[navin]

Hi, I am looking to build a cheap media streamer using the following:

Raspberry Pi audio board
https://www.allo.com/sparky/usbridge-signature-pcb.html

Raspberry Pi HAT with I2S and AES Transport
https://www.pi2design.com/pi2aes.html

Power Supply (the Pi2AES Transport will clean the SMPS and feed the Pi via GPIO).
https://in.element14.com/mean-well/g...0v,%201.67%20a

In addition to this, I would like to add a small (preferably under 2") screen so I can see what is playing on the Streamer without having to turn the TV on. Something like the videos below show.

This is a really sweet implementation of not only a screen but also a rotary encoder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp40skh6qbc

I don't need to integrate amps and speakers but otherwise, this is cool too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0XIAHmLukE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj8P5PAfWMk

The challenge is that these screens are not HDMI but use the GPIO and have an SPI (Special Purpose Interface) that needs to be programmed to work. Hence I need HELP

I tried to understand how to make these work but I just do not have adequate training or knowledge to program these but I have listed some links I found.

https://thepihut.com/blogs/raspberry...e-raspberry-pi

https://www.instructables.com/Robert...dio-Yet-Anoth/

http://naisema.blogspot.com/2017/10/...-with-dac.html

The idea is to build a box that looks like a mini audio component (2"H, 8"W, 10"D) and not a computer.

The DACs being considered at the SonCoz SGD1, Schitt Bifrost 2 and Topping D70s.

The other (undesirable) option would be to use an HDMI screen like these but the USBridge has only one HDMI out so I would not be able to connect it to a TV.
https://robu.in/product/waveshare-3-...splay-480x320/
https://www.electronicscomp.com/2.4-...duino-uno-mega

[JoeTheWanderer]

If you have an SPI display like this one (with the ILI9225 driver IC) perhaps these instructions may work.

I use a 1602 LCD with mine (with the I2C interface though) - not sure if you're looking for that.

[Edit]: PS - would love to see updates about the build in the forum.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by navin

Hi, I am looking to build a cheap media streamer using the following:

The idea is to build a box that looks like a mini audio component (2"H, 8"W, 10"D) and not a computer.

As discussed, please go ahead with your order Navin, I will help you out with the software side of things. This weekend I will try to run the software on my Pi and figure out all the startup items and try to incorporate a 2 line display as well.



This will give it a retro kind of look and not of a modern touchscreen display.

[haisaikat]

Folks, I do not want to discourage but while programming approaches are welcome, from my experience of using RPi as a music streamer for last 7 years, follow KISS with open source, meaning keep it short and simple.

The shift from a regular PC to SBC like RPi / Sparky for music streaming was primarily to have a dedicated OS for music which would not have to run errands with other general purpose tasks and keep the CPU and other system resources free. Also the other primary reason was to keep it fanless as fans introduced PCM noise.

I have been running Allo Digione (not the signature) with RPI3 and a Coax DAC for last 3 years almost flawlessly and prior to that for 4 years I ran RPI directly with a USB DAC. During this time I tried Rune and Moode before eventually settling on Volumio and my observation is that when we upgrade the OS version, something or the other eventually breaks in light of getting newer features and then we have to look for the fix to come. So a custom programming may not always give peace of mind while upgrades and best advised to Run the setup headless (the way it was originally intended and making it align to KISS) and control via mobile browser through the Web UI.

I use TIDAL through the paid plugins on Volumio apart from Spotify and Youtube plugins and also having lossless audio on Local Home NAS. A custom digital display will fall short of displaying album arts and you would miss the complete experience of browsing albums. Library searching will also be cumbersome when lot of results are returned and unless you get up and turn knobs every now and then or implement a USB remote this may not serve you well.

If you need a complete streamer with its own display, spend additional bucks and get a dedicated streamer of the likes of CA CXN or the Bluesound Node 2i. You will even benefit from a better power supply.

If you want to stick to Open Source and SBC with I2S Hat, stick to headless for peace of mind.

And yes, stay away from those SMPS based power supplies, they will send noise through the main power supply to your DAC too and impact its clocks unless you have power isolators. So better to use a 20,000 mah power bank to power 5V devices which would be better and cheaper. I ditched the 5v source from Allo in favour of power bank through real tests, there was more detail definitely. Of course mine was not the signature boards and they are made for having dual power but I believe a clean power helps.

[navin]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

As discussed, please go ahead with your order Navin, I will help you out with the software side of things. This weekend I will try to run the software on my Pi and figure out all the startup items and try to incorporate a 2 line display as well.

Awesome thanks. I am putting all I know about this topic here so that other members that find this thread, have more to go on.

I found these links, but don't know if they help.
http://naisema.blogspot.com/2017/10/...-with-dac.html
https://github.com/TomNiesse/volumio20x4LCDPlugin

A 2" screen and the code to connect it.
https://robu.in/product/2-0-inch-spi...ace-176-x-220/
https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_p..._raspberry_pi/

This guy uses Moode which is not MQA compatible.
https://github.com/antiprism/mpd_oled



FYI
"Allo USBridge Signature
I see more caps! The focus of the device is to lower the noise on the USB bus. Allo chose a USB hub IC (TI) and a separated Ethernet to USB Ic (Axis).
To lower the noise of the USB, Allo had to lower noise on each rail. In total, USBridge Sig uses more than 30 low-dropout regulators (LDOs). Even the SD card power rail has a dedicated LDO. There are zero switching elements on board."
source: https://theaudiostandard.net/thread/...reamer?page=29

"USBridge signature uses a CM6 tweaked rpi board bereft of bluetooth, wifi and non-galvanised USB ports. So you will not have a choice of rpi.
It however supports hi-resolution files (DSD) out of the board, of course also depends on your DAC capability."
Source: https://www.hifivision.com/threads/b...8gb-ram.83804/

For those who do not want to build the Pi2AES - RPi4 based streamer they can get it fully configured from here:
https://www.pi2design.com/coming-soon.html

Volumio has also "productized" this concept using ASUS's TinkerBoard S with a DAC integrated for good measure.
https://digiphonix.home.blog/2019/05/08/volumio-primo/
The DAC is based on the 9038Q2M but the implementation is not as rigorous as Ben Du has done for his SonCoz SGD1 (probably the best implementation of the 9038Q2M chipset). The 9038Q2M chipset was really created as a DAC for mobile aka low power devices - some LG phones have it. The 9038Pro is still the flagship.
Asus has just released an upgraded version of the Tinkerboard and Tinkerbaord S - Tinkerboard 2 and Tinkerboard 2S. The Tinkerboards have lower noise on the USB ports than the RPi4 (which itself is better than the RPi3 as the RPi4 a separate bus for Ethernet and USB). The Tinkerbaords have still to catch up to the Allo USBridge Signature when it comes to noise on the USB bus. I would love to see what Allo does to up the game when they build a breakout board using the CM4 module instead of the CM3+ module used in the USBridge Signature.


I also was hoping to connect my La Cie D2 Professional to the streamer via the USB port of a router. I have the hard disk (see link) but would need a recommendation for a suitable router. This way the streamer would consider the Hard disk to be "just a source to stream from" like Tidal, Amazon Music or Spotify.
https://www.lacie.com/as/en/products/d2/

Some solutions that do this.
https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home...-nas-solution/
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/connect-hdd-raspberry-pi/

Originally Posted by haisaikat

If you need a complete streamer with its own display, spend additional bucks and get a dedicated streamer of the likes of CA CXN or the Bluesound Node 2i. You will even benefit from a better power supply.

If you want to stick to Open Source and SBC with I2S Hat, stick to headless for peace of mind.

And yes, stay away from those SMPS based power supplies, they will send noise through the main power supply to your DAC too and impact its clocks unless you have power isolators.

Thanks. Lots of good points.

1. The CXN and BlueSound are "average" when it comes to sound quality. The cheapest streamer + DAC I could find that does a good job of audio, is DSD/MQA compliant, and can stream from an external hard disk is the $2000 Matrix Audio Element M. The implementation of the 9028Pro chip is good. If you do not need to stream from an external hard disk, the Matrix Audio Mini I Pro 3 is good too. It uses the same 9038Q2M found in the LG phone, SonCoz SGD1 and Volumio Primo linked above. Again it is not the chip but the implementation around it that matters.

2. The object of integrating a display is not for function but to tell if the streamer is actually playing something without having to turn the TV on. I won't be controlling the streamer from the display. I would be using an iPad.

3. Linear power supplies are far better for audio than SMPS power supplies with ONE exception - the Pi2AES. A conversation with Michael Kelly, the designer of the Pi2AES revealed that the Pi2AES is designed to accept a 24VDC SMPS (Meanwell) and it has the ability to clean the noise as well as offer protection to the Pi2AES as well as the 5VDC line that will power the Pi via the GPIO.

If I wasn't keen on AES or I2S, I would have used the DigiOne Signature. However SPDIF, at least in theory, can never be as good as AES or I2S if they are implemented correctly. SPDIF is a single wire which carries the data and the clock. AES is Balanced. I2S has 4 wires BCLK, LRCLK, SDATA, and MCLK (see links below)
https://electronics.stackexchange.co...audio-protocol
https://www.ti.com/lit/ug/sprufx4b/s...oogle.com%252F

Originally Posted by JoeTheWanderer

[Edit]: PS - would love to see updates about the build in the forum.

Watch this space Joe.

The current lockdown might slow thing down (getting parts is going to be difficult) but with help from BlackWasp, we will make this happen albeit not as quickly as we could have if there was no lockdown.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by navin

2. The object of integrating a display is not for function but to tell if the streamer is actually playing something without having to turn the TV on.

AES is Balanced. I2S has 4 wires BCLK, LRCLK, SDATA, and MCLK (see links below)

Great idea on AES, please do post how noticable differences are in the output once your implementation is done. I have been lazy in not upgrading to signature. Hoping someday I would be able to hear signature boards (or visit you in Mumbai to bug you for a session with your setup and AES ) and make a plunge to upgrade if convinced. My best for your setup.

Originally Posted by navin

This guy uses Moode which is not MQA compatible.
https://github.com/antiprism/mpd_oled

I also was hoping to connect my La Cie D2 Professional to the streamer via the USB port of a router. I have the hard disk (see link) but would need a recommendation for a suitable router.

Regarding USB HDD, did you consider using a networked PC / RPI as a NAS which can have the Lacie connected on USB, RPI4 is also Gigabit in case you have QDSD or the likes of it on your NAS. My previous experience of using USB port on Cisco router showed buggy disk mounting, they also do not always do efficient power saving communication to HDDs when not in use, meaning sometimes they send false keep alives to USD drives, thereby not letting it spin down the HDD inside. May be it is not applicable for all so I must put that disclaimer. Also your data read throughput must be tested in real life from such a setup since routers usually come with limited OS / memory that optimize what it is meant for originally and that is routing, not always best evaluated for NAS, point to consider if you have big fat DSD files. Again, audiophilia is full of placebo, so I do not wish to confuse but just put my perspective.

For MQA, I find a limitation with Volumio TIDAL plugin that the output gets downsampled to 44/88 only, not sure if this is a Open source limitation. I found better MQA unfolding with UAPP running on my mobile and mobile connected via USB to DAC. I utilize the inbuilt DAC of CA 851C.

[navin]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Great idea on AES, please do post how noticeable differences are in the output once your implementation is done.

My previous experience of using USB port on Cisco router showed buggy disk mounting, they also do not always do efficient power saving communication to HDDs when not in use, meaning sometimes they send false keep alives to USD drives, thereby not letting it spin down the HDD inside.

Again, audiophilia is full of placebo, so I do not wish to confuse but just put my perspective.

For MQA, I find a limitation with the Volumio TIDAL plugin that the output gets downsampled to 44/88 only, not sure if this is a Open source limitation. I found better MQA unfolding with UAPP running on my mobile and mobile connected via USB to DAC. I utilize the inbuilt DAC of CA 851C.

I might use I2S instead of AES. Let's see. The Pi2AES offers the flexibility of trying both (as well as SPDIF over Coax/Toslink).

Were your hard disks powered from the USB port? I thought this issue was only with USB powered hard disks hence decided to use a self-powered hard disk.

Audiophilia is 50% fiction and 50% fact. If you cant consistently identify a change in a double-blind test, it's best to go with the cheaper option and save the money for all the other nice things life has to offer.

I thought UAPP and BubbleUPnP are only available on Android. We are old and use Apple devices hence BubbleUPnP won't work for us. I am looking at Max2Play as an option for Volumio.
https://www.max2play.com/en/

The 851C uses dual AD1955s (24-bit) and it is well implemented with ATF2. I would put it in the same league as the Matrix Audio Element M. But it is also just as expensive. I haven't compared the 851 to the Element M. In fact I haven't heard either, but I suspect there won't be much to choose between them. The Mini I Pro3 however was much nicer to my old ears than the CXN V2.

There are several Pi-based media streamers out there.
https://www.pimusicbox.com/

You can even use Roon with a DAC HAT
http://www.rpimusicplayer.com/
http://www.rpimusicplayer.com/#hardware

[haisaikat]

Go ahead with what sounds great on your ears as those are the ultimate judge. At times I even enjoyed a Little Dot MK2 with Mullard tubes before upgrading the preamp with better transformers. In the end its all fun including the upgrade journey, so make it prolonged and satisfying.

I did not use IOS players ever except my wife's iPhone hence only limited to Android. Hence only tried UAPP, Bubble UPnP was not to my liking.

On the other hand I had fare share of not so good experience with Open source SBT Server and Client setup on RPI (one problematic file in the library and the scan used to go for a toss, of course its there in Volumio too at times but lesser) hence I avoided Rune which is also a similar 2 box setup. But have heard good feedbacks for Rune, I wanted to keep things simple, hence. At times I think of moving to youtube and bluetooth when I feel overtly impatient while uncovering a problem which I have no option than to write off considering "this is just an open source, so . . . control Uday"

My hard drives were Powered, Seagate 1 TB. Its 5 years old, you may check how newer ones behave. Put your hand while its not in use being connected to router and see if you can feel the spinning. Will wait for your observations.

[navin]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Go ahead with what sounds great on your ears as those are the ultimate judge.

I try to be as unbiased as is possible.

First Stage:
Ordered 2 Nos Pi2AES, 2 Nos Meanwell SMPS, 2 Nos USBridge Signatures.

Second Stage:
On BlackWasp's command, will order displays and USB/LAN routers.

As per this TPLink FAQ, the USB port idea should work fine. Then again, theory and practice aren't always the same.
https://www.tp-link.com/in/home-netw...cher-c4000/v2/
https://www.tp-link.com/in/support/faq/1527/

Third Stage (post lockdown, whenever it ends):
Get everything over to BlackWasp, let him do his thing and order the DACs.


Someday when I have the time I might DIY a DAC too using Soekris's boards
http://www.soekris.dk/dam1021.html

[condor]

Navin, I guess you would have searched before creating this thread

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...ml#post4952485 (Lights, Music and Action modifications on my Verna)