ALLO USBridge

[Kannan]

Hi friends,

Anyone among Chennai fellow members using ALLO USBridge. I want to check the functionality to see if it can be controlled by a laptop on the network.
Roon is too expensive for me.

I will essentially have a hard disk connected to the USBridge and the MPD should be accessible from my laptop to play audio files stored in it.

 

[zeta148]

I am (was) using allobridge in 2 configurations: Volumio and Dietepi squeezelite renderer. Volumio is easy to setup. Squeezelite was not so easy (in fact difficult) to setup. I was controlling Volumio through a web browser.

 

[Kannan]

I am (was) using allobridge in 2 configurations: Volumio and Dietepi squeezelite renderer. Volumio is easy to setup. Squeezelite was not so easy (in fact difficult) to setup. I was controlling Volumio through a web browser.

Thanks, I tried Volumio when I had the Raspberrypi.
The big problem I had was in making it read my almost 2TB of music data. I found its library implementation shoddy.
it never updated.
In fact i will be happy with a file browser view from the music player so that i can simply browse and select songs to play like we do in a PC with say foobar of J River.
In fact I don't need any library management.

 

[Kannan]

I am (was) using allobridge in 2 configurations: Volumio and Dietepi squeezelite renderer. Volumio is easy to setup. Squeezelite was not so easy (in fact difficult) to setup. I was controlling Volumio through a web browser.

Any improvement over using a PC/laptop as transport with an USB DAC?

 

[firearm12]

Volumio is official software for usbridge. Its basically raspbian os with volumio software. Playback can be controlled using a web browser or volumio Android app. Volumio uses mpd (music player daemon) in background for music playback. You can connect a usb hard drive with all the songs, then scan the usb, update music library and control playback from network. I am using 5tb external hard drive.

Because of shoddy volumio library issues as you say, personally I have stopped volumio service and directly use an mpd client to control which I find more convenient. Configured autoupdate for library as no in mpd config which can be updated manually by running 'mpc update ' on os shell or through mpd client. Different mpd clients are availability for Android and windows.

 

[firearm12]

Thanks, I tried Volumio when I had the Raspberrypi.
The big problem I had was in making it read my almost 2TB of music data. I found its library implementation shoddy.
it never updated.
In fact i will be happy with a file browser view from the music player so that i can simply browse and select songs to play like we do in a PC with say foobar of J River.
In fact I don't need any library management.

Not possible to browse and select music files. Another way to playback is to use volumio as dlna renderer and use software such a bubbleupnp to control but you will need a dlna server which contains the music files maybe on a NAS

 

[Kannan]

Because of shoddy volumio library issues as you say, personally I have stopped volumio service and directly use an mpd client to control which I find more convenient. Configured autoupdate for library as no in mpd config which can be updated manually by running 'mpc update ' on os shell or through mpd client. Different mpd clients are availability for Android and windows.

You mean, you are not using Volumio at all now to boot. So which one are you using now?

 

[rikhav]

Can even try Logitech media server
Can install squeezelite player on aloo

I agree the expenses part makes roon not viable to all but I have tried everything and roon sounds best for me and having the end point on a windows 10 machine

 

[firearm12]

Any improvement over using a PC/laptop as transport with an USB DAC?

There is a definite improvement, but it depends on the dac also. For me, music gets more relaxed and fluid and loses harshness. It also gets much better when powered by separate lps.

 

[Kannan]

Can even try Logitech media server
Can install squeezelite player on aloo

I agree the expenses part makes roon not viable to all but I have tried everything and roon sounds best for me and having the end point on a windows 10 machine

Yes sir, I too like Roon and I have used and heard it in my friend's showroom. Maybe sometime down the years I will buy it.

 

[Kannan]

There is a definite improvement, but it depends on the dac also. For me, music gets more relaxed and fluid and loses harshness. It also gets much better when powered by separate lps.

I have a reasonably good DAC in Teac UD-301 and my amp has a good balanced sound signature. Ultimately it is the speakers which are too to my linking. I actually have good synergy in my chain.

The only reason I am looking at the USBridge is due to the claim of the least noise on the USB.
But the caveat is that the hard disk will be on an USB.

While using laptop as transport, I have the music hard disk in the CD bay using a caddy which I presume is a much better way to access data than from USB.

So it will be a big toss up. So am looking to check on a Chennai FM using the ALLO

 

[firearm12]

You mean, you are not using Volumio at all now to boot. So which one are you using now?

I use Volumio OS image. It's a customised raspbian image Volumio which runs Volumio service. Volumio I think is basically a bundle of web interface which provides ability to comfigure parameters such as mpd or network config easily. After first boot of the image, we need to configure initial network config from volumio web interface. once network is all setup, we can stop volumio service by running 'systemctl disable volumio.service' on shell after logging by ssh. It will stop volumio service but mpd will keep running. Then We can configure /etc/mpd.conf to setup config such as audio output device, music location etc. Once mpd is set, we can control playback using any mpd client.

 

[firearm12]

I have a reasonably good DAC in Teac UD-301 and my amp has a good balanced sound signature. Ultimately it is the speakers which are too to my linking. I actually have good synergy in my chain.

The only reason I am looking at the USBridge is due to the claim of the least noise on the USB.
But the caveat is that the hard disk will be on an USB.

While using laptop as transport, I have the music hard disk in the CD bay using a caddy which I presume is a much better way to access data than from USB.

So it will be a big toss up. So am looking to check on a Chennai FM using the ALLO

According to my experience, usbridge is surely better than laptop usb interface. I have experimented with the location of music files, I dint find any sound quality difference whether music files are placed on Nas, external USB or internal sd card.

 

[Kannan]

I am also wondering if a Schiit Wyrd + laptop would be equivalent to the USBridge

 

[Kannan]

According to my experience, usbridge is surely better than laptop usb interface. I have experimented with the location of music files, I dint find any sound quality difference whether music files are placed on Nas, external USB or internal sd card.

Sir, I have heard all three is a high end chain, and I could here a marked difference in streaming versus inbuilt hard disk....ofcourse fils played from inbuilt hard disk was more organic

 

[blackscorpio]

Not possible to browse and select music files. Another way to playback is to use volumio as dlna renderer and use software such a bubbleupnp to control but you will need a dlna server which contains the music files maybe on a NAS

For large libraries, this is the best approach. Not much power in RPi to handle BIG libraries. I wanted a setup, where we have a common playlist and any one can add to the SAME list, that possible with volumio & related softwares but library handling is too shabby.

 

[blackscorpio]

Thanks, I tried Volumio when I had the Raspberrypi.
The big problem I had was in making it read my almost 2TB of music data. I found its library implementation shoddy.
it never updated.
In fact i will be happy with a file browser view from the music player so that i can simply browse and select songs to play like we do in a PC with say foobar of J River.
In fact I don't need any library management.

If I remember right, file browsing is possible. You can make it possible, follow the setup process & library configuration and all. But let it NOT complete the FULL library scan, then REMOVE auto update library. Your library will not have metadata now but there is an option to browse via directory. I know this kinda option exists in some software, which one.. phew.. don't remember.

 

[firearm12]

If I remember right, file browsing is possible. You can make it possible, follow the setup process & library configuration and all. But let it NOT complete the FULL library scan, then REMOVE auto update library. Your library will not have metadata now but there is an option to browse via directory. I know this kinda option exists in some software, which one.. phew.. don't remember.

File browsing is possible in volumio but you have to scan the files and build a library. What I meant to say was that file/folder browsing is not possible without building a library and scanning files. That's how mpd works as far as I know. Once library is built, we can browse the files through mpd client and they appear in same order as the folders they are kept in. In my case it took around few hours to scan 5tb ext HD and build library. Once built, I disabled the auto update and it has worked fine, no performance issues whatsoever.

 

[Kannan]

File browsing is possible in volumio but you have to scan the files and build a library. What I meant to say was that file/folder browsing is not possible without building a library and scanning files. That's how mpd works as far as I know. Once library is built, we can browse the files through mpd client and they appear in same order as the folders they are kept in. In my case it took around few hours to scan 5tb ext HD and build library. Once built, I disabled the auto update and it has worked fine, no performance issues whatsoever.

Yes Volumio allows for folder search for the update part of the library, but update keeps crashing, and I gave it up.

 

[firearm12]

Yes Volumio allows for folder search for the update part of the library, but update keeps crashing, and I gave it up.

Volumio runs mpc update in the background. When we press update library. It takes lot of time to update and build library. Best way is to not use it while it's updating. updation takes lot of cpu and I/O. How big library of files have you got? I have around 4.5 tb of music files and it take few hours to update. What do you experience when you say it crashed? Does it restart or get unresponsive?