Yep, I had the same issue, there is not enough current on the USBridge port to adequately power the D10. The other USB ports on the device work with the D10 but that defeats the purpose of the USBridge.
I’ve searched this thread and I came across:
Where @Jon_Mansey says:
So is this a robust solution? If I skip the iDefender and just get an iFi PSU, will this work with the D10? I dont see how the iDefender can help. And I want to keep my addition spend to get this working to a minimum.
Also, if a iFI PSU is the solution, then why wouldn’t @allo.com ship a decent PSU with the USBridge?
The iDefender cuts the USB power line between USBridge board and iDefender USB input when you inject separate 5Vdc power, to power the DAC (or whatever is downstream of iDefender).
Some USB hubs do the same but iDefender (which is a hub too) isn’t too expensive (from memory).
I wouldn’t recommend the iFi iPower PSU personally but a 5Vdc PSU with microUSB output will do.
The Topping D10 draws way to much power for most hosts at startup. I see the same thing, wont work with my Aries G1, USBridge or iOS devices. However, mine works fine with my SOtM sMS-200 and of course, all computers.
I would like to use the Allo US bridge with a Marantz SACD 8005, which has a USB-B input in the back and can serve as a standalone DAC. Right now my Windows laptop is using the USB input, and I can use roon DSP to upsample to DSD 128. Somptimes I upsample to PCM for some types of music. Would I be able to use the US Bridge with the Marantz? I only ask because I’ve read through most of this forum, and the US Bridge seems to work great with some DACs and not very well with others. The Marantz has a Cirrus Logic CS 4398. The Marantz works fine with the laptop, but I"d like to free up the laptop. I did have to put a Windows driver on the laptop.
To be more precise, I have a Roon Core in another room. The lapotop is just being used as an endpoint. So I just want the Bridge to be an endpoint. I just don’t want to buy the bridge and discover it doesn’t work with my DAC.
Assuming a linux driver exists and isn’t in common usage yet, you’re also more likely to have luck getting @spockfish to bake that in for you, or keeping the system up to date, than you will getting @allo.com to do the same…
I have used a few USB transports with both Roon Bridge and NAA (Signalyst’s Networkaudiod) and the USBridge with DietPi works fine, even it let me use DSD with my DAC instead of DoP. USBridge should work fine up to DSD256.
I learnt that Raspberry Pi3 B+ did not work well with DSD128 because the architecture of the Raspberry itself. It shares a common bus between USB and Ethernet interfaces. With Roon DSP upsamplig to DSD128 it doesn’t work bad, but with HQPlayer it doesn’t. It worked by using Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet.
On the other hand, Raspberry Pi 3 B+ digital transport based on DigiOne and/or HiFiBerry Digi+ Pro and RoPieee works superb!!
Another option is a UP Board based hardware with DietPi. This is a Intel Celeron device. It works up to DSD512.
Thanks Mikael - I purchased an ifi iDefender as recommended by @dabassgoesboomboom. I’m happy to say that this has brought the USBridge + Topping D10 combo to life by allowing me to power the d10 independently. And sounding brilliant so far.
We’ll see if I hear any improvement in sound after the recommended 50 hours burn in time.
Thanks again @dabassgoesboomboom. Saved the USBridge ending up on eBay. Cheers.
I posted recently about patching in the Mytek Liberty DAC for native DSD in DietPi. @Dan_Knight helpfully created the PR to add DSD flag for my DAC however I believe it needs @allo.com to review + provide updated kernel, I can then test it. I know Dan created the PR a couple of weeks ago, is this something @allo.com can help with? Thanks.
Thanks for responding. Sorry for my delayed response. Does @spockfish sell roon endpoints or bridges? I checked the Marantz website and there is no Linux driver for my DAC, just a Windows driver.
Angel, thanks for responding. There is no Linux driver for my DAC. Do you think the US Bridge would work with the DAC? I would certainly buy one to free up my laptop. I just don’t want weeks of frustration and then possibly have to send it back.
@spockfish licenses Ropieee to Metrum Acoustics, but if there is no Linux driver, there is probably nothing he, they, or you, can do (unless you happen to know how to write a driver).
Your best bet if you want to be 100% all the features are supported is probably one of the cheap chinese boxes. USB output likely won’t be as clean as on a Sonore device or a USBridge, but whether that’s audible is debatable.
Other than that, what has already been suggested - i.e, get a linux device, either raspberry or USBridge and see if it works - stands. The advantage of the Raspberry is that you could always add a SPDIF board if USB doesn’t work out, or do something else with it entirely, while the USBridge is of course cleaner, usb-wise. So it kinda depends on how lucky you’re feeling
Hi @Robert_Bee, it is not a matter of thinking. My DAC uses an AKM chip. All my previous endpoints, that were Raspberry Pi 3 B/B+ running DietPi and RoonBridge, let me play DSD but only in DoP format. It worked, although I didn’t like the clicks that made when the DAC went from PCM to DSD mode and back again to PCM. Despite this, the DAC played DSD.
With USBridge, I realized that it could play native DSD from DietPi in my DAC, the same that with other products running DietPi didn’t do. What does it mean? On one hand, probably it will play DSD in one way or another: native or DoP, on the other hand, some times it is not a matter of just a driver. I don’t think that Allo has developed a driver for my DAC but they did something that I am not aware at all, but it works (in my DAC).
