Hanz thank you kindly for all the effort that goes into your videos and all the valueble information you provide. It is highly appreciated and please keep it up my friend.
How have I only just discovered your channel? THoughtful delivery, insightful comentary. I feel inspired to by a DAC board and setup for working through my Hifi - I'd be interested to see how my budget HiFi rig compares to the original Sonos Play soundbar i have. technically the raspberry pi/DAC might be a lesser solution, but when supported by a quality amp and some upper budget floor stand speakers... i'm intrigued to find out. Looking forward to seeing more of your content - thanks for all you do. its fascinating.
Just got the allo boss dac 1.2 playing couldnt get the display but as roon endpoint for the marantz sr8012 connected with rocket 33 to dali opticon6 powereing the boss with cell phone charger. I saw your power units video also. My query is regarding rca interconnects. Could you throw some light on those ? Thank you
Hi Hans Thanks for another great review. Actually, I just received the Allo Boss DAC and case a couple days ago, but haven't tried it out yet. Since the Audiophonics power supply isn't available in 120vac, the only reasonably priced alternative is the iFi iPower. Would there be any advantage to powering the RPi and Boss with separate iPowers, vs using just one iPower for both?
Well using two iFi's doesn't seem to make sense since one will be powering an even noisier Raspberry Pi. But hey it's audio, so it could just make a difference. I haven't tried.
Hi Hans, I have been viewing some of your videos and became interested in the RPi+DAC HAT audio solutions. I am tryimg to get a DAC for my old RPi Model B rev 2.0 which only has a 26 GPIO connector and a P5 8 pin connector. Could you advise any options for this purpose. Thanks
Dear Hans, what do you think: does at the moment a proper I2S output for a PC exist ? I'd like to set up a mini htpc but so far I haven't found any computers with I2S output.. have you ever heard about the Pink Faun I2S bridge cards ? Might they be worth a look for a HDMI-input-capable I2S DAC ? (Just the cable is HDMI, not following the HDMI standard.. it's rather the solution used by PS Audio first). I'm seeking the way of feeding my DAC properly from my PC. Thank you.
HI, Hans! I have a Raspberry Pi3 and a Sound Card from IQaudIO (DigiAmp+). I'm trying to make a system based on Rune Audio. Unfortunately something goes wrong. I can't find DigiAmp+ as an Output. Do you have some advice for me? Thanks in advance
I have no experience with the IQaudIO DigiAmp+ but you might try Volumio in stead of Rune Audio. They are almost identical but sometimes one works better over the other with given hardware.
You may have to edit the boot config txt file. Details are in the user guide on iqaudio website. Some dacs aren't just plug and play, and require some command line manipulations.
Hi Hans, thanks for your great reviews about the PI and its DAC extensions. I know you have a lot of work, but could you please make a short comparison between the BOSS v1.2 and the Audiophonics I-Sabre V3 ES9023 module? I want to build a player, but I´m not sure which DAC module to prefer.
Nice and very helpful videos! I decided to buy an ALLO BOSS DAC after watching it. Coupled it with a RPI3, VOLUMIO and a MARSHALL amplifier. However I noticed that, when music stops playing a humming noise can be heard (proportional to the volume level) everything is okay (no noise whatsoever) when playing music. Any ideas? Thanks for your help!
Hi HANS, I have been using Audirvana with my Pi3 Allo Boss 1.2 which has Volumio installed. When looking for the Pi Audirvana gives me an option of AirPlay or Upnp. Which option would be the best too use? Also in Audirvana which sound options have you found best for upscaling? Many thanks for your work and help. James
Hi again, Do you know if the Boss 1.2 DAC is capable of playing upscaled music from Audirvana? Is there a maximum limit it will playback? Or should I jst send files at standard 16bit?
Hi Hans, I've read enthusiastic reviews about the RPI mounted Allo Boss in combination with an Allo Kali reclocker which bundled come at a price of about 130 Euros. Now I know you're hesitant to make recommendations about equipment you haven't tested yourself, but could you imagine a reclocker makes 70 Euros much of a difference to the RPI or DAC clock?
I think you've confused the Boss DAC with a Piano DAC. The Boss is not designed to run with the Kali, as it is an I2S master. The Kali only works with Slave DACs (however, there is a way to run the Boss as a slave, in software, such as PCP)
You don't need any DAC, jus connect the HDMI output of the RPi to an HDMI input on the soundbar. I gather the sound quality will be sufficient for the soundbar.
Hi Hans! Thanks for these reviews. I'm curious if you have more to say (somewhere I can't find?) about the Piano boards? You mention them in the introduction, but I'd be interested in the details. Thanks!
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel you said "the piano series were less to my liking" which I interpreted as having some familiarity? Sorry if I misunderstood
Well, I could have been more clear. The Piano is a product - like many - that appeared to offers a quality lower than I can enjoy. That doesn't mean you might not enjoy it. But it is the reason I spent no time on the product and therefore can't be more specific.
Great review. Thank you. I am a newbie and there is so much to learn. Can I connect Boss directly to that amplifier which has input sensitivity of 700 MV. Or do I need a preamp? I ordered a REISONG A10 tube amplifier and trying to setup a system around it:)
You don't need a preamp but I would advise you to use one. It buffers the Boss output and is more convenient for volume control. Plus it offers input select if you have more audio sources.
Hi Hans, I am a bit late to the Party having just bought a RPi3 and ALLO BOSS DAC but I am enjoying my first digital music via a network / DAC. I use a MacBook as a server with Audirvana and the Pi3 BOSS for rendering. My question is would I get the best results using an Ethernet cable to connect the Pi 3 to the router and the MacBook to the router or send the files wifi from the Mac to the router?
Thanks Hans. I purchased the Allo Boss DAC, iFI power supply, to go with a Rasp Pi3 running Volumio. I started with the iFI power supply for the Boss and the Rasp Pi. Then I tried it the power supply I purchased with raspi and the IFi on the Boss. In both scenarios the sound was just Ok. I went back to only the iFi for both. The sound was awful - worse! On 192/24 Flac files I was getting crackle or static. I then took both iFi and Raspi power supply and ran them outside of the audio cabinet to a separate power source isolating them. In this scenario the sound improved quite a bit and I like the way it sounds. I cannot find anything in the literature about MQA files on the DAC. Do you know if MQA is supported on the Boss? Thanks for all your work.
All switching mode power supplies work with a high switching frequency that can interfere with other equipment it is close to. That is why many audiophiles prefer linear power supplies. The Allo Boss does not support MQA and I think it is unlikely it ever will.
And I got some more questions, I'm new to this field and find it very interesting. When I would use a RPI with, let's say the Allo Boss dac, would using a UTP-cable, connecting my pc to the Pi, be better than using a USB connection? Or would using a flashdrive be even better because I would be omitting the risk of noise pollution of the sound? Or would an even better option be, if I were to stick to the Pi environment, to use an USB to spdif converter and hooking up the output of the converter to an Pi-dac? Would love to here from someone!
Because I would think using a flash drive with high quality music on a flash drive would sound exactly the same when one would use a dedicated NAS or PC connected to the Pi via usb or utp. Especially when using a USBridge or DigiOne boards. Hopefully I am wrong :)
The UTP cable has to be connected to the router in your network. You can not use the USB on the RPI to make a connection to your PC. In that case you will need a DAC that offers a USB input.
Okay, thank you. The problem is, I can only connect the Pi or Kali directly to my PC, I cannot acces the router in my home. So would it not improve the sound quality to use a DigiOne or USBridge and connect the output to my DAC (my DAC can do both spdif and usb)? Because I would mitigate the noise coming from my PC.
To do that you must look at boxes like the iFi Nano iUSB3 (ruclips.net/video/NxDey69KPAg/видео.html) and Micro iUSB3.0 (ruclips.net/video/0TLZxUfXTxU/видео.html) or the SOtM that I will review shortly.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel alright! Would it be the same using an Schiit Wyrd or Etir? I believe they do the same, but the description on the productpage is unclear to me.
I have just bought this DAC and am really happy with it, enough to want to use it with my other amps (2-3 in total) will using RCA splitters ( like the Amazon basics) ones degrade the quality of the signal greatly?
Hello Hans, ask, according to your experience in terms of sound which is better Allo Boss or hifiberry dac + pro? this under the assumption that the 2 need an external linear source (as read from your publications.)
Does anyone know what's the power requirements for the Boss V1.2 are? I want to build a linear power supply and I need to know so I can size the transformer and some other components.
Holy cow! It's actually that high. Someone told me he though it was under 0.7 amps. Are we thinking of the same thing? Can you point to manufactures specs? I can't find and it and everyone one I ask I get wildly different answers.
This is like watching the instruction manual but a) not boring and b) I'm understanding it!
Thank you!
Hanz thank you kindly for all the effort that goes into your videos and all the valueble information you provide. It is highly appreciated and please keep it up my friend.
You are very welcome
When you describe the 3 powering options, it would be useful to see them during the description.
These are great videos. Thank you and keep it up.
Glad you like them!
How have I only just discovered your channel? THoughtful delivery, insightful comentary. I feel inspired to by a DAC board and setup for working through my Hifi - I'd be interested to see how my budget HiFi rig compares to the original Sonos Play soundbar i have. technically the raspberry pi/DAC might be a lesser solution, but when supported by a quality amp and some upper budget floor stand speakers... i'm intrigued to find out. Looking forward to seeing more of your content - thanks for all you do. its fascinating.
👍🏼
I am using the first version of the ALLO BOSS dac.
Is it possible to get digital coax output?
How do I output with a filtered quality?
Just got the allo boss dac 1.2 playing couldnt get the display but as roon endpoint for the marantz sr8012 connected with rocket 33 to dali opticon6 powereing the boss with cell phone charger. I saw your power units video also. My query is regarding rca interconnects. Could you throw some light on those ? Thank you
You might want to watch ruclips.net/video/PQ9kYVMz51k/видео.html
Hi Hans
Thanks for another great review. Actually, I just received the Allo Boss DAC and case a couple days ago, but haven't tried it out yet.
Since the Audiophonics power supply isn't available in 120vac, the only reasonably priced alternative is the iFi iPower. Would there be any advantage to powering the RPi and Boss with separate iPowers, vs using just one iPower for both?
Well using two iFi's doesn't seem to make sense since one will be powering an even noisier Raspberry Pi. But hey it's audio, so it could just make a difference. I haven't tried.
Hi Hans, I have been viewing some of your videos and became interested in the RPi+DAC HAT audio solutions. I am tryimg to get a DAC for my old RPi Model B rev 2.0 which only has a 26 GPIO connector and a P5 8 pin connector. Could you advise any options for this purpose. Thanks
I have not hands on experience with that early model. So I can't help you there. Sorry.
Dear Hans, what do you think: does at the moment a proper I2S output for a PC exist ? I'd like to set up a mini htpc but so far I haven't found any computers with I2S output.. have you ever heard about the Pink Faun I2S bridge cards ? Might they be worth a look for a HDMI-input-capable I2S DAC ? (Just the cable is HDMI, not following the HDMI standard.. it's rather the solution used by PS Audio first). I'm seeking the way of feeding my DAC properly from my PC. Thank you.
I have no experience with that products so I don’t know.
HI, Hans! I have a Raspberry Pi3 and a Sound Card from IQaudIO (DigiAmp+). I'm trying to make a system based on Rune Audio. Unfortunately something goes wrong. I can't find DigiAmp+ as an Output. Do you have some advice for me? Thanks in advance
What operating system on the Pi/DigiAmp+? Ropieee or DietPi?
Both work fine.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel Hans your the best man!
I have no experience with the IQaudIO DigiAmp+ but you might try Volumio in stead of Rune Audio. They are almost identical but sometimes one works better over the other with given hardware.
You may have to edit the boot config txt file. Details are in the user guide on iqaudio website. Some dacs aren't just plug and play, and require some command line manipulations.
Hi Hans, thanks for your great reviews about the PI and its DAC extensions. I know you have a lot of work, but could you please make a short comparison between the BOSS v1.2 and the Audiophonics I-Sabre V3 ES9023 module? I want to build a player, but I´m not sure which DAC module to prefer.
All I can say is in the videos. Watch them again and you'll see.
Nice and very helpful videos! I decided to buy an ALLO BOSS DAC after watching it. Coupled it with a RPI3, VOLUMIO and a MARSHALL amplifier. However I noticed that, when music stops playing a humming noise can be heard (proportional to the volume level) everything is okay (no noise whatsoever) when playing music. Any ideas? Thanks for your help!
Sorry I can't do support.
Hi HANS,
I have been using Audirvana with my Pi3 Allo Boss 1.2 which has Volumio installed. When looking for the Pi Audirvana gives me an option of AirPlay or Upnp. Which option would be the best too use?
Also in Audirvana which sound options have you found best for upscaling?
Many thanks for your work and help.
James
Upnp
Hi Hans,
Would powering the BOSS board and the RPi with two (separate) DC 5V 3A power banks be of any benefit over a cheaper power supply?
If you use audio grade PSU's, surely.
Hi again,
Do you know if the Boss 1.2 DAC is capable of playing upscaled music from Audirvana? Is there a maximum limit it will playback? Or should I jst send files at standard 16bit?
I haven’t reviewed the Boss, so I can’t say. Sorry
Hi Hans, I've read enthusiastic reviews about the RPI mounted Allo Boss in combination with an Allo Kali reclocker which bundled come at a price of about 130 Euros. Now I know you're hesitant to make recommendations about equipment you haven't tested yourself, but could you imagine a reclocker makes 70 Euros much of a difference to the RPI or DAC clock?
Sorry but I really can’t say. Too much variables.
I think you've confused the Boss DAC with a Piano DAC. The Boss is not designed to run with the Kali, as it is an I2S master. The Kali only works with Slave DACs (however, there is a way to run the Boss as a slave, in software, such as PCP)
Hello Hans, can you give me advice? Do I need this kind of DAC device when I have raspberry connected to my yamaha soundbar with HDMI? Thank you
You don't need any DAC, jus connect the HDMI output of the RPi to an HDMI input on the soundbar. I gather the sound quality will be sufficient for the soundbar.
Hi Hans! Thanks for these reviews. I'm curious if you have more to say (somewhere I can't find?) about the Piano boards? You mention them in the introduction, but I'd be interested in the details. Thanks!
I did not review them so I have nothing to say about them.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel you said "the piano series were less to my liking" which I interpreted as having some familiarity? Sorry if I misunderstood
Well, I could have been more clear. The Piano is a product - like many - that appeared to offers a quality lower than I can enjoy. That doesn't mean you might not enjoy it. But it is the reason I spent no time on the product and therefore can't be more specific.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel thank you, I understand. I'm in need of the 2-way function, which is why I was looking. I appreciate the personal care.
Top notch Hans.
Great review. Thank you. I am a newbie and there is so much to learn. Can I connect Boss directly to that amplifier which has input sensitivity of 700 MV. Or do I need a preamp? I ordered a REISONG A10 tube amplifier and trying to setup a system around it:)
You don't need a preamp but I would advise you to use one. It buffers the Boss output and is more convenient for volume control. Plus it offers input select if you have more audio sources.
thank you for your swift reply. All the best
Hi Hans, I am a bit late to the Party having just bought a RPi3 and ALLO BOSS DAC but I am enjoying my first digital music via a network / DAC. I use a MacBook as a server with Audirvana and the Pi3 BOSS for rendering. My question is would I get the best results using an Ethernet cable to connect the Pi 3 to the router and the MacBook to the router or send the files wifi from the Mac to the router?
That depends on the quality o the wifi channel and that depends on how many wifi networks are around.
Hi Hans, I use a "Akai MPC Renaissance" would buying a quality power supply improve the sound quality? thank
I would not know. I don’t know the Akai. Sorry.
it is a multi-channel audio DAC and uses a pc for its processing over USB but its power supply looks basic home supply.
Thanks Hans. I purchased the Allo Boss DAC, iFI power supply, to go with a Rasp Pi3 running Volumio. I started with the iFI power supply for the Boss and the Rasp Pi. Then I tried it the power supply I purchased with raspi and the IFi on the Boss. In both scenarios the sound was just Ok. I went back to only the iFi for both. The sound was awful - worse! On 192/24 Flac files I was getting crackle or static. I then took both iFi and Raspi power supply and ran them outside of the audio cabinet to a separate power source isolating them. In this scenario the sound improved quite a bit and I like the way it sounds.
I cannot find anything in the literature about MQA files on the DAC. Do you know if MQA is supported on the Boss? Thanks for all your work.
All switching mode power supplies work with a high switching frequency that can interfere with other equipment it is close to. That is why many audiophiles prefer linear power supplies. The Allo Boss does not support MQA and I think it is unlikely it ever will.
How would the sound compare when using the Audiophonics I-Sabre V3 ES9023? Great Video!
Do u have an hissing noise from Es9023
And I got some more questions, I'm new to this field and find it very interesting.
When I would use a RPI with, let's say the Allo Boss dac, would using a UTP-cable, connecting my pc to the Pi, be better than using a USB connection? Or would using a flashdrive be even better because I would be omitting the risk of noise pollution of the sound?
Or would an even better option be, if I were to stick to the Pi environment, to use an USB to spdif converter and hooking up the output of the converter to an Pi-dac?
Would love to here from someone!
Because I would think using a flash drive with high quality music on a flash drive would sound exactly the same when one would use a dedicated NAS or PC connected to the Pi via usb or utp. Especially when using a USBridge or DigiOne boards.
Hopefully I am wrong :)
The UTP cable has to be connected to the router in your network. You can not use the USB on the RPI to make a connection to your PC. In that case you will need a DAC that offers a USB input.
Okay, thank you.
The problem is, I can only connect the Pi or Kali directly to my PC, I cannot acces the router in my home.
So would it not improve the sound quality to use a DigiOne or USBridge and connect the output to my DAC (my DAC can do both spdif and usb)? Because I would mitigate the noise coming from my PC.
To do that you must look at boxes like the iFi Nano iUSB3 (ruclips.net/video/NxDey69KPAg/видео.html) and Micro iUSB3.0 (ruclips.net/video/0TLZxUfXTxU/видео.html) or the SOtM that I will review shortly.
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel alright! Would it be the same using an Schiit Wyrd or Etir?
I believe they do the same, but the description on the productpage is unclear to me.
I have just bought this DAC and am really happy with it, enough to want to use it with my other amps (2-3 in total) will using RCA splitters ( like the Amazon basics) ones degrade the quality of the signal greatly?
That depends on the input specifications of the amp. Just try it and if bass and pulses like snare degrade, you know you are losing quality.
What would a good budget amp+dac raspberry pi setup for Headphones?
I don't do headphones. Sorry.
Hello Hans, ask, according to your experience in terms of sound which is better Allo Boss or hifiberry dac + pro? this under the assumption that the 2 need an external linear source (as read from your publications.)
please watch the reviews again and then ruclips.net/video/EykkzxUstL4/видео.html
how does this compare to the raumfeld 2+ expand and its software
I have no hands on experience with the 2+ so I cannot say.
sorry, typo: i meant raumfeld plus expand (large library)
Does anyone know what's the power requirements for the Boss V1.2 are?
I want to build a linear power supply and I need to know so I can size the transformer and some other components.
3amps
Holy cow! It's actually that high. Someone told me he though it was under 0.7 amps.
Are we thinking of the same thing?
Can you point to manufactures specs? I can't find and it and everyone one I ask I get wildly different answers.
Hi!
Mamboberry HD DAC+ IDT vs Allo BOSS 1.2 ? What do you think?
I think you should watch m.ruclips.net/video/EykkzxUstL4/видео.html