Having satisfied myself that changing the power supply makes a difference to the sound quality you get from the Pie, I'm now looking at the idea of separating the DAC from the Pie and powering that. I started by looking at the boards available for the Pie, but that seems not the way to go. Before these existed, people were connecting DACS to the Pie. So I've been looking at DAC boards.
And here's what I'm eyeing up now. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AK4399-32bit- ... rmvSB=true. This seems to have some following in teh audio DIY community https://myl8test.wordpress.com/audio/ak4399-dac/. Now my soldering skills are not good, so what I'm thinking off is getting one ready made http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AK4399-DAC-as ... 418181a696 and figuring out how to plug it into my Pie (ie. probably solder a connector block onto the DAC board and make a ribbon lead to connect to the Pie) and then feed it from the second feed of my transformer through another PSU board.
Any thoughts? Anyone out there doing this?
Pie DAC Board
- terrybooth
- Posts: 4397
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:49 pm
- Location: West Yorkshire
- Has thanked: 499 times
- Been thanked: 250 times
-
- Posts: 2106
- Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:01 pm
- Location: West Midlands
- Has thanked: 0
- Been thanked: 0
- Contact:
Re: Pie DAC Board
Is it too easy to just buy an IQaudio PI-DAC+ (i2s fitting), fit it and enjoy the music.
AtoZ
- Fretless
- Posts: 9325
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 12:15 pm
- Location: Somewhere in Holland
- Has thanked: 1511 times
- Been thanked: 2308 times
Re: Pie DAC Board
What you are now heading for Terry is a Digi board on the Pi and a toslink/coax connection to an external, self-powered DAC.
Although from what I have read the I2S connection is superior in terms of possible jitter. But you'll have to turn that into an audio signal (digital and then analogue) somewhere down the line.
I am still amazed by the quality of the Pi B+/ HFB Digi+ combo and tweaking the output parameters has a definite effect.
Although from what I have read the I2S connection is superior in terms of possible jitter. But you'll have to turn that into an audio signal (digital and then analogue) somewhere down the line.
I am still amazed by the quality of the Pi B+/ HFB Digi+ combo and tweaking the output parameters has a definite effect.
Upstairs:
VinylPro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a {x2)
Little Bear MC2 + AQ NightHawk
Downstairs:
VinylLogic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 & PSU - BMUAiyima A07 MAX + Arcam One
HP: Allo DigiOne + Sabaj A10d + AQ NightOwl
Office: Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith 887 + German Maestro GMP 450
- terrybooth
- Posts: 4397
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:49 pm
- Location: West Yorkshire
- Has thanked: 499 times
- Been thanked: 250 times
Re: Pie DAC Board
Yep, been there, due that. And yes, it sounds good. I'm just following a hunch that it might sound betterif I can power the dac separately.alfer wrote:Is it too easy to just buy an IQaudio PI-DAC+ (i2s fitting), fit it and enjoy the music.
Pioneer PL71/DL103/ Phono2/HiFiPi/P90SA/TIS/CubixPro
- terrybooth
- Posts: 4397
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:49 pm
- Location: West Yorkshire
- Has thanked: 499 times
- Been thanked: 250 times
Re: Pie DAC Board
Yes, maybe I should just surrender and buy a Digi board I've used an outboard dac (Asus) connected to Pi's Usb and I wasn't impressed.Fretless wrote:What you are now heading for Terry is a Digi board on the Pi and a toslink/coax connection to an external, self-powered DAC.
Although from what I have read the I2S connection is superior in terms of possible jitter. But you'll have to turn that into an audio signal (digital and then analogue) somewhere down the line.
I am still amazed by the quality of the Pi B+/ HFB Digi+ combo and tweaking the output parameters has a definite effect.
I am, I admit, 'philosophically' drawn to the apparent simplicity of th I2Sinterface.
Pioneer PL71/DL103/ Phono2/HiFiPi/P90SA/TIS/CubixPro
-
- Posts: 2106
- Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:01 pm
- Location: West Midlands
- Has thanked: 0
- Been thanked: 0
- Contact:
Re: Pie DAC Board
Why. If the power supply to your Ri is adequate then the i2s supply is of the same quality as the Pi. Surely one cannot improve on that and why would you need to?terrybooth wrote:Yep, been there, due that. And yes, it sounds good. I'm just following a hunch that it might sound betterif I can power the dac separately.alfer wrote:Is it too easy to just buy an IQaudio PI-DAC+ (i2s fitting), fit it and enjoy the music.
Separate DACs in boxes using USB/SPDIF or what ever may benefit. This is not the same.
AtoZ
- terrybooth
- Posts: 4397
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:49 pm
- Location: West Yorkshire
- Has thanked: 499 times
- Been thanked: 250 times
Re: Pie DAC Board
The Pi uses 5v DC input but then transforms that to 3.5 volt somewhere on the board. So the theory is that an external PSU can do this 'better' than having that done onboard. I do accept that this may not be the case and I could be overcomplicating things, but I won't know that until I try.alfer wrote:Why. If the power supply to your Ri is adequate then the i2s supply is of the same quality as the Pi. Surely one cannot improve on that and why would you need to?terrybooth wrote:Yep, been there, due that. And yes, it sounds good. I'm just following a hunch that it might sound betterif I can power the dac separately.alfer wrote:Is it too easy to just buy an IQaudio PI-DAC+ (i2s fitting), fit it and enjoy the music.
Separate DACs in boxes using USB/SPDIF or what ever may benefit. This is not the same.
In the case of the DAC boards I've been looking at, they need +12v or +15v DC power input which won't be supplied by the Pi.
Pioneer PL71/DL103/ Phono2/HiFiPi/P90SA/TIS/CubixPro
- Fretless
- Posts: 9325
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 12:15 pm
- Location: Somewhere in Holland
- Has thanked: 1511 times
- Been thanked: 2308 times
Re: Pie DAC Board
How about a USB dac powered 5V by PSU and connected to Pi via I2S ?
Upstairs:
VinylPro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a {x2)
Little Bear MC2 + AQ NightHawk
Downstairs:
VinylLogic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 & PSU - BMUAiyima A07 MAX + Arcam One
HP: Allo DigiOne + Sabaj A10d + AQ NightOwl
Office: Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith 887 + German Maestro GMP 450
- terrybooth
- Posts: 4397
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:49 pm
- Location: West Yorkshire
- Has thanked: 499 times
- Been thanked: 250 times
Re: Pie DAC Board
I've tried a USB DAC with Volumio and the Pi. I'm not sure what happens over USB on the Pi. But I wasnt' impressed with the results. Now whether the HiFiBerry Digi and Toslink sounds better, I don't know. I presume it must do or why bother manufacturing them in the first place? So far as I am aware - and I haven't researched this - HiFiBerry are the only manufacturer making a board with Toslink connections on it. There is a lot on the web about the shortcomings of the USB implementation on the Pi. And this is very much a DIY market, and they sell direct, so I don't see HiFiBerry making it just to cash in on a market.Fretless wrote:How about a USB dac powered 5V by PSU and connected to Pi via I2S ?
Pioneer PL71/DL103/ Phono2/HiFiPi/P90SA/TIS/CubixPro