Dummies Guide to Pi2AES! Throw away your PC or laptop.

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by purr1n, Jan 29, 2020.

  1. kee7a

    kee7a New

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    If anyone uses Plex for music, a new version of Plexamp for the Pi was released. This new version is much easier to install and I've been using it this afternoon with no issue on a Pi 4b with the pi2aes hat. No sound issues and an easy UI after it's installed. He really did a good job with it.

    https://forums.plex.tv/t/future-of-plexamp-on-raspberry-pi/717577/161
     
  2. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    Hello

    First post, and I need some guidance or any help you guys can offer.

    I'm getting a pi2aes/Ras 4b in a day or so and have been reading as much as I can so I know how to set everything up. The guy I'm buying from installed volumio for me to start me off.

    My question is: I wanted to use this as a Roon bridge. How do I install the plugin? Or where do I find this information?

    Again, I'm an absolute newb with this stuff...so please be thorough in your response.

    Thanks in advance
     
  3. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    Roon Bridge is an "official" Volumio plugin, which means you'll find it in plugins list and all you need to do is click on the Install button. Roon should find it and show it under Settings > Audio, and you need to enable it.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2022
  4. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    Thank you so much Metro. Part of the problem is that I haven't gotten the device yet and I'm trying to prepare.... Also, the internet is full of old information. Trying to find something that is more relevant and recent is the difficult part.

    Second question: I also ordered a Denafrips Pontus 2 DAC... I'm pretty sure I found the proper i2s pin configuration but, is there anything special that needs to be done for it to work with Roon? From what I read, volumio will prompt me about the i2s DAC when its first run?

    I imagine I just have to enable the DAC in Roon after this and that should be it?

    Thanks again for anyone who can help.
     
  5. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    Roon Core will stream to the Roon endpoint (Volumio running Roon Bridge plugin). Roon connects to Volumio but has no involvement with any DAC or i2s beyond it..

    Volumio's prompt during setup about i2s DAC is poorly worded and misleading. The Pi2AES board plugs into the Raspberry Pi board. The connector between them (2 rows of pins) uses an i2s interface for data transfer. What Volumio is really asking is whether to stream digital audio to an attached card (such as Pi2AES). If you don't have an attached card, Volumio will stream audio only to the Raspberry Pi's USB port.

    The Pi2AES has multiple output ports (coax, optical, BNC, AES, HDMI). There's no need to select or enable any of them because they are all active, all the time. The HDMI output has an i2s interface, and you can use it if your DAC has an i2s input. However this i2s output is not what the Volumio setup is referring to, which is completely different.
     
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    Last edited: May 6, 2022
  6. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    Oh ok, that makes sense. Thanks so much Metro for your help again.
     
  7. ike99

    ike99 New

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    What's the best power supply for the PI2AES running via the 5V mod?

    Also, how does the Zenstream compare to the PI2AES or PI2AES + Digione signature?
     
  8. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    Ok..... I ran into a bit of a problem. Just got the pontus today and I'm trying to set it up with the pi2aes.

    Using the hifiberry digi pro + driver in volumio. Is there another driver that I'm supposed to use because... I'm getting no sound from the Pontus. I've tried several different HDMI cords and, went through all the different i2s configuration modes in the pontus.

    Please help.
     
  9. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    In order to isolate the issue, try interfacing the Dac using coax or Opto. This will make sure that the software is running correctly and that the dac is also running correctly. alternatively you can remove the PI2AES and set the driver for USB and use that to talk to the DAC. This will help you start from a working base and then add the pi2aes and the drivers and ultimately I2S.
     
  10. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    Works great using coax. I also have an Auralic Altair G1 that coax works with too.

    The weird thing is, AES out from pi2aes works perfectly with the Auralic, but only one channel of sound comes out with the pontus. Might be a separate issue....

    Anyway, what would you suggest I try next?

    Thanks for the help
     
  11. Wobbletits

    Wobbletits Facebook Friend

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  12. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Unfortunately if the Auralic dac works then the PI2AES is not the issue. Sorry.
     
  13. dericchan1

    dericchan1 Acquaintance

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    Hi Michael, can you please advise for i2s hdmi connection of pi2aes to a denafrips pontus ii, what should be the i2s driver used in volumio? Should it be the hifiberry digi pro+ driver still?
    Thanks

    Deric
     
  14. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    actually I misunderstood. I didn’t realize the other DAC was not using i2S. You are the second person that is having trouble with our board and the PONTUS DAC. Is anyone out there willing to lend me one so I can get to the bottom of this?
     
  15. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Yes the driver doesn’t change regardless of the interface. All of the outputs on our border active simultaneously and they don’t require any specific configuration beyond the driver
     
  16. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    Thanks so much for this....that was it for fixing the AES problem. I've never heard of this before... pretty stupid.

    Now I just need to figure out this i2s connection problem.
     
  17. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    I plan to send a PI2AES tomorrow to the Singapore distributor for Denafrips. Will take about three days to get there so by Monday Tuesday he should have one in his hands. The problem of course, is that I don’t know what the problem is! And I’m not sure they will either. But maybe they can get with the Denafrips technical people.
     
  18. Audionumber3

    Audionumber3 New

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    That's awesome Mike. I only have one HDMI cable that is under a meter, and I'll be picking up a cheaper audioquest HDMI tomorrow that is 2.5 ft.

    Would an HDMI over 1 meter even work? Or it must be under that?

    Thanks
     
  19. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    given that you’re having trouble with that interface, shorter would be useful to rule that out. I don’t know if the input of the DAC is perhaps terminated differently than we expect. Or there’s some signaling issue. Although I am sending a PI2AES over to the distributor in Singapore, I really don’t know if I’ll be able to get to the bottom of this unless I have one of the Dac‘s in hand. Then I can scope everything out and look at the actual electrical signals
     
  20. Wobbletits

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    I dont have one but it is my impression there are multiple i2s pinouts you cycle through with their front panel stuff like a different pinout for the 3 leds representing binary 000-111, I'm not sure if they tried all the modes and none worked at all or if the instructions were too confusing on their config-pontus page but the way I read that you press phase till the leds read 000 001 010 011 100 101 110 111 and each one is a different pinout?

    1. Select I²S Input

    2. Press the Mute button once to enter configuration mode

    3. Press the Phase button momentarily, 1X 2X 4X will turn on/off in a fixed pattern to denote binary 000-111

    4. Wait for 10s

    5. DAC back in operational mode​
     

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