The ALLO Audio music steamer - Pic heavy review

[r100]

..... Also, maybe my system is not resolving enough to get every little drop out of the two PCM5142 chips on the Kali / Piano2.1 combo

Correction: in stereo 2.0 mode, only one chip is used.

Currently, the other is only active when driving a sub... but, it could be that in a near future a possibility will become available to use one for each channel (dual mono). I'm not sure though if it will be a software update or if it will need a new board to do this. Maybe Andre can elucidate on this ?

Interesting times ;-)

[The Black Adder]

I've asked this question before too. It would be very interesting to have the 2.1 run in dual mono mode.

Andre, could you ask your tech team this?

[ALLO.com]

I've asked this question before too. It would be very interesting to have the 2.1 run in dual mono mode.

Andre, could you ask your tech team this?

on it!

[Lunicycle]

First off practicalities: I bought the Kali + Piano DAC (Stereo only not 2.1) which arrived with 4 male/female standoffs and 4 female/female standoffs all 12mm spacing and M3 thread. I am using a Pi 2 and for the moment they are all mounted on wooden coaster which I drilled and recessed the holes using a template from here http://www.raspberrypi-spy.co.uk/wp-...e-Template.pdf (make sure you measure the calibration square – my first print from a browser was way out I had to print from Acrobat and turn off any auto scaling). I am not sure what I am going to do longer term I still have the issue of cables coming out 3 sides but this will do for now. My power supply is something that I turned up a Kings KSS15-050-3000 which is a 5V 3A SMPS nothing special I believe they can be picked up for around a tenner (£10).

Using the latest Volumio image I booted it up and all looked good, went to the Playback Options and switched on I2S DAC, selected Allo Piano from the drop down and saved and then restarted Volumio as prompted.

Right now we are ready to go with headphones as I share my listening room with my wife and daughter who are addicted to ‘Strictly’ and here comes my first and so far only problem! I can’t plug my headphones (AKG K550) as it clashes with the power jack so just to check everything is coming through as expected I plug in my earbuds with a smaller jack.

‘Strictly’ done I have the chance for a short audition which consists of:
• Frank Sinatra - Come Fly with me – Live at The Sands 24/192
• Joni Mitchell – River – Blue 16/44.1 CD Rip (Well it is nearly Christmas!)
• Cara Dillon – Black is the Colour – Cara Dillon 16/44.1 CD Rip
• Oscar Peterson - Hymn of Freedom – Night Train 24/96
• Buddy Holly – True Love Ways – From The Original Master Tapes 16/44.1 CD Rip

First impressions are more detail, clearer bass and more space.

With the Sinatra there was definitely a clearer impression of being in a big night club type auditorium.

On River the piano sounded far more natural as does Joni’s voice

On Black Is The Colour there are a couple of very noticeable things the first is a sound at the beginning that on my old Hifi Berry and in the car sounded like the ‘Ulla!‘ from Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds turns out to be an organ and Seth Lakeman’s backing vocal which previously had blended into the background and disappeared are now clearly those of a man contrasting with Cara’s glorious voice (sorry I saw her live last week and fell in love with her voice and now just about have the full back catalogue ).

The Oscar Peterson Trio sound more vinyl like, I haven’t got this album on vinyl but the sound is less harsh and has the feel of ‘We Get Requests’ that I do have on vinyl – need to listen to this more.

Finally to Buddy, this is probably the best mastered CD I possess and this is the best track on it all of the instrumentation is clearer particularly the strings and what I think is a bass sax sounds wonderful.

So 1st Impressions are “Wow”. This usually means that in a couple of weeks I will like it even more. Sorry if the description of the sound is a bit lacking but I have never been that great at putting it into words.

For info I am using a UPNP set up with Asset UPnP running on a Pi 3 with a drive mounted to my NAS and controlling the set up with Bubble UPnP on Android phone and/or tablet.

Now I am thinking if it sounds that good with a cr*p power supply what would it sound like with a LPS? I have been looking at the Sbooster, Long Dog (MCRU), Russ Andrews and Teddy Pardo but they will all have to wait a while.

BTW - M3 Thread wouldn't go through holes in Pi so I used 3mm drill, twisted between my fingers, to enlarge holes slightly.

[r100]

Piano 2.1 with no sub connected and PI3 + Moode 3.1 with DAC set as IQ pi Dac+ (no other default changes applied)

I have just got the Allo items and intend to compare to the Audiophonics V3 DAC shortly. However, initially I notice a lack of lower bass registers. On another forum I noted what seemed like an Allo employee saying the 2.1 default setup has a an 80hz cut off on the main RCA output as this is where the configuration cuts over to the sub DAC and this could account for what I hear. Does anybody know if this is the case and how can it be changed? It appears there is an app and some pre set configurations which can be used has anybody come across these? (it seemed this was not the TI software used for the filter set up)

Mel

Hi Mel, any update on your impressions with the Allo kit ? Greets.
ru

ps. I have gone back to Moode 3.1 and I cannot make out any major SQ differences to Volumio.. just saying !

[The Black Adder]

Hi Richard. Superb review! Thanks for sharing.

Regarding the PSU. I currently use the latest SBooster from Mark Grant and there is a difference over the wall wart, not surprising. But I can recommend the SBooster.

Keep groovin'

[Cycleallday]

Hi Mel, any update on your impressions with the Allo kit ? Greets.
ru

ps. I have gone back to Moode 3.1 and I cannot make out any major SQ differences to Volumio.. just saying !

My offer to Andre was to review the Vana player rather than the DAC and this is still my aim.

I tend to be a technical person and SQ to me is viewed more of a different sound rather than a better or worse sound. At present I have a number of DACs ranging from Meridian, Naim, Cyrus through to a few PI dedicated ones and I like to listen to all for different reasons. Personally there is not one I dislike amongst any I have. Unless I actually compare any 2 in a controlled way then quite frankly I would honestly find it hard to name any in a blind test (with one possible exception).

The Allo reviews to date have been a bit confusing in that there are 2 DAC boards, one of which has the default TI configuration and one which has the Allo custom configuration (and no documentation says what the later is). The reviews in this link tend to give a reader a view they all relate to the same product when this is not strictly true.

I currently have the 2.1 Piano and really like the apparent wide clear soundstage BUT I currently view this as possibly the 'tweaking' a supplier can do to make a product stand out from the crowd - however a longer term listen can result in a different view.

That's where I am at present. I am sure the 2.1 is missing some lower register bass compared to equivalent TI based DACs I have. What is there is very sharp and clear however. I just want to compare the 2.1 to a 2 and then look into the effect of the Kali, Volt and Capacitance Multiplier on the sound. I guess that's when I give my personal review.

On the point of player effect - I also have tried 3 different players and not heard any significant difference on the Pi DACS.

Mel

[jonners]

I currently have the 2.1 Piano and really like the apparent wide clear soundstage BUT I currently view this as possibly the 'tweaking' a supplier can do to make a product stand out from the crowd - however a longer term listen can result in a different view.

That's where I am at present. I am sure the 2.1 is missing some lower register bass compared to equivalent TI based DACs I have. What is there is very sharp and clear however. I just want to compare the 2.1 to a 2 and then look into the effect of the Kali, Volt and Capacitance Multiplier on the sound. I guess that's when I give my personal review.

Mel

Which mode are you using your 2.1 in? 2.0, 2.1 or 2.2?
Edit: OK, I see from a previous post that you're running Moode and no sub. I'm comparing Moode and Volumio and I have a suspicion that there's more bass with the latter.

[mikeyb]

No lack of bass in my Pi/MoOde/Piano 2.1/Kali setup in fact I'd say it was better/deeper/cleaner than with the IQAudio DAC previously.

[mikeyb]

Forgot to say I'm using Raspy4 DAC setting within MoOde as it was the first one I found that worked with the Piano DAC, but sure if that makes any difference :shrug: