Best raspberry pi dac

[gfx_1]

EDIT: I find the ability to connect by Bluetooth neat, too. And having a volume control
My impression is that there are fewer problems with optical/coax out, and I thought about adding one of those boards. However, it didn't seem to fit in the touch screen case that I'm using, but I could be wrong. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0153R2A9I

Looking at the pictures of the Smartipi touchscreen case, that may be a problem, the hat is stacked on top of the Pi. They do have a larger Smartipi touch 2 back cover which could fit but it needs some extra holes for the coax- and optical-connector.

 

[somebodyelse]

Never had any issues with eth and usb. That said I use wifi mostly, and it is not shared with USB afaik. Just eth.

It depends on a number of factors, both hardware and software. I've never had a problem with PiCorePlayer, but can reliably reproduce the issue with BruteFIR on both Volumio and Raspbian. If I pin BruteFIR to a single cpu core the problem goes away. I've tried and failed to reproduce it on a Pi 4 though.

 

[Lilith5th]

I have had no issues with my HifiBerry DAC Pro hat. It runs rune (arch linux based) and get music from my FreeNAS server via wifi and controlled by my phone. You could add a linear power supply directly to the hat but I really have found no need for such an implementation. It is connected to my primary 2 channel stereo setup. It is a small and inexpensive and produces great sound.

View attachment 44935 . View attachment 44936

Just my 2 cents,


Cheers!

I was just lurking and then I saw a jethro tull song... so I had to register and say hi

I'm considering building a pi dac so I'm just getting my basic infos. I already have a pi 4 and was planning on using it with my regular hifi stereo line (2.0). What would you recommend for a newcomer in terms of highest possible audio quality coming from dac files (and possibly input from my marantz 6006 cd player). Also do all boards support linear power input?
I'd be happy with 2.0 output as long as the quality can rival or surpass my cd player

 

[maltux]

I was just lurking and then I saw a jethro tull song... so I had to register and say hi

I'm considering building a pi dac so I'm just getting my basic infos. I already have a pi 4 and...

If you want to use Rune software you will need to use an RPI 3 or 2. Rune will work with the RPI 4 but I have not tested it. You could add a linear power supply but I see no point. I am sure the DAC in your CD player is fine. I use mine strictly for my music files on my computer. Other use it for streaming purposes.

Have fun!

 

[Lilith5th]

If you want to use Rune software you will need to use an RPI 3 or 2. You could add a linear power supply but I see no point. I am sure the DAC in your CD player is fine. I use mine strictly for my music files on my computer. Other use it for streaming purposes.

Have fun!

I'm more interested in using the DAC for FLAC files, since many artists these days only release in file format. I'll most likely just have a database on the PI it self, and use it to run albums/playlists from local SD card storage. I'm interested as to know what are the things I should consider before deciding on DAC for the PI? As for software part, I really dont have prefferences, sincy my only concern is that the sound is good.

 

[maltux]

I used the Hifiberry DAC + Pro with the RPI 2 with the included power supply. The Hifiberry pro has two clocks to help with jitter.
https://www.hifiberry.com/products/dacplus/

 

[somebodyelse]

Check the review index for measurements. If you want to connect the CD player to it you'll probably need an external DAC instead of a hat as very few of the hat DACs have a coax or toslink input.

Linear PSU will probably make no difference to the output. Almost anything with a single 5V supply will be using an internal switching regulator to generate a -ve voltage for the analog output stage anyway, and will have internal regulators suitable for the expected power supply conditions.

For the software side, all the usual Pi software options are capable of delivering the bits to the DAC unaltered. The choice is really about getting an interface and set of features that you're happy with.

 

[mkt]

Check the review index for measurements. If you want to connect the CD player to it you'll probably need an external DAC instead of a hat as very few of the hat DACs have a coax or toslink input.

Linear PSU will probably make no difference to the output. Almost anything with a single 5V supply will be using an internal switching regulator to generate a -ve voltage for the analog output stage anyway, and will have internal regulators suitable for the expected power supply conditions.

For the software side, all the usual Pi software options are capable of delivering the bits to the DAC unaltered. The choice is really about getting an interface and set of features that you're happy with.

This is good advice. I would say that achieving good sound quality is less of a concern (because there are many excellent options) than putting together a solution that has the connections and interfaces that match your use needs.

I recently put together a RPi 4 running PiCorePlayer https://www.picoreplayer.org with the OS on the SD card and the flac files on a 256 GB USB https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D7Q41PM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 connected to a Topping D50s via USB. The Topping has RCA outputs and a coax input. This might make sense for you if your stereo takes RCA and your CD player has a coax output. Also the D50s has Bluetooth, which is handy for streaming from your phone or something. My considerations were mostly which "wires" were needed and how to play the flac files.

 

[m8o]

If you want to use Rune software you will need to use an RPI 3 or 2.

Oh crap. Really? Setting up a RPi 4 with Rune was two projects away. Thanx for the fyi.

 

[maltux]

Oh crap. Really? Setting up a RPi 4 with Rune was two projects away. Thanx for the fyi.

Just checked: Rune has a new image that should work on a RPI 4. Hifiberry website says its HATS will work on the RPI 4.

https://www.runeaudio.com/forum/runeaudio-r-e3-t7014.html

 

[cburbs]

Is there a good Pi and ESS dac combo that people like that fits in a case as well?

 

[somebodyelse]

Is there a good Pi and ESS dac combo that people like that fits in a case as well?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-of-audiophonics-dac-i-sabre-es9038q2m.8640/
I'm pretty sure Audiophonics do a matching case or two.

 

[cburbs]

Yeah looks like this is one option - https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/netw...for-raspberry-pi-3-dac-es9038q2m-p-13300.html.

It's an option but not the price point I was thinking to build one out.

 

[maltux]

Is there a good Pi and ESS dac combo that people like that fits in a case as well?

Are you looking for a case like this:

https://www.hifiberry.com/docs/hardware/steel-case-assembly/

 

[cburbs]

Yes I would rather have a smaller case like that for the ESS dac listed above. I actually have that case with the Hifiberry dac but use that setup for my backyard.

 

[thefsb]

Yes I would rather have a smaller case like that for the ESS dac listed above. I actually have that case with the Hifiberry dac but use that setup for my backyard.

Consider also using a separate device connected by USB. There are great DACs in nice-looking little cases and then you can just hide the RPi. It provides more flexibility too in case you decide to change something in the overall network topology, like adding another digital source.

 

[cburbs]

So then like Khadas tone board dac/case or Topping D50s?

 

[2 picodumbs]

Fantastic! Thank you so much for your time.

(I would prefer AMK DAC but could not find one for pi)


Thanks much.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dac-...berry-pi-i2s-32bit-384khz-dsd128-p-13907.html

I have no personal experience with this, so I am certainly not endorsing the quality of the implementation, just hope this might encourage you to investigate further.

 

[GeorgeWalk]

So then like Khadas tone board dac/case or Topping D50s?

I have Raspberry PIs with configured with the Allo Boss DAC and one with the Toppings D50s. Both sound great.

 

[HemiRick]

I use 2 Allo boss hats w moode and am very happy, 1 is in main system and the other in the garage.