ablearcher
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- Joined
- Jun 16, 2020
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I'm looking to upgrade my current streaming setup (Synology NAS > Parasound P5 > Emotiva XPA-200 > B&W CM9's) and after doing countless hours of internet research, naturally I'm now even more confused!
Currently I've got the NAS hooked directly to the P5 via USB, but the NAS itself is now pretty old and underpowered and I'm looking to replace it by building a new server out of an old PC. Either way I'll be streaming FLAC and also some video over the network, and I want to use a Raspberry Pi 4 as a network streamer. I'll be running some variety of OS that can handle a decent audio player (thinking either Moode or Volumio) and maybe Plex/Kodi as well for the videos. That much I'm pretty comfortable with, but I'm really struggling with what I should do in terms of turning data into music!
Looking at DACs I started out thinking about using a Pi HAT (either the HiFiBerry DAC+ or the Allo Boss) because the USB from the RPi wasn't meant to be very good, and then read a bunch of other stuff saying that S/PDIF out from a transport RPi HAT (HifiBerry Digi+ pro or Allo DigiOne) might be better, and I could either use the existing DAC in the P5 or get a new one (maybe a Topping or Schiit). Then after all that I read a load of conflicting stuff and it seems the USB out from the RPi4 is probably fine so maybe the transport HAT becomes unnecessary...
I've currently got things set up using the DAC in the P5 (based on a TI/Burr-Brown PCM1798) which seems to work pretty well, but I guess I have nothing to directly compare it to so I have no idea whether things would sound better with a separate DAC. Ideally I'll be keeping the P5 to use its phono stage for vinyl, which also means I can use it for volume control (any more remotes and my wife is liable to start complaining and/or asking difficult questions about cost ).
In summary I'm now hopelessly confused so I'd really welcome any thoughts or experience anyone has about this!
Is the existing DAC in my P5 fine or would I notice a difference with a new one in the ~£200 range?
Is the USB out from the RPi4 not an issue any more and would I notice a difference between a USB connection out to a DAC vs. an S/PDIF connection?
Are RPi DAC HATs like the Allo Master actually just as good as a standalone or the existing one in my P5?
If I'm using the Pi for streaming video, would using a HAT (and therefore no space for a heatsink) mean that I'd have heat issues when using Plex?
[edit: formatting]
Currently I've got the NAS hooked directly to the P5 via USB, but the NAS itself is now pretty old and underpowered and I'm looking to replace it by building a new server out of an old PC. Either way I'll be streaming FLAC and also some video over the network, and I want to use a Raspberry Pi 4 as a network streamer. I'll be running some variety of OS that can handle a decent audio player (thinking either Moode or Volumio) and maybe Plex/Kodi as well for the videos. That much I'm pretty comfortable with, but I'm really struggling with what I should do in terms of turning data into music!
Looking at DACs I started out thinking about using a Pi HAT (either the HiFiBerry DAC+ or the Allo Boss) because the USB from the RPi wasn't meant to be very good, and then read a bunch of other stuff saying that S/PDIF out from a transport RPi HAT (HifiBerry Digi+ pro or Allo DigiOne) might be better, and I could either use the existing DAC in the P5 or get a new one (maybe a Topping or Schiit). Then after all that I read a load of conflicting stuff and it seems the USB out from the RPi4 is probably fine so maybe the transport HAT becomes unnecessary...
I've currently got things set up using the DAC in the P5 (based on a TI/Burr-Brown PCM1798) which seems to work pretty well, but I guess I have nothing to directly compare it to so I have no idea whether things would sound better with a separate DAC. Ideally I'll be keeping the P5 to use its phono stage for vinyl, which also means I can use it for volume control (any more remotes and my wife is liable to start complaining and/or asking difficult questions about cost ).
In summary I'm now hopelessly confused so I'd really welcome any thoughts or experience anyone has about this!
Is the existing DAC in my P5 fine or would I notice a difference with a new one in the ~£200 range?
Is the USB out from the RPi4 not an issue any more and would I notice a difference between a USB connection out to a DAC vs. an S/PDIF connection?
Are RPi DAC HATs like the Allo Master actually just as good as a standalone or the existing one in my P5?
If I'm using the Pi for streaming video, would using a HAT (and therefore no space for a heatsink) mean that I'd have heat issues when using Plex?
[edit: formatting]