Allo Boss2 Review (Stereo Streamer)

[Gaspar74]

Ok. Thanks I'll try that combination.

Sorry De emp is off

 

[Audiofool1Q84]

Sorry De emp is off

Yes, I was wondering. I dont have a super resolving setup but of all the filters that's the one that really has an obvious impact. Completely kills all dynamics. I'm going with all off for a while. Though the question on what does non os sampling do in the above case remains largely unknown.

 

[JohnYang1997]

why the 32 tones test has testsignals which double in frequency? this way you hide the second harmonic peak.
It would be better to use 32 test tones which dont mask anythingView attachment 152107

The frequencies of these tones are not at each others harmonics. They are spaced slightly off to not mask anything.

 

[Fahzz]

Sorry De emp is off

Got it. Now there are other settings that are not filters-Roll off etc. what do I do with those?

 

[NiagaraPete]

I turned them all off and it sounded awesome.

 

[NiagaraPete]

I have one for sale https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/allo-boss2-for-sale-bo.26976/

 

[amper42]

The Allo Boss2 is a nice product that sounds great. But I have two issues with it.
1. The Blue Aluminum cover kills wifi range. It's one of the worst case designs for RPi4 board level wifi use. An external USB wifi dongle works well to correct the issue. If you take the blue top off the Boss2, internal wifi range is restored.
2. My Boss2 RPi4 chipset gets HOT and shuts down after about 90->120 minutes of play time. Letting it cool for 20 minutes and starting it up again works for me. I have not heard this complaint from those using an ethernet connection which makes me wonder if a combination of wifi and the CPU chip heat adds to the issue? I had this same issue with a different RPi4 without a Hat in a Flirc case. I took it out of the case and placed it on top of an 80mm slow fan and never had the problem again.

 

[Gaspar74]

Got it. Now there are other settings that are not filters-Roll off etc. what do I do with those?

Preference. I use slow roll off. Then settings were as I listed previously. HV En i leave off thats output voltage. High sends 2.1v output reg is 1.8 I tihnk. Pase compensation I have ON. HP filterer off, DE emP is off, Non oversampling is perference. I have it On as in no oversampling.

 

[rafacq]

Thanks Amir.
Is it possible to have a teardown of the device? Also, I associate with 617 about curiosity on power supply effect on overall performance.

Ale.

You can watch Hans video for a look inside the Allo Boss2.

 

[rafacq]

I haven't heard much from Allo @johan the past year (no doubt COVID has caused issues) so it's nice to see their name again and good engineering on display again.

A version with balanced out would be really nice.

The Orchard PecanPi has balanced outputs but at $350 more!

 

[rafacq]

I would like to explain how a streamer works . RPIs hardware is a small computer that has an open sourced OS. Many audio players , like Moode , PCP . Volumio etc build on that OS using open source software .

From your tablet/phone , you can stream direct to our Boss2 using airplay , upnp/dnla , spotify plug in , roon and more coming . You can swtich at any time betwen players by flashing the SD card with the new image.

I ordered my Allo Boss2 with MoOde installed. MoOde comes with an Airplay, a Spotify, a Bluetooth and Squeezelite renderers. The ROON renderer was not installed from the factory but a quick Google search I found the instructions how to download and install it.

Here is the link.

Installing Roon Bridge on Moode (updated Feb 2023)

 

[rafacq]

Looks really nice!

to date, I've been using Ropieee with my RPis to stream Roon. Was looking to set one of these up for my daughter. She streams Spotify. Does anyone know if Moode allows you to setup Spotify connect through the gui or do I need to dive down into manual RPi package install/config land?

Spotify renderer is included with MoOde but I use my Allo Boss2 as a ROON endpoint.

 

[rafacq]

Please forgive my ignorance, but I can’t find whether this device supports Airplay. I have been frustrated with the lack of inexpensive devices for Airplay. Also, are there opinions about how robust this solution would be, ie will it last or will I be looking for a new solution soon. Thanks for any answers.

Yes if ordered with MoOde.

 

[rafacq]

For those of us not versed in RPi, can someone explain how Airplay works with this unit? Once it's plugged into ethernet, will iOS devices simply see it as an Airplay source? Or is something more involved in getting it to work?

I ordered my Allo Boss2 with MoOde. When turned on, the MoOde will show up in your iOS device.

 

[rafacq]

Hello everybody,

Just registered to this informative website to ask a question regarding this neat little device and hope to get a response.

I'd like to know if the Boss2 is able to access my music library stored on a Synology NAS running Logitech Media Server. If yes, which software would you recommend to choose? Moode Audio or DietPi + Allo GUI?

-Elmar

I have all my CDs ripped to FLAC with DBPOWERAMP. MoOde does a great job showing the files and playing them. It’s a great start. I now use my Allo Boss2 as a ROON endpoint and it is fantastic. ROON blends my Sinology library with Qobuz and Tidal seamlessly!

 

[rafacq]

I have no need for this, but want one! The $30+ dollars shipping stopped me dead in my tracks though. Once you hit this level of value, but low cost, even the little things can be a turnoff. The pricing on the SD card, wifi adapters, etc, is VERY good though!

Buy here for $10.95 shipping.

American Raspberry Pi Shop

American Raspberry Pi Shop. One stop shop for all your Pi needs. Raspberry Pi add-ons, HATs, accessories, Starter Kit, Media Center kit, RetroPi Arcade kit, Ultimate Kit, and many other project kits. PiShop.us is approved Raspberry Pi re-seller and carries all official Raspberry Pi boards and...

www.pishop.us

 

[rafacq]

I thought a streamer had to have a digital output.

This is a streamer/DAC Player. The streamer is a RaspberryPi, the DAC is a Boss2 (a raspberrypi HAT). There are HATs that will convert the rPi output to SPDIF or optical. Then you can feed that to your preferred DAC.

 

[amper42]

This is a streamer/DAC Player. The streamer is a RaspberryPi, the DAC is a Boss2 (a raspberrypi HAT). There are HATs that will convert the rPi output to SPDIF or optical. Then you can feed that to your preferred DAC.

If you will be sending the music stream to a DAC there is no need for the RPI4 HAT. Just take the USB output off the RPi4 and plug it into your USB input on the DAC. That's what I do with my RME ADI-2 FS DAC. If you are sending the stream to RCA inputs (single ended) on an amp, preamp or receiver then you will need a DAC HAT like the Boss2 offers.

 

[kchap]

The Allo Boss2 is a nice product that sounds great. But I have two issues with it.
1. The Blue Aluminum cover kills wifi range. It's one of the worst case designs for RPi4 board level wifi use. An external USB wifi dongle works well to correct the issue. If you take the blue top off the Boss2, internal wifi range is restored.
2. My Boss2 RPi4 chipset gets HOT and shuts down after about 90->120 minutes of play time. Letting it cool for 20 minutes and starting it up again works for me. I have not heard this complaint from those using an ethernet connection which makes me wonder if a combination of wifi and the CPU chip heat adds to the issue? I had this same issue with a different RPi4 without a Hat in a Flirc case. I took it out of the case and placed it on top of an 80mm slow fan and never had the problem again.

Try this script. I use it to check the temperature on all my RPI 4Bs:

 

[rafacq]

Hi,
I got my unit. How do you power it up? I connected the enclosed basic power supply, put the batteries in the remote, pressed the navigation button on the unit and…nothing happens. Please talk to me like I were a child!
Thanks,
AT

I find your post funny as when I plugged mine it seems it took forever to boot! I thought I had a DOA. But it finally does boot, and then it is a lot of fun to play with it.