Allo USBridge board

A simple question with a very difficult answer. Yes a better cable should bring some improvements. However I would say the improvements will be small, but it depends on your system.

Powering the USB Bridge

I’m using 2 independent power supplies with my Allo Sparky, so i remove J28 jumper, but i notice that if i connect the power supply for the USB bridge with nothing in the sparky power input, the Sparky turns on, is this nomal???

Thanks, my system is external USB hard disk -> Mac running Roon Core in storage room -> Ethernet connection to living room -> Switch -> USBridge -> crappy USB cable -> Metrum Pavane -> Audioquest Yukon interconnect -> Naim 252/300 DR -> Naim SL2. Would the difference in SQ now be more or less? Cheers, William

Very hard to say. I would say that no, not a big difference.

Yes it is .

Hello Johan,
I’ve seen the first new alu case photos for BOSS DAC: Allo Boss DAC review
Any photos for USBridge ?
Any ETA for alu case public availability ?
Thank you

Hi,

Not yet. Please have patience, we are working as fast as we can, but the alu manufacturers are a bit slow. They already have the CAD files for USBridge and the mold is done (same mold as in the pics)

I would say 4-6 weeks to have them for sale.

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New image DietPi custom image of USBridge is being worked on… 3 weeks about we should release.

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It’s for current owners too??

Of course. We will release for everyone.

If you run one PSU for Sparky and USBridge is it possible to just use the DC input on the USBridge @allo.com and let Sparky get the power from the USBRidge or does it have to be the other way around and power it via Sparky?

Either way will work…but usbridge has a better DC jack

That was the answer I was looking for :slight_smile:

Perhaps I have missed it but what size is the DC jack on the USBridge @allo.com

@Fredrik_Andersson 2.5mm x 5.5mm

Hi,

I’m interested in Allo USBridge board and I’m a Newbie :grinning:.
When it’s coming to products like this!

I want to move my computer to another room, connected to my network.
So will a Allo USBridge board connected to my network work, “as a USB hub”? So I can connect my ifi micro iUSB3.0 to it and my two DAC’s, to the ifi?

And everything that I need to the Allo USBridge board, power comes with it?
Shall I get a ifi power supply for better power or?

I’m thankful for answers to my questions!

L&R
String

Hello Anders,

The USBridge that you purchase from Allo or their resellers is a bundle that has 2 main items:

  • The Allo Sparky SBC (Single Board Computer) that is a tiny computer similar to a Raspberry pi but more powerful and that doesn’t share the Ethernet and USB bus like the pi (a good thing).
  • The USBridge expansion card for the Allo Sparky SBC, that performs exactly the same function as your iUSB 3.0, i.e., re-clocks and regenerates the USB signal for the least amount of noise possible.

It also comes with a power supply, but you can use a better one if you wish. You can even use one power supply for the Sparky SBC and another one (better one) just to feed the USBridge card that has its own power input as well. So, you can use 1 power supply for both components or 2 power supplies to power them separately.

As you see, you would have an overlapping solution since your iUSB3.0 and the USBridge card do exactly the same.

What you can do is to purchase just the Sparky (or other SBC), connect it to your network and then connect your iUSB3.0 to one of the standard USB ports of the Sparky, “cleaning” the USB signal.

Or, of course, you can purchase the USBridge bundle and compare the “clean” port of the USBridge with the “clean” port of the iUSB3.0 and see which one you prefer (if you can hear any difference since they are supposed to be both really good) :slight_smile:

Advantage of the iUSB3.0 is that it has 2 “clean” ports while the USBridge only has 1.

In addition to what @Skywatcher has already mentioned, try considering ‘Powering’ the Sparky/USBridge with the microUSB 3.0 clean port (the other one used for your preferred DAC). In that sense there is no duplication in the reclocking feature. Then you won’t be required to purchase another power supply.

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Thanks @Skywatcher and @Kelvin_Li
I shall do a “trial and error”!
So will I now what sounds and works best for me.
The thing is that I need the iUSB 3.0 (or something like it), because I have and using 2 different DAC’s one B.M.C Pure Dac (to TIDAL, ripped CDs and DSD) and one Meridian Explorer 2 for MQA!
And I don’t like to change USB cable every time I shall listen to something different!

Best
Anders

  1. can I use max2play with your usbridge?
  2. can I use it only with your WiFi adapter and not with Ethernet?

Many thanks.

Hi, got roonbridge to work on my Usb bridge. But I can’t get Librespot to work. Id like spotify connect. Any advice? There is spotify remote web already on the dietpi image but that doesn’t work either, and seems to need a key from spotify…