When using an HDMI cable to connect to a DAC via I2S, what ‘versions’ of the HDMI spec are required.
Old cables were HDMi v1.4, then v2 (4k/18Gbps) and more lately v2.1 (8k/48Gbps).
These specs are of course for video HDMI rather than I2S.
So what level/version is necessary for I2S connection?
Is even 18Gbps an overkill, or is it better to get a newer 48 Gbps cable - maybe not just for the speed, but for example better built, better materials etc than previous types.
Top reviewed cables are not in my budget, so wondering if a ‘better’ old cable rather than a ‘lesser’ but newer type would give the best value for money
With my K50 I have used a few hdmi cables. Mostly old ones. In my case they all worked. My current cable is a1.4 (neotech ). They do sound different but all conveyed music.
Handy chart in this article showing the capabilities supported by the various specifications. The increased bandwidth is so that they can support more capabilities important to home theater usage.
I2S isn’t listed, but I would think that any 1.4 or above cable would do a fine job with it. Construction and materials matter more than the spec itself in my humble opinion.
Are you sure that Sonnet do HDMI?
Looking at their site indicates that the I2S Module is RJ45.
This matches other Sonnet products, such as Hermes which has I2S over RJ45.
A P2 Reclocker does not have I2S over RJ45 only HDMI.
Ahhh OK, I was unaware, good for them, that’s great news.
So all Antipodes music servers have the same I2S pin config, that is, we set to PS-Audio pin config.
Thanks Mark. Metrum/Sonnet have some issues with production at the moment but I will receive an e-mail when order intake starts. I will let this know in this space just for anyone who is interested. Production should start this week actually.
You say Antipodes use a PSAudio pinout/jumper setting.
I notice on the Metrum Acoustics pinout information (a download from the link on Metrum site given )- that they give PSAudio a Type1 setting but Antipodes a Type 3 setting - ie different
Will you be advising them to correct their information?
The new Metrum and Sonnet I2S-HDMI modules are out! We encourage that audiophiles are searching for the best sound and correct configuration with their favorite streamer product(s). We made a table that is available in the Attachments section of the I2S-HDMI module product page, direct link here: https://metrumacoustics.com/index.php?controller=attachment&id_attachment=29. We gathered pinouts where we could find them and published them, as to ease the puzzling amount of data. We can share with you that the large mayority of manufacturers have the same polarity for BCLK and MCLK (as shown in the table). LRCLK and SDATA can have a different polarity over manufacturers. What that implies is that you, as a user, can switch the polarity of the digital signals for the LRCLK and SDATA signals. In the real world, this gives you the possibility to swap the Left and Right channel with the LRCLK jumpers (LRCLK = Left Right Clock: switch 1A to 1B, and 2B to 2A to swap channels), should they be assigned wrongly. For SDATA (Serial Data) you can do the same, which has the same effect as changing the signal polarity of the speakers, only in this case you change the phase of the analog output of your DAC. If jumpers 3 and 4 are placed in the ‘wrong’ position, you will still have musical output, albeit in the wrong phase. Detecting the phase of your setup is a little more difficult than choosing your favorite recording and checking left and right, which is why we gave the world a table to work with. What could help you is play Ouverture 1812, skip to the bombastic cannon part and check whether the speaker cones move inwards or outwards (you have to be fast though!)
To respond to compatibility with PSaudio standard (our Type 1 jumper placement), and Metrum stating Type 3 jumper placement: to make Antipodes correspond to PSaudio standard, LRCLK and SDATA need to be changed (I2S Connection on Antipodes - Master Thread - #9 by MarkCole). This is exactly the difference between Type 1 and Type 3, and should disambiguate, and/or clear up what the jumpers do and why Metrum/Sonnet advises to go with the Type 3 setting when playing with Antipodes streaming products.
