Dummies Guide to Pi2AES! Throw away your PC or laptop.

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by purr1n, Jan 29, 2020.

  1. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,773
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    small island claimed by China
    If anybody finds the LEDs a bit too bright (like me), I put small squares of black masking tape over each one (after touching them to make sure they weren't too hot). I then used a black marker on the inside of each of the holes to reduce the light guide effect coming out from the edges of the side panel.
     
  2. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2016
    Likes Received:
    4,112
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Rhode Island, USA
    Home Page:

    Also a standard M2.5 washer is 0.5mm thick and can be used to make up enough of the the difference to prevent cracking.

    Michael
     
  3. Boops

    Boops Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,179
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    New York
    Ok this may be a very niche use for the Pi2AES, but last night I used it to get movie audio playing through my 2ch system. I'd previously been doing this by running the toslink audio out from my TV into the Gungnir Multibit but this connection was extremely unreliable for reasons I could never figure out and often didn't work. I blame my ancient TV, but whatever.

    I use an Apple TV for movie watching and streaming services, and I realized last night that the Apple TV allows you to stream its audio output to any Airplay-capable device. I opened up the settings on the Apple TV and was able to select the Pi2AES as an Airplay endpoint (I'm running Volumio on mine). I just had to make sure that the "Make loud sounds quieter" setting on the Apple TV was set to off and the Apple TVs digital volume control was turned all the way up.

    It was glorious and amazing and I was kicking myself that I didn't think of this sooner.
     
  4. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2018
    Likes Received:
    3,451
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    SouthernCA
    Perhaps a somewhat obvious question but I haven't seen direct mention or A/B mentions/comparisons:
    How big of a difference does going from the recommended 24V/40W switching power supply to something like an sbooster or linear power supply make for this pi2aes kit?

    Had really good results with sbooster during a previous loaner but that was an amp and this is a streamer, etc etc - not sure if it's worth the extra $300+ for sbooster here. In my case I'll be plugging the sbooster (or smps) into a surge protector that seems to have some isolation / noise reduction already (some smps that I have that introduce a little noise sometimes do not seem to do so with these particular surge protectors) so the front end won't be an issue.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2020
  5. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,735
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Canada
    This was vs. the original 12v stock supply (which was later changed to the 24v) but I’m sure pretty much the same:
     
  6. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,773
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    small island claimed by China
    I couldn't track down any M2.5 washers nearby, but found some 1/8" (3.1mm) lock washers. Used one to shim up the Pi Zero and 3 to fill the gaps on the other side. Everything is level now and no stress on the top when screwed down tight.

    Thanks, Michael!
     
  7. mtavares

    mtavares Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Likes Received:
    70
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Brazil
    Hi,

    I have received the Pi2AES and I am really impressed with that. @Michael Kelly you should be proud of the Pi2AES it is amazing. The detailing, soundstage, instruments separation are excellent. I am still in the burn-in phase and it will improve a little more.

    Considering that I live in a hot country, I decided to make a different assembly and I would like to share that with you.

    Due to the fact that I am using a Rpi4, I was concerned about the temperatures during the summer time. When I saw the Geekworm N300 case + GPIO extender (5mm), I thought that it will be a good fit for the Pi2AES. So, I start from that:

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    After the proper standoffs selection and adjustments, the end result is the following:

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    I still need to do some work with the acrylic finishing. I am planning to do that after the proper burn-in of the unit.

    For power supply, I am using two LPS
    a) Teradak 30W 24V
    b) LKS 5V (from previous application)

    IMHO the use of LPS improves the audio quality of this type of application. It can be a little overkill, but up to now I am enjoying what I am hearing.

    The Pi2AES is feeding a Gungnir Multibit A2 through BNC connection in a speaker setup.

    Thanks to you all by the hints on this topic.

    Now, it is time to return to music listening.

    QJA
    Marcos

    P.S: I am struggling to attach photos. I could not see a way to create it as an attachment. Any help?
    Edit: @Metro Thanks by your procedure. It worked very well
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2020
  8. Metro

    Metro Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,590
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Nice post. To attach a photo (or other file), use the "Upload a File" button next to Post Reply. You can also attach a file to a previous post if you edit the post, then "More Options", and you will see the "Upload a File" button.
     
  9. mtavares

    mtavares Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Likes Received:
    70
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Brazil
    I checked without success. This button does not show up. There is only the image button, which requires a link. For sure, I am missing something.....

    Thanks by your help.

    QJA

    Marcos
     
  10. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2017
    Likes Received:
    7,735
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Canada
    I think you might have to be a Friend status to be able to upload pics directly to SBAF. Otherwise you need to use Imgur or another photo hosting service and embed the URL.
     
  11. Metro

    Metro Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,590
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    San Francisco
    It might be the case as @rlow said, about needing Friend status.

    Try this for linking directly from Google Photos.
    1. Open the photo in Google Photos
    2. Right click on the photo and "Copy Image Address"
    3. Append "?type=.jpg" (without quotes) to the address and use it to insert image.
    The forum software wants to see an image filetype (.jpg, .png, etc) in the url address and this trick fools it.

    For example, this is your first photo:

    [​IMG]
     
  12. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2017
    Likes Received:
    3,758
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Jackson, Mi
    For uploading to forums, I found Imgur is better than Google photos. No appending necessary and I've never had images disappear in 7+ years using it. Just make sure you upload it as hidden.
     
  13. Metro

    Metro Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,590
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    San Francisco
    I use both Imgur and Google Photos. Pictures taken on my phone are automatically uploaded to Google Photos and they are ready to use by appending to the url (no need to separately upload the photos to Imgur). I'm more likely to use Imgur when I edit a photo (crop, add text, adjust colors, etc) and save a separate copy.
     
  14. LetMeBeFrank

    LetMeBeFrank Won't tell anyone my name is actually Francis

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2017
    Likes Received:
    3,758
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Jackson, Mi
    I totally understand, I also back up my photos to Google, but for someone who is already struggling to post photos on a forum I think imgur is probably easier.
     
  15. mtavares

    mtavares Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2019
    Likes Received:
    70
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Brazil
    @Metro, @rlow and @LetMeBeFrank ,

    Thanks for your comments and support.

    The @Metro suggestion worked like a charm.

    Returning to the topic: the Pi2AES is a very good streamer.

    I forgot to mention that I am using it with MoOde and MConnectHD. Primary source is Tidal.

    I expect to return in some weeks after the burn-in is finished and with a solution for the acrylic portion.

    Best Regards,

    Marcos
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2020
  16. Gemini

    Gemini Facebook Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2017
    Likes Received:
    93
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    [​IMG]

    Wow this thing is awesome. After all these years of USB audio now I know what I'm missing. Like Marv, I've heard about various RPi devices and thought, that looks interesting, but as soon as I started reading I thought, Whoa that's complicated... maybe next year. Well next year has finally arrived with the great easy to follow instructions in this thread.
    The only hiccup in the process was a small problem flashing the micro SD card.

    So I've got an external HDD - Pi2AES - Gungnir Multibit A2 - Jotunheim

    I think the sound can be summed up as: crisp and clear with a deadly silent blackground.

    Thanks to Marv and Michael.

    [​IMG]
     
  17. tommytakis

    tommytakis MOT: E.T.A Headphones

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2018
    Likes Received:
    5,465
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Home Page:
    So I just purchased this:
    Sescom SES-AES-EBU-1 XLRF to 75 Ohm BNC Female AES/EBU Impedance Transformer, 0.1 to 6MHz Bandwidth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZT65CE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_i6SGEbKP62ZA4

    Would I see any improvement if I do pi2AES > transformer > BNC to SPDIF > Bifrost 2? Or am I just adding unnecessary fuckery to my chain? I saw Marv use this when I was reading through the old lynx/AES thread for his Gungnir Multibit
     
  18. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    May 7, 2019
    Likes Received:
    2,062
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NY
    I'm of the opinion of keeping minimal devices/ switches in the chain. Since Pi2AES has BNC out so I would rather use it directly.
     
  19. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2019
    Likes Received:
    993
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Silicon Valley
    It's unnecessary fuckery unless you need to run tens of meters of cable to your DAC. And I believe that @Michael Kelly has said that the balanced (XLR) output has slightly higher jitter than the single-ended (BNC and RCA), anyway.
     
  20. Michael Kelly

    Michael Kelly MOT: Pi 2 Design

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2016
    Likes Received:
    4,112
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Rhode Island, USA
    Home Page:
    The BNC, RCA and XLR outputs are already transformer coupled. An additional transformer would serve no purpose.

    Michael
     

Share This Page