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Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 2:18 pm
by George Hincapie
Have you any intention of trying Roon? I have read that Roon SQ is at least the equal of Volumio and it is DIGI+ Pro enabled already, with a HiFi Berry specific build.
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 2:39 pm
by Fretless
Roon has a subscription cost which puts me off a bit, also I can't find mention of Digi+ Pro support there.
Rune doesn't yet appear to have a Pro driver ready - or do you know something more ?
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 11:20 am
by Fretless
Playing around with Moode 3.1, I noticed in the System Configuration a new option for the Linux Kernel - there is now an experimental 'Advanced' option that offers special low latency processing for improved audio quality and up to 384K bitrates....
.... AND (gasp) native DSD processing !!!! (not tried it yet, though)
Switching over to this setting does slightly improve transparency, definition and 'presence' in SQ.
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 1:48 pm
by George Hincapie
Is the Pi powerful enough for DSD processing?
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 1:59 pm
by Fretless
George Hincapie wrote:Is the Pi powerful enough for DSD processing?
.... we shall see
Most Pi music playing software does do 'DSD over PCM' playback, so I think that DSD shouldn't be a problem for the processor.
The bottleneck might be on the speed of an SPDIF connection, is there sufficient headroom there? DSD protocols tend to be restricted to USB-only connections.
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:57 pm
by George Hincapie
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:24 am
by Fretless
Yes, Pi's are not built as audio players - and are very 'noisy'. A good linear power supply will definitely provide audible improvement. I looked at laboratory-style power units and that is a possibility. Powerbanks meant for recharging phones/tablets work very well, providing clean DC and using an Audioquest Jitterbug also helps too neutralise internal electronic disturbances.
I know that SBooster make a version of their BOTW linear PSU that is suitable for the Pi as well.
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:25 am
by George Hincapie
Views on this? Seems cheap...I have no idea if it looks decent or not.
https://translate.google.com/translate? ... ge_id%3D85
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:38 am
by Fretless
Tomanek from Poland. Looks to be about 70 euro. A couple of comments have reported it as being a good unit that noticeably improves the sound from a Pi.
Worth investigating.
Re: Life of Pi
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2016 9:37 am
by Fretless
After the above discussion I decided to have a look at the Tomanek Ultra-Linear PSU - and ended up ordering one.
https://translate.google.com/translate? ... ge_id%3D85
This 5V/3A power supply is based around a toroidal transformer from Toroidy in Poland, a company specialising in high-grade electrical components and featuring a line of purpose-built, low-noise, audiophile-grade transformers.
Some Dutch hi-fi forums have reported the units from Tomanek as being well-constructed and offering improved SQ. At one-third of the price of the equivalent SBooster models it might be very worthwhile.
A couple of emails to Tomanek and 90 euros transferred by PayPal - it's on its way !
More when it arrives.
