Aug 26, 20221 min read

Why you need a DDC?

Before we dive into why you need a DDC, perhaps let us explain what is a DDC.

DDC - Digital To Digital Converter, is an external device that processes, and converts the Digital Input Signal (USB) to various Digital Outputs (SPDIF/I²S). The Digital Output signal has to be connected to a DAC (Digital To Analog Converter), and subsequently to the downstream equipment (i.e. Amplifier).

Not all DDC are made equal. Some DDC on the market comes with upsampling function, where user may select the desire output sampling rate and so on.

For the case of DENAFRIPS DDC, the DDC is featured packed with:

Built-in LPS
Multiple Digital Inputs (USB/SPDIF)
FIFO Buffer & Reclocking
High Quality Crystal Oscillator (OCXO)
SPDIF Outputs via Coax/Opt/AES
I²S Outputs via HDMI/RJ45 Connectors

All Digital Outputs of DENAFRIPS DDC are active simultaneously. Yes, you may connect more than one DAC to the DDC as illustrated in the following diagram:

Here is the condensed Denafrips Iris review by A British Audiophile. Tarun of ABA explained in great details of why you may (or may not) want a Digital-to-Digital converter (DDC).