Allo Boss2 Review (Stereo Streamer)

[NickGR]

Question:

Can I use the Allo Boss2 as "Streamer only", to feed, via USB, an external DAC??

 

[contium]

Question:

Can I use the Allo Boss2 as "Streamer only", to feed, via USB, an external DAC??

Yes. It's just a RPi4 at that point. Display wont work.

 

[NickGR]

Yes. It's just a RPi4 at that point. Display wont work.

Thanks

 

[rtraut]

I wasn't using the Boss2. Couldn't get DSD working with Roon. And I needed a RPi which were hard to find.

@contium are you interested in selling the Boss2 minus the RPi?

 

[contium]

@contium are you interested in selling the Boss2 minus the RPi?

Sorry already gave it away.

 

[rost21A]

From experience I would kep the adi dac and change the way you play music by adding a RPI 4 that connects to the dac. The reason I say this is that I wouldn't trust the MoOde software so much that it would never play at 100% output. I played with it quite a bit and one thing that is really obvious is that it's interface is such that it's easy to make mistakes. Changing a setting often requires a restart for example and I have experienced many times that I thought I had the correct setting but in fact it didn't save it because I followed the wrong chronological order. Every time I unplug the ethernet cable from the RPI I need to reset a few configurations in MoOde.

What I would recommend instead of directly connecting an ipad (if I understood that correctly) and using a streamer like RPI to connect to your dac. There is a lot of software available to choose from. On the top of my head: MoOde, Ropieee, Volumio, Squeezelite (from logitech now open source). Then you can enjoy a glitch free playback and use the ipad as a remote.

Hello
The BOSS2 sounds great. I won't say it's the best, but the sound is sensational. I've tried many Dacs. The BOSS2 is the best I've heard so far. However, I did not make a comparison to a high-quality USB DAC with Saber.
I use Volumio and it works perfectly! The controls are really excellent for me.
Except for the display and the control buttons do not work. But I don't care because I only use it with my phone or tablet. (In rare cases a computer)
I listen to most Qobuz through Hypex nCore 400 and Boenicke Audio W5 SE.

I highly recommend this device!

 

[TerryO]

Hello
The BOSS2 sounds great. I won't say it's the best, but the sound is sensational. I've tried many Dacs. The BOSS2 is the best I've heard so far. However, I did not make a comparison to a high-quality USB DAC with Saber.
I use Volumio and it works perfectly! The controls are really excellent for me.
Except for the display and the control buttons do not work. But I don't care because I only use it with my phone or tablet. (In rare cases a computer)
I listen to most Qobuz through Hypex nCore 400 and Boenicke Audio W5 SE.

I highly recommend this device!

I've been very happy with my Allo BOSS2. Our DIY Club has several members with a fair amount of High-end DAC design experience and while there are a few stand alone DACs that are as good, there aren't very many that are better. Now when the price of the Allo BOSS2 is taken into account there really aren't any, even in absolute terms, that can be compared!

 

[amper42]

I purchased the Allo Boss2 and used it extensively. The sound isn't bad but it certainly can't match the D90SE or RME ADI-2 or many other advanced DACs. If you use the network connector and stay away from wifi you might be satisfied.

The biggest problem I found with Boss2 is the aluminum case greatly reduces wifi strength. You can increase the wifi signal with the optional USB wifi adapter but it's still less stable than the standard internal RPI4 wifi without a case. Boss2 is a really poor design for wifi users.

If you need a wifi streamer I would get an RPI4 instead of the Boss2. The poorly designed aluminum case is a deal breaker for those looking for a wifi streamer and the DAC is average. Mine sits on a shelf now. But some will still be happy with it.

 

[Kollin]

Please tell me, Boss 2 will work with RiPi 4 B with one gigabyte of RAM?
I will use Moode or Volumio

 

[amper42]

Please tell me, Boss 2 will work with RiPi 4 B with one gigabyte of RAM?
I will use Moode or Volumio

If you get the Allo Boss2 here:

BOSS2 Player

BOSS2 Player

allo.com

It shipped in an aluminum case with the Allo DAC mounted on top of an RPI 2GB or 4GB.
I'm not sure if you can just buy the Boss2 DAC separately and put it on an RPI4? If so, that configuration was only sold in 4G and 2G configurations by Allo. Hard to know if issues might exist with 1GB until you test it.

 

[Kollin]

It shipped in an aluminum case with the Allo DAC mounted on top of an RPI 2GB or 4GB.

And the aluminum case has long been out of stock from sellers.
I decided to order in an acrylic case, which does not contain a raspberry board.
In an acrylic case, it is still available from some retailers.

 

[amper42]

And the aluminum case has long been out of stock from sellers.
I decided to order in an acrylic case, which does not contain a raspberry board.
In an acrylic case, it is still available from some retailers.

You might be better off with an RPI4 and a Topping E30 II DAC at this point. Better chipset, better DAC, more options and about the same price.

E30 II -

Amazon.com

RPI4 -

https://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Model-2019-Quad-Bluetooth/dp/B07TC2BK1X/ref=sr_1_5

OR if you use Amazon HD Music streaming consider the WiiM instead of RPI4 for less:
E30 II -

Amazon.com

WiiM -

Amazon.com

I have both the RPI4 and the WiiM. The WiiM is great for Amazon music.

 

[rost21A]

I took the BOSS2 out of the acrylic case and put it in another case and it works great with a PRI2 with 1GB Ram.
There's no problem!

*****************************************
system information

OS info
Version of Volumio: 3.324
Hostname: volumio-boss2-eg
Kernel: 5.10.92-v7+
governor: performance
Uptime: 47 days, 7 hours, 41 minutes, 39 seconds

audio info
Hw audio configured: Allo BOSS2
Mixer type: Hardware
Number of channels:
Supported sample rate:

board info
Manufacturer: Raspberry Pi Foundation
Model: Raspberry Pi 2 Model B Rev 1.1
Revision: a01041
Firmware Version: Jan 20 2022 13:58:22 - bd88f66f8952d34e4e0613a85c7a6d3da49e13e2

cpu info
Fire: BCM2836
Speed: 0.9Ghz
Number of cores: 4
Physical cores: 4
Average load: 12%
Temperature: 39°C

Memory info
Memory: 990024 Ko
Free: 257956 Ko
Used: 732068 Ko

Storage info
INTERNAL storage - Size: 4755Mo
Used: 201Mo
Available for storage: 4305Mo (91%)

*

 

[Kollin]

You might be better off with an RPI4 and a Topping E30 II DAC at this point.

As a DAC, I now have a Lavaudio DS600, which suits me.
For streaming with NAS, I just need raspberries, but I wanted to try Boss 2 right away. If I like it, I’ll use it in the country. If you really like it, Lavaudio will go to the village. ))

I mounted the acrylic case BOSS2 to another case

Did you make the case yourself, or did you buy it ready made?

works great with a PRI2 with 1GB Ram

I was sure it only works with Pi4

 

[rost21A]

I bought a case and modified it a bit.
Unfortunately I don't think this case is available anymore.
Case from Audiophonics

 

[rost21A]

Aluminium chassis for I-DAC / Raspberry Pi 3 for Network audio player - Audiophonics

This 100% Aluminum case is designed to receive the Raspberry Pi 2 and 3 pair and the DAC Audiophonics DAC I-Saber ES9023 V2 and 3 without display.

www.audiophonics.fr

=rpi&fast_search= fs

 

[rost21A]

Please note that on my BOSS2, the audio outputs L/R are reversed labled!
Upon request, ALLO confirmed this to me.

 

[Kollin]

Unfortunately I don't think this case is available anymore.

They don't sell Boss 2 without a case anyway.
I'll try with the factory one first. If I like its sound, I might consider upgrading the case.

 

[TerryO]

They don't sell Boss 2 without a case anyway.
I'll try with the factory one first. If I like its sound, I might consider upgrading the case.

Interesting...Keep us in the loop! I'm certainly interested in your experiment.

 

[Fahzz]

I'm using one of these with a Max 2 Play/Squeezebox configuration. Lately on startup it plays with a noticeable left channel bias, which is resolved by a reboot. Any ideas on how to fix this?