Raspberry Pi I2S to SPDIF Hat

First world problem, BNC vs Coax. As long as adding in Toslink doesn't make it sound different, LOL, you can rob me blind now, I will grin and love it.

 

Actually there is no room for the TOSlink on Speed Two, not int eh HAT format which I am loathe to break.

Thanks again for the great ideas and feedback!

Cheers,
Michael

P.S. Kickstarter campaign for the 503HTA Hybrid Tube AMP is underway. We have raised $12K+ in just 2 days! I hope you all got in if you wanted. $99 early biards are almost gone (4 left), but we added another 100 $109 early birds.

 

OK, there is no space, so no problem at all I think we're set.
Now, before someone starts stalking you to give you money, send this board off to fab and Godspeed this hat!

 

Of course I have to ask the forbidden question about a product in development everyone is probably thinking about...when will this be ready for purchase???

 

Forbidden, yet you ask anyway! Here is the process:

1) Design completion: Done
2) Design Review: Under way, completion date 5/6
3) PCB Fab submission: 5/9
4) PCB Fab complete and in hand: 5/20
5) PCB assembly and visual inspection: 5/22 - 5/24
6) PCB test: 5/25 - 5/27
7) Alpha Units to testers - 6/1

That's based on no big snafu's. Both the SPD1 and SPD2 will be done together so the schedule is the same. But we will need to figure our how to test the SPD2 since we currently have no equipment in house that has XLR digital inputs.

Cheers,
Michael

 

Thank you! I just cant contain myself. I am only serving the people as I know everyone wanted to ask but didnt want to offend.

I'll be your guinea pig for SPD2. I've got all sorts of gear which accepts digital XLR. Another option if you want to test in house is to use an XLR to RCA adapter. Using one will allow you to test if the digital signal is being transmitted properly. If course there will be an impedance mismatch but that will impact more how the music sounds versus functionality of your design. Gotta be careful with the high XLR voltage too.

Man, I cant wait for this! Thank you for doing this!

 

The XLR is balanced/differential, so going to RCA won't work. I will figure this out, but you are now signed up as the SPD2 XLR test dummy. What about BNC?

Cheers,
Michael

 

Just to be clear, I have the following folks doing testing when the time comes:
Fraggler - I really wanted to call this "The Fraggler"! Sounds so vague, yet technical somehow!
Vastx - You know, when Saturday Night Live first came out I though Bill Murray was a total ass! I guess he fooled me!
Phillmorgan - Brokerage? Real Estate Developer? White collar criminal?
tboooe - I don't even know where to go with that!

It will not be a very hard job. We have to do a fair amount of testing in house before we send anything out. It will consist mostly of vetting the instructions and cross checking against your equipment and setup. And to see if, to use an old phrase from the 70's, "Speed Kills"!

Cheers,
Michael

 

I have devices that take BNC as well so no problem testing SPD2.

I thought you could use an XLR to RCA adapter even with fully balanced output. I was assuming you had devices in your lab that take RCA. Using the adapter will allow you to at least test that the SPD2 was outputting a signal.

My avatar says it all...its wrong on so many levels but oh so right at the same time! No more yanky my wanky – the Donger need food!

 

Good thing you didn't call this "the fraggler", I would have been so pissed! It should have been "The Vastx" if anything! But I gotta give it to you... it would have been a terrible name, even worst than 503SPD1. Just joking, guys

For the record, I own an AES dac that I seldom use. I could test AES too if needed, though I'm not craving for it.

 

I still have Coax and BNC free on my Gungnir Multibit. So I would also veer towards SPD2.

 

LOL. I vote for "white collar criminal"

 

I can test Spdif coax and bnc also, If needed. I would even do to toslink, but all preferably for speakers.

 

Tick tock...man is it June 1st yet? Its going to be long wait! The good news I get my Digi+ next week so I will be really familiar with its sound once the SPD2 arrives.

 

Off topic, but we're at almost $30K for our 503HTA Hybrid Tube Amp campaign! This will help pay for the 503SPD1 and 2!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1815752970/hybrid-tube-amp-for-the-raspberry-pi

 

Been burning in the DIGI+ on my setup and it is coming around. Give it time and post what you hear.

 

The Gungnir Multibit in USB sounds like meh compared to when used with good BNC and Coax (in that order in mine, unsure why). I was gonna move it, till I read a post Marv did a while back. Even the DIGI+ is better.

 

I've read that the Schiit dacs sound best with XLR so it would be great to try it out with the SPD2.

 

heh this thread keeps using the terms rca/coax and xlr/aes interchangably! getting confusing

 

The Yggdrasil has AES/EBU XLR, RCA SPDIF, BNC SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB. The Gungnir Multibit only has Coaxial RCA SPDIF, BNC SPDIF, Optical SPDIF, USB.

I wonder if there is an impedance difference between the RCA and BNC SPDIF, though? They do sound different in my setup.