Buffalo III SE I2S sources

[Tube Noob]

Hello all,

I have a Buffalo III SE (non-pro, 9018) and am wanting to hook up an I2S source for my digital (well, non-silver disc digital) content.

The most obvious solution to me was a raspberry pi 4, but after some searching here it looks like everyone is using BeagleBone Black boards.

I know I'm late to the game, but why is this the case (BBB over rpi)?

Would BBB still be the recommended I2S source (Quboz streaming, NAS storage, etc) in 2021? Isn't there a lot more app support for rpi?

Also, what is the advantage/necessity of using the various reclocker boards vs I2S directly from the pi (or similar)? Doesn't the 9018 already do reclocking to be asynchronous? Sorry if I'm missing something, I don't know what I don't know

Thank you!

 

[francolargo]

I know I'm late to the game, but why is this the case (BBB over rpi)?

Just my opinion - at the time the BBB was chosen for a custom kernel the I/O bandwidth of the RPi was significantly more limited. Also, the BBB had 4 channels of audio serial support, providing up to 8 i2s signal channels.

Would BBB still be the recommended I2S source (Quboz streaming, NAS storage, etc) in 2021?

BBB still works well.

Isn't there a lot more app support for rpi?

Absolutely. But part of the original design philosophy was to limit the processing to essential audio functions and bare-bones system tasks. One CPU core is more than sufficient for that. Properly isloated and configured, a busy, multifunction RPi can still sound great. Of course, the RPi 4 has eliminated the data bottlenecks (though some still prefer the sound of the 3).

Also, what is the advantage/necessity of using the various reclocker boards vs I2S directly from the pi (or similar)? Doesn't the 9018 already do reclocking to be asynchronous? Sorry if I'm missing something, I don't know what I don't know

That's a broad question. For sound there is no necessity of reclocking and isolating. But those systems, typical of 15-20 years ago, are clearly inferior sound-wise. The 9018 does jitter correction, but if you truncate (or otherwise damage) your audio data during rendering to I2S then the jitter-reduction methods can't fix it. Reclocking and isolating are very worthwhile for best sound quality.

Cheers,

Frank

 

[Tube Noob]

Thank you! I really appreciate the detailed answers.

Those indeed sound like good reasons to have gone with BBB at the time. I'd prefer to stay within the rpi ecosystem today as a I have couple rpi 3 and 4s around. I see that there is an rpi board from twisted pear out now but I haven't been able to find application notes or a manual on it yet.

Do you know if those exist or where they are located by any chance?

Also, what is well regarded in the community for pure (minimal/no processing) rpi I2S audio software? Mostly wanting to play FLAC from NAS but also have Spotify/Qobuzz. So far I have been looking into Moode.

 

[francolargo]

The RPi interface from TPA is very new, and only a couple of folks have posted about its settings and use. A photo and ordering info is here: Cronus Reclocking

Like the BBB, it requires a custom kernel on the RPi. Information about that kernel and installing it is here: GitHub - miero/tpa-hermes-rpi-dev

Hermes provides the isolation function, while Cronus (the same board for any of the source platforms) does the re-clocking to create the final synchronous I2S stream.

Some would argue that LMS-Squeezelite software is the most flexible and configurable for top performance in a local server. <Link to a comprehensive blog post> I use it for server-based content (via an RPi 4 with USB 3 hard disk) also because it is free (and I like the mobile control software called iPeng). All of the well-maintained player packages are worth considering, and very subject to personal preference. With an RPi as your player you can (and I do) run MPD, Squeezelite, Raspotify (convenient Spotify renderer), and Shairport-sync (convenient airPlay client) all simultaneously. Alsa in stock configuration doesn't let you send conflicting signal material. If you push 'stop' in Squeezelite, for example, you can push 'play' in Amazon music or Spotify, and it just plays - though maybe at a surprise volume... Very little dinking around.

 

[Tube Noob]

Awesome. Again, great info...

So I would need to order a Hermes-Rpi Isolator and a Cronus Re-clocking Module with 45.1584/49.152MHz Rhea Pair ?

I'm assuming there isn't enough current headroom left over on the Placid HD to power these? So I'd need more power.

I'll have to check out the other software you listed. I was looking at Moode because it was free and seemed to have good Hi-fi community support.

 

[francolargo]

So I would need to order a Hermes-Rpi Isolator and a Cronus Re-clocking Module with 45.1584/49.152MHz Rhea Pair ?

Those frequencies would be my choice.

I'm assuming there isn't enough current headroom left over on the Placid HD to power these? So I'd need more power.

You'll want more info, for sure. Hermes uses very little power but I don't remember what the Cronus needs. ..also depends on what else besides B3 might be tapping the Placid.

BTW, I recently put a couple of older 9018 B3se's back in service for gifts, and I used the newer Mercury I/V converter. Mercury really pulls the best from the older 9018s, and keeps you in 'ready-to-upgrade' status if/when you get the itch to upgrade the Buffalo itself.

Enjoy!