I’m really pleased with my DAC Pro so if this newfangled dohickey turns out nice I’m upgrading. 
https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-dac2-hd/
Pretty sure Ropieee will support it too.
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Also this apparently: https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/dsp-add-on/
nice TI chips…sounds really good
Nice but Roon does DSP at the core for your whole system. Would Ropieee support the DSP functions?
I do not believe RoPieee(XL) includes the HiFiBerry dsptoolkit package necessary to enable their DSP add-on module at this time. You could always add it to the RoPieee feature request thread… On the plus side, dsptoolkit doesn’t really require RoPieee to have much knowledge about it, other than to enable it when the hardware is present. It includes a server process that you use to send DSP programs to it using a remote GUI over TCP.
That said, a quick look at what the HiFiBerry DSP offers, and its the same things you can already do with Roon’s own DSP: upsampling, room correction/impulse response, and programmable EQ. Personally, I’d just implement these in Roon and forgo the hardware DSP add-on to the HiFiBerry. But then I also use Roon pretty much exclusively as my source. The hardware DSP would be more useful to a RoPieeeXL configuration, as it will also apply to any of the other non-Roon audio protocols supported by RoPieeeXL.
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I am currently using a DAC + Pro as well - I am very happy with it. I would not upgrade unless our techie friends (like Amir @ computerscienceaudio and Hans B) do testing that shows it is really better. $100 is not expensive, but it is still a TI DAC chip-based solution. I want to see if it is really better before I shell out $$.
I confess, I will probably upgrade just for the tinkering.
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So here’s my upgrade conundrum/question…wondering if any fellow hifiberry enthusiasts can provide some advice!
I, too, am curious about the DAC2 HD and am intrigued at the thought of upgrading. I would be upgrading a Pi that currently has the Amp2 (which Hifiberry says is more or less equivalent to the DAC+) and is powering a pair of Kef Q300s atop the living room bookshelf.
So, my questions are:
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Can anyone provide any firsthand reviews of the DAC2 HD vs the DAC+ or Amp2? Is it a significant improvement in terms of quality?
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If I swap out the Amp2 for the DAC2 HD, I will have to add an amp between the Pi and the speakers. Due to its miniscule size, the Pi + Amp2 combo easily passes the Spousal Approval Test (as I can hide the whole shebang behind a framed photo on top of the bookshelf). If I did add an amp to the mix, would anyone have any recommendations on compact and discreet, but well-performing (and hopefully non budget-busting) amp options?
Thanks, all, for any thoughts/musings/feedback!
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DAC2 HD + AAmp60.
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Thanks! For some reason, I didnt think those two components would work together.
Are you aware of any case which can accomodate pi + DAC2 HD + Aamp60?
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I was wondering the same thing…would be a challenge to find a suitable case for the RPi + DAC2 HD + Aamp60 stack. I guess it’s small enough to shove in a corner next to the 18V power brick, but still…
I bought the same combination - also thinking about cases.
I did the upgrade yesterday (from DAC+ Pro). Still letting it run in, but I’m digging the sound. Warning: it does run quite a bit hotter than the DAC+ Pro. Make sure you’re using a metal case with good ventilation…especially if you’re popping it on top of an RPi4.
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For me the nice thing about having the DSP board and HiFiBerry OS is that I can have the same room correction applied to all of the inputs to the rpi and not just the inputs from Roon. That way I can have room correction running for Spotify or Pandora when I Airplay to the rpi or play through something other than Roon.
I think this could be an interesting solution for creating a DIY all-in-one streamer/player/amp/speaker device with their Beocreate system. I just need to figure out how to add Alexa or Google voice interface.
That is a very good point. For many of us, Roon is an open relationship and we use other music services. I live in an Apple household and with iPhones, there is no getting away from iTunes and airplay. So I embrace it in each of my endpoints. The streamer I built for my shop is in a case large enough to hold drives as well, in case I move away from RoPieee and into volumio or moode and want to use the streamer as a server too.
I believe that each endpoint has unique needs based on the speakers and electronics attached, and pushing that unique processing into the endpoint like you suggest is a very good solution. then the serving app doesn’t have to care where the music is going because it sends out the same thing to all endponts. This is somewhat at odds with the Roon way of doing things.
Sheldon
Hi there, I’m also intrigued by this solution…does it mean we can have the beocreate board and then on top of it the newly released dac2 hd? And how much better is it compared to their amp60?
I’m going for my first audiophool-grade setup, based on the pi4b 8gb that I yet have to purchase, and then build up to end with a pair of Marantz imperial 6-G speakers (8Ohm, 100W). Does it sound like a plausible scenario? I’d like to hear your thoughts…
Sidenote: would it be possible/safe/sane to “bi-amp” the imperials using all 4channels of the beocreate board?
Thanks a lot for your replies and thanks for having me
I’m just comparing the DAC2HD (@RPI3B) with my Musical Fidelity M6SCD (with RPI4 + Hifiberry Digi Pro) and I have to say I’m quite impressed. Maybe the MuFi way has a little bit more punch/volume/openness but price wise the DAC2HD in is a steal! (…and maybe this is just imagination 
).
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Yup. I totally agree. I can’t wait for a case to become available that allows stacking the DAC2 HD and AAmp60. That will be a seriously sweet 2nd room solution…just add passive speakers. I’m pretty happy with my AMP2 now, but the onboard DAC is not in the same league as the DAC2 HD.
It works well in my shower room!
My combination is in one of these. With extra spacers!
Probably overkill!
