Allo Revolution

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Goldenears said:
Has any one on the forum used this or heard it in a system? Looking forward to reading some first hand impressions.
The technical part of the Q&A in this (link below) went mostly over my head, but the device looks good in pictures, much more finished than the Allo Digione signature.
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/review-allo-revolution-dac-part-1-r935/
Click to expand...
Goldenears said:
Has any one on the forum used this or heard it in a system? Looking forward to reading some first hand impressions.
The technical part of the Q&A in this (link below) went mostly over my head, but the device looks good in pictures, much more finished than the Allo Digione signature.
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/review-allo-revolution-dac-part-1-r935/
Click to expand...
I have it in my system since about a month with the Usbridge signature and Shanti LPS. One thing I noticed after putting in the Usbridge in the chain is that I am listening to whole albums for a change. The best thing I can say is that I am able to relax and get into the performance. The DAC is pretty good, sound stage is good as is the bass. It sounds refined. To be honest I can't tell much difference between the various filters. My all tube system is resolving enough, maybe it's not resolving enough for me to tell the difference if any. I can't find anything to complain about, it seems to be getting out of the way. I downloaded the David Chesky sampler and those songs sound very good on this system. Sacd files also sound a little nicer, but that is just my feeling. The Shanti LPS does occassionally hum, but not always. Allo says all LPS hum a little. My earlier DAC, the Behringer DEQ2496 on a good day is competitive. I would recommend the Usbridge signature if you have a good USB DAC already. In hindsight, I should have tried the Digione signature and used the Spdif output into the DEQ2496. But I have no complaints about the Usbridge + Revolution DAC+ Shanti LPS.
 
I made some more updates to my system. Added ISO200 feet to the speakers, all boominess is gone. Added a servo stabilizer as the coincident Franks are rated for 220V. The servo made a huge difference as I found that the mains voltage is mostly between 245 and 252 in my area. Now the Revolution Dac with Usbridge and Shanti LPS has revealed itself to be a transparent performer. Good imaging but not 3D, very clean and doesn't sound euphonic. Everything sounds good, even hot recordings such as Bee Gees and Tom Petty. Its perhaps missing the last bit of refinement, I would say it's clean sounding with a lot of resolution. The Revolution DAC reminds me of the Mytek Brooklyn which I had in my system for a few days. I am going to live with it a few days and see if I can audition a Chord Qutest or Hugo, FPGA based DACs I haven't heard as yet. The Qutest got a good review from Stereophile and is on the edge of what I consider affordable. Our own FM Sidvee is also having good things to say about the Qutest, it's piqued my interest.
 
I don't know how far this is true, but Allo products have a reputation for a long break in time. I have got the full complement of USBridge sig and Shanti PSU, the sound has opened up considerably. The bass is particularly impactful. Even without the REL T7i, it is particularly impactful. My system is sounding big with scale. I am able to pick small details in the mix. The sound signature is neutral/warm. It's taken me all these months to appreciate this little DAC, it's fatigue free listening. I cannot however judge the DAC on a standalone basis.

On a related note, I find USBridge sig with a 1TB HDD connected to the USB port gives me the least troubles fiddling with apps and connectivity to squeeze center. This way I am not really using the network streaming side but merely as a music server. I still find the whole experience quite fiddly, although it sounds very good when it works.
 
Beast_of_burden said:
I don't know how far this is true, but Allo products have a reputation for a long break in time. I have got the full complement of USBridge sig and Shanti PSU, the sound has opened up considerably. The bass is particularly impactful. Even without the REL T7i, it is particularly impactful. My system is sounding big with scale. I am able to pick small details in the mix. The sound signature is neutral/warm. It's taken me all these months to appreciate this little DAC, it's fatigue free listening. I cannot however judge the DAC on a standalone basis.

On a related note, I find USBridge sig with a 1TB HDD connected to the USB port gives me the least troubles fiddling with apps and connectivity to squeeze center. This way I am not really using the network streaming side but merely as a music server. I still find the whole experience quite fiddly, although it sounds very good when it works.
Click to expand...
The Revolution DAC seems quite interesting with the plethora of customizations/tweaks that it allows.

Did you manage to compare it with the Qutest or any other DACs including cheaper ones from Chinese Manufacturers like Topping or Ifi?
 
DB1989 said:
The Revolution DAC seems quite interesting with the plethora of customizations/tweaks that it allows.

Did you manage to compare it with the Qutest or any other DACs including cheaper ones from Chinese Manufacturers like Topping or Ifi?
Click to expand...
The Qutest is a lot of coin relatively speaking, have been spending time on subwoofers. I will likely audition first before taking a call. I am a bit of a DAC skeptic, if one spends enough time dialling in the system good results can be achieved with decent DACs. That’s why I started looking into low noise streaming solutions, my brother pointed me to these devices after he bought a Sotm. Maybe I am too easy to please, Spotify played direct from an iPhone sounds very good to me. I can’t hear much of a difference between the various settings on the Revolution DAC, i have left it at factory defaults. It sounds pretty good the way it is.

I have compared to a Behringer deq2496, Revolution is more resolved and stronger in the bass. Speaking from memory, Revolution has better resolution than Mytek Brooklyn I cannot believe I am actually saying this. Revolution is also stronger in the Bass compared to Brooklyn, Mytek sounds clean and refined though. Korg Dac10 is very refined and resolved but Revolution bests it in the bass. The Korg can sound lacking in the bass on many systems. Revolution has a bigger sound, quite extroverted. All have their strengths none of the above is a bad Dac.
 
Beast_of_burden said:
The Qutest is a lot of coin relatively speaking, have been spending time on subwoofers. I will likely audition first before taking a call. I am a bit of a DAC skeptic, if one spends enough time dialling in the system good results can be achieved with decent DACs. That’s why I started looking into low noise streaming solutions, my brother pointed me to these devices after he bought a Sotm.
Click to expand...
Agreed. There's no point spending lakhs on a DAC unless you've already got an extremely strong front end. Plus, newer DACs are matching/outdoing their far more expensive counterparts released not too long ago.

Whats your front end?

Beast_of_burden said:
Maybe I am too easy to please, Spotify played direct from an iPhone sounds very good to me. I can’t hear much of a difference between the various settings on the Revolution DAC, i have left it at factory defaults. It sounds pretty good the way it is.
Click to expand...
I hope you're not referring to your phone directly connected to your amp? I've found the sound to be quite lacklustre when I connect my phone directly without a DAC in between.
 
DB1989 said:
Agreed. There's no point spending lakhs on a DAC unless you've already got an extremely strong front end. Plus, newer DACs are matching/outdoing their far more expensive counterparts released not too long ago.

Whats your front end?


I hope you're not referring to your phone directly connected to your amp? I've found the sound to be quite lacklustre when I connect my phone directly without a DAC in between.
Click to expand...
When you say front end, I guess you are referring to the amplification and speakers. The USBridge Sig + Revolution DAC is my source. It's either Coincident Frankenstein 300B monoblocks or a NAD 325BEE driving Klipsch RF3. I am looking for a preamp but Acoustic Portrait Headphone amp is currently doing duty. I have a Dared tube preamp as well in circulation. I switched to the NAD for the hot summer months and it's been a revelation. I connect my iphone to the preamp input. In the case of the NAD it's an integrated.

I run Spotify off an iPhone 11 and it sounds pretty good into the NAD, I can listen to it all day. I listen to classic rock and pop when listening on Spotify, I play a song and let the algorithm keep playing similar stuff. If classic rock and pop doesn't sound good on a system, fail in my book.
 
Beast_of_burden said:
When you say front end, I guess you are referring to the amplification and speakers. The USBridge Sig + Revolution DAC is my source. It's either Coincident Frankenstein 300B monoblocks or a NAD 325BEE driving Klipsch RF3. I am looking for a preamp but Acoustic Portrait Headphone amp is currently doing duty. I have a Dared tube preamp as well in circulation. I switched to the NAD for the hot summer months and it's been a revelation. I connect my iphone to the preamp input. In the case of the NAD it's an integrated.
Click to expand...
Thats quite the front end!
Beast_of_burden said:
I run Spotify off an iPhone 11 and it sounds pretty good into the NAD, I can listen to it all day. I listen to classic rock and pop when listening on Spotify, I play a song and let the algorithm keep playing similar stuff. If classic rock and pop doesn't sound good on a system, fail in my book.
Click to expand...
I don't think your Klipsch's would break a sweat on that front. :D
 
Hi All,
I would like to replace my existing DAC (beresford Caiman) with Allo Revolution DAC. and also want to add Allo DigiOne Signature as streamer.
However the Revolution DAC has USB input and DigiOne Signature has SPD/IF Coaxial output.
Is there any additional hardware/cable/board do I need to order to add both these into my Audio setup?
 
nmurthyk said:
Hi All,
I would like to replace my existing DAC (beresford Caiman) with Allo Revolution DAC. and also want to add Allo DigiOne Signature as streamer.
However the Revolution DAC has USB input and DigiOne Signature has SPD/IF Coaxial output.
Is there any additional hardware/cable/board do I need to order to add both these into my Audio setup?
Click to expand...
You can't use digione with revolution. You can however use allo usbridge signature as the streamer
 
btw, did anyone compare Revolution Dac against Topping E50?
Revolution Dac + Shanti power supply comes close to E50 price range
 
nmurthyk said:
btw, did anyone compare Revolution Dac against Topping E50?
Revolution Dac + Shanti power supply comes close to E50 price range
Click to expand...
I have compared a number of DACs in this price range and above and honestly speaking, it is very difficult to say whether one DAC is superior to the other subjectively. Most DACs are good enough SQ wise.

For objective superiority, Audio Science Review has measured most DACs including the two in question.

Therefore, rather than basing your purchasing decision on negligible/minuscule/imperceptible differences in SQ, it'd be of much more relevance to shortlist those DACs which possess the requisite feature set that is going to be of use to you and add to your convenience.

For example, if you only have a power amp and not a dedicated preamp or Integrated Amp, you'll need a DAC such as the topping E30/E50/Ifi Zen DAC etc. which allows you control over the volume.

Again, if a preamp is important but you are going to use it while seated at a distance, it'd be more helpful if the DAC had a remote control like the E30 and E50 as opposed to the Ifi Zen DAC which relies solely on physical buttons on the device itself.

On the other hand, if a headphone amp and preamp functionality is more useful and you can live without the remote, the Ifi Zen DAC makes more sense since the E30 and E50 do not have headphone outs.

However, the ifi Zen DAC has only USB input (like the Allo Revolution you are considering) and loses out on coaxial and optical inputs which the E30 and E50 possess.

Again, the Ifi Zen DAC pulls one back by offering balanced out and MQA decoding while the E30 is restricted to RCA (E50 has both balanced out and MQA decoding).

My point is, it'd be of more beneficial if you shortlist the DAC according to the feature set that you require and which matches your requisite budget.

P.s.- while my ifi zen dac coupled with the Allo Shanti PSU sounds ever so slightly better to my ears, I had to get the E30 separately to connect my Guest Room TV to my power amp since the Ifi Zen DAC has neither optical inputs, nor a remote. Therefore, though the ifi zen dac is better SQ wise to my ears, it has been rendered redundant after i got a better DAC for my primary setup since I cannot repurpose it to any of my other TVs or streamers for lack of optical/coaxial input.
 
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I am also in the same boat, using usbsignature with shanti power with schiit mimby 2 dac, now i am looking for an improvement in imaging, soundstage depth etc etc. Uzing kualtrone buffer has pre and quad 306 power to xavian bonbonus speaker

All suggestions welcomed
 
I received the USBridge Signature Player and Revolution DAC with Shanti LPS last week. This is a good step up from my existing setup (CCA + Beresford Caiman DAC).
I have opted for Volumio OS for the USBridge.
The Revolution DAC is great. However I am having issue with switching between tracks in a playlist. it's not always. I see particularly with one play list where there are different tracks with different file type (mp3, flac etc.) and at different bitrates. It gives a noise when a track completes and before switching to the next track and no sound after that. I need to restart devices (multiple times occassionally). and sometimes Volumio gives error not recognizing the DAC after the restart in this case.
Not sure what is the real problem here. is it an issue with Volumio or USBridge or DAC or the different types of file formats in my collection.
 
nmurthyk said:
I received the USBridge Signature Player and Revolution DAC with Shanti LPS last week. This is a good step up from my existing setup (CCA + Beresford Caiman DAC).
I have opted for Volumio OS for the USBridge.
The Revolution DAC is great. However I am having issue with switching between tracks in a playlist. it's not always. I see particularly with one play list where there are different tracks with different file type (mp3, flac etc.) and at different bitrates. It gives a noise when a track completes and before switching to the next track and no sound after that. I need to restart devices (multiple times occassionally). and sometimes Volumio gives error not recognizing the DAC after the restart in this case.
Not sure what is the real problem here. is it an issue with Volumio or USBridge or DAC or the different types of file formats in my collection.
Click to expand...
Play with the popmute setting in Revolution dac. I have set it as one.

The other is I don't use volumio. It tries to force it's own setting down your throat and overwrites /etc/mpd.conf with its own setting. In fact I use plain linux without any bloatware (no volumio, dietpi, moode, etc). But I have tried all three and found moode to be the most flexible. Each distribution has it's own quirks. Moode forces an older kernel. With dietpi you can pretty much install the last kernel using apt-get, etc. Also you can have your own /etc/mpd.conf for the Music Player Daemon (which is what is delivering the sound from the DAC).

I use two system setup. One Rasperry PI4 fileserver which serves the MPD database via NFS4 and the other is usbridge to which allo revolution is connected. Have attached the mpd config for the fileserver and usbridge
 

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nmurthyk said:
It gives a noise when a track completes and before switching to the next track and no sound after that. I need to restart devices (multiple times occassionally). and sometimes Volumio gives error not recognizing the DAC after the restart in this case.
Not sure what is the real problem here. is it an issue with Volumio or USBridge or DAC or the different types of file formats in my collection.
Click to expand...
This is a resampling issue. In /etc/mpd.conf of usbridge, there will be a definition for ALSA device (in your case the revolution dac). e.g. having
the line format "384000:32:2" solves that white noise issue. I don't have the white noise issue and so I have commented it out. Most probably I don't have the issue because I use only flac and mostly hi-res. But once in a while the problem happens and I have to resample the data.

Here is my definition for allo Revolution in /etc/mpd.conf of usbridge.
audio_output {
type "alsa"
name "Revolution"
device "hw:Revolution"
mixer_type "hardware"
mixer_device "hw:Revolution"
mixer_control "Revolution "
# format "*:32:2"
# format "384000:32:2"
##########
buffer_time "200000"
period_time "1024000000"
auto_resample "no"
auto_channels "no"
auto_format "no"
###########
dop "no"
# dsd_usb "no"
# dsd_native "yes"
# dsd_native_type "2"
}
Click to expand...
 
Beast_of_burden said:
I made some more updates to my system. Added ISO200 feet to the speakers, all boominess is gone. Added a servo stabilizer as the coincident Franks are rated for 220V. The servo made a huge difference as I found that the mains voltage is mostly between 245 and 252 in my area. Now the Revolution Dac with Usbridge and Shanti LPS has revealed itself to be a transparent performer.
Click to expand...
Could you please let us know the Servo used? Also, adding the Servo made a difference to DAC's performance?
TIA
 
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