An Audiophile in Seattle 'What Sounds Best, USB to DDC - I2s, Coax, Optical, To PS Audio SGCD?'

Douk Audio U2 PRO XMOS XU208 Notes:

💥The I2s not sounding better than coax was driving me crazy! When I did this test on my video, I was using the power off my USB.
I hooked the DDC up to an external power supply later in the day after reading in the forums about it more, then listened to the coax again, it sounded even better! So today I put back in the HDMI cable and played the I2s input again...the result was way better too! There is better separation between the instruments than coax, better timbres, and the bass is much better. The only thing it's missing is the soundstage depth, and sweetness of the coax. Some members on the PS audio forums were saying that the I2s input needs more burn in time than the other inputs due to the clocks or something? Either way I am hoping that after a few days the input will sound better and the DDC will break in too. I think going with an all silver HDMI cable would be a game changer as well.

"Douk Audio U2Pro":

Kimber Select USB page:

Kimber D60 Illuminations digital Cable:

Kimber Select HD29 HDMI:

********
10% off your order at Kimber Kable with discount code "VPCONCEPTS"

[jozno]

Great that you got the volume situation under control. On the I2S issue, not all I2S devices are compatible across the board. While more companies are using it, configurations tend to be proprietary for each. I have PS Audio equipment and it’s hands down I2S from their components to their DAC. But it sounds like your coax is doing a hell of a job.

[michaelwright]

This little Douk Audio U2 Pro is the BOMB! Much better than the Denafrips Iris DDC, and the sound out of this is first class. I am using between a Volumio Rivo streamer, the USB output to the Douk, and Toslink out to my ToneWinner DAC. I need to try the digital coax next. The best part, no external power supply required for my application.

[topandrun]

Always a exciting feelings when anything works.

[Temperature]

Of all things I have the past decade. Getting a DDC has made the biggest difference. The 2nd was R2R dacs. Even with crappy Phillips headphones the sound is better.

[nathanjones]

Coax was the for sure winner. Glad to hear Paul’s as nice in person/over the phone as he is in his videos.

[throyl]

Hello, thanks for the nice review as usual
I hope you try the smsl po100 pro DDC. It is cheap and very small. If you can, it would be a really nice thing to do a review of it and compare it to the Douk Audio U2.
And thank you for the review

[pacificateur]

Best tweak ever in my digital system was an Ifi Ipurifier 3 on usb input of my dac. ( highy recommended if you use a pc as your transport )

[roybraun]

Great video! I cannot comment on I2S, but I strongly prefer coax to USB on my system. I use Amarra Luxe on my iMac with great results. It has a volume control built in that I control with the Amarra Play app on my iPad. Happy listening to all..

[vpconcepts]

video description for links and I2s follow up notes(it gets better!) 😁👊💯🎼🎉✨
Also, Pardon the room acoustics in
this video if it bothers you. I had to have the acoustic shades up for enough light to shoot the segment. You can clearly see them open in the video...You'll survive!

[landosazo]

Great review....I thought something more expensive is better. No, not really. I've tried 3 USB interfaces so far with the Douk U2 Pro being the most current one. I also have tried the Signstek ($22-29) and the Topping D10S ($109). The Topping D10S was great for the first month then something happened - gives the DAC a punchy bass, full, and a bit forward soundstage, then one day the volume of the music diminished to about 75% from the original setting just by the Topping D10S in the chain. I sent it back for a replacement, but the replacement exhibited the same issue. The Douk U2 Pro with my hi-end USB cable powering the unit, there is heft at the bottom, but the upper midrange is anemic and the upper register is tizzy. Injecting the included 5 volt power cable corrected some of the upper midrange and upper register issues but diminishes the bass and you get a musical soundscape and images on a diet. The best of the 3 is the Signstek. It gives heft, muscle, punch, relaxed but clear soundstage and the images are large; acoustic recordings and voices can come alive. Listen to Pat Metheny's One Quiet Night, HUM's Don't Take it Personally, Terje Gewelt and Anders Jormin's acoustic bass albums, Melody Gardot, Holly Cole, Karen Souza, LUMP (Laura Marling)....To me, the Signstek for $22-29 wins ahead by miles.

[keithjohnson]

I bought this unit by nearly two years ago because I needed an extra USB input for the system I had at that time. I'm using it now because it's better than the USB direct input on my DAC. Powering with the ifi low noise 5V power supply greatly improves performance. The I2S output swaps the left and right channels on my DAC, I confirmed this using the sound test from the midi app on my Mac laptop. However the Mac is not my primary source so using the midi app to swap the channels from the Mac is not helpful. So I'm using the optical output from the DDC.

[rbunrxn]

Quality of HDMI cable for i2s use IS critical try the Ricable HDMI supreme made with occ monocristal and teflón insulation It Will change your thougt

[johnhovanec]

Those sf speakers sound nice and kind of speakers 🔊

[Stimpy]

I have the Leafaudio U2 CMD 17 Upgrade Version Femtosecond CCHD-575-25 Using I2S into a PS Audio SGCD. It sounds amazing; I'm actually listening to it now... I will have to try the coax!

[User_not_found_]

I bought 2 Douk Audio U2 Pro - one with upgraded clock chips. Great budget way to improve my sound quality. I go M1 MacBook Pro > USB > Douk Audio Pro > I2S via HDMI > Musician Pegasus. I2S sounds the best in my setup.

[mdiaz]

I jus got the Douk Audio device a couple od days ago to use with a Berkeley Audio DAC that has no USB input. It works great!!!! By the way, who plays that version of the song you used on your video, What a Difference a Day makes??

[ritabrata]

Hi, Thank you very much for this review. I have a Yamaha RN803 amp in which i am streaming High res music through airplay. It has a ESS DAC built in. It does not have any USB input however. If I buy this SMSL and connect my macbook to it via USB and the optical output to my Yamaha, do you think I would get better sound? I found that airplay does not support High res audio. Looking forward to your reply.

[myaudioquest]

All details matter! From the power supply used on the device to the quality of cable that you use. Keep your USB cable as short as possible and choose all your cables wisely. Digital cables can sound harsh, smooth or in-between in a resolving system (with discerning ears) so experiment whenever possible. My two cents!

[Audiorevue]

Let me ask you a question, how do you like the stellar gain cell? I'm in need of a preamplifier and I have been using an older audio research that bit the dust and I'm kind of also looking to get something a bit more modern with analog as well as digital inputs.

I also had the idea of checking out the NAD c658, very similar overall with even more functionality but I kind of like the idea of American made with the PS audio plus I've heard a BHK system and I really enjoyed what I heard and thought maybe the gain cell would kind of be a bit like that.

[budgetaudiophilelife-long]

🤗 I hope you will do a follow up after Break in…I watch PAUL’s videos daily 😎💚💚💚