Hi, stumbled upon this forum when searching for a new dac hat for pi. Maybe I am in the wrong place but am only looking for a rough opinion so I know if investigating further is worth it.
Was initially looking for an Allo Boss but found this gear from Ian Canada that looks promising. Somewhat hard to know exactly what I need to build the first and basic version of a dac with this. Would the enclosed 3 parts (and pi) be enough to have it functioning in a good way? Like the fact that it could be upgraded further on.
And second, and most important, would this be a "substantial" sound improvement over the Allo Boss if using average hifi gear (Hegel H80/Q Acou. 3020i)?
Was initially looking for an Allo Boss but found this gear from Ian Canada that looks promising. Somewhat hard to know exactly what I need to build the first and basic version of a dac with this. Would the enclosed 3 parts (and pi) be enough to have it functioning in a good way? Like the fact that it could be upgraded further on.
And second, and most important, would this be a "substantial" sound improvement over the Allo Boss if using average hifi gear (Hegel H80/Q Acou. 3020i)?
To get started with Ian's stuff a DAC HAT and an output stage are essential. The SHIELDPI PRO is certainly an optional you can add later.
You will also need the controller (13970 IAN CANADA I2S CONTROLLER WITH DISPLAY) and power supplies for the DAC HAT and output stage.
You will also need the controller (13970 IAN CANADA I2S CONTROLLER WITH DISPLAY) and power supplies for the DAC HAT and output stage.
Ok, thank you for your answer. I thought I could power all boards with the same power supply, hence the shieldpi. What is the controller for, thought that was only when using a reclocker?
Quality power supplies and controller, it is starting to add up…. This might be overkill for my current gear, but also nice to have something to grow into.
Quality power supplies and controller, it is starting to add up…. This might be overkill for my current gear, but also nice to have something to grow into.
You may be going about this in the wrong way. Its not clear what you hope to end up with and or what the rest of your system is like, what you are thinking of budget-wise, etc.
Iancanada is one source of sometimes useful modules, but its not the only option for putting something together. It can be one low cost way to get started with various upgrade path options available for the future. However, some people have tried that sort of thing and then gone back to earlier technology, and or some folks are awaiting the next technology.
IOW, a lot depends on your goals and interests. Do you want to play around with modules that plug together? Do you want the best sound regardless of cost? What best suits your hobby interests?
If its just a dac hat for RPi, maybe Allo.com still has some products of possible interest.
However, in most cases you will probably get better sound if you use an RPi as a USB audio source rather than a GPIO bus hat source. The GPIO bus is pretty noisy and jittery relative to what a good sounding dac needs. USB can fix a lot if not all of those problems.
Iancanada is one source of sometimes useful modules, but its not the only option for putting something together. It can be one low cost way to get started with various upgrade path options available for the future. However, some people have tried that sort of thing and then gone back to earlier technology, and or some folks are awaiting the next technology.
IOW, a lot depends on your goals and interests. Do you want to play around with modules that plug together? Do you want the best sound regardless of cost? What best suits your hobby interests?
If its just a dac hat for RPi, maybe Allo.com still has some products of possible interest.
However, in most cases you will probably get better sound if you use an RPi as a USB audio source rather than a GPIO bus hat source. The GPIO bus is pretty noisy and jittery relative to what a good sounding dac needs. USB can fix a lot if not all of those problems.
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