+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 20 of 20

Thread: Digital Confusion - Advice needed!!!

  1. #11
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

    Posts: 2,743
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AJSki2fly View Post
    Hi Geoff

    Will you be selling the DigiOne as stand alone or with Rpi? I am a quandary now as having read a bit more it seems the signature model and Caiman Seg is the best option of that ilk although a bit pricey all together width psus. I have also come across the ALLO kantata and the new version shortly to come out sounds like a very good all in one solution, whether better or not I have no idea, but much more cost effective. I am beginning to form some views on music player software and o have to say I have mixed views, have a read of my other thread.

    Thanks

    Adrian
    Adrian,

    Yes it is possible for the costs to build up, but we are talking about a level of performance that exceeds that of cd players costing several thousands of pounds. As for the Katana, I have been put of somewhat by the messy board arrangement and the faff of so many power supplies to get it working at its best. The Katana appears from reviews to be a superb device, but just not for me.

    Furthermore, I think that is would be very difficult to beat the performance of the Caiman SEG with the new Dorado power enhancer. The latest version also comes with the option of a power supply to match the Dorado. Having a separate DAC also gives you greater flexibility such as being able to connect a TV or Bluray player. A complete SEG setup with Dorado is under 300 quid I think.

    Have you had the opportunity to hear an RPi based system? If not, I think you will be truly amazed at the SQ, even before messing around with fancy power supplies. There may be some AoS members near to you who could demo their setups.

    I started off with an RPi Hifiberry DIGI+ which is still excellent. However, The Digione is better, though at 5 times the price of the former it should be. I no longer use the Hifiberry DIGI+ system so if you wanted to dip your toes in the "Digital Stream" so to speak I could let you have that for 50 quid plus postage. This would include the Rpi, Hifiberry DIGI+ board, a fully configured SD card with Volumio, in a black acrylic case. You would need you own USB power supply but this is effectively a plug and play system.

    If I did sell the RPi/Digione it would be as a complete unit, again in its own acrylic case.

    Whatever hardware solution you choose, I would strongly advise you get a free trial of Audivarna. This is not just a neat file management programme, but it also processes music files via upsampling and other "trickery" to greatly improve their sound quality.

  2. #12
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,242
    I'm Adrian.

    Default

    PM sent
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  3. #13
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,242
    I'm Adrian.

    Default

    Well I’ve taken the plunge into proper digital replay, hopefully. I’ve gone ahead and purchased from the lovely Geoff his Rpi with Digi+ to get started and on various people’s advice, including Geoff’s, I have ordered the Caiman SEG and Dorado PSU from Stan. With any luck it will all be here on Monday and then I can have fun playing.

    I am hoping for good renditions of at least FLAC, M4p and Wav. I will also connect up optically my Meridian 508 CD player to the SEG for occasional CD Listening.

    I then will just need to decide which player I prefer, Volumio 2, Audvirana, or Roon are the main contenders.

    All quite exciting!
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  4. #14
    Join Date: May 2016

    Location: Notts

    Posts: 2,743
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AJSki2fly View Post
    Well I’ve taken the plunge into proper digital replay, hopefully. I’ve gone ahead and purchased from the lovely Geoff his Rpi with Digi+ to get started and on various people’s advice, including Geoff’s, I have ordered the Caiman SEG and Dorado PSU from Stan. With any luck it will all be here on Monday and then I can have fun playing.

    I am hoping for good renditions of at least FLAC, M4p and Wav. I will also connect up optically my Meridian 508 CD player to the SEG for occasional CD Listening.

    I then will just need to decide which player I prefer, Volumio 2, Audvirana, or Roon are the main contenders.


    All quite exciting!
    It's lovely to be lovely!

    Just a few points. Volumio is one of several Rpi operating systems for music playback. Others include Moode. Most use the same core linux software so SQ is similar. Just a question of which you prefer. The great thing is that all you need to do to test them out is to write the OS to another micro SD card and swap it for the one in the Rpi. I prefer Volumio myself.

    Audivarna and Roon are different from Volumio. They are music file management programmes that also perform processing of the raw music files. Roon is longer established than Audivarna and much much more expensive. Audivarna is a one off purchase (around 70 quid after the free trial) whilst an annual license is required for Roon. I have tried both and whilst both are good there is no competition in terms of VfM.

    Although you can run Volumio on the RPi/DIGI+ without Audivarna, the latter significantly improves the SQ of the former. The Windows version of Audivarna is still in beta and a bit buggy, but IIRC you use a MAC which is a more stable platform at present.

    You will not be disappointed with the SEG/Dorado. It will extend the life of your Meridian 508.

    Geoff

    PS. I have just added a USB micro cable in the package.

  5. #15
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,242
    I'm Adrian.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sherwood View Post
    It's lovely to be lovely!

    Just a few points. Volumio is one of several Rpi operating systems for music playback. Others include Moode. Most use the same core linux software so SQ is similar. Just a question of which you prefer. The great thing is that all you need to do to test them out is to write the OS to another micro SD card and swap it for the one in the Rpi. I prefer Volumio myself.

    Audivarna and Roon are different from Volumio. They are music file management programmes that also perform processing of the raw music files. Roon is longer established than Audivarna and much much more expensive. Audivarna is a one off purchase (around 70 quid after the free trial) whilst an annual license is required for Roon. I have tried both and whilst both are good there is no competition in terms of VfM.

    Although you can run Volumio on the RPi/DIGI+ without Audivarna, the latter significantly improves the SQ of the former. The Windows version of Audivarna is still in beta and a bit buggy, but IIRC you use a MAC which is a more stable platform at present.

    You will not be disappointed with the SEG/Dorado. It will extend the life of your Meridian 508.

    Geoff

    PS. I have just added a USB micro cable in the package.
    Thanks Geoff that confirms that I was on the right track and had not got confused during my investigations. There is so much out there it is easy to get confused especially at my age, even though I’ve worked in IT since 83 I still find some stuff extraordinarily hard to get my head around.

    Thanks very much for the usb - micro cable, and thank you for all your help.

    Kind Regards

    Adrian
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  6. #16
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Birmingham

    Posts: 6,772
    I'm James.

    Default

    Anyone tried upscaling in Audirvana then sending to a DAC in particular has anyone upscaled in Audirvana and sent to the ALLO BOSS?
    Main system : VPI Scout 1.1 / JMW 9T / 2M Black / Croft 25R+ / Croft 7 / Heco Celan GT 702

    Second System : Goldring Lenco GL75 / AT95EX / Pioneer SX590 / Spendor SP2

  7. #17
    Join Date: Jan 2019

    Location: Liverpool

    Posts: 279
    I'm Andrew.

    Default

    Does not get a mention here and many seem to either ignore it or possibly not like it . However if you are going down the Raspberry Pi route then please do not ignore the Logitech Media Server (LMS) . Will this was origianly run by Logtech for many years now the sever and its software has been open source and iun the hands of ethusiasts.

    I Like the Interface and it is possible to up date this using add on apps that make the desk top show Album covers , Artist Details , Album Details and song lyrics . best of all this is free software and using picore player setting up and controlling the pi plus board is very easy .

    The support you get from the forum and those in who control the software is top class and again all free . I accept that some other things like moode and Volumio make look a little more modern but often they do not give you anything that LMS does not also offer.

    Best of all all you waste at looking at LMS is time and if you do not like it then no issue no money lost.

  8. #18
    Join Date: Jan 2011

    Location: Wiltshire

    Posts: 194
    I'm Alastair.

    Default

    +1

    I use LMS running on my NAS (it also runs on the RPi if you have your music on a USB disk or SSD) and Picoreplayer. There are plug-ins to allow you to use Spotify, Tidal, play Radio Paradise streams etc. There are also plug-ins (like C3-PO) that can do upscaling etc. that Audivarna can do. You can use Apps like iPeng or Squeeze Control run on your phone/tablet or you can access from your PC or Mac using a web-browser.
    Cheers

    Alastair

    RPI4/PI2AES running PiCorePlayer/LMS-> AQ Carbon AES -> Topping D90 DAC-> Khozomo Passive Pre-Amp -> 4x Temple Audio Monoblocks powered by 2xLiFePO batteries->Van Damme Black Bi-Wired to B&W 804 Nautilus and Sommer Carbokab 225 Interconnects

  9. #19
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Upscale In AV then on to a digi one then to my dac. Works well, but obviously it is limited to the levels of upscale by dac it goes to etc
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  10. #20
    Join Date: Dec 2014

    Location: UK, inactive

    Posts: 1,570
    I'm inactive.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bencat View Post
    The support you get from the forum and those in who control the software is top class and again all free . I accept that some other things like moode and Volumio make look a little more modern but often they do not give you anything that LMS does not also offer.
    Not knocking the LMS at all and I admire your enthusiasm for it

    .... but just to point out that both Moode and Volumio are also free, I don't use Volumio so won't comment on support, etc. but do know that Moode is well supported by it's author, Tim Curtis, and a good community of users on the Moode Forum and also DIYAudio Forum. Tim has been very responsive to the suggestions and needs of users throughout the development of Moode over the last few years and I have always found him a top class bloke in his replies to queries I had.

    http://moodeaudio.org/forum/index.php

    https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/pc-b...y-pi-1492.html

+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •