Suggested Setup, HiFiBerry Amp+ & further questions

betavulgaris

Hi all,

I'm quite new to hifi audio but love music and would like to learn more.
I've got a NAD C316 BEE with a pair of Totem Arro at home. This is due to a suggestion by my former boss. Mostly I connect audio through minijack, e.g. from my Fiio M3.
I'm planning to build a system where I can play music through my RPi to make things easier and more flexible.

From what I understood the minijack on the RPi is not too great, so I should probably use the HifiBerry DAC+ to connect to my NAD, right? Is this a good choice or would it be a waste for the NAD?

Does anyone have experience with the HiFiBerry Amp+? As far as I understood the DAC is integrated, so you'd simply need a RPi with the HiFiBerry Amp+ and the speakers for a working system, right? Is the sound quality of the HiFiBerry Amp+ comparable to e.g. the NAD C316 BEE?

Some more general questions:
What is the reason for splitting up a system into subsystems like: Player -> DAC -> AMP?
I know that audio quality is only as good as its weakest link. Wouldn't it be easier to only have one system which is optimized in itself?

Can you explain me or give me a good reference on what tasks in terms of sound quality a software music player, a DAC and an AMP have?
(I do know about the different file formats, so an explanation there is not needed)

Thanks for your patience!
I'm very much looking forward to dive into running rune audio on my RPi!

hondagx35

Hi betavulgaris,

welcome to RuneAudio.

so I should probably use the HifiBerry DAC+ to connect to my NAD, right? Is this a good choice or would it be a waste for the NAD?

You can use any high quality DAC you want.
I personally love the sound from my Hifiberry DAC (DAC + pro) it's really worth the money.

DAC+ Pro advanced features:
[list=] Gold-plated connectors: Gold-plated RCA connectors ensure optimal connection to your RCA cables.
Dual-domain clock circuit: The DAC+ Pro uses its own on-board ultra-low-jitter clock generator. To have the lowest jitter values, there are 2 different clocks on board: one for 44.1/88.2/176.4 kHz sample rates and another for 48/96/192kHz.
Hackable: The board can be modified to allow external power supply for the analog part of the board. Also you can connect external I2S DACs. These features need soldering on the board. This will void warranty, but real hardware hackers have no problems with this.
[/list]

More important is that you use a high quality power supply, see above feature list.

Does anyone have experience with the HiFiBerry Amp+?

Yes i made multiple portable players with that DAC/Amp combo.
It sounds also great, but i wouldn't use it in my home.
You will need a very sensitive speaker (>90dB) with its limited output power rating.

What is the reason for splitting up a system into subsystems like: Player -> DAC -> AMP?

For me it's the given modularity. You can upgrade your system easily by swapping out components.
You can also separate power supplies from each other.

Frank