[chesebert]

I agree Pi2ASE or roll your own Raspberry Pi is a good budget solution. Also, hi res files are rarely all that, and mostly they are stupid. TBH, just get a better DAC.

 

[kumar402]

I agree Pi2ASE or roll your own Raspberry Pi is a good budget solution. Also, hi res files are rarely all that, and mostly they are stupid. TBH, just get a better DAC.

Pi2AES is different from just Pi in a way that it is a HAT which is isolated from Pi and hence dirty power doesn’t go into it and with linear power supply it improves further.

 

[Powermankw]

I agree Pi2ASE or roll your own Raspberry Pi is a good budget solution. Also, hi res files are rarely all that, and mostly they are stupid. TBH, just get a better DAC.

Well, hi-res meaning CD... Not lossy. I too have got to the point of not caring about ultra hi-res... But not compressed crap mp3s... Which is the majority I have now. Getti g a better dac is what got me to this rabbit hole and how to stream to it.

 

[Powermankw]

Pi2AES is different from just Pi in a way that it is a HAT which is isolated from Pi and hence dirty power doesn’t go into it and with linear power supply it improves further.

Seems the easiest solution to get from network to I2S... But I'm also not sure about the work to get it all to work... Shouldn't be difficult at a roon endpoint... Maybe.

 

[surfgeorge]

Seems the easiest solution to get from network to I2S... But I'm also not sure about the work to get it all to work... Shouldn't be difficult at a roon endpoint... Maybe.

Pi2AES is about to launch a streamer, which should make it easier:
https://www.pi2design.com/mercury-streamer.html
I really like this concept and plan to buy one, since it seems to offer very good value and flexibility, and it looks much better than the DIY setups with Acrylic housing. You still have to choose and install the SW and figure out how to work with the system though. My experiences are that it's not too difficult, there are great instructions on the web.

I am currently using an Allo Digione with piCoreLMS software (https://www.picoreplayer.org/), remote controlled with iPeng App from the iPhone. The user experience is quite good but I am sure that the top commercial products offer both better SQ and better user experience.

If you are not sure about setting up an RPi based solution you can simply get the Raspberry Pi and test the SW setup process with the on-board 3,5mm jack. Horrendous SQ but you can try it out for around 30-40 USD for the RPi 4, memory card and simply use a phone charger for power supply.

What I would really like to know is how much SQ you give up, but with a CHORD 2Qute in my stereo system and a CHORD Hugo 2 for my headphone listening I think the absolute maximum price I could justify for a streamer would be €/$1000.
Do you experts think that there are better solutions/value compared to the Pi2AES?

 

[Powermankw]

Pi2AES is about to launch a streamer, which should make it easier:
https://www.pi2design.com/mercury-streamer.html
I really like this concept and plan to buy one, since it seems to offer very good value and flexibility, and it looks much better than the DIY setups with Acrylic housing. You still have to choose and install the SW and figure out how to work with the system though. My experiences are that it's not too difficult, there are great instructions on the web.

I am currently using an Allo Digione with piCoreLMS software (https://www.picoreplayer.org/), remote controlled with iPeng App from the iPhone. The user experience is quite good but I am sure that the top commercial products offer both better SQ and better user experience.

If you are not sure about setting up an RPi based solution you can simply get the Raspberry Pi and test the SW setup process with the on-board 3,5mm jack. Horrendous SQ but you can try it out for around 30-40 USD for the RPi 4, memory card and simply use a phone charger for power supply.

What I would really like to know is how much SQ you give up, but with a CHORD 2Qute in my stereo system and a CHORD Hugo 2 for my headphone listening I think the absolute maximum price I could justify for a streamer would be €/$1000.
Do you experts think that there are better solutions/value compared to the Pi2AES?

Same... 1K for a streamer, and don't feel like it now. I am more suprised there are not more network options to DAC. We just need bits to a DAC without all the noise. That picore player is pretty cool.

 

[kumar402]

Pi2AES is about to launch a streamer, which should make it easier:
https://www.pi2design.com/mercury-streamer.html
I really like this concept and plan to buy one, since it seems to offer very good value and flexibility, and it looks much better than the DIY setups with Acrylic housing. You still have to choose and install the SW and figure out how to work with the system though. My experiences are that it's not too difficult, there are great instructions on the web.

I am currently using an Allo Digione with piCoreLMS software (https://www.picoreplayer.org/), remote controlled with iPeng App from the iPhone. The user experience is quite good but I am sure that the top commercial products offer both better SQ and better user experience.

If you are not sure about setting up an RPi based solution you can simply get the Raspberry Pi and test the SW setup process with the on-board 3,5mm jack. Horrendous SQ but you can try it out for around 30-40 USD for the RPi 4, memory card and simply use a phone charger for power supply.

What I would really like to know is how much SQ you give up, but with a CHORD 2Qute in my stereo system and a CHORD Hugo 2 for my headphone listening I think the absolute maximum price I could justify for a streamer would be €/$1000.
Do you experts think that there are better solutions/value compared to the Pi2AES?

Another option is to use DDC, so you will have just Pi without HAT and then this Pi will send signal via USB to DDC. Pi4 has better USB implementation and then all DDC have galvanically isolated USB input and then these DDC will reclock the info using better clocks and have linear power supply and then connect DAC with these DDC. so instead of HAT connected via I2S we have these out of box DDC connected via USB. take a look at Gustard U18, Denafrips Hermes, Iris etc

 

[OCC7N]

I use the JCAT XE PCIE card's USB output to go direct to the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 (via the Tellurium Q Black Diamond). I also happen to have the Matrix USB PCIE card, the Element H, and that is used in a streaming-only computer (i.e. not my main CAT) to go to a different DAC.

Since writing the post to which you are responding, I have bought a PS Audio PerfectWave DS DAC, with an I2S input via HDMI, and I have found that the sound from the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 to the PerfectWave DAC differs slightly when using the HDMI cable (not a hugely expensive Audioquest one; a Cinnamon; I also used a Clearer Audio one, which had a slightly softer sound) as compared with the AES-EBU cable (a Nordost Heimdall; rather more expensive, of course).

But I have also used a motherboard USB port on the same computer (the main CAT) to go to the PerfectWave's USB port, via a W4S Recovery (fed power by a W4S PS1), using a Nordost Blue Heaven USB lead to get to the Recovery and a Tellurium Q Black USB lead to go to the USB input on the PerfectWave, and sometimes, but only sometimes, I prefer that sound.

As far as I am aware, the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 does not really act as a filter, although it does regenerate the signal.

The best solution for an individual system seems to be individual in that there is no universal solution.

For what it's worth, I'd get both the Element H card and the X-SPDIF 2 if at all possible. In combination, they would work very well.

How about the performance of the OCXO on the JCAT does it take a hit from the FEMTO(matrix)?

Or does ot just matter who is first in the signal path?

Im concidering buying the matrix but dont want to if it degrades the clock performance.

 

[rlanger]

Recently picked up a WiiM Mini and it's an absolutely dead simple solution for less than $100. Sets up in seconds and allows you to stream local content, or just about any streaming service up to 24/192.

I noticed a significant jump in SQ when I removed the USB-C connection from my laptop to Mojo2 and put the WiiM in the chain via optical to the Mojo instead.

 

[Omriff]

How about the performance of the OCXO on the JCAT does it take a hit from the FEMTO(matrix)?

Or does ot just matter who is first in the signal path?

Im concidering buying the matrix but dont want to if it degrades the clock performance.

I did not find that the Matrix degraded performance at all. It enhanced it, I found.

 

[ekjellgren]

Recently picked up a WiiM Mini and it's an absolutely dead simple solution for less than $100. Sets up in seconds and allows you to stream local content, or just about any streaming service up to 24/192.

I noticed a significant jump in SQ when I removed the USB-C connection from my laptop to Mojo2 and put the WiiM in the chain via optical to the Mojo instead.

Would this device give better audio quality than Chromecast Audio?

 

[spacecase25]

For my set up, I use LMS with a Holo RED. I have picoreplayer running on the RED instead of their software, and I go back and forth between USB and i2s with my Spring 3. Currently, I am enjoying i2s.

And, to weigh in on the discussion earlier.... Linux is superior to Windows (and Mac OS) in just about every way.

 

[Sazalirazak]

+1 get a better dac

 

[Whazzzup]

well went through this in 2017, found an answer, your wallet will hate it.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ant...unofficial-guide-down-the-rabbit-hole.851997/