Allo Boss2 Review (Stereo Streamer)

[mdsimon2]

Yes, thanks, I’m referring to this.
I’ve tried to read the whole thread and the measurements were taken post conversion i2s to usb.
The clues is: if a DAC is hooked with a i2s to i2s connection, there will be an improvement?

As with most things it depends. If you are starting with a good I2S source and use proper RF connections like coaxial U.Fl I2S is often better than a SPDIF / PLL recovered clock scheme. In my experience an asynchronous USB DAC or a DAC with an ASRC are just as good as I2S and far easier to get right.

All of the above refers to J Test measurement performance, can’t say I have actually heard a difference in the real world.

Michael

 

[Nango]

Not sure if the PSU itself is great value. According to Allo "even a cheap PSU will degrade the THD by 1 to 2db".

Seems their PSU is nothing but snake oil. Damn'd, I paid almost 200€ for their other PSU Shanti and now this, I'm done with that name.

 

[Feesh]

Could anyone point to some upsides of using something like this - Allo Boss2 - compared to a Chromecast Audio? Or what would the next step be after using a CCA.

Trying to map an upgrade path that makes sense... totally happy with my CCA + external DAC combo at the moment, but trying to get a feel for what lies further down the road regarding streamers.

 

[Veri]

Seems their PSU is nothing but snake oil. Damn'd, I paid almost 200€ for their other PSU Shanti and now this, I'm done with that name.

Well that's a little unfair. They make good products. No one forced you to explicitly select their pricy PSU, add it to cart and purchase it. I only ever bought their wall wart 5V supply which is like 10 bucks

 

[Nango]

Don't see this Allo Boss2 to be an upgrade as it includes already the DAC portion you probably wanted to still use in the future in your other DAC. There are some DAP and mobile phones which can output the digital signal via adapter USB-c to Coax you could see as a more versatile alternative to the CCA.

https://www.amazon.de/cayin-cs-30tcr-USB-Koaxial-Kabel/dp/B0722NH4SK

 

[cehb]

Hello,
I want to change my boss 1.2 dac for this boss2. No problem to keep my RPI3 ?
Thanks.

 

[oldsysop]

What advantages would this product give me over my Chromecast Audio?

 

[Eetu]

What advantages would this product give me over my Chromecast Audio?

Could anyone point to some upsides of using something like this - Allo Boss2 - compared to a Chromecast Audio? Or what would the next step be after using a CCA.

Gapless playback. AirPlay. I've found that RPi4 is faster and more stable than CCA, not sure if it's the ethernet, processing power or both. Depending what OS you use you can have PEQ, graphic EQ, convolution, upsampling/resampling etc.

 

[cbhere]

What advantages would this product give me over my Chromecast Audio?

CCA is a great device but Boss2 has a better inbuilt DAC and local playback capability in addition to Airplay if required.
If you go though review by @amirm (link below) it will become more evident. Best use case of CCA is to connect to an external DAC to convert it to a streamer while Boss2 is an all in one solution with additional benefit of local playback. We can also expect software updates and support as it’s raspberry pi based and we can choose OS based on personal preference. These are the reasons I upgraded from CCA to Boss2.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-chromecast-audio-digital-output.4544/

 

[Labjr]

Maybe it's already been answered but can Boss2 also output to an external USB DAC?

 

[abdo123]

Maybe it's already been answered but can Boss2 also output to an external USB DAC?

you don't need the Boss2 for that, just the Raspberry pi mini computer board underneath it. aka the 'Brains' that makes the DAC a streamer.

 

[amirm]

Maybe it's already been answered but can Boss2 also output to an external USB DAC?

It should like any other RPi implementation. You just have go in the configuration settings and tell it to use another DAC. This varies between OS implementations.

 

[johan]

@johan , I know it may only save me a few dollars. But why can't I buy this w/o the acrylic case? I would mount it to the top of a RPi mounted to the back of a 7" display case. The case would just be adding to my stock of acrylic RPi cases I already have but am not using.

Sorry not possible as OLED and RCA connectors are connected to our casing .

 

[johan]

Hi I need t

I need to buy some stuff from you and live in Sri Lanka? Your Indian operations are fully functional? (Covid situation looks not good in India) It saves me time and money to get stuff from India. Thanks!

Yes we are shipping daily

 

[johan]

Which open sourced OS would work best with UPnP/DLNA with Audirvana?

All OS/players offer upnp.dlna. I would suggest Moode

 

[johan]

That seems so simple! Do you know if Airplay to the Boss 2 would support 24/96khz Amazon HD stream? I really like the idea of re-using my old Iphone as a music controller.

Airplay is only cd quality . If you want HIRES files please use ROON. Also note that amazon hd music is not very friendly . They have no public API . Hopefully in the future they will open the access .

 

[sanathan]

Yes we are shipping daily

@johan Would like to highlight shipping to india and buying from allo in india directly. Whatever credit cards i use and paypal fails everytime using indian credit cards. Highlighted this issue in allo support, Ravi has been helpful but issue still not resolved. Ravi suggested direct bank transfer which i am not really fond about...

 

[johan]

Sanathan , we are not equipped for domestic sales . However we do have a few resellers in India . please check with Ravi for a link.

Sorry about that , but we are set up as an export oriented unit.

 

[m8o]

Sorry not possible as OLED and RCA connectors are connected to our casing .

Okay. Understood. A bit disappointed; packaging has kept me from buying the best offering from Audiophonics tested here, Orchard's best as only offered presently, and similarly your Revolution before this. Disappointed that will likely remain the same here.

To possibly sway me, what exactly can be / will be displayed on it? Assume that I am running RoPieee on it, not the bare RoonBridge, and/or Moode, Volumio or other.

Please note... in the following case style I will run a DigiOne, Boss v1, and/or ApplePi (you discontinued the Katana before I had need for that; once the time came for that tho, I could not longer buy it. But I'd own the Katana too if not for that). Shown is hands down my favorite streamer case. And all I want to use when the RPi + DAC HAT is not tucked away in an equipment room or behind an equipment rack.

I would like to give the Boss v1 to a friend and replace it with the Boss v2. But the packaging doesn't lend itself to using this case. Please consider producing another version of the Boss V2 DAC HAT in the traditional form factor of the Boss and Boss v1.2. Thank you.

RoPieee displaying what I am streaming to if from Roon:

(note the 2nd display that is off in the picture, partially obscured behind the one that is operating. That one has the DigiOne mounted.)

Shown swapping to a Boss or Apple Pi:

(The cockeyed heatsink on the Pi3 is because of the battery (?) on the bottom of the ApplePi, calling for use of taller standoffs. But I can get by with the shorter standoffs if I do this with the heatsink.)

 

[cehb]

Hello,
I want to change my boss 1.2 dac for this boss2. No problem to keep my RPI3 ?
Thanks.

@johan : Can I keep my RPI3 ? The acrylique case si compatible ?