[valiant66]

It's interesting to hear tales of the issues folks are running into. I have a number of RPis (6 running DietPi and RoonBridge as endpoints, 1 running ISSabove, 1 running PiAware aircraft tracking system, 1 running Raspian Buster desktop on my electronics desk and a few ad hoc experimental things such as speech recognition). My experience with all of these is as follows:
[snip]
The bedroom endpoint has run for a year with no work.

It sounds like you have a number of different OSes, servers, and hardware configurations running. You mention the bedroom unit as being stable.

What config are you using there?

I ask because I have had to arm wrestle with networks and configuring user-hostile hardware for work before, and the last thing I want to do when I’m just trying to relax and enjoy some music is enter software config hell just to play a song.

But I don’t have a budget for a US$500+ endpoint and US$500+ player software, so I’m hoping there’s an affordable alternative.

Thanks.
.

 

[MatthiasP]

Ahh, for trying out a new distribution:
If you just booted into it, or even before it:
First thing is to set up a fixed IP in your router! This will save you a lot of hassle!
Second: If you cannot succeed in connecting to your Raspi/mini PC:
1 Write the image again to the SD and try again!
2 Use a different program for this! For me, Etcher always works!
3 Still problems? Try another SD card! Buy Sandisk if you always like reliability.

As we are in an American forum: This is just my experience. Maybe you can benefit from it when you run into problems. These 2 problems were running me nuts, as I didn't have any experience with SBCs before.

 

[eligeotro]

Hey guys,

Some detail behind why B-stock prices have been cut, and why you're seeing some deals on Amazon:

1. B-stock: we need to get rid of as much as possible of this before the big parts for Sol start coming in (starting this week) and our new molded packaging for the smaller products comes in. We need as much space as possible for this new stock, so we've been busy moving everything around to make it fit. We need the B-stock space too, so if you see lower prices on B-stock for a while, grab it if you're interested. There's no guarantee that the prices will remain that low.

2. Amazon: we're doing some pricing tests to take data for upcoming products, and also clearing out the old Sagas. The only product we have on Amazon that has a less than stellar rating is Saga, and that's mainly due to people posting nonspecific (and possibly quite old) customer service complaints. We have contacted both of these people and let them know we're sorry we didn't meet their expectations and that we'd like to know what happened specifically so we can rectify the problem, but we haven't heard from them. So, again, if you see a great price, best to get it now, because this is just part of pricing research we're doing, with the exception of Saga clearance. We're still discussing how best to use Amazon internally, and so you'll probably see a lot of tweaks in our approach as we get data.

Here's the funny thing: before we started reviewing marketing (since we can, now that we're caught up with production--largely at least), we've been one of the lamest companies with respect to marketing in the industry. We haven't sent an email for 2 years, we were doing Google Adwords for products that didn't exist anymore up till very recently, we didn't have 100% working track-to-final-sale analytics in place.

Now we're working on all of these things, as well as actively testing some new approaches. It's gonna be a very interesting next few months!

All the best,
Jason

Jason, remember, when you can, that the website is pending update:

*Schiit / Guides / Choosing amps & preamps / Saga and Vidar
*Schiit / Guides / Choosing amps & preamps / Ragnarok
*Schiit / Guides / Choosing a headamp / Ragnarok

Regards

 

[wout31]

You don't need to be a IT geek any more to upgrade and maintain a Pi with Volumio.
Just click the Check Updates button an click OK if there is any. You're done.

 

[golfbravobravo]

It sounds like you have a number of different OSes, servers, and hardware configurations running. You mention the bedroom unit as being stable.

What config are you using there?

I ask because I have had to arm wrestle with networks and configuring user-hostile hardware for work before, and the last thing I want to do when I’m just trying to relax and enjoy some music is enter software config hell just to play a song.

But I don’t have a budget for a US$500+ endpoint and US$500+ player software, so I’m hoping there’s an affordable alternative.

Thanks.
.

Actually, not as much variation as you might think! Working machines are all MacOS & iOS. The Roon server is ROCK (on a modest NUC). We do have a bunch of reasonably sophisticated storage, but that is not material for the music system (and in fact is being slowly moved to an all QNAP setup).

On ALL the Roon endpoints (various Pi3s), I run Dietpi. It is largely foolproof, though they made the wireless network setup worse in the last release IMHO. Apart from that the CLI has a simple text menu and I just work down the list till all is complete. The Roonbridge software is also installed form these menus. The only think I do in addition is to install avahi-daemon so the Pi broadcasts its name and install an RSA key (no passwords). The big variant is the HAT and I have both HiFiBerry and IQAudio, depending upon the output and if I need an amp on the board. As long as one chooses the correct soundboard driver in dietpi, all works well.

I tend to buy HiFiBerry HATs nowadays as they are more available in the US and I can get them in a day or two.

As to networks, I have an Eero mesh network with the ROCK and all the Roon endpoints (but not phones, tablets, notebooks & desktops) grouped with consecutive IPs so that I can keep track of them. I tell Eero what IP I want assigned to each MAC address). For a passive (i.e. no amplification) I spend about $100 (depends on case). I DO add a USB wireless dongle (2.4Mhz) as I don't like the performance with the onboard antenna.

As to user-hostile hardware - it depends on your comfort level with Linux - once described to me as 'as user-friendly as a cornered rat'. If you enjoy, as I do despite occasional frustrations, enjoy gadgets, tech, and fiddling this is an OK way to go. If you want plug and play, avoid like the plague!

Feel free to PM me. @CAPT Deadpool has also done a lot with Pis.

Cheers

 

[golfbravobravo]

That is the point I am at...RasPi is an sftp endpoint in the bedroom works fine, simple to manage. I just want an Eitr before they cease to exist to run USB from my Intel NUC to my ModiMB, which feeds the Valhalla 2. One computer, one screen, one remote location. Simple safe and effective. I have had gurus walk me through the Volumio, and every flavor out there. I found a mouse and a KB, with Audacious to be safe, legal and effective. No wifi, all ethernet, no security breaches, just plain old Vanilla FLAC files made SPDIF...

When you say sftp, do you mean Secure File Transfer Protocol? That seems like a strange transport mechanism for music.

Cheers

 

[Robert Padgett]

I appreciate all the help. I am happy with what works and see no use in fixing something that is not broken. I am running USB into a Wyrd into the ModiMB, so an Eitr will be a more elegant solution. I have just one RasPi with Allo DigiOne SPIDIF. Everything works. Small apartment small space. Isoacoustic speaker stands are outstanding...

 

[Ableza]

You don't need to be a IT geek any more to upgrade and maintain a Pi with Volumio.
Just click the Check Updates button an click OK if there is any. You're done.

Thanks, I'm good with Roon.

 

[Seret]

The Saga S in combination with the Modi Multibit reveals so much more information than I ever heard before. I am delighted.

 

[Ripper2860]

This is why I happily abandoned digital for records.



(J/K)

 

[45longcolt]

A Tale of Two Orders...

As a throwback verging on a luddite, I seldom mess with Amazon.com. But once or twice yearly I succumb to the siren song of AmazonUK, just because some of the deals are so good. My last indulgence was 12 days ago, and arrived this morn, just under $300 worth of books and CD box sets. Shipping was a hair less than $14, from England. Hardly free, but quite reasonable for a heavy box.

This morning I ordered one item from Schiit, for $200. Shipping just a few pennies over $12. And that was the cheapest option, happily for me via USPS which means it will come to my POBox where I can pick it up at my convenience. Oh, and it has shipped already, which will surprise no one on this forum. Kudos to the Schiit team.

What's my point? Not sure there really is one (Except on the top of your head, heh heh, yeah I heard that, you...) except that is unfair to compare Schiit with Amazon. Schiit is a maker of (excellent) products that happens to sell direct. Amazon is a seller/delivery service which will move anything it can hang a SKU on. Also Schiit doesn't want to take over the world. Not sure I want to know what Amazon does to make its prices possible, aside from being the proverbial 800-pound gorilla. I do know I can't send a parcel by USPS or any other delivery service as cheaply as can Amazon. And I'll wager Schiit can't, either. Life is unfair.

In both of my recent purchases, I looked at the total costs and made informed decisions. And I'm content. Now if you'll excuse, time to crank up the Ygg/Rag stack and spin a few silver discs.

 

[Pedro Janeiro]

Meanwhile, in Lisbon, someone needs to improvise while waits for Sol...

 

[gljus]

The Saga S in combination with the Modi Multibit reveals so much more information than I ever heard before. I am delighted.

Not sure it was clear from my last post... but here it is more concise: Upgrade from DS DAC to Modi Multibit for me had roughly the same jump in quality like the upgrade from Modi Multibit to Yggdrasil. So at 250/300 $/€ Modi Multibit is a steal. It introduces actual physical texture to music. With my current knowledge, if I didn’t have the expendable cash for Yggy, I’d be perfectly happy with MM. Everyone should try Schiit Multibit®. (liking it is to each it’s own).

 

[Robert Padgett]

When you say sftp, do you mean Secure File Transfer Protocol? That seems like a strange transport mechanism for music.

Cheers

I thought I was using the SSH protocol.

On the RasPi, I open up a file manager, and I have the address "sftp://192.xxx xxx xx" and I sign in with the password, then I have complete access to my files on the 6 Tb, 3 Tb, 3 Tb, for the allo digione SPDIF coax to R2R-11.

It is simple, it works. I am easy to please...

 

[valiant66]

This is why I happily abandoned digital for records.

(J/K)

I just moved.

This is what I let go of,



and what I kept.



Still unpacking... I have a turntable, a CD player, and a Mac. I don’t have a network streamer. But I do have some Schiit.

And I want more.
.