• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

S/PDIF quality audible with decent DAC?

seyl3r

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 22, 2019
Messages
27
Likes
26
Location
Germany
I'm wondering if there is an audible difference with different digital interfaces for raspberry pi such as
  1. Hifiberry Digi+ Standard
  2. Audiophonics Digipi+ Pro
  3. Hifiberry Digi2 Pro
  4. Allo DigiOne
I watched amirs Video "Is Digital Audio Transmission Really Analog?" which shows clearly explains that there can be transmission differences since the digital interface acts as a host and clocks the signal. With worse clocks, jitter goes up which makes life harder for the DAC side. However, as I understood, with a decent DAC, there shouldn't be a problem and if so, it will return in stuttering, cracks and stuff rather than sound being degraded.

My situation is the following - I currently have the following chain:
Android TV --> S/PDIF optically --> miniDSP openDRC DI --> S/PDIF optically --> Genelec F Two (acts as DAC and volume control) --> XLR --> Genelec G Three

I want to extend my chain such that I don't have to turn on the TV every time for listening to music since it takes minutes for Spotify to launch after power loss. Since I already own a raspberry pi with moode OS, I thought about the interfaces above.

The Genelec subwoofer has multiple inputs, so I could still use its own remote control and my TV remote to switch inputs and connect the pi like this:
Raspberry Pi with interface running moode and camilla DSP --> S/PDIF coaxially --> Genelec F Two (acts as DAC and volume control) --> XLR --> Genelec G Three

To summarize: Will there be any audible difference with any of the interfaces listed above since they just act digitally as S/PDIF output?

P.S.: I already asked this question here, but it seems like it's lost in this thread: I'll link my question there to this post if anybody has a similar question later and hits the other thread first. If there are threads providing answers to my question, please just share the link :).
 
OP
seyl3r

seyl3r

Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 22, 2019
Messages
27
Likes
26
Location
Germany
I went for the Hifiberry Digi+ Standard and I am very happy with it. Sounds great as expected. Genelec is doing the DA conversion.

I modified my Nes3Pi case for the additional outputs.

IMG_20220923_103853.jpg

For the features and sound you get, I think this case is actually quite funny :).

As long as nobody can explain why a more expensive digital interface would improve sound, I have no reason to change this system in the near future.
 

Dennis_FL

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 21, 2020
Messages
525
Likes
413
The HifiBerry is more than half the price of the Allo DigiOne….I wonder what the difference is.
 

mdsimon2

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 20, 2020
Messages
2,478
Likes
3,316
Location
Detroit, MI
I made some measurements of the output of a MOTU Ultralite Mk5 DAC with USB input and with TOSLINK input from a Hifiberry digi+ I/O and did not see any differences -> https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-and-digi-pro-digi2.30999/page-6#post-1105791.

I’ve used a bunch of different digital output HATs including the digione and digi2 pro and have not noticed any differences. I’d personally lean towards one with dual oscillators for 44.1/48 families but that is based on audiophile nervosa and not objective measurements.

Michael
 
Top Bottom