linger63

WRT 2 channel audio on DVD.............DVD's should all have a main menu where you can select chapters, languages, audio etc.........it should come up automatically when you load one. Many of them offer a 2 channel option. Also........Your Sony remote should have an "audio" button you can use to switch between available audio options. ChiFi box would NOT need switching changes as any switching is only related to stereo vs 5.1 ch output and you only want stereo so once you determined best switch setting for stereo it would then just stay there.

Firstly you are using the wrong extractor for DSD from SACD. Your current extractor does not do DSD (no DoP and no I2S) so you have to convert DSD to PCM 176.4 in your Sony before sending to extractor and then on to DAC and this is not ideal (kind of defeats the purpose) You need a DoP capable extractor (don't need I2S in your case) so you can set your Sony to output unconverted DSD to it. The extractor then sends this DSD to your DAC (with NO reverse conversion) and you have avoided extra processing steps (which would most likely have resulted in lower SQ). WRT 5.1...........Why would you want to send a 5.1 audio stream to a 2 channel DAC? You could just select the 2 channel audio option in the DVD's menu instead. WRT "switch positions"...........You only need to worry about that if you also have an AVR or Pre/Pro in the system and wish to use the converters HDMI out as a 5.1 ch audio passthrough. In any case for you I would recommend a DoP64 over SPDIF capable HDMI converter which will match up perfectly with your DoP capable DAC.............just like me!!!!!😄 TIP...........Try Coax instead of Optical if you get new box..... FWIW.....I tried both and preferred Coax. Good Luck

Your Topping should accept DSD via DoP using the right HDMI De embedder. Please ensure you have a DoP capable model and are hooked up the following way...... Sony set to bitstream DSD via (audio)HDMI out to De embedder. Then coax out from De embedder to DAC. Coax and optical outputs are DoP and PCM................. not I2S You must also choose the right setting on the De embedder for hi res stereo playback. WRT your Moon 280D............. According to the User Manual it accepts DSD via it's USB input only..

Your exact situation explained here....... And see here for instructions if necessary https://www.vinshineaudio.com/product-page/denafrips-pontus-r2r-dac

Had it for close to a year now. Plenty of reviews and Forum chat out there........here's a few more for you https://www.sartoriacustica.it/en/hi-fi-reviews/2021/07/01/gustard-x26-pro-review/#:~:text=The X26 Pro is an,to much more expensive products. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/gustard-x26pro.25073/reviews#review-25620 https://theaudiostandard.net/thread/6320/gustard-x26pro-dac I guess it depends what you consider to be the "usual" Websites although Audio Science Review is pretty well known and there's some talk amongst owners here too. Can't beat actual owners feedback IMHO. Anyway good luck with whatever direction you take and happy listening.🙂 Cheers

I found that to be the exact case when I added a Gustard X26 Pro to my Oppo 205. I suggest you read the below articles to get a better idea of how and why. https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/gustard-x26-pro-dac-review/ https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/gustard-x26-pro-full-decoding-es9038pro-2-chip-dsd512-bluetooth-5-0-xoms-xu216-high-performance-audio-decoder

Hi Guys, So my converter box turned up and works perfectly. DSD from OPPO 205 HDMI out >> Converter box HDMI in. Then Converter box SPDIF Coax out >> Gustard X26PRO SPDIF Coax in using DoP 64. Gustard DAC display shows 2.82Mhz. Cheers

So a bit of a follow up here......... I previously was using the cheap Chinese HDMI to I2S converter box between my OPPO 205 and Topping D90 MQA After internally matching I2S settings via the D90's Menu I was able to pass DSD externally via the OPPO's HDMI and have the Topping D90 receive it via it's I2S (HDMI) input. I had "DSD 2.8MHz" showing on the D90's screen and my SACD's sounded great. I then bought a Gustard X26PRO MQA and ran into an issue. Apparently the Gustard's I2S input works in "slave mode" which means potential compatibilty issues with my Chinese converter. This was the case as not only were channels reversed ( easily fixable by swapping analog out cables around ) but there was some low level crackling accompanying the music which I could not solve. Now the good news.......... There is ANOTHER slightly more expensive Chinese converter box that looks identical to mine which apparently also supports DOP64 via it's coax output!!!! I could have just bought it the first time round but thought all boxes were the same and went with the cheapest. Oh well.......now I know the reason that some cost more!!!! At the end of the day though.........around AUD$150 sure beats USD$1K for a Geerfab D.BOB!!!!!!! Anyway, I will be ordering one shortly and will report back. Cheers Guys

This is the Ebay box I bought. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Digital-Interface-Separate-Extract-Audio-I2S-Optic-Fiber-Coaxial-HDMI-ToI2S-IIS/124522696807?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 L/R channels are reversed via its I2S HDMI output. I was able to negate this via I2S settings adjustments in my Topping D90's menu. My newly acquired Gustard X16 however does not offer I2S pin settings adjustments in its menu so I simply reverse the XLR output leads. Anyone using the I2S HDMI output of this particular box with a DAC that does not offer I2S pin settings adjustments will need to swap their output cables over for correct L/R channels. See my Feb 4 post for I2S pin settings diagram of box. Also note that DSD flag is pin 15 which worked with my Gustard and was set in my Topping ( it offered 14 or 15)

Did you read the linked article in Post #1 ?. You need to adjust the I2S settings in your Pontus to match these........

Any luck getting it working yourself? If so........what are your settings?

Hi Guys, Just a short post which hopefully is not too much OT. Received my Curious USB 3.0 280mm cable the other night. I run it from a Samsung SSD T1 into one of my Oppo 105 BDP's type A ports. The improvement is SQ is quite substantial and I highly recommend it for this task. I reckon Rob is really onto something here as the sound was clearly better in several areas.....especially the bass. Cheers, John