Hey Steve, I post over on Computer Audiophile. I was doing some reading on the PS Audio PerfectWave DAC today. I was surprised to find out it provides I2S inputs, but interested in the fact they are doing it over HDMI connection. This is directly from the PS Audio website:
"PS Audio has searched for a long time for the perfect cable to transfer I2S data. Some manufacturers use CAT-5 which is the cable your computer connects up to the internet. We took one look at this method and rejected it out of hand. The best solution we found was HDMI (High Definition Multi-media Interface). An HDMI cable is the best multi-conductor digital cable made today and it was the obvious choice for the PWT."
What is your take on this approach? Is there even a real advantage to HDMI vs. Cat-5 or are they simply turned off by the idea of an "internet computer cable" for fear of turning away audiophiles? They also talk about using the I2S input as "Native Mode" which bypasses the SRC. The other options include switching between 44, 88, 96, 176, and 192khz SRC with all options being inferior to running in Native Mode, which is only available using I2S. I interpreted their statement as due to the decreased amount jitter and superior data transport via I2S the SRC isn't necessary; but I'm not clear on how this exactly works. Can you further elaborate? Maybe I'm making this more complicated in my head than it really is. I really appreciate your time and thoughts. -David