Ropieee on the New Raspberry Pi 4

Got the display working by setting rp_touchscreen_detected=1 in /etc/ropieee.conf

Mats

So as nothing was really helping and making sense anymore I have decided to try the following
I have manually changed value in /var/lib/alsa/asound.state where I put 100
After I saved it I have changed permissions to ’read only’ for this file

So far so good, but need to test it more

Ok keep me posted. I’m still puzzled though.

Does this not result in the volume being maxed out on a startup?

It looks that this workaround solved my problem. Many reboots since, different music formats played from different sources and the sound is not altered.
So locking the file helped.

Regarding the sound, I do not alter sound on software or hardware level in withing the device(RaspDAC Mini(RPi+DAC)). Volume is set to ’Fixed’
I regulate volume purely on my amplifier level

ok.

So the situation is as follows:

  • you have the volume set to fixed in Roon.
  • somehow during playing the volume is being altered
  • this can be fixed by ‘locking’ the volume to 100.

Right?

Yes that is exactly what was happening

After that happened alsamixer looked like on pictures I posted earlier. Looked like on level ’28’.

But when you checked the value in /var/lib/alsa/asound.state file, there was ’68’.

For anyone not daring to read through this whole thread: Can someone confirm the following (or else indicate it is under debate):

A) Ropieee runs on RPi 4.
B) The RPi4 USB-Out is a significant SQ improvement over the RPi3(+) USB-Out.
C) When the RPi4 USB-Out is fed into a DAC, the resulting SQ is comparable or better than the SQ of the RPi3 with attached DAC-hat and RCA outs.

Of course, point C would depend on the exact external DAC vs. the exact DAC-Hat you are using.

Thanks a lot!

A) yes
B) no
C) comparable

A) yes
B) yes
c) comparable

Thanks a lot! So apparently, B) is in fact under debate :slight_smile: That is to say, while some consider the RPi4 USB output a sonic improvement over the RPi 3(+), others don’t. Did anyone here get the chance to do an A/B?

Sure did. When using the usb on Pi3 and HiRez 96khz and up it would give intermttent ticks, distortion due to throughput I would assume. With the Pi4 using the usb 3 port this all vanished. I ave been using a Pi4 as a NAA for Roon/HQPlayer upsampled to 768khz poly-sinc-long-lp with no sonic issues to my ears anyway. This was impossible with the Pi3.

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Hi @rikardo1979

So installed this into my RaspDAC Mini which has the ES9038Q2M DAC HAT.

How did you manage to change to Rpi4?
Change the case of the RaspDac also ?

Thx

The problem with the Pi 3 was that the USB and Ethernet used the same controller, which could lead to digital artifacts (ticks and pops) when using both at the same time. This situation is fixed with the Pi 4. So it’s better, if you are using both the USB and the Ethernet. Lots of people avoided this problem by either

  1. Using WiFi instead of Ethernet, and using the Pi 3 USB out, or

  2. Using an S/PDIF hat instead of USB, along with Ethernet, on the Pi 3, or

  3. Using the Allo USBridge USB, along with Ethernet, on the Pi 3.

None of these workarounds are necessary with the Pi 4.

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Yes – thanks for confirming this. What you say makes perfect sense to me, so I wonder why some here seem to disagree? In any case, what I learn here is that if I have a RPi 4 and a (good) DAC, I am all set. Only those who do not have a DAC still need a DAC-Hat for the RPi. And then of course, someone might want to choose to use a DAC-Hat rather than an external DAC, but that would be more a matter of taste.

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I have just cutout the back plate a bit as the ports are swapped on new RPi 4. Can take and upload photo when I get home

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For some DACs, users experience the same USB performance between the 3 and 4 and therefore the same sound quality. But, it is equally true that for many (including me) that the separation of Ethernet and USB made USB possible (I hated the pops). And, in my experience, using a Pi 4 case with heat sinks also results in significantly lower operating temperature. In my opinion, if you want to use USB, the Pi 4 is the way to go (1g model is sufficient for RoPieee XL).

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Not sure if it’s been suggested, but I would highly recommend putting an AudioQuest Jitterbug in the rPi4 USB and then USB cable from DAC in to Jitterbug? They really do make a difference to the sound & not that I can compare rPi3 to rPi4, it made a difference on my Mac Mini when using Audirvana & I have 2 in place on my rPi4, one to a Chord Qutest & one to a Meridian Explorer2 (no HATs)
Jitterbug

Common sense is not evenly distributed over the human population.

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@Amir_Majidimehr tested the Jitterbug, and came to this conclusion:

Bottom line, the AudioQuest Jitterbug does one only one thing: it filters your bank account, reducing your balance by $60.

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