SPDIF HAT vs direct USB from RPi 3B (non plus)

[Anand A]

Hi audiophiles,
I just tried setting up moOde player OS on a Raspberry Pi 3B and connected it to a Schiit Modi 3 DAC through its direct USB output. The sound was quite nice and ever slightly had an improvement over a chromecast audio connected via Toslink to the same DAC. I’m wondering if I should spend more money on a SPDIF HAT transporter like the Allo Digione to further this setup. Will there be significant auditary improvements over USB?

Some youtube reviewers seems to suggest so, yet many technical forums dismissed this claim online. Can someone share any personal experiences apart from theoretical mumbo jumbo.

My streaming sources are Spotify and Airplay

 

[Kannan]

RPI-4;is good enough as a USB transport. With RPI-3 it is better to use a dedicated DAC HAT board. Addiing a linear power supply will improve things further.

 

[Anand A]

@Kannan should I go for a DAC hat or a transporter like the SPDF Digione? I have a decent external Dac like Schiit Modi.

 

[VSTEREO]

Yes, going with Digione or USBridge Signature would make a lot of difference. As @Kannan said, adding LPS to the USBridge/Diginone shall be your second move.

 

[Ajitsank]

Hi audiophiles,
I just tried setting up moOde player OS on a Raspberry Pi 3B and connected it to a Schiit Modi 3 DAC through its direct USB output. The sound was quite nice and ever slightly had an improvement over a chromecast audio connected via Toslink to the same DAC. I’m wondering if I should spend more money on a SPDIF HAT transporter like the Allo Digione to further this setup. Will there be significant auditary improvements over USB?

Some youtube reviewers seems to suggest so, yet many technical forums dismissed this claim online. Can someone share any personal experiences apart from theoretical mumbo jumbo.

My streaming sources are Spotify and Airplay

I use an USTAR R38 Dac HAT with RPI 4. It is one hell of a DAC Hat. Unfortunately you should buy the USTAR DAC HAT from ebay USA or Aliexpress and get it shipped to any other country and hand carry it.

 

[Anand A]

I use an USTAR R38 Dac HAT with RPI 4. It is one hell of a DAC Hat. Unfortunately you should buy the USTAR DAC HAT from ebay USA or Aliexpress and get it shipped to any other country and hand carry it. View attachment 79200

The remote control is a nice touch. Could train my Eglu IR receiver to work with Alexa voice commands I think. But buying this when I have a DAC while going though the hoops to get it here is the concern. Thanks for the reco. I’ll keep it bookmarked

 

[Kannan]

The remote control is a nice touch. Could train my Eglu IR receiver to work with Alexa voice commands I think. But buying this when I have a DAC while going though the hoops to get it here is the concern. Thanks for the reco. I’ll keep it bookmarked

RPI-4 is good enough as a USB transport which you connect to your Schiit DAC. In future if need, you can upgrade the DAC. That said WiiM Mini or WiiM pro is an even better solution to connect to your DAC via coaxial or optical as it integrated lots of streaming services and has a very good and intuitive app.

 

[Anand A]

@Kannan thanks! Infact that was my another question For all this trouble, wiim mini seemed like a much better/simpler option actually. I wasn’t sure about the audio quality upgrade over the pi route though.

 

[air870]

I have a RPi 4b with a 7inch display and used the usb output for quite a while awaiting the Allo products to be available, sadly there seems to be no information on new stocks coming in. I sourced a Pi2AES from the US a couple weeks ago and have since Hatted the Rpi. The sound is on another level, HAT - Coax combined. The only problem I faced is that the Pi2aes case does not fit my display combo. I did some cutting on the display case and attached the HAT. Still need to figure out how to neatly cover the extended part to protect it from dust etc.

 

[Anand A]

I have a RPi 4b with a 7inch display and used the usb output for quite a while awaiting the Allo products to be available, sadly there seems to be no information on new stocks coming in. I sourced a Pi2AES from the US a couple weeks ago and have since Hatted the Rpi. The sound is on another level, HAT - Coax combined. The only problem I faced is that the Pi2aes case does not fit my display combo. I did some cutting on the display case and attached the HAT. Still need to figure out how to neatly cover the extended part to protect it from dust etc.

Allo site has the product listed. Once you add shipping details, the price comes to around 11k for Digione with case.

Also, which display are you using? Does it work with MoOde?

 

[air870]

Allo site has the product listed. Once you add shipping details, the price comes to around 11k for Digione with case.

Also, which display are you using? Does it work with MoOde?

I look forward to them actually being available. All the sources in India came up with no positive response. My display retails on most sites as the Official 7 inch display. I could pull out the link if you want

 

[air870]

I m running Ropieee for a Roon endpoint so unaware of MoOde.

 

[zeta148]

I really liked the ad1865 based DAC hat which I bought from an FM recently. Worth a try.

DIY NOS AD1865 DAC for Raspberry Pi - Audiophile Diyer

Some audiophile friends who owned my discrete R2R DAC and satisfied with its sound quality, and recently, they suggest that if I can make a smaller board for raspberry pi. I tried and its quite impossible to squeeze those discrete parts in the small 65mm X 56mm raspberry pi board . After...

audiophilediyer.com

 

[MaSh]

Hi audiophiles,
I just tried setting up moOde player OS on a Raspberry Pi 3B and connected it to a Schiit Modi 3 DAC through its direct USB output. The sound was quite nice and ever slightly had an improvement over a chromecast audio connected via Toslink to the same DAC. I’m wondering if I should spend more money on a SPDIF HAT transporter like the Allo Digione to further this setup. Will there be significant auditary improvements over USB?

Some youtube reviewers seems to suggest so, yet many technical forums dismissed this claim online. Can someone share any personal experiences apart from theoretical mumbo jumbo.

My streaming sources are Spotify and Airplay

Pi 3 is an absolute for using its usb output. It's a known fact that its usb is extremely noisy. This was rectified in pi4. A hat is a strong suggestion. Yes a digione will be a big improvement. A digione signature will be a better bet and will keep you happy for longer. Add an allo Shanti and you'll be extremely happy.

If you want to skip all the hassle with OS, hats etc. get the wiim mini and use the optical out to your dac.

MaSh

 

[CKumar]

I really liked the ad1865 based DAC hat which I bought from an FM recently. Worth a try.

DIY NOS AD1865 DAC for Raspberry Pi - Audiophile Diyer

Some audiophile friends who owned my discrete R2R DAC and satisfied with its sound quality, and recently, they suggest that if I can make a smaller board for raspberry pi. I tried and its quite impossible to squeeze those discrete parts in the small 65mm X 56mm raspberry pi board . After...

audiophilediyer.com

I have this one from same diyer
This is nice too

Discrete R-2R DAC Hat for Raspberry Pi - V1.3 - Audiophile Diyer

USD206.00 Built a batch of Discrete R2R DAC for raspberry pi recently. Spec: Hand made and hand matched 0.005% resistors 24bit 384Khz in NOS ( Non Over-sampling ) mode Distortion: 0.01% at -10dB ( Actual measurement 0.006~0.007% , please watch my youtube video ) Simple Passive RC filter Output...

audiophilediyer.com

 

[Anand A]

Pi 3 is an absolute for using its usb output. It's a known fact that its usb is extremely noisy. This was rectified in pi4. A hat is a strong suggestion. Yes a digione will be a big improvement. A digione signature will be a better bet and will keep you happy for longer. Add an allo Shanti and you'll be extremely happy.

If you want to skip all the hassle with OS, hats etc. get the wiim mini and use the optical out to your dac.

MaSh

I’ve got a Wiim mini and it’s doing great. Still trying to experiment with a Digione board (ordered one from a distributor) to see if there is any significant difference. The direct usb to Dac route with RPI 4 seems less exciting to me than the wiim optical out. So may be the SPDF hat might make it better.

 

[MaSh]

I’ve got a Wiim mini and it’s doing great. Still trying to experiment with a Digione board (ordered one from a distributor) to see if there is any significant difference. The direct usb to Dac route with RPI 4 seems less exciting to me than the wiim optical out. So may be the SPDF hat might make it better.

Ahh then great. Skip the USB and use the HAT output. Do let us know the results.

MaSh

 

[Anand A]

Ahh then great. Skip the USB and use the HAT output. Do let us know the results.

MaSh

Got the hat and connected to spdf to rca. The sound definitely feels more distinct and spacial than compared to the wiim settings, which have a more fuller sound for me. The differences could be the dsp/eq settings on both as well. For now, the Dac Hat sounds better to my ears. Not using a linear supply and all. So next will try up improve that.

 

[MaSh]

Got the hat and connected to spdf to rca. The sound definitely feels more distinct and spacial than compared to the wiim settings, which have a more fuller sound for me. The differences could be the dsp/eq settings on both as well. For now, the Dac Hat sounds better to my ears. Not using a linear supply and all. So next will try up improve that.

Thats Great. Congratulations.

MaSh

 

[@mol]

I used Ian Canada transport digi hat n it’s nice