The Gustard U16 is the best bang for buck DDC in a single package IMHO. The U16 from a roon point of view, due to its ess chip does not allow software app volume control (its fixed volume), so for a 1box Streamer product can not be sold as full function roon. The Singxer SU-6 came yesterday and on first listen (not burnt in) is a more rounded, fuller and slightly softer sound and is not a big step away from the U16 (need a week to hear more… at the moment its better but not best bang for buck). Would not be unhappy with the U16 inside my setup.
I have found PCBs that better the U16 and have them insight for any potential retail streamer/DDC product. The reason I bought the SU-6 was a better benchmark to compare my experiments with (the U16 might prove enough of a standard for upper-mid/low-high end!?).
Wilson Benesch and ProAc speakers do it for me. I still have a pair of ProAc Response 2.5 in use and ProAc Response D1 in my office (amazing for their size). The ACTs work very well with CHORD and just take it to a different place and look great also…
You know Derek people used to moan about computers being introduced into their hifi system, but right from get go I loved the idea, I was playing with a Squeezebox when there was bugger all to stream form anywhere - except from a great big Windows server I had with my rips on it! Now having only just summoned up courage to assemble a NUC ROCK core and Raspberry Pi endpoint (and how easy was that!) I’m fascinated how it has extended two of my favourite interests (IT and hifi audio reproduction) and given me such fun playing for so very little outlay - room correction next! Help!
Hi Tim, Glad you are having HiFi fun…
Yes, NUC or NAS drives are HiFi (I do use a NUC as it is very well designed and low power use). Personally, I cannot deal with a Laptop/Computer when listening to music yet a tablet is another thing altogether (noisy IT hardware somewhere else). I sold my Tag Mclaren DVD32R Transport (RRP $4,500) when I could not hear the difference from a $300 Synology NAS and it, on blind testing! Ethernet won… Never looked back (that said, have a sneaky rack mounted CD player in the office)
Agree with you that the price point for good sound has fallen in the digital realm, quite amazing.
I remember my Kids laughing at me when FLAC entered the scene and I ripped then 800 CD’s as CDs and MP3 where king with kids. My Son only now sees the FLAC benefit.
I do not have room correction yet know it needs to be done. Thinking room treatment rather than DSP type solution (that said, those panels are expensive – so maybe deep picture frames filled with towels might do it?)
UPDATE: For those with or considering an Allo USBridge Sig and/or looking at Digital to Digital Converters DDC: A week with the Singxer SU-6 - burning in nicely - blacker, more focused and what I thought was a softer sound I see now as just a better top end. SU-6 is showing the Gustard U16 some clear water now. Yet, the Gustard U16 is still best bang for buck DDC IMHO (no need for mods for the $$$) a stride better than an un-modded SU-1 (one). At full volume with USB/Sig + SU-6 + zero music = zero sound from speakers. Allo USBridge Sig for lower end systems maybe a little OTT IMHO; but for revealing systems IMHO is worth the extra $$$.
I am running Ropiee on my Allo USBridge Sig powered by the Shanti LPS and I am absolutely loving ist!
Setup was a breeze, Ropieee is just great!
I modified my system a Bit: my Roon Core runs on a powerful Mac Mini 2018 and the (smallish) library is stored on a 512 GB micro SD card. The Mac Mini feeds the USBridge Sig via CAT 7a Ethernet. I thought there was a bit of digital glare in the system, so I put a short wireless bridge (two old Airport Express) feeding via a short Ethernet cable into the USBridge Sig. That effectively removed the glare and the sound is now wonderfully clean and smooth.
I basically gave up my Aurender N100H and sold it as the Ropieee/USBridge Sig combo is so much more revealing!
New user here. I’m running a Roon Nucleus+ via Ethernet to Allo USBridge Signature with Shanti power supply to a Denafrips Ares II to preamp/amp/speakers. Without ANY prior experience with any of this equipment, I must say it was incredibly easy to set up with virtually no configuration issues at all. I followed the instructions on the Ropieee website and flashed a microSD using Etcher. Very easy so far. Hooked up the Allo, plugged everything in, inserted the microSD and powered up the Allo. While it was doing its online update thing, I installed the Nucleus+ and powered it up. After a couple of minutes it found the Allo, and the rest is history…it all works perfectly!! Sound is great! Using mainly Qobuz via Roon, but also installed 1Tb SSD in the Nucleus+ and copied over ripped CDs (lossless FLAC) so playing both Qobuz stream and FLAC files. It all integrates seamlessly and I never had to intervene at any step along the way. Kudos to @spockfish. I donated 50 Euro because I am so amazed at how easily it all came together!! Thank you @spockfish and the entire community out there!
And, feeding the Nucleus+ directly into your Denafrips, have you tried? The reason I am asking is that I once used the Nucleus directly connected to my Devialet and I didn’t like the sound so much. At that time, however, the USBridge Sig was not available and I didn’t pay attention to any of the Roon endpoints.
I had used my laptop attached directly to the Denafrips, but the Allo endpoint sounded better. Based on that, I assumed the Nucleus wouldn’t sound as good directly connected, so I didn’t bother trying. And it was more convenient for my physical setup to have the Nucleus closer to my router which is 20 feet from the Allo, so I just use Cat7 Ethernet cable from Nucleus through router to Cat7 Ethernet cable to Allo.
Hello,
I want to buy the Allo USBridge Signature Player + Shanti and I want to know if anybody paired it with the Matrix X-Sabre Pro MQA? Any incompatibility issues? I will use the player together with a Mac Mini running Roon Server.
@spockfish
I recently acquired a USBridge signature. I have had a PI 3+/DigiOne Signature running with my Schiit Gumby with Ropiee since the sig was released. Moved from the Digione.
I had no problems setting this up with Ropiee, however I wanted to try the USB interface rather than the BNC from the digione Sig… This is where I have a problem.
I can’t seem to get the stream out of the USB. I have never used the USB input on the DAC so I connected my old reconfigured PI to stream out the USB. This works fine.
I still have the digiOne Sig connected to the USBridge and have tried both with the setting to No Hat and also the Allo DigiOne board hat setting. No difference. Nothing out of the USB.
Before I take this all apart again am I missing something. Isn’t this as simple as toggling on the USB setting on the audio page of Ropiee?
I thought I would ask here before contacting Allo.
I’m not entirely sure if I understand you completely.
But if the question is if the USB out should work with RoPieee on the Usbridge Signature then that’s a ‘yes’.
I would suggest you make the audio chain as simple as possible: remove the HAT, and do only USB. If it still does not work you can send me feedback so I can have a look at the logs.
Can you confirm that the latest version of RopieeXL should work ok with Allo USBridge Sig? I’m getting dropouts trying to play MQA Tidal tracks over ethernet, and Roon says “Tidal media loading slowly…” or something to that effect. I understand that the Allo USBridge Sig needs a custom ethernet driver for to achieve peak throughput rates - is this included with RoPiee?
Monitoring network activity on Win 10 core when trying to play an MQA track to USBridge shows send rate from core is capped around 8Mbps when starting a track, whereas playing to a different endpoint over WiFi will show a spike in the send rate up to 30Mbps or more.
The USBridge replaced a Pi 3B (also running RoPieee) which had no issues with MQA Tidal streams, and no changes were made to the network.
USBridge is connected via USB to Schiit Bifrost 2, as was the Pi 3B.
Feedback from a clean boot after trying to play a few MQA streams: 90ee43a4f7e3b9ec
Thanks so much for your help!
EDIT: Just read the Allo link about the updated ethernet driver, and I can confirm that the driver version is indeed v0.1.4, which should be the correct one.
EDIT: Watching ifconfig via ssh into RoPieee, I see tons of dropped frames. Frames are dropped not only with Roon (playing any format) but also when copying a file to RoPieee over the network.
Sorry for the noise, but I hope this is helpful. Things are working perfectly with no dropouts using the DietPi image from Allo (the m1 version) with the new v2.0.0 ethernet driver. Can’t say for sure if it’s the different driver version, kernel version, or both (or neither!) that fixed things, but it’s working and I’m gonna leave it alone.
Oh. One more thing. I’m not sure this is actually your problem. I’m running an Usbridge myself, and it works perfectly. And yes, it also has some packet drops.
The message from Roon about Tidal means it has an issue on the server side with Tidal, not with your endpoint.
I wonder if there was a hardware revision then from from @allo.com ? Not sure when you got your USBsig, but mine was just delivered a few days ago.
I saw packet drops when copying a large file using scp to the Ropieee, not just when streaming from Roon core. And pretty sure it’s not an issue with my network - I plugged my old Pi 3B with Ropiee v414 into the same spot as the USBsig and there were no drops.
