I believe I’ve gotten myself a bit confused here. I’ve got locally stored files in 192kHz 24bit.
I purchased an Aiyima DAC-A5 Max. ( AIYIMA DAC-A5 MAX )
Will I be able to bluetooth from my Android tablet (Pixel) and output at 192/24? A friend told me that I should be able to do LDAC to it… or will the Android app downsample? If the downsampling happens, what are my options? Do I need a different endpoint (not an android pixel tablet due to the OS issues?)
The DAC has a USB input. If you’re budget constrained, pick up a pi zero w kit and install ropieee on it.
No idea what you’re running your core on, this assumes that your network is robust enough to handle RAAT streams over WiFi. You can also pick a later model Pi like a Pi4 with Ethernet and wire it to your network.
I have no idea about your original question, to be perfectly honest. I’m committing the form sin of ignoring what you want to do and telling you what I would do.
My real answer, is why not experiment and see what the Roon signal path is and share?
John Darko on YT has got a lot of info on this (Android sample rates) might be worth watching a couple of his videos?
Probably a fine choice thanks! I will be going this similar route in my garage - Pi with Allo MiniBOSS to a Fosi amp
Definitively NO!
See Wikipedia’s respective article about it and following excerpt:
LDAC (Lossless Digital Audio Codec ) is a proprietary audio coding technology developed by Sony, which allows streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bits/96 kHz.
And then, there’s Android in your way … too lazy to search for an explanation, but it’s out there!
And, just to ask, an alternative to the Pi + Aiyana DAC would be… something like a FiiO combination, or then a more expensive setup like a Bluesound + a headphone amp of some sort?
Absolutely. You started with “budget” and your existing DAC. But there are lots and lots of discussions here about the best DAPs, which have many advantages if you want to be mobile with good headphones.
Let’s take a step back - what are you trying to achieve? Desktop only? Mobile in the house? Capable of driving different headphone amps and maybe speakers? And how much do you want to spend? Built in amp ok if it’s known decent?
If you tell us what you’re trying to do, and what your priorities are, we can help you better. Requirements doc please 
I do not need it to be mobile. I’d like something desk-side.
Roon core runs on a Mac mini. I’ve got a bluesound node endpoint (2021 version) in my living room that works well, streams 192/24 to my NAD amp.
I suppose there’s no reason I cannot spend more, just seeing what exists for less that is not a Raspberry Pi setup.
My local audiophile shop provided some ideas:
the latest Bluesound Node ($649) or Node Icon ($1149).
Or some sort of headphone amp + a Bluesound (2021?) Node or Bluesound Node Nano ($349)
From there it gets more expensive like: NAD D3020 v2 ($599) DAC amp, but needs a streamer like a nano…
And are you trying to drive nearfield speakers or headphones or both?
The plan is just headphones.
So this is not what I do, take with a grain of salt… but if I had your use case, I’d probably get a FiiO M11 plus, and be able to be mobile. It’s a Roon Ready endpoint, and you can get up & go to the fridge with it.
If I was going for a more dedicated rig, I’d do separates, because upgrades happen. Pi + your DAC, then get a Schiit or Topping separate when the time is right.
I started with the most basic Schiit Stack on my desk (Magni + Modi). Now, upgrading one piece at a time, I have:
Pi → Schiit Gungnir → Schiit Folkvangr → Sennheiser HD800
→ Creek 5350SE → Harbeth P3esr xd
Now the “B” speaker taps of the Creek also feed a pair of HiFiMan he6se (v1s) which are a crazy load (need a lot of current, hence the speaker taps).
I couldn’t make either of these phones (which I love very much) work without real amplification. The Folkvangr is also bananas - in a very different way.
So my advice is either - get an all-in-one that optimizes for something simple and get the advantages (like a DAP) or get separates and allow yourself to go down that path. Don’t get stuck in the middle. My 2 cents.
(Oh and the Schiit Modi + Mani from eBay is a remarkable value, really truly suggest it as a gateway drug)
Great, thanks for all that! Temporarily trying my Linux laptop running Roon Bridge.
Current signal path:
FLAC 192kHz 24bit 2ch > Roon Advanced Audio Transport > HDA Intel PCH 92HD95 Analog (ALSA)
Oh yeah, and if you don’t want to go for the “basic” Schiit Stack because you’re too cool for school, you can start with the Vali / Modi Multibit, which is really getting into the range of “good stuff”. I love the Vali 3, but I just generally love tubes - so long as your phones are the kind that are happy with them. Anyways, enjoy the journey. Many pooh pooh the Schiit gear, and Jason Stoddard is a consummate salesperson and I’m sure is making a lot of profit because of his approach. But… in terms of value end of the hobby, I’m a strong proponent when people are asking for dedicated desktop rigs.
I must admit that I am confused by this topic: the use of “budget” and “192” in the same sentence puzzles me.
For my understanding, 192 is high end, which I consider to be the opposite of budget.
But to each his own, hope a satisfactory solution can be found.
Well, there are lots of ways to get a 192 DAC that can do a credible job with PCM. But to get a budget system that has a nice analog section in the DAC, and with a headphone amp that can drive real headphones with authority… that’s impressive. Which is why I think the Schiit stack (magni/modi) for $250 or far less used is such a screaming deal. There are other ways there.
Consider this: For headphone listening nowadays, I am using an out of your budget in-ear bud, the Sennheiser ie-900s (priced at $1,500 on Amazon right now). My source is an iPhone 15 Pro Max and the DAC is a $79 — yes, only that much — iFi Go Link Max. At home over WiFi, and using Roon, I stream off my network attached storage way past 24/192, including native DSD over PCM. And TIDAL sounds excellent. I was turned on to this combination by Chris Connaker of AudiophileStyle.com. The earbuds are amazing but I am equally impressed that such an inexpensive and tiny DAC device sounds so good. I use the earbuds in balanced mode, which provides a boost in power. The iFi product comes with USB-C and has adapters included for microUSB and the legacy iPhone plug (!). You’d just need to ascertain the cabling between your Android tablet and your Linux laptop to test. JCR
I’d get a Fiio SR11 streamer to feed your headphone amp/DAC. It’s cheap and works.
192 is „high-res“, this doesn’t make it high end. You can play 192 material with a 200 Euro streamer/DAC.
Yes you can, but imho that is an unbalanced audio system. Too much quality in the source, compared to rest of chain. I would personally feel better spending less on CD quality source, if the rest is to be “budget”.
I feel that 192 is worth the cost with my Benchmark Audio chain on my Wilson Audio speakers. But for less high end chains, I would go for less high end source.
But as I said in my original post: to each his own. Just thought I’d offer a different perspective.
Kr
Jan
192 does nothing that’s audible, anyway