not be as much - don’t know - haven’t tried cheap usb with matrix, but for me a diamond usb at half price is a no brainier in my view.
Ps try swapping your hdmi around as an experiment.
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Just wondering…
Is anybody using fiber optic HDMI with your Matrix??
SQ… Fiber vs. Metal??