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Andover Audio Songbird Review (Streamer)

VariousArtists

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If you use air play doesn’t that make it lossless by default? Optical out has max cd quality. No clue why they chose to do that and it seems kind of foolish cause no one wants to use their internal dac

If you have to convert from 24bit source to 16bit digital output in the device, some noise is generated along the way due to "improper conversion" as Amir puts it, not a simple loss of resolution by going down in bit depth (which I don't care much).

What I was wondering is specifically if you feed it 16bit signal, does it produce the same digital output bit for bit.
 

MacCali

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If you have to convert from 24bit source to 16bit digital output in device, something noise is generated along the way due to "improper conversion" as Amir puts it, not a simple loss of resolution by going down in bit depth (which I don't care much).

What I was wondering is specifically if you feed it 16bit signal, does it produce the same digital signal bit for bit.
Well that’s why I wanted to mention I asked Andover as I own the unit, is why am I not getting high res.. I switch to hi res in app but my dac is showing CD quality only...

They said you can’t get hi res from the optical, only cd quality. So I am not sure, but I use streaming direct out of the unit via optical and all I can vouch for is that it sounds better than my pc.

Second to that, I don’t use wall plug to power the unit, I’m using a 20,000mah external battery to power the unit. Not sure if that has any influence. Just wanted to mention that.
 

Katji

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:) Yes it's a British "helmet" /uniform hat made of fur, I just cannot think of the name now.
 

Beershaun

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Gah! I had high hopes for this device as a simple affordable ready to use bit perfect streamer for people who didn't want to build their own raspberry pi. The price was competitive with building your own including a case and digital optical HAT. Why did they do work to mess with the optical out?? Why was it so hard to just pass through the output bit perfect!? :facepalm:

They would have had a winner of they just did that.
 

norcalscott

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Something like this could be a viable (if more expensive) replacement for the much mourned Chromecast Audio, if implemented correctly.
 

Beershaun

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@amirm So bits aren't bits if you convert them from 24 to 16? Is that something I can take away from your test of Airplay in to optical out? So demanding a bitperfect streamer is a reasonable request?
 

Rottmannash

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Means donations need to be made for me to buy superglue and give his body back to him....
Is that a Panther masquerading as guard at Buckingham Palace?
 

MacCali

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Gah! I had high hopes for this device as a simple affordable ready to use bit perfect streamer for people who didn't want to build their own raspberry pi. The price was competitive with building your own including a case and digital optical HAT. Why did they do work to mess with the optical out?? Why was it so hard to just pass through the output bit perfect!? :facepalm:

They would have had a winner of they just did that.
Yea super disappointing, pi2aes time
 

MacCali

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It better be pretty good for $550. Gonna be hard to beat the value of Allo Boss2.
I hear the the pi2aes at 250 is a pretty heavy competitor vs Allo.

Next I’m going to grab that
 

Hayabusa

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OK, so the Bodyless Panther Head means what? Decapitated product. Shrunken Head Design, Out of Body Sound?
My first impression was: a british pink panther
 
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