So, the USB output from the Nucleus would be plugged into the Matrix and another cable (of some kind) would run from the Matrix to the I2S jack on the DAC?
At some point I had a Holo Spring DAC with a Singxer SU-1 USB>I2S converter, it worked well (not from a Nucleus but from various USB Roon endpoints). I used a good, short HDMI cable to connect the converter to the DAC (which I believe uses the PS Audio I2S HDMI encoding). Singxer has since built fancier converters that I have not tried. If you are into a bit of DIY, a Pi2AES-based Roon endpoint running Ropieee would allow you to separate the DAC from the Roon server with Ethernet, which offers more flexibility and maybe a quality improvement. I own two of these, although not at the moment for I2S output, just for AES output. From what I’ve read, HDMI output from Pi2AES to PS Audio should work.
Wow, to be honest, most of your post is over my head. When it comes to digital, I need things as simple as possible. I’m going to try to break down what you’ve said into bite size pieces to see if I can digest it.
The DDC setup is the simplest change from your current system. The separate Roon endpoint gives you more flexibility but more complexity in setup and management.
My goodness, that makes it so much easier to understand! I do believe that using your road map, I would be able to set that up. Thank you so much for your illustration!
You’re correct, I don’t have the Bridge II card for my DAC. Would having that card give me the same SQ as the setup that @Fernando_Pereira diagrammed for me?
The Bridge II would give you the potential benefits of separating the DAC from the Roon Core with Ethernet (which Roon in general recommends) without the complexity of the 3rd setup I outlined. But I’ve never heard the DirectAudio with or without Bridge II so I can’t speak to quality benefits.
