Holo Audio Red

So you have the A2+ hooked with Holo Red via AES correct? I tested with local files and also streaming with both Roon + Tidal Connect and Volumio + Tidal Connect and it makes the same behavior. When I switch from 16bit 44kHz to 24bit 174 or 192kHz, instead of the normal "click / click" from the relay it makes 6 clicks - sometimes last two clicks are somewhere between second 10 and 20 after the song has started. like it it not locking ok to the signal. I ordered the second Holo Red to test. Can you please test this scenario? Also I suppose that there should be no difference from the Yggdrasil+ LIM to A2+ since they both share the same input card.
Also this issue does not happen with the cheapest Wiim streamer for example via COAX.
Super glad that I found you here based on your name.
At this point it's either the Holo or the Yggdrasil

Here is a video with the issue. Turn up the volume to hear the relays : https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YNe877229xo?feature=share

Adding that I also tested everything from a network perspective, cables switches etc.

 

A friend of mine just ordered another Holo Red and in the next days I just have it for testing and see if the issue is just with my Holo unit or the issue is somewhere else.

 

That's good. I do not have a problem with wi-fi in the chain but I would not use a streamer with wi-fi.
It is not the question of connectivity it is just wifi antenna inside the box, it is pure noise
My Roon Core is wifi but the Pi2AES, both of them, are wired,

 

Can you point to multiple A/B tests or measurements that show WiFi degrading the audio signal in anyway?

 

No that's not what I meant. I simply do not use anything that is not necessary and may potentially create a noise. If there is no other choice I do not think about it. But I do not need to get into testing showing that RPi wi-fi antenna does not create audible noise. I would love to see the test that would show it does not. I any digital audio system there are enough sources of noise to avoid anything that is not necessary.

 

I just ordered Holo Red. I have two Pi2AES OG with @atomicbob Nukes I have been entirely happy with the setup with RME ADI-2 Pro and Soekris 2541. So it is a bit of an itch for an "upgrade". Mercury 3 would be some upgrade but I do not need SE DAC.
I have not found even one used Holo Red so decided to buy new.
I remember I easily parted with Bryston BDP 2. almost $2k then in favor of Pi2AES, the difference was barely noticeable with my setup then. Let's see, Pi2AES may still win. But I have to hear that.

 

On the point of testing, https://archimago.blogspot.com/search?q=wifi has a couple, including this one: https://archimago.blogspot.com/2018/12/measurements-raspberry-pi-3-b-as.html

 

I ordered Holo Red and it may be, I do not know yet, some improvement over Pi2AES.
That does not take anything from the fact that there is only one product I know that IMHO revolutionized hi-fi streaming and that product is Pi2AES. Price to value in my view is so overwhelming, I compared it in the past ABing with BDP-2 ans sold BDP2 not because it was worse but because the difference was ...unconvincing. I see Mercury and Holo Red as simply a potential improvement, depending how resolving is your setup, but for me Pi2AES with a choke is a benchmark.

 

This is my first order from Kitsune and most likely the last.
Not only is 6+ weeks excessive to build relatively simple device, but after 5+ weeks I have not even received an update when I should expect the Holo Red delivery.
What is 6+weeks anyway? is it 8 or 52?
In the meantime I installed RopieeeXL on my Pi2AES v1 and it runs HQP NAA, and Roon endpoint, switching seamlessly between those two services from Roon.
I am starting to question if Red is really worth it, taking into account the price and ridiculous wait time.

 

Not the most customer friendly. But quality is worth it. Just wait for the DHL confirmation. You are likely just a few weeks away. There are many backorders.

 

I agree with this. If it’s any consolation the Red is an improvement to the Pi2AES (the benchmark) and does have the flexibility as a digital input doohickey to spdif. So probably worth the wait.


Edit: corrected typo

 

To be fair to Kitsune, it turned that they delivered in a bit less than 6 weeks! I expected to be away from the country and shipped it to my son's address, and it arrived yesterday. All is good except that a simple email with information that it was shipped would avoid all the "problems". So they did OK but a little bit more of customer focus would not hurt.

 

OK So I got Holo Red with 2024.04.21 OS and it is connect to the router through a powerline and Netgear switch.
First maybe something positive.
When I set it up to Performance Mode and Roon Ready is the only thing running, I can indeed hear an improvement over Pi2AES. And it is enough of the difference that I will most likely keep it and run it in exactly that configuration.
The build quality is fantastic, I know next to nothing about electronics but separate LPS to almost every module cannot be a bad thing..

Unfortunately in many aspects this box is a disappointment.
I read all over this thread things like:

Or that it has to be connected directly to the router, or that it looks broken, not booting with a Red OS or any other image and then..suddenly comes to life. WTF?

I cannot make it work with HQP. I want NAA connecting to RME ADI2 Pro AES/EBU, cannot do that with Red OS, the only NAA device that shows up in HQP output is Red USB, why USB?, and it does nothing, no matter which DAC I use.
Of course it is possible that I am missing something in the Red OS setup, and the user user guide, at least the Red OS section, is just plain useless.
For example what is USB Redirector? Why there is no specification of the output to a DAC for the NAA service?

It does not boot properly with RopieeeXL, it does not boot with NAA OS image, no matter if connected directly to the main router or not, but it will boot with Volumio.
I have Pi2AES seating next to it, in the same network running RopieeeXL, Roon Ready and NAA active, with AES/EBU and optical out to Modius E and RME, no issues, stable. And with good HQP filter sounding 99% as substantial and detailed as Red.
Next to it RPi 4 with Hifiberry Digi+ Pro, no issues with the same image of Ropieee.
If there is CM4 inside Holo Red, why it cannot do what every RPi 4 can do?

Holo Red is a very high quality network streamer, and if you use Roon is very simple to set up, and DDC.
But in terms of versatility, using CM4 with OS of your choice it is so far a big disappointment.
I am still thinking that I am doing something wrong with configuration of NAA. But if NAA really does not work, it is going back.

 

@wormcycle

If the input selection on your DAC is not set to USB then the Red will not identify USB as an output option. Thus, HQPlayer will not see Red USB output through NAA as an option either. You will still see the Holo Red show up as an NAA capable output, but Red will only output by standard digital outputs like AES, SPDIF, I2S.

It seems the Red will "disconnect" the USB output when the DAC is not actively on the USB input selection. I find this annoying but I still think I2S output is best on Red so I use that anyway. Hope that is clear. I do not have direct access to my system right now otherwise I could probably explain better.

Additionally, I have found some problems with Roon RAAT and HQPlayer NAA "competing" for access to the Red. Sometimes I have to disable the Red as a Roon endpoint in order for HQPlayer NAA to see the Red show up on the network. This one is much harder to explain as I have never committed the procedure to memory. It seems to have improved over time, but years ago when I first got the Red it seemed I had to disable Roon RAAT audio output to the Red completely or else HQPlayer NAA simply did not work. They seem to play nicer together now. I am able to have my HQPlayer PC as a Roon endpoint, and the Red I2S output available at the same time, but I must choose one or the other obviously.

 

Just a guess without having tried myself: I assume HQPlayer will not show devices that are not capable of playing at the output rate HQPlayer is currently set to. Could it be that you are upsampling to a value higher than 192 kHz? The maximum for SDM, if possible via AES at all, is probably DSD64.

 

Did everything as you both suggested and ....it worked.

First I selected the Performance Mode on Red with NAA as the only service running. I also limited the HQP sample rate to 192. I am using PCM only. I stopped all Roon services and started playback from the HQP client.

Now Red started using the RCA SPDIF and AES/EBU as the outputs to RME ADI-2 Pro and Modius E, and for the first time I could hear music through NAA.
The NAA component is still showing in the HQP output configuration as "Red: Holo AudioUAC3.0 Gen 2 - Red: USB Audio" but USB is not being used anywhere in the chain. So it is just a part of the name.

Then I started Roon selecting the HQP zone, with Red Roon endpoint disabled, and it was OK as well.
Next step was changing the Red settings to the Compatibility mode with both Roon endpoint and NAA services active. It worked through Roon provided that I diabled either teh Red RAAT zone or the Red NAA zone.

Sometimes I needed to do exactly the same using PiAES, so it is not Red specific.

That's a big step forward, still would like to use RopieeeXL but, the way Red is now working, it is enough to keep it.
Thank you guys.

 

I am entirely confused with the Holo Red power input/. The manual:


So when I looked at the label on the bottom it says 110V. And next to the power socket there is a slot, seems to be, for 250V fuse, but impossible to open. How am I supposed to make any sense of it?
Every spec I read, every manual led me to believe that it was user configurable. I would not buy it otherwise.

 

I got almost immediate and very helpful response from Tim. It is user configurable.

Tim Connor (KitsuneHiFi) (Kitsunehifi)

Apr 16, 2025, 12:45 PM PDT

Ok, then the please open chassis with metric Allan tools and take note of where screws were. And switch over internal voltage switch as seen in photos on website. Please be sure to not over tighten screws when you reassemble. As chassis is aluminum and screws are steel and can easily damage if over tightened.
Once switched, be sure to change over to proper fuse!!
As per manual. And all our fuses are SB or slow blow.

 

Opening the case for the Red requires a bit of patience and care since the parts don't slide out easily. There is a 110/220v switch inside. And as stated above, the screws are not of the same length so note which is from where.

 

Kitsune is no longer importing Holo products to the US. In case anyone was thinking of ordering one of these.