'Analog Dinosaur' succumbs to the joys of FBA : enter Raspberry Pi 2/IQ-Audio DAC+!!

[Marco]

Great ! I'm not sure I understand that you have to switch between Volumio and Spotify.

Normally, you only should have to use the Spotify application. For serious listening, leave the volume on the Mac and Spotify app at 100% and use the your amplifier's volume knob.

Yes, but I'm not using a preamp with the Pi (so no 'amplifier', in that respect). The Pi goes directly into my power amp. Therefore, I'm controlling the volume on both the streaming of music from my NAS, and Spotify, via Volumio, on the Mac

Because I currently don't have Spotify activated on the Pi, I have to open it up as a separate web page, in order to access it and select songs, then flick back to the Volumio web interface, to control the volume. It sounds best with the volume on the Mac set at about 70%, and then I control the 'master sound level', as it were, via Volumio.

Any higher than that on the Mac and the sound becomes overblown and 'saturated', a little like the effect gained when playing back recordings made at too high an input level. It's about getting the gain structure right in my system.

Another thing you should do in the Spotify app is set the "Music Quality" to "Extreme" to get the full 320kbs/sec.

Cool. How do I do that?

Marco.

[r100]

To get the best SQ, I wouldn't use the software / hardware controls on the Pi. Actually, it is more likely to be software at least on mine. I would run the RCA's of the Pi into a preamp or volume control.

Still dont' quite understand but I would install the Spotify app on your Mac in the mean time and just use that. You can get it from their web site.

Greets, gotta go now

ru

[Qwin]

Thanks for giving some clarity Ali,

The definition of streaming is to play files (access data not on your device), music, video etc in real time. So the data is not pre down loaded or read off your hard disc at any point. The data can be streamed over the net, off another device you own using wifi or blue tooth etc. That is why I was confused about the Pi being hard wired to a data storage server and Streaming being talked about.

The Pi seems to be used as a dumb terminal on a network and is pulling the stored data off the server.

To say the Pi is a cheep option is misleading (not that you said that) because you need all the additional hardware for it to function. Talk of tablets, smart phones, , NAS and "your Network" implies you have to have all this kit to play music, the Pi wont do anything on its own.

I am presuming the Pi does not have wifi or internet access and this is done through a networked device?

I don't own any of this kit, so it IS expensive for me to set up (I dont even have a land line).

I'm not a technophobe, the first computer I used was fifty grands worth of Silicon Graphics workstation and I was one of the first three people in the UK to own a hands free blue tooth telephone headset, back in the days before Sony bought Ericson to aquire its Blue tooth technology. I'm just selective these days about what technology I use and what if any are its real benefits. I dropped out of using social media almost immediately as I couldn't care less what someone had for breakfast, talk about get a life! There is so much bull and buzz words surounding this stuff and quite often folks dont even understand the basics of what they are talking about, kids talk about Apps like its a pre requisite to breathing but dont even understand what an App is.

Yes the real costs of FBA are high and the ongoing cost of updating hardware/software to keep pace and avoid obsolescence, mean it continues to be a drain after the initial set up and you aint bought any tunes yet.

[Marco]

To get the best SQ, I wouldn't use the software / hardware controls on the Pi. Actually, it is more likely to be software at least on mine. I would run the RCA's of the Pi into a preamp or volume control.

I've tried that and retested it a few times (just to make sure I wasn't wrong), and the results here are much better by-passing a preamp and feeding the Pi directly into a power amp - no question!

Still dont' quite understand but I would install the Spotify app on your Mac in the mean time and just use that. You can get it from their web site.

Sorry, I can't explain it any clearer than I did in my last post. I'll have a look now at installing the Spotify app. When you say web site, do you mean the Apple website or the Spotify one? A link would be good!

Marco.

[Marco]

Do you mean this, Roops: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/simp...48003584?mt=12

I'll catch you later when you can answer the question. Have a good day!

Marco.

[jollyfix]

Thanks for giving some clarity Ali,

The definition of streaming is to play files (access data not on your device), music, video etc in real time. So the data is not pre down loaded or read off your hard disc at any point. The data can be streamed over the net, off another device you own using wifi or blue tooth etc. That is why I was confused about the Pi being hard wired to a data storage server and Streaming being talked about.

The Pi seems to be used as a dumb terminal on a network and is pulling the stored data off the server.

To say the Pi is a cheep option is misleading (not that you said that) because you need all the additional hardware for it to function. Talk of tablets, smart phones, , NAS and "your Network" implies you have to have all this kit to play music, the Pi wont do anything on its own.

I am presuming the Pi does not have wifi or internet access and this is done through a networked device?

I don't own any of this kit, so it IS expensive for me to set up (I dont even have a land line).

I'm not a technophobe, the first computer I used was fifty grands worth of Silicon Graphics workstation and I was one of the first three people in the UK to own a hands free blue tooth telephone headset, back in the days before Sony bought Ericson to aquire its Blue tooth technology. I'm just selective these days about what technology I use and what if any are its real benefits. I dropped out of using social media almost immediately as I couldn't care less what someone had for breakfast, talk about get a life! There is so much bull and buzz words surounding this stuff and quite often folks dont even understand the basics of what they are talking about, kids talk about Apps like its a pre requisite to breathing but dont even understand what an App is.

Yes the real costs of FBA are high and the ongoing cost of updating hardware/software to keep pace and avoid obsolescence, mean it continues to be a drain after the initial set up and you aint bought any tunes yet.

Thanks Ken, this and your other post says it all for me.

[Qwin]

Marco - "The Pi goes directly into my power amp"

So this is a seperate sytem with its own power amp/speakers and not conected to your main sytem/s?

[struth]

no he just switches leads

[RichB]

To get the best SQ, I wouldn't use the software / hardware controls on the Pi. Actually, it is more likely to be software at least on mine. I would run the RCA's of the Pi into a preamp or volume control.

Still dont' quite understand but I would install the Spotify app on your Mac in the mean time and just use that. You can get it from their web site.

Greets, gotta go now

ru

+1 Digital volume controls degrade SQ, this has been my experience.

Mind you I have connected my laptop directly to my power amps via a minijack to RCA cable and controlled the volume from the pc to understand what my DAC was actually doing to the sound. The results were surprising, and not entirely bad.

For most people this will give them an easy route to file based audio, just turn the laptop up full and use your system volume control. Easy peasy.

[Marco]

Hi Ken,

To say the Pi is a cheep option is misleading (not that you said that) because you need all the additional hardware for it to function. Talk of tablets, smart phones, , NAS and "your Network" implies you have to have all this kit to play music, the Pi wont do anything on its own.

Of course. I took it as a given that anyone with the wherewithal to access the Internet from home (and thus post here) would already have a Wi-Fi network (router) and a device to use the Internet with, i.e. a laptop, PC or a smart phone, so none of that was factored into the cost equation I quoted. In terms of operating the Pi, a tablet would take the place of a laptop or smart phone, or vice versa - you don't need all three.

The NAS is simply a music storage device, which contains hard-drives where the music is stored. One could also use a USB drive. The latter is a cheaper option, but not as good. The former was included in the 'less than £350' total price I quoted in my OP.

Therefore, presuming that one has a home Wi-Fi network (landline) and either a laptop or a smart phone, which I'd imagine would apply to the majority of members, £350 for a truly top-notch music source is an UTTER BARGAIN. How much did you spend on your CDP or turntable? The Pi (and IQ-Audio) DAC combo is capable of competing with those, sonically, or significantly outperforming them!!

I am presuming the Pi does not have wifi or internet access and this is done through a networked device?

Of course, as outlined above.

I don't own any of this kit, so it IS expensive for me to set up (I dont even have a land line).

How do you manage to post here then if you don't have access to Wi-Fi?

Don't know how you cope without a landline, mate, as I couldn't be doing with having to use a mobile phone all the time to take and receive calls. Each to his or her own, though.

Yes the real costs of FBA are high....

Not at all, unless you don't already own a laptop and/or smart phone and a home Wi-Fi network, and consider £350, for a high-end music source, as "high".

...and the ongoing cost of updating hardware/software to keep pace and avoid obsolescence, mean it continues to be a drain after the initial set up and you aint bought any tunes yet.

In terms of the latter, you don't need to buy any tunes - simply rip your existing CD or vinyl collection to hard-drive(s) and use that. You may even finds it sounds better! As for the cost of updating hardware or software, in order to avoid obsolescence, for me, time will tell, as I've just gotten into FBA.

However, even if I had to scrap the DAC and buy another more up to date one (which probably wouldn't be necessary), it only cost me £32, and the Pi, £40, so hardly the end of the world.

The most likely scenario will be that any updates/upgrades will either be retrofittable to the existing devices and/or software controlled, and when it comes to the Pi, considering the charitable ethos of the company who produces it, probably free.

Honestly mate, you're painting a rather negative and unrealistic picture of the Pi, and what's involved to buy a ticket for the ride! If it was as difficult or as expensive as you've portrayed, I wouldn't have done it. Simples

Marco.