Help with I2S input on an aliexpress PCM1794 DAC (Static)

Hello,

I purchased a PCM1794 DAC from Aliexpress, and when using their bundled LHY AUDIO Coax-to-i2s converter board, it sounds wonderful

However, I'd like to feed it i2s directly via hdmi cable from my DDC/Reclocker - but when I try feeding it i2s directly, I get mostly static. The static goes away when I grab and hold the i2s lines, so I know they are hooked up correctly.

I've been doing some reading of posts that have been posted over the years, it seems like some people say it's transmission line effect, and some people say it's due to reflections

I have two questions:
1. why does it work perfectly when I use the i2s output of the LHY AUDIO board? (the wires are the same length)
2. can I just solder in some 10 or 35 ohm resistors on the destination end (DAC side) of the wires? (I know that everyone says to put the resistors on the SOURCE side, but in my case the source is a DDC/Reclocker that sends out i2s over HDMI so I cannot do that)

Also I've read that people say you should alternate ground wires in-between your i2s lines, but how can I do that in this case, since the inputs are jumpers on the DAC board?

Thanks for any help you can provide,

-- Mike

i2s_1794.jpg
 
I think we need to take a step back here. I was ignorant to what a "DDS/Reclocker" is and ran with Marcel's comment about LVDS.

Now I see what a DDS is, I think OP is just using an HDMI cable to carry I2S signals, not recover I2S from an HDMI LVDS output? Possibly with another simple HDMI breakout board at the other end? I think he should elaborate.

EDIT: I guess there are DDCs with HDMI LVDS outputs, like the Denafrips Iris. So what is the whole point of a fancy reclocker if converting from LVDS to CMOS level will just introduce more jitter? :xeye:
 

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A couple more similar ICs...

Renesas 830S21I-01
TI SN65LVELT23

Still, every HDMI to I2S board I can find uses DS90LV048A. I don't know if it's due to price or what. It's significantly cheaper than the other devices, which you need 2-4pcs depending on the part.

I found a TI video on how to measure jitter. They give some examples of jitter from the DS90LV048A in different applications. One example is for audio at 100Mbps with a 10m cable length, which results in an unacceptable 540ps jitter.

 
The problem is the "easy" options available to you are no good, unless you want to re-reclock with an SRC4192 before the DAC.

I'm really surprised no one makes boards with those other chips I mentioned, since they have way better jitter specs than the DS90LV048A.
 
I was planning on getting one of those Ian Canada boards, but there are so many to choose from that it looks like it will take quite a bit of research to figure it all out

I'm hoping that if I get one of those, I can do straight i2s without needing an LVDS chip