Raspberry Pi2 and Hifiberry Digi+: A cheap transport that made me happier

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Vastx, Apr 26, 2016.

  1. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    I've been struggling in the last month to find a good cheap pc transport that could stand his ground against a barely decent cd players. I was sick and tired of people coming to my house with their cdp kicking the ass of my linear power supply powered pc outputting to a simple xmos card. I was able to try a few xmos and c-media pcbs, powered via batteries or 5v lps. Same history. Trying the overhyped gustard u12 didn't really change the outcome. There was no major improvement. I was on the verge of spending 1000 euros for a mutec mc3-usb cause I saw no light at the end of the tunnel and I didn't want to surrender to my friends pushing me to buy a cdp.

    I like to control my music from PC and I like to adapt that control to my needs. I want my entire library in the tip of my finger, not a freaking mass of cd's in my living room and getting up every time I have to change the disc. When I feel like wanna work out I spin my vinyls.
    I like it this way and I want no custom closed software audiophile streamer to decide how I can browse my library. For those of you who don't want a pc, the system I'm gonna describe is totally controllable from smartphone\tablet and it can be connected to external hard disk, remote shared folder or nas.

    A dear friend point me in the direction of the raspberry as a music streamer. I was quite skeptycal at first, but due to the low cost of the trial I bought a Rpi 2 and a hifiberry digi+. I didn't buy the Rpi3 as for now it is not supported by all audiphile OS's.
    As I said I don't want to use another control interface that is not my PC, so I intended to use it as a UPnP endpoint, using the foobar2000 with upnp-output plugin as a control point. I tried Volumio 1.55, Runeaudio 0.4 and in the end I settled with MoodeAudio 2.5. Soundwise I found no (major) difference, they are all MPD based. After a few issues everything now runs perfectly. I have gapless playback apart from a click when manually changing a song that I think is due to the BETA upnp output plugin. I am confident that Peter (the creator of foobar and developer of the plugin) will take care of this.
    Playing files locally connecting a usb drive or a nas doesn't give any issues.

    Waiting for the Digi+ to arrive from switzerland I tried the usb xmos board connected to the raspberry. This time I could definitely hear an improvement. I had already thrown away the official raspberry smps wallwart and loaned a 5v lpsu.
    I started with a simple regulator with a lm317, went on loaning an other linear psu, supposedly declaring 2mV of noise, and then I built a regulator for 12V lead battery. The latter satisfied me more.
    When the digi+ arrived I trashed the usb xmos and went on using the digi+. This little board was a good upgrade for the price.

    Now the raspberry in my setup with no storage (and no kb\mouse, wlan,bt etc...) attached on it draws 280mA. With the digi+ it draws about 330mA. I'm not much of a diyer, I'm more an ignorant welder. The plan is to find a good regulator to follow a good transformer, as I can't bear charging batteries. I ordered this kit:
    http://www.diyinhk.com/shop/audio-k...e-dac-power-supply-regulator-3357v-15ax2.html
    and I hope I won't regret it when it arrives.

    In the mean time I had a chance to compare the raspberry\digi+\battery-regulated transport with a few cd transport. Finally I can kick some asses :D. It is a clear improvement over my pc\lpsu\xmos and some cdp finally are backing off, but it is not still on a par with the best vintage cd transports that had a run into my system (i.e. a teac vrds and a micromega cd duo 3). But there is still room for improvement in the lpsu and few tweaks to the digi board that I'll try.

    I still don't know how this fares versus a mutec usb converter and I am pretty curious. I would also like to know how a mutec would sound out of a raspberry and if this is even possible (in theory it should work, being the mutec a xmos converter).
    What I know is that it is cheap and it made my digital listening very happy :)
    I can hear more details, ambience, reverbs I never heard, quieter blackground and better imaging and layering.

    If you feel like sharing your experience about similar setups or have some tricks you tried yourself please post here.
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2016
  2. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I have an RPi2 with Digi+ board, and I run coax out to my Bifrost Multibit. I agree that it's a great transport, not just for the money, but a great transport period.
     
  3. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    @Merrick what psu do you use?
    I run coax too. Well... considered that the rpi2 costs 35 euro, the digi+ costs 35 euro and with another 90/100 euro I'll put it in a case with an allegedly decent psu I'd say it is a freaking hell of a transport for the money but without the period. I've heard much better music from dedicated cd transports like those I mentioned above. True holographic sound all over the room and astonishing effortless reproduction.
     
  4. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I'm just using the power off of a USB hub since I'm using that to plug an external HDD into the Pi anyway.
     
  5. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    But how do you power the USB hub then?
    Lps/smps/batteries?
     
  6. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    With the included cord, no specialty power supplies.
     
  7. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    @Merrick... may I suggest you try something else? If you are using now a normal smps there's a chance you are gonna smile once you try something else ☺
     
  8. MrButchi

    MrButchi Gear Master Europe

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    For what it's worth I use Raspy3+Volumio2 out to my Gungnir Multibit.
    Works like a charm.
     
  9. savant

    savant New

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    For the raspberry Pi users , where do you store your music? On a NAS?
     
  10. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    I built a nas\media server\file server etc... myself with an intel m-itx low power baytrail motherboard that runs on DC with a DC UPS. I store my digital music (and other files) there.
     
  11. IceUul

    IceUul Friend

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    I use rasberry pi2 with volumio. Sometimes i use external powered HDD, but at home i use NAS server over LAN. You can use just computer shared folder's or different NAS box with HDD-s, does not matter. I put my server to other room, so it saves me from the HDD noise.

    For OS Volumio 2 now, still not ready, but works better with Yggdrasil.

    I am using usb 2.0 cable to connect to Yggdrasil, had some problems with older usb cables. Never tried any other connections.
     
  12. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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  13. IceUul

    IceUul Friend

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    For me yes, since Volumio 1.55 did not support Yggdrasil to play 24bit files, need to downsample to 16bit and 96khz with volumio build in software.
     
  14. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    Maybe this setup is more audiophile than I believed, I found out this:

    [​IMG]

    Expected Price 1200$ :eek:
    I have to admit that the case is very nice. But maybe a little expensive LOL
    BTW Isn't the cable in the background a schiit pysst?
     
  15. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    I agree, nice case. Based upon the Pi + HifiBerry ... how much better of a power supply could be in there to charge more than 12x what I paid for my Pi/Digi+ setup? Even if they're rocking some kind of custom component implementation..
     
  16. Vastx

    Vastx Facebook Friend

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    I don't know what power supply they are implementing. The variation in sound with different power supplies is quite tangible in my experience.
    If they are doing something very special the price could somehow be not that crazy... considering their warranty policy. Oh... and obviously the big logo on the front plate.
     
  17. MrButchi

    MrButchi Gear Master Europe

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    Can't tell - I didn't try Volumio 1.55
    Anyway, since I only have 16/44.1 music, I dont see hownit could be bad since the Gungnir Multibit is DACing it, so everything upward is purely digital...
     
  18. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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    Bryston's reputation notwithstanding, they have to be bringing a lot to the plate for the price to make sense. There is the display, power supply, 20 year warranty, Tidal Streaming, Touchscreen, Internet Radio. Maybe their market are folks who don't want to bother making one. The Sonore Microrendu is in the $700 range when released, IIRC, and that's a custom board.
     
  19. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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    What power supply would you recommend, @Vastx ?
     
  20. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    @Vastx - You are tempting me to go down a road, I said I would not go down again.

    Linux had its way with me over the last few years. I actually had it working on my Laptop but the sound was not that great. One thing led to another and bam, Windows is what I am using on my laptop based headphone system. As good as it is though, my Mac based speaker system is much more transparent. At least I can hear the effect of the different bridges under test, but the Mutec 3+ USB is overkill on the laptop setup, for sure.

    Now I will poke around on the official pi site a bit and see if I am up to the task of trying a pi and berry. Anyone willing to help me when I get into a pickle, trying to figure it all out? :confused:
     

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