Thanks for the reply on the signal routing using the KTE.
Boat stands for Bust Out Another Thousand.
I haven’t thought of a similar stereo analogy but increments of $1000 are about the minimum. 
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Oh well. I will carry on in ignorant bliss with my current setup.
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Very astute observation, @jkrichards, that I’m coming to agree with. I came into this thinking an outboard R2R ladder DAC of this quality would benefit the NDX 2 (as I felt the outboard Chord DACs did, IMO); the DDC with i2S connectivity, in my mind, would’ve benefitted the setup even further. However, theory and practice in this hobby are seemingly always at odds, but every once in a while they do prove themselves out in a positive light. In this case, I’m just not convinced it worked as expected in my situation, as the NDX 2 DAC is already quite good in its implementation.
I see you listed your Pontus II and Hermes pretty quickly…
Hi there. Yeah, I did. I did quite a bit of back-and-forth and just think money for me could be spent better elsewhere in the system; perhaps with a power supply or amp upgrade.
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Thanks jkrichardsfor your review of the Hermes. It significantly improved the sound of my Directstream in the ways that your described (bass, transients, soundstage, etc). Very happy with the Hermes and the Edcore XS4400 transformers too. It didn’t hurt that I upgraded to the BHK 300 and the Rockport Atria2 either. Life is good.
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I glad you like it. Much better choice over the Matrix.
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Did you do the analog power supply upgrade?
I’ve used external power supplies on various components (incl a Modwright Ultimate upgrade for my Oppo) but will wait for more details on the Directstream MKII. I also want to fine-tune and assess my new amps and speakers.
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There is a new firmware and USB driver for all Denafrips DAC’s and DDC’s.
USB driver 5.30.0
Firmware 3.12.0
I updated my Hermes last night. Wow… What a surprise. These 2 updates made an improvement to the sound quality. More 3D space and more steady imaging. I didn’t think these products could get much better without some hardware changes. I was wrong. Thanks Alvin!
V3.12.0 (Current latest version)
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Date 29th Nov 2021
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Compatible with macOS / winOS / Linux
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Improved low level STM MCU32 USB handshake with host
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Supports PCM1536 / DSD1024
Firmware
Guide:
https://www.denafrips.com/firmware-update-usb
https://www.denafrips.com/usb-mcu-firmware-update-mac
Windows USB Driver:
Thesycon USB v5.30.0
Driver Installation Guide:
Installation Guide
I am strongly considering to have a Hermes or Gaia to feed my DS with I²S, but I am still not convinced about the pinout configuration and the obvious differences in compatibility with the DS as described here for example.
So, is there a difference in the configuration or output of I²S from the Hermes to the DS after the firmware update to 3.12.0? I would really appreciate if you (or any other member of this great community) could confirm again, that L/R channel and phase in PCM and DSD are played correctly, even after the update of Hermes or Gaia to the latest version.
And another (maybe silly) idea comes to my mind: Would it be possible, that the different hardware- and/or many firmware versions of the DS in the market (original or upgraded from PWD) have different pin configurations for the I²S-Input and therefore behave in a different way when paired with a Denafrips DDC?
Ah, sorry @jkrichards. You already mentioned that possible differences in the pin config on the DS. Who knows?
The Denafraps DDC’s has a configurable I2s pin assignment. It covers all variations so no issues with comparability for any DS unit. My setup works correctly as it did before the update.
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@psalvet , apologies for replying to your old thread, but can you share your experience of using the D/D Iris with Ares II (TOSLINK?) vs Pontus II (I2S). Is the difference big? I noticed a very significant jump using the Iris with Ares II (connected using Coax), and wondering if it worth the upgrade to Pontus II at a significant cost.
I’m not the person you asked but I’ve had the Iris/Pontus II, the Iris/Venus II and the Hermes/Venus II combinations. The Venus pretty much slays the Pontus and I didn’t think the Hermes added a whole lot to the sound so Iris/Venus is the way to go for best value and sound quality. Just save some money though and find a used Holo Spring 3 KTE and go USB. By the time you add a DDC to the Pontus II you’re most of the way there cost-wise anyway and the Holo gives you way better sound quality than any Denafrips that’s not named Terminator.
@robwilgus thanks for the feedback. I already have the IRIS DDC (connected to an Ares II using coax) and my original question was really to assess if the I2S connection is markedly big improvement over coax to justify a dac upgrade with I2S which @psalvet seem to have direct experience with in the Denafrips line, though Pontus II has other improvements in the R2R and power sections.
I have not considered Holo May DACs since I am led to believe that they are a bit brighter than the Denafrips line. Since I have tailored the rest of my system to the Denafrips sound, I am a bit concerned that it might end up pushing the overall brightness (which I am sensitive to) of my system requiring me to change other downstream components. But it may be worth a deeper look for my next (and more serious upgrade).
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Yes, for sure a good DDC rocks. I run with a Gaia all the time lately. I generally feed USB from streamer to Gaia → I2S to DAC.
T
If I’m running an EtherREGEN side B > Innous Zen Mini III > PS Audio DSJnr BridgeII would I find an improvement in SQ if I switched to USB > DDC > PS Audio DSJnr via I2S?
Currently, I prefer the SQ from my Innous via ethernet into the bridgeII Vs the SQ via USB from the Innous into the DSJnr but maybe the introduction of a DDC (have been looking at the Gustard U18) but maybe the EtherREGEN & the nature of the DirectStream DAC are doing the same things & money could be better spent elsewhere?
Cheers
Matt
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If you are patient, my guess is that when the AirLens comes out you are going to have your choice of used DDC’s show up for sale here on the forum.
Or, if you have the funds pull the trigger on a MKII. The USB input sounds excellent.
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Looks like the airlens is now out but I’m guessing its out of my price range. I’m also not sure if its the right solution…but looking at it I could maybe feed it via the Ethernet output of my Zen Mini III Innous streamer & then out of the Airlens via I2S into the DirectStream Jnr?