Multichannel audio on a Pi will get a whole lot easier and cheaper!

[StefanR]

New theory for cost-aware 4-way XO on Rpi5: get the cheapo Behringer UMC1820 and use its analogue outputs for sub bass and bass, but use external stereo DACS (present) for mids and highs, connected to the digital outputs of the Behringer (S/PDIF and ADAT). The Behringer should keep all channels in sync.

(Same principle could of course apply for other cheap but well equipped USB interfaces, perhaps there are better choices than the Behringer.)

 

[wonderfulaudio]

But the bigger thing is we finally have an PCI-e interface exposed! And this means we can cram in some relatively cheap soundcard.

Do you know whether the RPi can support Asus Xonar AE 7.1 sound card?

 

[voodooless]

Do you know whether the RPi can support Asus Xonar AE 7.1 sound card?

ASUS Xonar AE 7.1 - Tested & working · Issue #506 · geerlingguy/raspberry-pi-pcie-devices

Tested the Xonar AE 7.1 PCIe sound card on a CM4 IO Board (4GB version). Works with rpi-5.15.y branch (5.15.91-v8+ Kernel version). Add dtoverlay=pcie-32bit-dma to /boot/config.txt

github.com

 

[jdubs]

I'm currently using a MiniDSP MCHStreamer with Kaamos buffer to output to two Ian Canada HDMIpi boards. An Ian Canada ShieldPi Pro III has 5v input from an IFi power supply (need to upgrade). This in turn provides filtered power to the Kaamos buffer (3.3v) and the 2x HDMIpi boards (via GPIO). Short UFL cabling from the MCHStreamer / Kaamos buffer to each of the HDMIpi boards which then send their respective outputs on to a couple of i2s DACs (one Sabaj D5 and the other an SMSL DO200).

Works great with 4 channels at 32bit / 384khz which is output from an rpi5 running Ubuntu and CamillaDSP.

-Jim

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[phofman]

Or do all the work on RPi5 + Moode and push RPi devs to help with the GPCLK MCLK output IIUC it may only take an appropriate overlay.

Anybody wants to chime in to help convince the RPi devs that the MCLK output is important?

GPCLK output on RPi5? - Raspberry Pi Forums

forums.raspberrypi.com

 

[gino1961]

Hi thank you for the extremely interestin thread and sorry to jump in but i am very interested in volume control Ics
Speaking of the PGA2310 it seems to be good enough to be used in quite high end units like this one

Classé CP-800 D/A preamplifier | Stereophile.com

I was setting up for some musical demonstrations I was to present for a Music Matters evening at the ListenUp! store in Boulder, Colorado, in May 2011. For these events, an audio store invites manufacturers (and the occasional journalist) to demonstrate to local audiophiles the musical benefits...

www.stereophile.com

" The volume control is implemented with two two-channel Burr-Brown PGA2310 programmable-gain chips, one per channel used as a differential volume control "

the result is quite spectacular

With the CP-800 in Analog Bypass mode and the volume control set to unity, the distortion harmonics are not much higher than the residual levels in the Audio Precision's output