Forums - For the DDC Curious

Palomino

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For the DDC Curious
06/30/25 at 18:50:08

I saw a couple of YouTube reviews that mentioned this DDC and decided to give it a try.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLYVZCV5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Well this little gizmo seems very worth the $73 + tax I paid on Amazon. I have used it in two systems - my main system to input I2S into my Holo Cyan 2 and my cottage system with a coax into my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. It provided improvements in both systems.

It improved the depth of soundstage, positioning of instruments in the space and bass definition. More of all three on the Holo DAC system but that is also in a fairly well treated room, where the cottage system has no room treatments at all.

On the DAC+ system it also helped to take away some of that Delta Sigma edge. Much more analogue sounding and I hope to do a side by side with the Holo.

I liked the Mytek dac but wanted a more analogue sound, thus my move to the Holo. If I had this little DDC at the time, I may not have switched.

I am thinking of buying a second one for the cottage system. I have already invested in a better, short USB cord and HDMI cord.

Anyway, if you are I2S curious or want to smooth out the edge on your DAC, it might be worth the gamble. You get a generous return window with Amazon so not much of a risk if you don't hear any improvement.

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CAJames

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #1 - 06/30/25 at 20:46:04

Quote:

Posted by: Palomino Posted on: Today at 10:50:08

...Anyway, if you are I2S curious or want to smooth out the edge on your DAC, it might be worth the gamble...

Very cool. I love my DDC, even though I paid a lot more than 70 bucks for it. One thing I will say though is that there is no I2S standard pinout for DACs. So it is possible that this unit won't work with yours. If you have documentation you can compare to what is on Amazon, or you always have the generous return policy.

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Palomino Seasoned Member Posts: 2519	Re: For the DDC Curious Reply #2 - 07/01/25 at 01:55:31 It has two settings to cover the I2S differences. I have no idea what the differences are. I just plugged it in, fed it USB out of my Mac mini and was good to go.
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Palomino

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #3 - 07/01/25 at 19:36:57

Found another review of this cheap unit vs a $800 Denafrips DDC. Did alright, but the Denafrips was clearly better.

This has been an eye opener into the world of DDCs.

I was a fairly early adopter of Uptone Audio Amber and used that until I got the Holo Cyan 2. With the galvanic isolation of the Holo, I couldn't detect a difference when the Amber was added in so it came out of the chain.

Big difference though with this re-clocker.

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Donnie Seasoned Member Why does it hurt when I pee? Posts: 2411	Re: For the DDC Curious Reply #4 - 07/01/25 at 20:30:54 I’m kind of wondering if the cheap DDC would be a good match for my cheap Fiio R2R DAC? Cheap plus cheap equals less cheap?
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CAJames

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #5 - 07/01/25 at 20:37:18

Quote:

Posted by: Donnie Posted on: Today at 12:30:54

I’m kind of wondering if the cheap DDC would be a good match for my cheap Fiio R2R DAC?

What kind of inputs does the Fiio have? IMO the big win from a DDC comes if you can go I2S from DDC to DAC, but I think a DDC (almost) always helps, its just a matter of how much. And if you don't like it there is always the amazin' Amazon return policy.

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Sean

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #6 - 07/18/25 at 17:01:10

My CSP2+ has been back at the mothership getting upgrades. I put a Schiit Asgard in its place. I'm mostly a vinyl guy and the Asgard just doesn't have the synergy with my ZP3 so I've been 100% digital for a few weeks.

Roon on Mac Mini to Ares 15th to Asgard to UFO25.

Figured there's no risk in trying this little DDC, that's mostly true but not entirely. The DDC was down to about $65 so I got one. I spaced on the fact it has a USB C input. I had been using a AQ Forest usb cable with USB C adapter on the Mini end. Back to Amazon for an adapter on the DDC end. In the meantime I used the 6" USB C cable that comes with the DDC. I have 3 or 4 12" HDMI cables that I can't recall ordering, can't think of anything here that would use such a short cable. Regardless, I used one from the DDC to the Ares 15. Just like Palomino, everything worked and there was no need to play with the switches on the DDC. So there is a risk of falling into the "need more cables" rabbit hole.

When the unit arrived I got it up and running and did a quick listen. Yikes, the bass was a mess but everything else was ok. I walked away for a hours and things seemed to settle down a little. I was impressed that night at the noticeable instrument separation, a slight increase of depth and soundstage. It really brought the vocals out. Night two with same setup was more of the same. I left everything but the amp run 24-7 to rack up some hours on the DDC.

Day three - the USB A to C adapter arrived so I pulled out the little white USB cable and put the AQ cable with adapters on both ends in. Sat down that night to listen and most everything just grated my nerves. The sound developed a high pitch glare on some tracks. Other tracks were great, some others just seemed to wander from muddy to way too forward. Perhaps the AQ cable and adapters is the culprit, perhaps the HDMI, maybe...ah hell it could be anything.

I'm hoping to find a couple hours over the weekend to swap cables and play around. The other risk is...maybe the Denafrips Iris is worth the 10x higher price? FOMO and all that. Anyways, for $65-75 I think there is potential for a nice improvement, but at least for me it's not been a simple plug n play and forget about it. I've got a tracking number for my CSP, so I have a bit of time to play around before it comes back and things change all over again.

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CAJames

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #7 - 07/18/25 at 17:27:21

Quote:

Posted by: Sean Posted on: Today at 09:01:10

...Sat down that night to listen and most everything just grated my nerves. The sound developed a high pitch glare on some tracks. Other tracks were great, some others just seemed to wander from muddy to way too forward...

I don't know if this is the same thing, but I've had occasional similar issues with my Denafrips DDC + DAC via the USB input. In my case the sound was more like static or a skipping CD. Never with the AES/EBU connection from the CD transport. And the solution has been some combination of rebooting the PC on which I play the files, reseating the USB and/or HDMI cables or powering off and/or resetting the I2S connection between DDC and DAC.

Hopefully you can get to the bottom of this.

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Palomino Seasoned Member Posts: 2519	Re: For the DDC Curious Reply #8 - 07/18/25 at 17:55:52 Interesting. The complete opposite of my experience. I actually just bought a second one for my other system. I was at the cottage and did some A/B and it was night and day in terms of soundstage depth (which is a challenge there). Hopefully you can sort it out.
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Sean

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #9 - 07/21/25 at 15:59:54

I didn't get as much time as I'd like to play around, but I did find good landing spot. I concentrated on the USB cable between the Mini and the DDC. I don't have many USB C cables here, but I do have 5 of these for charging PS5 controllers and wife's iPad.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFZDHRPP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

I like keeping signal cables as short as possible but after putting this cable between the Mini and DDC everything came together very nicely. With the 6" white cable that came with the DDC I was getting very good separation but lost the blend between instruments, it really sounded too analytical. With the long Anker cable the music is presented much better - smooth, quick with impact, with great depth and stage. I may try a shorter version of this cable, but for now I'm happy where things stand. My CSP2+ returns tomorrow which I've dearly missed. The Asgard is ok, better than nothing, but in low gain (zero feedback) it's just not enough gain and the high gain is too noisy to use, I'll be happy to get that out of the chain and put it back in the work station setup.

I won't be taking advantage of the return policy, this DDC is here to stay, unless a Iris or Hermes falls from the sky into my hands.

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Coqui Senior Member Posts: 58	Re: For the DDC Curious Reply #10 - 07/21/25 at 19:32:45 Interesting. I was coincidentally watching Randy, the Cheap Audio Man, yesterday when he was presenting this SMSL as way of improving the sound of the Wiim Ultra. It is really tempting to give it a try! Ramón
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Sean

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #11 - 08/24/25 at 19:15:11

Wanted to circle back around on this. I'd now give this DDC 5 stars. I recently moved my Denafrips Ares 15th to my desk. This computer runs roon for desktop, the "less than great" room and outside. Before moving the Ares, I was using a Bifrost 2 into a Jotunheim then to a 90's Yamaha for indoors or a Fosi TPA3116 for outside. speakers inside are NHT Zero or Infinity Qe, outside I have Kef Ventura 6's.

Anyhow, the sound outside is shockingly good. That little Fosi amp is another low cost box I have nothing bad to say about except trying to attach speaker wires with big fingers is frustrating. I've been doing landscaping all summer and diving into the deep end of the Grateful Dead shows. There's something about live Dead played outside that soothes me. Once I got a USB C card for my computer I added in the DDC and each of the different spots I can listen improved. Sonically smooth, better imaging, soundstage, and separation which allows some added detail to appear. Headphones into the Jotunheim has been the biggest winner from the DDC and I'm not a big fan of headphones in general. I wouldn't put these setups up against my Decware rack...but they do meet the needs and have benefitted a bunch with that little DDC.

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Palomino Seasoned Member Posts: 2519	Re: For the DDC Curious Reply #12 - 09/25/25 at 13:44:37 a couple reviews with comparisons to more expensive units: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUQeeQvOvPc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_E9GKqjurY
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Sean

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #13 - 09/25/25 at 20:20:45

I picked up a used Iris 12th, it arrived last Friday.

Does it perform better than the SMSL? Without a single doubt, yes it does. Granted it was $400 used compared to the $60-70ish SMSL.

I've had to shuffle some systems around the house and the main digital system is upstairs at my desk now. We bought a new house and things are crazy at the moment and will be for a few months. I'll be staying here at the old house so my son can continue at his school and I can slowly move things 8 mins away and get this house fixed up.

For now I'm using a Mac Pro with Roon -> Iris 12th -> Ares 15th -> Schiit Jotenheim -> Yamaha HTR 5960 -> NHT SuperZero at desk OR Infinity Qe for whole room OR Fosi to Kef's for outside. Also using a 8" Mirage sub off the Yamaha. The Yamaha and Infinity are not my first choice but until I move they are what I've got.

The important part, comparing the SMSL to the Iris. again, the price points are vastly different. The biggest difference is the low end on the Iris. The low end seems to be more pronounced, not in BOOM BOOM ways but as a better foundation/support - it's present and there but blends well for a more complete sound up through the mids. The mids and highs are fluid and smooth, more crisp and clear but not analytical and dry. I mostly use the SuperZeros at my desk about 2' from my ears. I've struggled for years on a near field setup, currently this setup has no fatigue. I've been listening to Goose - Live at the Capitol Theatre which is 12 hours long and never once got fatigued or agitated by the sound. Both the Iris and SMSL seem to eliminate "noise" that hides detail. The Iris has a bigger presence in soundstage and separation for me.

I'm not great with words, wish I could articulate the differences better. In my opinion you can definitely enjoy the added benefits of the SMSL for pretty cheap cost, it does a fine job and is very smooth. However, if you want to supersize the SMSL "effect" or "sound" the Iris won't disappoint at all.

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Palomino

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #14 - 09/25/25 at 23:11:16

Thanks for the update. I like the $400 price point. Given the improvement I got out of the smsl, I think that’s a more affordable upgrade path. I did spring for a sliver wire hdmi cord which gets pretty good reviews. It’s from China so I’ll let you know in a month. And yes, it was more expensive than the PO 100 Pro but I plan to upgrade before the end of the year.

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CAJames

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Re: For the DDC Curious
Reply #15 - 09/26/25 at 01:32:36

Happy to hear my high(er) dollar Denafrips DDC isn't obsolete yet.

FWIW in my digital journey I've found both USB and HDMI cables really matter. I really like the DH Labs HDMI cable:

https://silversonic.com/products/digital-cables/hdmi-2-1

It is 50 bucks more than when I bought mine a few years ago, but I think it is still a solid value and you don't have to deal with customs.

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Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Audeze LCD-XC

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Palomino Seasoned Member Posts: 2519	Re: For the DDC Curious Reply #16 - 09/26/25 at 02:20:40 Pretty good price. I think this AVPlay HD 300 was around $85 shipped. I general I have had good luck with silver cables. Made my own balanced cables.
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