Raspberry pi and the delights of invisible media!

[Bigman80]

OK, next silly question... iFi power supply or Chinese LPS?


Richard

I've had my cheap Chinese LPSU since January, absolutely no issues whatsoever.

[Bonky]

I've had my cheap Chinese LPSU since January, absolutely no issues whatsoever.

Thanks. I was wondering if there was any difference in SQ. There’s anecdotal evidence that the iFi is good at producing clean output but at the expense of increased RFI which could be picked up by ancillary equipment.

As both the iFi and the Chinese LPS are about the same price I was wondering which I should go for. There are also websites that say that the original RPi PS is a good one and will power the RPi satisfactorily and that the only benefit is using a clean supply for the DAC and or Isolator..

Ho Hum....


R

[alphaGT]

Thanks again Oli, you are always one step ahead of me. I have been studying and reading up on the Raspberry Pi 3+ and how it works, trying to get geared up to do exactly as you’ve done. Getting the files on the tiny memory card, and all that such thing can be a bit intimidating. But I’m an old computer guy so I’m sure I can handle it. The choice of the audio board seems to be the most important decision.

And I’ve seen some nice battery powered solutions, a Lithium battery the same size as the board, made especially for it, and should provide many hours of use. Much like my battery powered phono pre, the benefits of battery outweigh its drawbacks. Can a power supply approach the purity of a battery? At any cost? I’m inclined to doubt it, and I don’t have it in front of me, but I think it was under $50.

I’d be curious how you think this has changed your listening habits? Are you listening to more new music because of it? Or more music in general? Suddenly having access to every record ever made could cause a man to get giddy, and loose sleep trying to hear it all? For years, I was so dismayed, that the Internet was having a negative effect on music, MP3’s were going to ruin music forever! But from what you say, it has come full circle, and now best quality is out there in the Ether. And I’ll agree that network cables making SQ differences is maddening. A quick reminder of just how little we know about the Universe. Something in the Quantum Foam no doubt, dicking with reality. Thanks again for some excellent reporting and motivational speaking!

Russell

[Bigman80]

Thanks again Oli, you are always one step ahead of me. I have been studying and reading up on the Raspberry Pi 3+ and how it works, trying to get geared up to do exactly as you’ve done. Getting the files on the tiny memory card, and all that such thing can be a bit intimidating. But I’m an old computer guy so I’m sure I can handle it. The choice of the audio board seems to be the most important decision.

And I’ve seen some nice battery powered solutions, a Lithium battery the same size as the board, made especially for it, and should provide many hours of use. Much like my battery powered phono pre, the benefits of battery outweigh its drawbacks. Can a power supply approach the purity of a battery? At any cost? I’m inclined to doubt it, and I don’t have it in front of me, but I think it was under $50.

I’d be curious how you think this has changed your listening habits? Are you listening to more new music because of it? Or more music in general? Suddenly having access to every record ever made could cause a man to get giddy, and loose sleep trying to hear it all? For years, I was so dismayed, that the Internet was having a negative effect on music, MP3’s were going to ruin music forever! But from what you say, it has come full circle, and now best quality is out there in the Ether. And I’ll agree that network cables making SQ differences is maddening. A quick reminder of just how little we know about the Universe. Something in the Quantum Foam no doubt, dicking with reality. Thanks again for some excellent reporting and motivational speaking!

Russell

Hi Russell,

Yes, you are right. I too felt the internet, iTunes, and all that crap was ruining music. Diluted to a poxy little metal box and earphones with only MP3 for company seemed like a tragedy to me.

I have been aware of Flac and lossless audio for some time but they were only files for my phone. At least the sq on the move was good. The idea of playing file based audio had been trialed here to mediocre results. An M2tech young DAC hooked up to an old laptop sounded "ok" but never convinced me to pursue that avenue. I'd tried a Valab DAC and one of those Chi-Fi valve DACs everyone loved but again, as good as it was, it didn't make me want to listen.

I can't remember how it came about but Mikeyb (the Godfather of Pi) offered to loan me some gear when I was pondering a Pi setup. He sent a few bits down and there came the first piece of digital audio that I felt *could* be worth pursuing.

All I have done, with Jimbo's help, is push this Pi lark as far as possible in terms of additional hardware. There's guys over on TAS who are playing with code! They are truly ahead of the curve.

The effect:

What I do now, is listen to a more varied selection of music. I'm no longer confined to the Vinyl collection, that I can't afford to invest in currently, after a long layoff at work. Its given me the ability to try any album without fear of wasting money and that is a great thing. I've been put off trying a few artists due to the price of vinyl. I'm not a collector, I like to listen to what I buy so from that POV, it's a roaring success.

[Bigman80]

Thanks. I was wondering if there was any difference in SQ. There’s anecdotal evidence that the iFi is good at producing clean output but at the expense of increased RFI which could be picked up by ancillary equipment.

As both the iFi and the Chinese LPS are about the same price I was wondering which I should go for. There are also websites that say that the original RPi PS is a good one and will power the RPi satisfactorily and that the only benefit is using a clean supply for the DAC and or Isolator..

Ho Hum....


R

I can only say that the Chinese LPSU is performing faultlessly. I spent my money there, as did Jimbo and I believe we are both very happy with its performance.

As for clean Vs dirty,

I tried the following:

1 SMPS

1 SMPS & 1 LPSU

1 LPSU

2 LPSU'S

the best sound quality was with 2 LPSUs

[Jimbo]

The single LPSU was also used with both 5v outputs but did not sound as good as two separate LPSU.

[Bourneendboy]

The single LPSU was also used with both 5v outputs but did not sound as good as two separate LPSU.

I tried powering both with a Longdog Audio LPSU and splitter cable and actually preferred it powering the Boss with the jumper left in place.
Moved the Longdog on and tried a single ifi and now two. Two PSU's is the best to my ears by far.

[Jimbo]

I tried powering both with a Longdog Audio LPSU and splitter cable and actually preferred it powering the Boss with the jumper left in place.
Moved the Longdog on and tried a single ifi and now two. Two PSU's is the best to my ears by far.

Thats what we found Bill.

[Bonky]

Thanks everyone. Another LPS to be ordered later today.

R

Thats what we found Bill.

[mightymonoped]

Curious as to why second power is into RPi rather than into the Isolator (then feeding the RPi)?


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