If your current plan is to stick with the DS Mk 1 then another alternative that is I2S compatible with PS Audio is the iFi Neo Stream. Also if you bought your Mano from Magna then they will also be a dealer for the Holo Red and can tell you if it is PSA compatible. If you plan on moving to the Mk II then based on reports from Beta testers the USB input is the equal of the I2S so your streamer alternatives become open to every brand.
3 Likes
If you have your own music library that you want to access via a streamer’s good OEM app… which the AirLens will not have… then another alternative for i2s over HDMI to a PS Audio DAC is the Silent Angel Munich M1T. With a large library, go for the 8GB model.
Caveat, over i2s it only does DSD128. I think that is the limitation of what you can get out of the top of a Rasperberry Pi. (Can experts confirm that?) The USB will go higher.
Since I play DSD256, and since my DAC MKII just shipped without an AirLens, my backup plan is to use a Raspberry Pi4 with HQPlayer over USB. I already tested it. DSD256 works. Would be really interesting later to compare SQ with a beta AirLens.
2 Likes
Thanks @dawkinsj - I’m very likely to go down the MkII path, hopefully with good trade in deal. I have a NucleusPlus and stream Tidal as well as play discs on the PS Audio SACD player. I use an EtherREGEN which is fabulous. Also keen to see how the Airlens compares
1 Like
The new Holo Red does look promising.
Thanks.
Got the new Matrix X-SPDIF3.Compared with the previous generation, the IIS-LVDS output isolation is added, which completely isolates the digital output from the ground wire of the USB end. In addition, it supports up to 32Bit/768kHz PCM signal and 1Bit/DSD512 signal output. Definitely fits in with the Directstream DAC.
4 Likes
Why do these things mostly have just USB audio input? I just stream Qobuz from the internet to the DS Sr. using the Bridge II. It seems like most of the units that output I2S don’t have internet input. The internet input must require a lot more processing that most people don’t use.
It looks like it is the Mano ULTRA mkIIA Music Streamer (High-Res) that I’m looking for.
-Alan
Convers Digital
1 Like
If you give this a spin, I will be very interested in your findings.
Have you looked at this close enough to figure out which “control” software you would elect to use?
I wonder if Volumio would be the appropriate choice to allow one to use the Mano like I currently use the Bridge II (and whether the Mano would still work with Roon if Volumio was installed).
Good luck.
1 Like
Most of us use a Matrix or other DDC because we find that they deliver much better sonics than the Bridge II. It seems part of the improvement is due to getting the noisy Bridge card out of the DS.
1 Like
Have you seen this (also looks promising)?:
4 Likes
In the North America you have to buy through Kitsune HiFi
Yup, and Magna HiFi says that the I2S HDMI is compatible. They write: “All brands using the PS Audio I2S HDMI standard are compatible: Holo Audio, Audio-GD, Sinxger, Matrix Audio, Denafrips, Wyred4Sound, etc”.
Apparently the Red Streamer itself supports: “NAA HQPlayer, Roon Bridge, UPnP, AirPlay, Squeezelite, Scream, Spotify, Tidal Connect.”
Would be helpful to see this list for the AirLens.
2 Likes
Australian supplier:
1 Like
A couple of questions about the Mano ULTRA MKIIA:
Does UPnP mean you can use Mconnect on an android phone to stream Qobuz to play on the DS Sr., MKII or TSS?
Also, I’m wondering if it converts the internet stream into the highest rates that the DS Sr, MKII or TSS will accept?
Finally, how does it compare to the AirLens?
Thanks!
-Alan
That is actually a different beasty than the new Red discussed above. I think the Mano Ultra MKIIA is now even replaced by the the MKIII with an external linear power supply. But even this new Ultra is still based on the Pi3B. So, for USB, it has the problem of a shared ethernet and USB bus → not the best USB sound. The Pi4 based units do not have this problem. And then I understand that the most you can get out of the Pi3 I2S / AES hat is DSD128. So, since PS Audio stepped up to DSD256 with even the prior model DS DAC, the answer is that the Mano Ultra cannot reach the highest rates. Apparently it can though be used with Qobuz. But the experience with apps like Mconnect will not be as good as with Tidal Connect.
Thanks for pointing out the MKIII and the technical issues with the ULTRA. Sounds like I should wait for the AirLens to get complete compatibility with the PS Audio DACs.
It the RED website says it converts Digital USB to I2S. Does that mean it converts the internet input to I2S for Qobuz?
-Alan
Whatever you feed the DDC via USB will be converted to whichever output you choose, including I2S.
1 Like
You pose an odd question 
When you stream from the Internet the network packets contain a container which holds the PCM bitstream. In the case of Qobuz this is FLAC.
On the “internet input” of the streamer the software is responsible for finding the FLAC payload, aligning it across the incoming packets, uncompressing it, and then you’ve got the raw PCM bitstream. In the case of your question…
It is this PCM bitstream that can be sent to the I2S output. The answer to your question is “yes” (as long as the streamer supports Qobuz as a source*) except you asked two different things.
In the case of “USB to I2S” there is no streaming software involved. Something upstream of the streamer has already unpacked the container from Qobuz and is now supplying the PCM across the USB. The Red has the ability to act as a Digital to Digital Converter (DDC) taking the PCM bitstream off the USB input interface and feeding it towards the I2S output.
The unique thing about the Red is it can act as DDC or Streamer (not both).
*Qobuz is a bit of a mess when it comes to streaming because they don’t have something like a “connect” protocol allowing you to send the Qobuz stream to an endpoint. Lots of server software supports this, like Roon. Tidal and Spotify have their “connect” software which allows you to pick a destination endpoint and stream directly to that device. For Qobuz you need to use AirPlay or something else but then you’re not bit perfect. Now, if you run Qobuz on a machine / device and hook that device to the Red via USB then you’d be able to use the Red as a DDC. Again, this would be putting the Red in DDC mode and not using as a streamer.
2 Likes
With the Red if you use it as a streamer the USB is an output but if you use it as a DDC the USB becomes an input. Switch on the bottom of unit. See thread on Head-Fi.
1 Like
Thanks for the explanation. It is getting a little clearer for me.
Does it mean I can use the internet to RED to I2S to DS Sr and control it with MCONNECT for listening to Qobuz? I guess this would use the streamer part of RED.
Now I use the internet to Bridge II to DS Sr. and control it with MCONNECT from my android phone for Qobuz. I’m trying to find something to replace the Bridge II card because it is noisy. I’m also tying to avoid Roon and Tidal to do this with least cost and still have excellent sound. The DS Sr. is modified to improve its performance.
-Alan
1 Like