Suggest a I2s DAC for me....

[Yatsushiro]

This is my 'case':

It's a 1939 Cossor radio chassis, with the old electrics replaced with the Pi, Dac, Amp, BT module, pre-amp, power supply, and a Waveshare 7" screen

[hondagx35]

Hi Yatsushiro,

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Frank

[LC1]

[Blackfear]

[ianhaynes]

[TommyBoy]

what you Guys need to add,
is the rune settings that actually works with the different sound Cards you are using.

[Blackfear]

[TommyBoy]

it is just not always this simple
some of the DAC chips i tested, need other "drivers" to Work and it was not obvious,
the types with I2C hardware volume / configure, MUST be connected correctly to Work,
and it was not that easy to find the info about how.
about the sabre i had the idea it is configures by I2C but dont find any such pins on the chip,
so it is setup via I2S ?? how is that possible / supported ?
soon i am going to try the sable, have been playing with the PCM5102 and PCM5122 they are very different,
and require different runeaudio setups to play.

[LC1]

Is anyone considering getting the new DAC HAT from Allo - The Boss?!

It is another one that reclocks the i2S signal.

Reviews seem mixed (one on artofsound, and one on the Roon community forum), so I am holding out for some more opinions to filter through. Some suggestion that it might even be an improvement over the Kali + Piano combo, though this would be a bit of a surprise since The Boss clearly has less to it and is at a significantly cheaper price point that the Piano/Kali.

But then, maybe less is sometimes more?

[Yatsushiro]

Hi Luke

I've been watching the emergence of the Boss DAC with some interest. From what I can see, there is a longer 'burn in' time with the Boss than other DACs (perhaps it's the clock/xtal settling down), evidenced by the updated review on the ROON forum (see here ) and I know Josie is updating her review on AoS. I see some testers on DIYAudio are waiting for an updated driver so that people can use Moode rather than Volumio or ROON.

I think what we're seeing emerge is more of a distinction between the Ti based DACs and the ESS based DACs, which ultimately will boil down to personal preference, increasingly influenced by the equipment both up and down stream of the DAC. Without doubt, a reclocking of the RPi I2S signal is a benefit, so the BOSS and Kali are a good step forward; your choice then is if you want an 'all in one' solution like the BOSS, or would prefer an arguably better sound and the versatility offered by the Kali when paired with a slave DAC.

For me, I could not go back to an 'un-reclocked' DAC, the improvements are quite evident. If you like the sound of your IQAudio DAC, the BOSS will be an upgrade, and at the price, a bargain. However, if you plan to experiment in the future, then a Kali may be the better option. Either way, it's good to see companies like Allo developing new parts, and presenting us, the listener, with more options.

To paraphrase an old British politician, in the world of RPi audio, we've never had it so good...