I have been procastinating over which cable connection (I2s, AES, SPDIF, Word clock.) to connect an S20 to a Denafrips Terminator II. The S20 is fed by USB from a K30.
On paper the obvious choice is I2s but from quite a few K50 owners on this forum, this is not what transpires and AES is often preferred, Cable/system dependent of coarse. Possibly more different AES cable construction types than I2s?
My thinking is to invest in a decent cable, but leaves me in not being able to purchase multipole cables to experiment with.
Which branded cable is another can of worms.
Does anyone have the above set-up and have some thoughts on your trials/investments and experiences with different cable connections?
Does one of the connections work equally better on both and synch better generally?
I found that the cable matters more than the interface. The great thing that AES has going for it over I2S is that there are many more cable options. Odds of finding a really good one on the used market is a lot higher. But what AES has going against it is that it maxes out at 192K for PCM and DSD64 for DSD while I2S maxes out at 384K for PCM and DSD512 for DSD (if your DAC supports native DSD, which believe yours does). So if you intend to do any upscaling, then I2S is the better choice.
For the record, the K50 with the modest Nordost Blue Heaven HDMI as an I2S cable sounded absolutely delightful. USB with my Shunyata Omega was a lot better, but considering the price difference it darn well should have. There are a few Nordost Heimdall 2 HDMI cables on Audiogon for around half price. I suspect you’d find this delightful as well.
I also think the cable has a big influence on the finer details that can grab your attention 100%. Hence it investing in the best cable within your budget and system setup.
But like the quest for the Holy Grail, pot of gold, etc. which is the best cable?
Maybe the better cable is more apt.
At present the upscaling route isn’t an issue.
Great suggestion about the Audiogon site and will have a better look through it and the Nordost cables.
I have tried a few Nordost digital cables - both USB and HDMI. They are excellent though maybe not the best bang for the buck, though that problem vanishes when getting a good deal on preowned.
I’d probably be looking at the Valhalla 2 HDMI if I were to go all in on I2S. In my case though I do prefer upscaling to 768k. USB is my only option with that. The difference when scaling to 384K and 768k is easy to hear and not insignificant.
My DAC does not have I2S input. I basically tested my k50 with different USB and AES/EBU cables.
Even with real high end USB cables such as Synergistic Research Galileo SX or Shunyata Sigma 2 the sound was always better (more natural and more musical) with AES/EBU connection. I think one of the reasons for that is that with USB the reclocking of the signal is made at the DAC, while when using AES the reclocking is made by the soberb K50 reclock.
Jorma digital AES/EBU is the best sounding cable I tested and I ended up keeping it in my system.
Much appreciate your reply.
AES seems to be the more preferred option over I2S or USB for a lot of K50 owners, hearing and system dependent of coarse.
The Jorma AES Digital is a highly recommended cable from many K50 owners.
Whether the K50 and the S20 (From K30) would experience the same effects between the different connections and cables with the 2 sharing the same clocking engine?
Not saying the sound quality between the K50 and K30/S20 will be equal but whether the outcomes would be the same?