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

[Marco]

No Marco I haven't. May be worth trying at some point.

I'd highly recommend it, Bernie, providing that your power amp is 'musically proficient' and sensitive enough not to need the incoming signal 'cosseted' by an active preamp, and the resulting loudness level suits the gain structure within your system.

If you're using Volumio to control the volume are you sure it's using the DAC+ hardware control or doing it in software?

Never mind, I revisited the settings for Volumio and it's selectable hardware/software...

What exactly do you mean by "hardware", and how would that offer a sonic advantage? I'm simply controlling the sound levels, through software, via the Volumio web interface - and the results are superb!

Marco.

[Marco]

Doesn't have to be either/or. Raspberry Pi is so cheap that you can get a system together which integrates with your current network (if you have such a thing already set up for other computer related purposes) and sounds great for the price of a crap CD player. I would see it as broadening one's options for experiencing music.

Spot on, and that's precisely why I got one.

IMO, no genuine 'music nut' (I'm using that term, rather than 'music lover' to differentiate between someone who simply enjoys listening to music, and someone who 'lives and breathes' it, and couldn't live without it), now that something such as the Pi has become available, offering superb sound quality and ease of use, for beer-token money, should be without an FBA source in their system.

Marco.

[Canetoad]

I'd highly recommend it, Bernie, providing that your power amp is 'musically proficient' and sensitive enough not to need the incoming signal 'cosseted' by an active preamp, and the resulting loudness level suits the gain structure within your system.



What exactly do you mean by "hardware", and how would that offer a sonic advantage? I'm simply controlling the sound levels, through software, via the Volumio web interface - and the results are superb!

Marco.

Select Menu/Playback/Volume Control Mixer from Volumio menu to select either software, hardware or disabled. I'd expect yours to be set to hardware with your setup.

[Marco]

Just checked, and indeed it is

Excuse my technical ignorance, but why does that make a difference?

Marco.

[rectorydp]

Just checked, and indeed it is

Excuse my technical ignorance, but why does that make a difference?

Marco.

Digital voume controls affect the bits in the signal. When you lower the volume some data is lost. The linked presentation http://www.esstech.com/PDF/digital-v...me-control.pdf describes in more detail. Digital volume control has always been a bit of an issue and there were lots of discussions about this on the Slim Devices/Logitech forum in the distant past. The issue of digital volume control was also raised earlier in the thread but it turns out it is irrelevant because the Pi-DAC+ also has a hardware volume control using a rotary encoder, i.e. it is rather like a volume knob. I don't know much about the Pi-DAC+ implementation but it should mean that the hardware volume control just reduces the output amplitude in a similar way to lowering the volume on your amplifier.

However, the Pi-DAC+ does use a 32bit DAC chip so the impact of the digital volume should be much less than if you were using fewer bits (as indicated in the presentation).

[lovejoy]

Just found this thread - Late to the party as usual!

That was a great read. I've been running Volumio with a Pi and a HiFiBerry Digi for around a year now which replaced my Squeezebox Touch (which surprisingly I don't miss at all). The Digi runs into my Naim DAC. I've been enjoying this combination but it always caused me some annoyance, having read the white papers from Naim on how the DAC strips the incoming SPDIF signal of clock and provides a completely re-clocked signal thus rendering transport and cables unimportant, and jitter irrelevant, and yet I never found this to be true and the transport and the cable are as important as they ever were.
So reading about the IQAudio DAC has caused me some excitement and I'm going to have to try one. I have to admit that I'm sceptical that I'll find it as enjoyable as the current setup, but I'm fully prepared to be shocked!
If I am indeed blown away then this can only mean one thing - Sell the NAIM and the proceeds will fund my next cartridge

[Marco]

Hi David,

Digital voume controls affect the bits in the signal. When you lower the volume some data is lost. The linked presentation http://www.esstech.com/PDF/digital-v...me-control.pdf describes in more detail. Digital volume control has always been a bit of an issue and there were lots of discussions about this on the Slim Devices/Logitech forum in the distant past. The issue of digital volume control was also raised earlier in the thread but it turns out it is irrelevant because the Pi-DAC+ also has a hardware volume control using a rotary encoder, i.e. it is rather like a volume knob. I don't know much about the Pi-DAC+ implementation but it should mean that the hardware volume control just reduces the output amplitude in a similar way to lowering the volume on your amplifier.

However, the Pi-DAC+ does use a 32bit DAC chip so the impact of the digital volume should be much less than if you were using fewer bits (as indicated in the presentation).

Most interesting, and thanks for sharing that. That would certainly seem to explain why, when using the Pi directly into my power amp, with Volumio, I haven't 'missed' the influence of my (rather expensive and highly modified) preamp. Quite simply, in that scenario, ANY preamp or similar device, no matter how well designed, introduced into the replay chain, can only have a negative effect.

It's probably also why that, up until now, I've never enjoyed listening to a system, containing any other components, where the signal isn't being processed by a high-quality active preamp - and crucially, why when listening to my CDP and DAC, the Croft always brings something musically necessary to the listening table. This is thought-provoking stuff!

Therefore, if you prefer using the Pi with a preamp, it's likely that your ears are simply enjoying the effect, and/or the electrical match/sonic synergy between the Pi and power amp/partnering system is sub-optimal.

Marco.

[Marco]

Hi Richard,

I've been enjoying this combination but it always caused me some annoyance, having read the white papers from Naim on how the DAC strips the incoming SPDIF signal of clock and provides a completely re-clocked signal thus rendering transport and cables unimportant, and jitter irrelevant, and yet I never found this to be true and the transport and the cable are as important as they ever were.

That's also my view, based on not inconsiderable experience.

However, in terms of how the Pi/IQ-Audio DAC has been designed to function (as outlined by David), the introduction of any 'alien' interface, such as an off-board DAC, and associated connecting cables, is likely to result in a very real and fundamental loss of fidelity.

However, of course, regardless of that, people will still like whatever it is they think sounds good!

So reading about the IQAudio DAC has caused me some excitement and I'm going to have to try one. I have to admit that I'm sceptical that I'll find it as enjoyable as the current setup, but I'm fully prepared to be shocked!

If I am indeed blown away then this can only mean one thing - Sell the NAIM and the proceeds will fund my next cartridge...

A most unusual and refreshing attitude, so please keep us posted

Marco.

[r100]

Marco, have you tried switching the volume control off in the Volumio GUI and run the Pi+HifiBerry+ through your preamplifier, all Mac and Spotify volume setting at max. ? Not sure I have asked you this one already, btw. if so, sorry to repeat myself. I just can't get my head around the fact that using software volume controls should sound better than your Croft pre. But as David pointed out your DAC has a 32 bit chip so that should be enough to loose some bits in the process without degrading the SQ too much.

Ru

Screen Shot 2015-03-26 at 13.24.48.jpg

[Marco]

Marco, have you tried switching the volume control off in the Volumio GUI and run the Pi+HifiBerry+ through your preamplifier, all Mac and Spotify volume setting at max.

Not sure what you mean, Roops...

The picture on your attachment only shows how to select the Audio Output, in terms of which device is used. In that box, in my case, it shows 'IQaudIODAC', and the Volume Control mixer type below is set to 'Hardware'.

How do I switch the volume control off, to do as you say?

Marco.