Holo Audio Red

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by RestoredSparda, Jan 27, 2023.

  1. Herbert

    Herbert New

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    Have a lot of DSD files and like it.
    I tried hard to get I2S and DSD out of my Mercury V1 with Spring 3 KTE to no avail.
    DoP no sound. DSD direct is converted to PCM.
    (Coax DSDx64 and USB DSDx128 work ) .
    Would you mind testing DSD64 and DSD 128 (over I2s ) with the RED ?
     
  2. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    I've been super happy with my Holo Red as well. It was a nice improvement over pi2aes running Gentooplayer. In a nutshell, my digital now sounds more analog than ever before. I'm using it primarily as streamer on the same network as my Roon Core.
     
  3. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    According to the Kitsune web site, the Spring does not support DoP over I2S, only DSD or PCM:

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    I also have a lot of DSD. The Red has no problem pushing DSD from its USB input via I2S to my Spring (DDC mode). I have up to DSD256 files and it's working fine. The Spring indicates DSD512 when connected to the Red which is the max the Red can do for now. I've read that this is limited by the Linux Kernel but I'm not sure. It is likely some customization is required to enable the Red to push DSD1024 and I read they are working on that, too.

    I do not know if the UPnP streamer part of the Red can stream DSD. I assume it can. I'm still trying to figure out how to get UPnP working on my server but I hope to be able to figure that out in the coming months when I have time to tackle it.
     
  5. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    Does the stock software run mpd?
    I gather you can use your own OS of choice, anyone tried that?
     
  6. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    The stock Red software is definitely running MPD. It is using UPMPDCLI which is a UPnP renderer front-end that leverages MPD to play the audio files. I am able to add the Red to my MPD control app as an MPD server connection. However, there is no database here because that is how UPMPDCLI works. There is no MPD database configured. It tunes only to the UPnP stream. Without being able to ssh into the Red, there is no configurations I can change to make the Red access my music server database and run like a normal MPD instance.

    Holo says you can install RopieeeXL onto the Red, but I have not done so. As far as I can tell, RopieeeXL seems to be a nearly identical Linux OS running UPmpdCLI and MPD just like the native Red OS is doing.

    I think you can also install Volumio. I have not tried this. The stock Holo Red OS is available for download in order to reimage the original MicroSD card. However, it is only available from some indirect (possibly sketchy) sources and not directly from Holo as far as I can tell. I would recommend using a separate MicroSD card for any OS changes and keep the stock MicroSD card as is with the native Holo Red OS.
     
  7. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    This is going off way into the weeds, but assuming the drive isn't encrypted, perhaps you could try to mount the sdcard as a volume on a Linux box and edit the configuration file that way.
     
  8. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    :sail:

    Not exactly what I had planned but I was on my laptop that had a microSD reader built in. The root folder is locked to whatever user they have created. I was able to find the mpd.conf, though. It is only configured for a USB output. Literally nothing else. I suppose I could try to add my SMB/CIFS database but I don't want to go too far. The USB output is flagged with
    Code:
    dop "no"
    however! This should answer an earlier question that it's not going to be doing dop.

    The rest of the stuff I found is the PHP webpage, some initram stuff they have done, and several shell scrips. Also some source stuff from Roon like shell scripts and installers. I cannot tell what Linux distro it is.

    Does RopieeeXL allow you to run MPD natively? All of these fancy streamers are just using MPD so I don't know why it wouldn't just exist in there. The problem is UPnP and Qobuz streaming require some configs and additions that I have never been able to figure out myself.
     
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  9. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    This is the reason I was even willing to buy the ultraRendu I'm using, it has the option to just run MPD locally instead of all the streaming stuff.
     
  10. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

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    Inside Mercury is a CM4 (essentially a PI 4) so you can run anything PI supports!
     
  11. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Can someone with more technical understanding than I have tell me how feasible a loaner tour is with the HOLO RED? With the Pi2AES you have to setup wifi with your ethernet connection and it's too lengthy and complicated a process to really make a loaner possible (I believe this is not a fault of the Pi2AES but the software available). I don't know how the RED works though or how its setup. Comments above imply it has no wifi? On a streamer?
     
  12. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    I just plugged the Ethernet cable into it, and enabled it on roon, and bobs your uncle…
     
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  13. JK47

    JK47 Friend

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    Basically use an Ethernet cable to plug into your network's wireless router and control it through a web browser on any local network computer, phone, tablet, etc.
     
  14. Aklegal

    Aklegal Friend

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    You CAN run MPD locally. Just install Raspberry PI OS instead of Volumio, Moode etc.
     
  15. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    A loaner could work. Probably best to leave the Red OS on there and not change it. If anyone wants to experiment they should use their own microSD card and keep the original one unchanged. The MicroSD card is easily swapped on the back of the unit. It uses a proper spring-loaded retention slot. Reloading the original Red OS image is probably not something everyone should be doing. There is a security risk with sharing a network device among folks, but we are all friends here I suppose.

    The Red OS config interface can be accessed from a web browser once connected to your local network at http://red.local if you do not know the actual IP address of the unit. You will not get an IP address if you have a USB-B host plugged in. This should work the same for everyone unless they’ve made some specific choices in their home network in which case they can handle it.

    Mine took all of 6 weeks to show up and stock looks low at Kitsune so it may be hard to get right now.
     
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  16. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    So if I use BubbleUPNP on a Samsung S10e will the RED show up in my list of renderers automatically if I plug it into ethernet? No configuration required? Not everyone uses Roon, so I'm interested in how it would work setting it up for everyone. Can someone go into a bit more detail before I make an IC loaner thread?
     
  17. RestoredSparda

    RestoredSparda Friend

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    Yes it should show up. All of the most common services are running by default in RED OS, including UPNP. So if no one changes settings on the Red it will work for most everyone by default as a streamer.

    The only thing that might be tricky is setting up I2s and USB connections depending on your DAC. Especially if used as a DDC. I personally ruined my OS on the flash card somehow when trying to get it to work as a DDC. (Probably powered it down too quickly). So, there may be problems on the loaner tour with corrupting the flash card due to so many different use cases and the possibilty of turning it off too quickly without powering down first from the OS. Also, there are toggle switches on the bottom of the unit to set the i2s output to match your DAC.

    I just reset my Red to default (fresh OS flash on an SD card) and turned on the BubbleUPNP app on my android phone to check for you. Red popped up right away.

    Screenshot_20230206_180302_BubbleUPnP.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2023
  18. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    I will keep this short, since my time was also short. This is a great, nifty, little gear but boy that color is not for everyone.

    I had a, very short, 2 days loan (but with the baby this time was cut very short). So these are just a few thoughts about it, so no review.

    Sound wise it was very clean, with some differences to the pi2AES but i would never say that its better, just that i can perceive a little change in the sound so it's still very clean and better than straight USB, as expected.

    I had some trouble setting it up as a DDC, which more people had as well. Fortunately google saved the day and turns out the solution was simple but very unpractical. They should've come up with a more practical solution.

    It wasnt mine so i didnt want to fiddle to much with it but fortunately i was provided with an alternate card/OS and both mostly worked great but i didn't have the time, or knowledge, to turn things up a notch or two.

    It worked great from the get-go but i didn't feel it was an upgrade, to what i already own, and, in all honesty, i prefer the raw aspect of a Pi2AES with a screen (which i use often), to this red box, so I will keep what i have, that cost a lot less as well.

    Even though i didn't explore enough of it but the small issue i had, the price and the appearance would never make me consider paying 1000 euros for it.

    Just made me appreciate what @Michael Kelly did even more to be honest.

    Edit: typos
     
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    Last edited: Feb 7, 2023
  19. lithiumnk

    lithiumnk Acquaintance

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    Yeah. I've connected metrum ambre directly to win 11 machine via rj45/Ipv6 cable bypassing routers/switches. Other ethernet port(Ipv4) is used to access the internet. Same can be done on pi2aes.
     
  20. EricR64

    EricR64 New

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    Please help! My PC can't find the IP of my Red.
     

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