Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby Yatsushiro » 28 Jan 2017, 12:58

This is my 'case':

It's a 1939 Cossor radio chassis, with the old electrics replaced with the Pi, Dac, Amp, BT module, pre-amp, power supply, and a Waveshare 7" screen

Image

Image
Last edited by Yatsushiro on 10 Feb 2017, 13:33, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby hondagx35 » 28 Jan 2017, 13:28

Hi Yatsushiro,

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Please use the correct links or upload your pictures to our server.

Frank
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby LC1 » 28 Jan 2017, 23:40

Yatsushiro wrote:
Of course he reads this!

The simple headline is that I prefer the Mamboberry LS DAC+ with Kali over the 2 Ti PCM152* DACs (IQAudio DAC+ & Piano 2.1) that I have tried, running Rune in a two channel setup. There is a warmth to the sound, it's less clinical, less 'digital' and more expansive.
.
.
if I had to buy one DAC tomorrow, it'd be the Mamboberry LS DAC+, with a Kali.


Wow, this thread delivers. You guys are fantastic! More than I was hoping for :)

I'm far from an audiophile, and know relatively little about the tech side of things, but I know what I like... My aims are detail, transparency and control without becoming too clinical, and good bang for buck!

I currently use a Pi B+ with IQAudio Pi-DAC+ into a SMSL SA-60 TPA3118 amp and 20 year old Spendor-made Quad bookshelf speakers (similar to BBC LS3/5A design).

I was originally very happy with the IQAudio, and still consider it to be very good for the money. But, as always, I suspect there is better, and I want one that is Kali compatible, hence my search.

Yatsushiro, that 'case' is outstanding - good work, Sir! :)

Thanks for the offer, Vita. Sounds complicated and beyond my technical abilities! I'm looking for something purely protective, as my Pi is hidden away out of sight. I may just punch some holes in a plastic box until something more bespoke comes along...

Mamboberry LS it is then.

How do you rate the I-Power, does it make a noticeable difference to the sound?
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby Blackfear » 30 Jan 2017, 06:11

LC1 wrote:
Yatsushiro wrote:
Of course he reads this!

The simple headline is that I prefer the Mamboberry LS DAC+ with Kali over the 2 Ti PCM152* DACs (IQAudio DAC+ & Piano 2.1) that I have tried, running Rune in a two channel setup. There is a warmth to the sound, it's less clinical, less 'digital' and more expansive.
.
.
if I had to buy one DAC tomorrow, it'd be the Mamboberry LS DAC+, with a Kali.


Wow, this thread delivers. You guys are fantastic! More than I was hoping for :)

I'm far from an audiophile, and know relatively little about the tech side of things, but I know what I like... My aims are detail, transparency and control without becoming too clinical, and good bang for buck!

I currently use a Pi B+ with IQAudio Pi-DAC+ into a SMSL SA-60 TPA3118 amp and 20 year old Spendor-made Quad bookshelf speakers (similar to BBC LS3/5A design).

I was originally very happy with the IQAudio, and still consider it to be very good for the money. But, as always, I suspect there is better, and I want one that is Kali compatible, hence my search.

Yatsushiro, that 'case' is outstanding - good work, Sir! :)

Thanks for the offer, Vita. Sounds complicated and beyond my technical abilities! I'm looking for something purely protective, as my Pi is hidden away out of sight. I may just punch some holes in a plastic box until something more bespoke comes along...

Mamboberry LS it is then.

How do you rate the I-Power, does it make a noticeable difference to the sound?


Hello
With this I Can't serve you, because from the beginning I have I-Power, so no way to compare with any cheap switching power supply, but there should be audible differences, many posts suggest this result...

Regards

Vita
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby ianhaynes » 30 Jan 2017, 16:50

How do you rate the I-Power, does it make a noticeable difference to the sound?


There's an interesting Youtube video comparing Pi PSU's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_i8UTa4rw4

Having seen this I compared the official Pi2 PSU I've been using against a good quality (but old and large) linear supply I have, using the Bob Dylan track he suggests. Although I was somewhat skeptical, I found I could hear the difference in Dylan's voice at the start of the track, just as he describes.

I can't vouch for whether the I-Power PSU makes the same difference, but do now believe a linear supply is worthwhile.
Pi 2, Ver. 0.5b, IQAudio DAC+
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby TommyBoy » 06 Feb 2017, 13:32

what you Guys need to add,
is the rune settings that actually works with the different sound Cards you are using.
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby Blackfear » 06 Feb 2017, 13:53

TommyBoy wrote:what you Guys need to add,
is the rune settings that actually works with the different sound Cards you are using.

Hello, simply uncommnet these below in config.txt :

for Piano DAC (including PCM51xx) - iqaudiodac+

for Mambo LS (including ES9023) - hifiberry-dac

Regards

Vita
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby TommyBoy » 06 Feb 2017, 15:38

it is just not always this simple :-)
some of the DAC chips i tested, need other "drivers" to Work and it was not obvious,
the types with I2C hardware volume / configure, MUST be connected correctly to Work,
and it was not that easy to find the info about how.
about the sabre i had the idea it is configures by I2C but dont find any such pins on the chip,
so it is setup via I2S ?? how is that possible / supported ?
soon i am going to try the sable, have been playing with the PCM5102 and PCM5122 they are very different,
and require different runeaudio setups to play.
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby LC1 » 13 Feb 2017, 23:14

Is anyone considering getting the new DAC HAT from Allo - The Boss?!

It is another one that reclocks the i2S signal.

Reviews seem mixed (one on artofsound, and one on the Roon community forum), so I am holding out for some more opinions to filter through. Some suggestion that it might even be an improvement over the Kali + Piano combo, though this would be a bit of a surprise since The Boss clearly has less to it and is at a significantly cheaper price point that the Piano/Kali.

But then, maybe less is sometimes more? :)
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Re: Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

Postby Yatsushiro » 14 Feb 2017, 19:22

Hi Luke

I've been watching the emergence of the Boss DAC with some interest. From what I can see, there is a longer 'burn in' time with the Boss than other DACs (perhaps it's the clock/xtal settling down), evidenced by the updated review on the ROON forum (see here https://community.roonlabs.com/t/allo-boss-dac-review/20575/8) and I know Josie is updating her review on AoS. I see some testers on DIYAudio are waiting for an updated driver so that people can use Moode rather than Volumio or ROON.

I think what we're seeing emerge is more of a distinction between the Ti based DACs and the ESS based DACs, which ultimately will boil down to personal preference, increasingly influenced by the equipment both up and down stream of the DAC. Without doubt, a reclocking of the RPi I2S signal is a benefit, so the BOSS and Kali are a good step forward; your choice then is if you want an 'all in one' solution like the BOSS, or would prefer an arguably better sound and the versatility offered by the Kali when paired with a slave DAC.

For me, I could not go back to an 'un-reclocked' DAC, the improvements are quite evident. If you like the sound of your IQAudio DAC, the BOSS will be an upgrade, and at the price, a bargain. However, if you plan to experiment in the future, then a Kali may be the better option. Either way, it's good to see companies like Allo developing new parts, and presenting us, the listener, with more options.

To paraphrase an old British politician, in the world of RPi audio, we've never had it so good...
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