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

It can also depend on the browser and your router. You can also try .lan instead of .local.

.local does work for me on Windows but not on Android. .lan works for me on all my devices.

 

FWIW, the .local naming syntax works on all my windows machines (work laptop, two home desktops, one home laptop), all my android devices (samsung phones, motorola phones, samsung tablets) and my families single OG iPhone SE.

All of the windows machines are Win10, browsers used are Chrome, Brave, DuckDuckGo, firefox and one person uses MS Edge (weirdo). We didn't have to jump thru hoops or install anything extra... but I suppose its possible that some other piece of random software installed bonjour at some point in time...

 

Make sure Moode is not re-sampling (SoX setting in MPD).

 

Pretty sure that’s off by default but software volume control is on by default. Most of the Linux audio distros use the same open source components so unless something is broken hearing a large difference between them is unlikely. Never say never though, some people say they can hear a difference ce between flac and wav in spite of flac being converted to the same bits as wav before the dac ever sees it.

 

Back when I used moOde for my work-work system, I made sure to turn this off, because I didn't like what I heard with it.

 

I'll ask idiotic question please don't hate me. Suppose I listen Unison USB Modius. Which upgrade path will sound better:
1. Pi2AES -> Modius AES
2. Unison USB BF2 ?
...also take into account that #1 upgrade is twice cheaper. Don't tell me Pi2AES -> BF2, I understand.

 

When you assemble all the bits & pieces, Pi2AES comes to around $300. Modius is $199. I don't think you want to spend more on the source that on the DAC. Unison is really good, I'd not bypass it except, maybe, for Yggdrasil.

 

Is your music source USB from a computer? I don't know of a way to connect computer USB audio to Pi2AES. You might be interested in Pi2AES for other reasons (as a streamer box), but it wouldn't be a direct drop-in for your setup.

 

It is possible to set up the Pi as a "Super Eitr" that appears as a USB DAC on the computer, and streams out of the Pi2AES. You can even have HQPlayer upsample along the way. However, it's fiddly and so I haven't done a writeup.

While I have mine working with rough fixes, a robust solution to the technical challenges requires someone more skilled in Linux audio and the Linux kernel. If interested, a good starting point is to google "Linux USB-Audio Gadget (RPi4 OTG)"

 

Does the cost differential matter? Sound is the goal right?

Disclaimer: I make the PI2AES (and upcoming Mercury which is more money) so I may not be 100% unbiased!

 

Pi2AES is an audio interface peripheral for a Raspberry Pi running Volumio or similar OS. You can't get sound from a Pi2AES without also using those.

So spend $30 or so to get a Pi with Volumio, and connect it to your DAC with a USB cable. See if you like that music setup. That way you will be better placed to decide if you want the whole streamer arrangement before spending the bigger bucks on a fancier interface to your DAC.

 

I see way too many people fiddling with their digital sources when their downstream components are unlikely to reveal the benefits of a better source. What's amazing about the Pi2AES (I own two, 3rd on order) is how it competes with way more expensive sources when driving top-quality DACs and downstream components. But if I were trying to improve a low-cost chain, I'd not start with the source, I'd start with transducers and move upstream.

 

Totally fair as an approach to improving your entire system. I agree that depending upon the source you are currently using, our board may not create improvements.

Hiwever, I do get the impression from this forum and the folks here that there does seem to be I sound quality improvement without regard to the rest of the chain. Course that might just be wishful thinking on my part!

 

Thank you all, my question is answered. I can clarify that I can stream either from MacBook or from Pi if I buy it, it's about quality, and the answer is that my Modius DAC is unlikely to reveal any advantage of Pi2AES over USB, my money should be spent elsewhere. I don't think I will have budget for Bitfrost for another year, so perhaps there will be another newer DAC by then.

 

I want to add that by my very limited personal experience the system sounds about as good as the weakest link. The priority should be to fix every weakest link before chasing any top grade component. My whole stereo could be reassembled from scratch at about $2,300 but it is finally at the stage when it's really enjoyable. For many years I felt like something is missing and I had this nervosa that while enjoying the music I still felt like I want it to sound better. I think I finally got rid of it and I just relax and have fun. I will wait a year or even more before spending another dime on it.

 

From your description above, I'd say that the "weakest link" not so much in sound as in convenience is using the Macbook as a source, assuming you use it for other things besides driving the DAC. Plug, unplug, ... and also the possibility that other activities on the Macbook may interfere with audio output. That's why so many of us prefer getting a Pi-based source that stays attached to the DAC. There's a lot of material here on the forum on several ways to do this, starting with the simplest Pi4 USB streamer, and going up to Pi4+Pi2AES for maximum flexibility. Or, for a self-contained streamer preloaded with operating system (Volumio), there will be the forthcoming Pi 2 Design Mercury that is discussed on another thread on SBAF. It will be more expensive than your DAC, for sure, but it looks like it will stand the test of time for if and when you upgrade your DAC. And you'll liberate your Macbook. I'll be ordering one as soon as they go on sale to test on one of my systems

 

I don't agree that your Modius DAC will not benefit (not revealing enough) from having a PI2AES!!! Just about any DAC will benefit from having a ultra low noise/jitter interface like a PI2AES as compare to simply using a Mac as a source connecting to the DAC through USB!!!
It may possibly yield much more benefit to your modius connecting to a PI2AES through AES/COAX than say compare to using a BF2 with a PI2AES.

the pi2aes should be seen as an investment as it will likely stay with you even when you consider upgrade of dac in the future - ie to a bf2

Deric

 

Over the weekend I switched my Pi2AES from moOde to ropieeeXL after some suggestions from the ETA discord. The entire process took less than 10 minutes! Roon and AirPlay work flawlessly!

 

Can Pi2AES work with Ubuntu?

 

Typically people used pre-packaged audio-specialized Linux-based systems such as Volumio, moOde, or Ropieee depending on their needs. There's an Ubuntu distro for the Pi, but I don't know if it can drive the I2S header that Pi2AES sits on.