Something cool for Raspberry Pi/ODROID: I2S/DSD isolator HAT with native DSD decoder

I managed to get my RPI - Isolator HAT - KALI - DDDAC combination up and running late last evening. I tested the functionality with Moode player by playing 24/192, 24/96 and 16/44.1 flac files. All of them worked flawlessly. No critical listening yet.

I'm powering the RPI with forum member mravlca's universal PS and the KALI is powered with mravlca's TPS7A4700 PS. I attached couple of quick and dirty iPhone pics.

Ok, for some reason I'm not able to add pics as an attachment. I'll try later perhaps...

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...and the pics are here as attachments. :rolleyes:
 

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To avoid using the usb socket to power my Pi I removed pins 4 and 6 from the GPIO and replaced them underneath with pins sticking out parallel to the board, which I power with an AMB s11. My 502DAC is powered by another s11, with the jumper removed so the 5v rails don't get connected on the GPIO.

Does Isolator Pi rely on the 5v on pin4 from the Pi or does it use some of the other pins? If it needs pin4, I guess I need to reverse that change.

On the isolated side, I guess I should apply the other 5v to the Isolator at J1 and replace the jumper on the 502DAC so it gets power from the Isolator?

Any help appreciated ;)

1pOkZzcl.jpg
 
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Hi Ian, received my isolator and looking forward to plumbing it in to my Kali Aya setup. The manual states the isolator needs to be powered up before the pi however I can't see any mention of sequencing power up by builders here. Before I read the manual I was planning just to let everything come up unmanaged. I have separate linear supplies for Pi, isolator, Kali and Aya. Should I be sequencing them?

Thanks for a beautiful build by the way.

Simon
 
Hi Ian, received my isolator and looking forward to plumbing it in to my Kali Aya setup. The manual states the isolator needs to be powered up before the pi however I can't see any mention of sequencing power up by builders here. Before I read the manual I was planning just to let everything come up unmanaged. I have separate linear supplies for Pi, isolator, Kali and Aya. Should I be sequencing them?

Thanks for a beautiful build by the way.

Simon

Hi Simon,

No problem you get everything come up unmanaged at same time.

Regards,
Ian
 
If you are referring to the DOP setting in Volumio, it is set, if not please point me in the right direction thanks

@iancortez,

How's going with your DoP decoding?

I've just tested Volumio with my DoP/IsolatprPi combination. I don't have any problem. When I was playing DSD music, DoP LED turned on. Native DSD music was playing nicely on both of my external ES9018 DAC and my prototype ES9018K2M RPi I2S/DSD DAC HAT.

I'll post some details soon.

Regards,
Ian
 
@iancortez,

How's going with your DoP decoding?

I've just tested Volumio with my DoP/IsolatprPi combination. I don't have any problem. When I was playing DSD music, DoP LED turned on. Native DSD music was playing nicely on both of my external ES9018 DAC and my prototype ES9018K2M RPi I2S/DSD DAC HAT.

I'll post some details soon.

Regards,
Ian

Hi ian, It does work as expected, up to a certain type , i think one was dsd 2.8, cant remember the other one. After that the dsd is output as 192k pcm. The DOP card is working great. And so is the fifo and clock board.
 
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Hi ian, It does work as expected, up to a certain type , i think one was dsd 2.8, cant remember the other one. After that the dsd is output as 192k pcm. The DOP card is working great. And so is the fifo and clock board.

That's great!

I'll post some set up screen so that other people can share the experience of using DoP decoder.

Good weekend.
Ian
 
Volumio Plays DSD music with DoP decoder on a IsolatorPi

1. Enable DSD over PCM (DoP) on Volumio setup manual.

2. Play a DSD music file,
DSD format music files can be downloaded from 2L:
2L High Resolution Music .:. free TEST BENCH

3. You will see DSD LED is lid on the DoP decoder board. Now with a DSD capable DAC, you can enjoy the DSD music.
(DAC HAT in the picture is the prototype of my ES9018K2M I2S/DSD DAC)

There is still something I noticed,

1. Volumio doesn't have any problem playing DSD64 music.

2. However, when play higher rate DSD128 music files, DSD LED doesn't light, Volumio output 192KHz I2S rather than DoP code. It seems that DSD was converted to PCM on-the-fly by Volumio in this case.

But I think it's still reasonable. To run DSD128, DoP has to be packaged into a 352.8KHz I2S stream. However Volumio doesn't support such high Fs so far, so it has to be converted to 192KHz on-the-fly. Just hope it can be capable for 384KHz soon.

Ian
 

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1. Enable DSD over PCM (DoP) on Volumio setup manual.

2. Play a DSD music file,
DSD format music files can be downloaded from 2L:
2L High Resolution Music .:. free TEST BENCH

3. You will see DSD LED is lid on the DoP decoder board. Now with a DSD capable DAC, you can enjoy the DSD music.
(DAC HAT in the picture is the prototype of my ES9018K2M I2S/DSD DAC)

There is still something I noticed,

1. Volumio doesn't have any problem playing DSD64 music.

2. However, when play higher rate DSD128 music files, DSD LED doesn't light, Volumio output 192KHz I2S rather than DoP code. It seems that DSD was converted to PCM on-the-fly by Volumio in this case.

But I think it's still reasonable. To run DSD128, DoP has to be packaged into a 352.8KHz I2S stream. However Volumio doesn't support such high Fs so far, so it has to be converted to 192KHz on-the-fly. Just hope it can be capable for 384KHz soon.

Ian

Hi Ian,
ES9023 already takes the DSD contents, decodes it to PCM and plays on the MoOde or Volumio without enabling the DoP feature. What audio advantage/improvements are we going to get if we were to use the DSD Decoder daughter board?
 
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Hi Ian,
ES9023 already takes the DSD contents, decodes it to PCM and plays on the MoOde or Volumio without enabling the DoP feature. What audio advantage/improvements are we going to get if we were to use the DSD Decoder daughter board?

Ed,

Is that a new feature added to the ES9023 since it's release?

The datasheet I have on it shows it only playing PCM data.

TIA!

Greg in Mississippi
 
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Joined 2003
Paid Member
Dewdrop,

My read of what the display is saying is that Moode is taking a DSD64 file ('Encoded at') and converting it to a PCM 16 bit 352.8 kHz ('Decoded to'), which is what it sends to the Mamboberry.

So the decoding is happening in Moode, not the Mamboberry DAC.

I went back and checked both the ES9023 datasheet AND the Collybia.com info on the Mamboberry DAC and I don't see anything that suggests it can handle DSD files at all.

So until you get a DSD-capable DAC, you don't need Ian's DoP Decoder Board.

Am I missing something here? Tim, do you see something I've missed?

Thx!

Greg in Mississippi