Holo Audio Red

Okay, I have done something totally stupid: I tried to upgrade my software for the Red without first creating a backup SD card. Predictably, the process crashed midway through. Now the Red won't work with that SD card. So I then downloaded the software from the website of Magna Hifi (KitsuneHiFi's authorized dealer in Europe), and flashed the software onto a new SD card using KitsuneHiFi's recommended program (balenaEtcher). The Red wouldn't work with that SD card, either. I even tried to flash it with a different program (Raspberry Pi Imager). Sill no luck. Then I tried flashing the older Red system software on the Magna Hifi site. Still nothing. I can't get an IP address for the Red when I scan with Angry IP Scanner, and Roon can't find it (I know that the older software on the Magna Hifi website wasn't necessarily Roon ready, but the newest one I downloaded there is). The LED light on the streamer keeps blinking red sporadically. I've emailed the folks at KitsuneHiFi, but I was wondering if anyone here had any ideas. Could I have fried the physical circuitry of the Red streamer itself? Is there another place to get the software?

 

I just flashed the 2022 firmware from Magna using BalenaEtcher without issue.

Is your Red connected directly to your router/switch?

 

Wow, good call @Clemmaster!

Yes, I had been running my Red by connecting it to the Ethernet port of a WiFi mesh extender (eero), and when I moved it into the other room and connected it directly to my router, I was able to find the Red's IP address with Angry IP Scanner, access the Red software with this IP address, and activate the Roon Ready feature so the Red showed up as an audio zone in Roon.

***BUT*** all my audio equipment isn't in the same room as the router. It's back in the other room, where I can only connect via WiFi or Ethernet Over Coax adapter. And neither of those work now. The weird thing is that they both worked perfectly before I upgraded the software. Ironically, I'm guessing that's what caused the crash during the software update in the first place--the installation was choogling along fine until the very end of the update, at which point it said it had lost the connection.

Clemmaster, you diagnosed the problem pretty quickly--do you know if there is a solution? Was something changed with system version 2024.02.16 and above so that I can no longer connect via WiFi or Ethernet Over Coax? Was I just freakishly lucky ever to have done so, and when the Red system software was updated it threw me off like it should have done all along?

 

NO WAIT!!!

IT SPRANG BACK TO LIFE!!!!

All is good with the world.

Thanks, so much, @Clemmaster! Once I was able to activate the Roon with the direct connection, it was able to connect again later via Ethernet Over Coax.

 

If you keep having issues you should try the ethernet to wifi adapter I posted a couple pages back, the RED has no way of knowing it's being used and you can isolate it from the RED using FMC fiber converters if you want. Works great.

 

I run my Red off of an ASUS AC68U in access point mode and sometimes have to restart the AP when the Red disappears (doesn’t occur very often).
One annoying thing with that setup is that HQPlayer won’t see the Red… It works just fine with a Nest AP, but not the ASUS for whatever reason…
In general, when flashing a new firmware on these RPi boxes you should eliminate as many network boxes as possible for the first boot. I’ve had issues with Volumio and Ropieee if I’m not directly connected to the router via Ethernet.

 

Where can I download the latest firmware? Does it even matter if I'm using NAA OS? I never tried the Red OS.

 

No, if you're using NAA OS and like what you're hearing you don't need the latest RedOS. I just left the latest RedOS for GentooPlayer and appreciate how customizable GP is (as well as how great it sounds).

 

Interesting--which version of the RedOS did you compare it to? Like @Qstik and @Clemmaster, I noticed a change in the Red's sound when I updated to 2024.02.16. It seems to be a bit livelier, which I appreciate.

@Failed Engineer, if you do choose to download the latest RedOS firmware, below is the link on the download page for Magna Hifi, the official European distributor:

https://magnahifi.com/holo-audio-product-downloads/

The above page has several different versions of the RedOS, in case you want to compare.

As noted earlier in this thread, it's probably best to connect the Red via Ethernet directly to the network (rather than with WiFI) before updating the software. And always make a backup copy of the SD card that you know is working. Don't be like me! Oh, and if the Red vanishes from your system after the process, try turning it off and on again, then wait patiently. Mine popped back up eventually. I can even find the IP address now over WiFI again via Angry IP Scanner, which I couldn't do initially after the update.

 

A couple weeks ago I updated to the late-March 2024 update and though it's definitely more transparent, it's hyper/forward in a way I hadn't tuned for. And I didn't like that it only ran one audio service in exclusive mode at a time.

GentooPlayer seems optimized in a way that I still get the transparency jump the newest RedOs allows for without needing to run each audio service in exclusive mode (though you're welcome to if you'd like to squeeze out the last bit of resolution). And I get to tune the presentation of GP OS by swapping between a plethora of kernels instead of just being stuck with the one sound signature the newest RedOS update offers. It's tweaky but that's the power/advantage of it.

 

Slight update: I was using PiCorePlayer 8 on my RED for a while, but have recently gone back to using RedOS now that I've figured out how to "hack" it and get my preferred settings used by squeezelite.

I doubt it's the case, but I do like the idea of using the stock OS on the off chance that they've made some kernel modifications.

As I'm mostly using the Red as intended, I don't need the extras offered by PCP (and I can always switch back by changing the SD card). Red OS keeps it simple, is "hackable" enough for me, and is by far the easiest way to use HQPlayer along side LMS.

Otherwise I would have had to either make a custom Debian SD card as if it were any other Pi or switch SD cards in order to use HQP (no HQP on PCP)

 

New RedOS Version 2024.04.21 showed up for me today 04.27. It has fixed an issue I have had and improved usability for those who want to have multiple sources available at the same time.

Each output now correctly identifies "Native" DSD output as an option. There is also a very clear selection at the top of the page to enable Compatibility Mode which allows multiple sources to be enabled simultaneously, or Performance Mode which forces only one source to be selected at a time. I appreciate the flexibility here.

 

I'm trying to update now. I have been stuck at 90% in the progress bar for more than 15 minutes. What now? Power down, reboot and hope for the best ???

Whew! Just closed the browser tab and reopened the link to my Red after about 30 minutes and the update apparently completed just fine. New tab to my Red shows the updated page. Slight bug in the install script apparently...

 

I had the same issue. It took me 3-4 tries for the update to complete. Refreshed the Red web interface and hit “New” each time. I did not restart between attempts. If finally completed on the last attempt of course. Basically just a hurry up and wait situation. Prior updates were faster and gave proper feedback with the progress bar. This was the only one I had trouble with.

 

Curious if you could try exclusive mode vs all services enabled to see if there are differences in transparency/character between them.

 

I actually reverted back to the late 2022 firmware because I thought the March 2024 firmware was too tiring. I might revisit it (or the newest one they just came out) since I was kinda sick then and this could have been part of it. Oh well, even thought I know there’s more details to be had, I’m not FOMOing about it and might leave good enough alone…

 

Yeah, it was too drastic a change in sound signature for me. I hadn’t tuned my chain for it though it did show me that more transparency from this streamer is possible. It started me down the path of leaving RedOS for GentooPlayer. It’s more transparent and, through kernel rolling, you can pick the sound signature that best suits your system and preferences.