My current (and hopefully final!) system setup is: Qobuz/local files>USBridge Signature (Shanti PS)>USB to RME ADI2 Dac fs>XLR>KRK S8.4 Subwoofer>XLR>NCore NC122MP>Mark Audio Pluvia 11 full range single driver speakers.
I have recently gone back to the USBridge Signature having experimented with a Wiim Pro unit for a couple of years. I initially installed Ropiee XL (Allo USBridge version) on the USBridge, but was plagued with random pops and clicks typically every 30 or so. These were not loud, but distracting. I tried adjusting various settings within Roon, but nothing made any difference.
I therefore replaced Ropiee with DietPi only to find that this too served up the same pops and clicks with the default settings. The Allo Web UI within DietPi permits a number of adjustments so I set about seeing whether any of these would help. The one that finally solved the issue is āCPU Governorā. This can be set to: on demand (default); conservative; power save and performance. Using the performance setting all pops and clicks are gone.
The issue therefore seems to be some kind of throttling of the cpu which can be adjusted within DietPi, but not Ropieee.
I would be interested to hear Harryās thoughts on this.
Hi Harry, thanks for responding. If itās not cpu management what are your thoughts on the origins of the issue? Happy to experiment further, but please donāt assume any computing knowledge on my part!
I should have included in my initial post that I am running Roon Rock on a 7i3 NUC.
Hi Ale,
I am still using DietPi on my USBridge Sig. So long as the CPU Governor is set to āperformanceā it works without pops, clicks or any other glitches. Not sure why Harry never got back to me about further investigating the issue with Ropiee, but in the meantime DietPi provides a solution for me, hopefully for you too.
Not a specific reason, just extremely busy and I totally forgot/overlooked this ongoing discussion.
In the past these issues were directly related to the used network interface - which is by default badly supported on Linux. It required manually patching the kernel. Thatās something Iāve been doing for a long time.
And at that time, I could easily reproduce the issue by reverting to the default driver.
But the last year(s) thatās not the case: the driver is been patched, and for a group of people the unit performs (like myself), but other users still complain about pops and clicks (like yourself and @alessandro_niola ).
Itās not the governor (RoPieee runs the Usbridge on maximal performance), so it must be something else. Right now I suspect thereās a kernel setting that differs between RoPieee and DietPi.
Figuring out the difference is a pain (that Iām willing to take ), but the most annoying part is that I donāt have the issue myself. And that means I rely on other people willing to test.
So itās simple: if there are people that
have the issue
are willing to test (which, I can assure, will take several tests because this is a huge ātrial and errorā undertaking)
Hi @spockfish
I am more than happy to test this for you.
Owning 2 allo units plus rpi4, rpi5 and 3 different DACs I can test different scenarios and comparisons. I also ordered a wifi dongle for the Usbridge signature, hence we can add that variable as well.
Iāll be back home on April 26th and can start by then
Iāve got a build with a reworked kernel config. Curious if it makes a difference for you.
Let me know when youāre back and Iāll provide you with an image.
Thanks a lot for this. I will be back home on Saturday evening. If you want to share the new build before that then I can test between Saturday night and Sunday monring
Iāll make sure youāve got a build before the weekend. Awesome!
And on that note: Iāve been doing some extensive testing, and Iāve found content that also gives me pops and clicks. Which makes things a little bit more āeasyā in finding a possible solution.
Right now Iām running a build that solves the issue for me, but letās wait and see how this turns out on your setup.
I installed the 2025.04.1 (2384) [BETA] version on my Allo.
Unfortunately I still hear some cracks, seems to be same as before.
I also installed a WiFi dongle to check if this had something to do with the Ethernet connection. On WiFi I still get some cracks but those seems to be less frequent.
No issue at all when using the Coaxial out ( I have the digione hat installed).
Here is the feedback for the wired connection: 0a5e4c7251f3b032
And this is the feedback in WiFi : 941550526db3a8bf
P.S. not sure if this may be relevant, but the cracks become more frequent when the Allo is doing something else,like gathering feedback or applying a new setting.
Okā¦ Iāve got 2 options prepared, so Iāll build the second one.
In the mean-time: could you tell a bit more about your situation?
What content? Is it high-res? Is it local stuff of remote stuff? And if itās remote, do you also have some local content which you can use to test width?
And just to be sure: weāre talking about playing via Roon, right?
Thanks - Iāll give you a poke when the new build is ready.
Sure,
Here is my setup :
Roon Rock on i3 NUC > LAN connection > Allo USBridge sig (+DigiOne HAT) > Violectric DHA 380 (Amanero 384 USB).
Content is ranging from local files, stored on an SSD installed on the NUC, and Qobuz or tidal files. It could be 16/44 or 24/96, did not go beyond that. Cracks are there for both formats and sources.
I use Roon, of course, with no EQ or DSP. The only setting I changed is the volume control which is set to āfixedā.
), but the most annoying part is that I donāt have the issue myself. And that means I rely on other people willing to test.