SPDIF has a low ceiling for data. (DSD256, no can do) I2s can accept and pass a much higher rate.
I am curious as to why you are so interested in SPDIF. I prefer AES/EBU over it but it shares the same limitation as SPDIF.
Respectfully, there are SO VERY, VERY MANY choices out there that offer just what you ask for and at less than half the price of the AirLens. Make yourself happy, choose one (or two) of them and share with us your joy with the extra options and the extra savings. I am absolutely serious.
PS Audio Loves Loves Loves Loves Loves i2s. And when I am connecting two PS Audio devices, I do as well. It works. It works MUCH BETTER than SPDIF. You can hear it.
As I understand it, SPDIF and AES (and USB too, I believe) multiplex the clock into the data lines. I2S carries the clock on a separate conductor set this being a major source of its claimed advantage…
Hi, the AirLens will have SPDIF coax, but not AES.
I believe this is due to space limitations, but also as coax is seen to be a default in any receiving unit, if I2S wasn’t available.
@Paul, thanks so much for sharing the video. Really great to see the beta unit. Now things are getting quite close, are you able to say whether the AirLens will unfold MQA up to 352k?
So @Paul, sell me up here… I would like to buy the AirLens and DSII, and would send the music to the AirLens via Roon. I have 352k MQA recordings available via Roon that max out at 192k via the Bridge II. Would bringing in the AirLens and DS2 allow unfolding of MQA to 352k in these circumstances?
aangen, I loosely use SPDIF and AES/EBU interchangeably as one is considered the consumer version of the other, but I do prefer (and recommend) AES/EBU. My bad for not being more clear.
And I do appreciate your comments, no disrespect felt at all.
stevensegal, my observation is that different OEMs parse the digital path “server → renderer → transport → DAC” differently. Some sell unit covering the whole chain, other cover server and renderer, or transport and DAC, others yet focus on one function of the path only.
My point is that I believe jitter/noise needs to be managed/minimized in every part of the digital path to be addressed maximally, not only on a portion of it like transport → DAC.
I’m quite interested to hear how the SPDIF goes against I2S - when the outputs for both are galvanically isolated on the AirLens, together with the inputs on the DS2. I completely get SPDIF won’t go above DSD64, but I have heard coax can have a bit more body than I2S - but am waiting for the new duo to find out for myself.
It will. The question put before rather was, if when using the Airlens, is the galvanic isolation of the MkII useful or necessary at all. As far as I remember the correct answer was, it definitely rather further helps than not, can’t harm.
But the galvanic isolation of the DS MkII in my understanding was mainly implemented to make it more independent when non isolated sources/streamers (different than the Airlens) are used.
Hi. You are misunderstanding the nature of jitter in digital signal transmission. The problem you think exists, doesn’t exist, no matter how many devices handled the bits upstream. And the AirLens does in fact have a coax SPDIF output.
The Lens stores and rechecks everything so any jitter in the system is eliminated at the source and then presented perfectly to the DAC.
We did include coax.
One thing to think about is that when the digital stream is on the network there can be no jitter because there is no associated clock. I know it can get confusing but jitter is a timing function and timing functions require clocks.
I can use my Devialet using Roon Ready or using the Innuos player via uPnP. Most of the time I use the Innuos via usb into the Devialet streaming card. The Innuos was bought purely as a server, but I now also use it as a streaming platform.
As my Roon Core is on a QNAP, I could get rid of the Innuos, but it seems a shame as I’ve only had it since Feb 19, plus I don’t like the way Roon is going.
