Raspberry Pi I2S to SPDIF Hat

I'd love to have some comparisons between Pi 3>USB>Schiit Gen 5 multibit DAC and 502>coax>Schiit multibit DAC. My Bifrost is on the Gen 5 upgrade queue. When I get it upgraded, I'll be able to compare (from memory) Pi 3>USB>Gen 5 to Pi 3>USB>Gen 3 (which I just set up and find kind of harsh compared with my fancier systems).

 

I am going to upgrade my Gungnir Multibit to Gen 5 hopefully this week and then I plan to compare to 502 BNC

 

I've used the 502DAC powered only through the DAC section for some weeks out of lazyness and then added a second psu to compare the different converters. I find powering them seperately increases the sound quality.

I'm keeping both out of convenience. The 502 DAC in a single box is more means less cables and less clutter, I agree the pi makes an excellent player. I'm using mine since nearly 2 years and never had and problems with moode audio. Very recommended.

 

Well the racks are almost finished so I might as well try rearranging the PSU`s.
Not that much work anyway. Although I don`t see how it can be a big difference, it`s already that good.
Thanks for the tip!

 

Were you able to have someone help you do a blind test? We simply can not measure any difference between Pi power and external. Thanks for sharing the great feedback!

Cheers,
Michael

 

No, I didn't do a blind test. I doubt a blind test in a private envirorment can yield relevant results.

I might switch back to pi power in the future and see what happens. You're using a standard switching supply for measurments?

 

The Pi supply is a standard USB 5V@3A supply. The external is a low noise linear benchtop supply.

Cheers,
Michael

 

Are you guys talking about the same thing?
Seems damaged-goods means power to the pi AND to the 502 simultaniously but when I read Micheals reply it seems he means power to either the pi OR the 502 (linear or not). Or am I just interpreting you both wrong?

 

We have tested the power with all three variations, pi supplying all the power, external supplying all the power or each supplying its own. In all three cases we could detect no measurable difference on the digital interfaces with regard to distortion or noise.

Cheers,
Michael

 

So I may not recable after all!
Nah, maybe later... when I get bored.

 

As I posted in my previous report on page 36 and based solely on subjective listening, I could sense less "digitized sound" using independent liner power supply (LPS). The difference was also evidenced by how long I would like to enjoy the music at higher-than-background-listening level. I heard bigger improvement by using the LPS for the 502DAC board - the jumper must be removed. The improvement of using LPS for the Pi3 main board was a lot more subtle, but it was still there - a YMMV thing. It may simply due to the fact that the notorious switch power supply contaminated the analog gears sharing the same AC outlet, thus not related to the Pi. One could use a power conditioner to treat power contamination caused by those switch power supplies, but a good power conditioner is not cheap.
I would not argue with you guys if you told me that all those were my illusion, lol.
By the way, the USB power phone charger are better than the switch power supply but a good LPS still beats USB chargers.

 

I am pretty sure I could hear a difference when switching to an LPS for the pi when I was using usb.
Difference was even bigger when it was going through the gpio pins instead of the usb-power inlet on the pi.
(Alot of people say I should not have been able to hear a difference, some do.)
So thats why I have it (lps) hooked to the 502 now even though it might be electrical nonsense.
Pretty sure it doesn`t harm anything either. I am now wondering why I started of thinking usb was the way to go.
Just to end up in this mess of opinions/tweaks/upgrades/purifiers/cables/powersupplies/isolators when all I had to do is switch to coax. Turns out there was no real added convenience in usb for me anyway. Did not miss it yet.

 

I second. There has to be something better than BNC in the future, be it I2S via HDMI cable or better USB hardware/software solution or the Audio over IP (AoIP) protocol, because BNC (spdif) protocol is limited by 192k 24bit. At current status, the USB for audio streaming has not matured yet, especially in the Windows system. Many friends have told me that the $155 HQPlayer is better than the JRiver player, which means that the drives / programs for audio in Windows are tricky. Linux audio is a lot simpler. My current plan is to stick with the Linux + Raspberry Pi + DAC HAT solution and waiting for the next breakthrough. In case of Pi DACs, I do prefer Michael's DAC hat design. I saw others reported that 502DAC is better than some other DAC hats. I was not surprised.

 

Far be it for me to dispute your ears! The fact that I don't see the differences on my equipment in no way discounts your reports. Music is very complex with many subtle clues that tell us about location, background, staging, spacial, etc. I do not doubt that some things the ear can hear are not easily observable in the electrical domain. That's is why so many choices abound.

I am beyond pleased with the reception you all have given us and our little cards. I am also very happy that it in any way we have enhanced your listening experience!

Cheers,
Michael

Sorry this was meant as a reply to HumanFly.

 

I feel like I profited from you taking a big risk.
Taking something into production is not a small effort and a financial risk.
And I do think you improved upon all of the available boards at the moment. (at least on the ones I know excist)
The Allo Digione may come close but the only comparison I`ve read sofar stated that the Allo was somewhat sterile/clinical and the 502 more musical.
To me that seemed like a no-brainer and thus it is us who have to thank you for putting your balls on the chopping board and getting this thing build.
Maybe now us raspberry-people will be taken a little more seriously by the high-end crowd. Although this may be overly optimistic. ghehehe.

And I don`t mind being disputed at all. That`s why I`m still married

 

Hi Michael,

On the 502DAC pro (if using the spdif) where is the volume is being controlled?

I am wondering if it would resolve my problem with the iFi iOne.
I am just using the RPi3 usb port, Volumio, iFi One and Scansonic S5Active which has a physical volume knob at the back and remote control.

My problem is not only "hardware" volume on the Volumio does not work but the volume is very loud the 1st time I start to play music. I have to use the speakers physical volume knob or the remote control to turn down the volume. The kicker is if I dont listen to music for awhile and I play music again, the volume is very loud and I have to turn down the volume again.
Not to mention it scare the shit out of me of the sudden loud volume.

 

The volume control of the 502 DAC Pro is located between the DAC output and the headphone amp input. Because it is a physical control, it will remain in the same state regardless of power up or down. This control does not change the line level output from the DAC, just the headphone output.

Cheers,
Michael

 

Any updates/pics on/of the housings yet?
No pressure, just informing!

 

Busy putting out fires all week. But, thanks for the reminder, sometimes I forget all the stuff I said I would do! It is high on the list for this week along with the volume control board for the 502DAC Pro.

Cheers,
Michael

 

I`ll see it popping up when it`s ready, no hurries.