agree, I also think the usb part plays better on a raspberry p4.
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My experience using Volumio outputting to USB Centrance DAC is that the RPI4 sounds noticably betterā¦
I did not expect the 4 to sound better, but it does.
Iām currently using Volumio on a RPi3B (non+), with a Allo Digione (non-Signature), with a IFI power supply (5v 2.5A). Wi-Fi is disabled, a CAT 7 cable is connected to the Rpi3B.
Via the Allo Digione, a decent BNC to Coax cable is used to connect to a Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC.
Most of the time I use the Volumio Android App, but I also play around with the web gui a lot.
My āproblemā is that a find the GUI, both via the App and via web-GUI, to be unresponsive to often. A lot of times, especially if i havent done anything else for a while but i want to change the music, there is a notable lagā¦ itās feels like the GUI fell asleep and is trying to wake up, wich takes up a lot of time, seconds, sometimes maybe even between 5 and 20 seconds before anything happens.
Question is, will a RPi 4 handle this notable better then the Rpi 3ā¦?
I read somewhere here that the Rpi has better IOPSā¦
At the same time, Volumio is loaded in - and works from RAM memoryā¦ the Rpi 3 has 1 GB DDR2, the Rpi 4 has 2, or even 4 or 8 GB of DDR4ā¦ So more RAM and also a lot faster RAM, at least on paper.
Looking via SSH, via Putty, using āfree -mā to check the RAM memory usage, I noticed used memory is 924 from a total of 969ā¦ So basically the Volumio OS is trying to allocate the complete 1GB DDR2 RAM memory.
I do realize that around 1/3d is probably cashed/buffered.
Still, I canāt help think that newer architecture of the Rpi4 with faster CPU, IOPS, more and faster RAM memory should help speedup the GUI, both webgui and Android App.
Anyone can give feedback on this? How is the performance of others specifically on the GUI, is a lag also notable on the Rpi 3 / Rpi 4 with others here?
(Getting a Rpi 4 would mean i would also have to get an new case, and far more expensive: a new decent power supply since the IFI is rated for 5v 2.5A, and the Rpi4 needs 5v 3A. So there is a notable cost of upgrading to the Rpi4. Hence Iām very interested in the experience of other Volumio/Rpi users regarding this subject)
Regarding the sleep behavior when accessing the volumio via Web Android interface I also observe it. I have an rpi4 2gb, so I do not think is related to rpi model, is more on volumio, but volumio dev could answer better.
I run 3 Pi 3B+ in my home. The most interesting setup (kitchen) is Allo Boss HAT with twin PSU; Ifi for Pi and LPS for Boss. although they only feed into analog input on a modest Denon M40DAB & Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 the result is so clean, clear and revealing of detail and musical subtleties.
Part of this setup I would never be without is a metal cased Switch TP-Link TL-SG105S (connected between my home network and Pi using Cat7 cable) This appears to buffer the Pi from network interreference.
The addition of this switch has to be heard to be believed; Stereo stage placement, detail, clarity and smoother sound are immediately evident. anybody with a Pi/Dac should try this at Ā£11 its so very worthwhile.
Not wanting to use fans i have only added small adhesive heat sinks to the Piās but have never been aware of undue heat.I have never tried a Pi4.
I listen to Nas based FLAC files or stream FLAC from Radio Paradise. Having a Strong front end allows a modest amp/LS to shine. The PSUās and switch are only present based on the perceived improvements they bring.
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Iām using Volumio on a RPi3B+ with a Allo Digione in metal case, i recently bought this power supply: GE24I-MEAN WELL Switching Power Supply Manufacturer
(5V) , and before this wifi dongle: Vu+ Dual Band Wireless USB 2.0 WiFi-sovitin 600 Mbps & irrotettava antenni
in my home when i use Roon with Digione it work even faster with this wifi dongle than ethernet cable, also this power supply it is the best what i tryied this far, IMO. better than IFI or official RPI power supply. SQ is very good and everything work great !
The sound is only one point. The other point ist stability, access and maintainability,
I listen mainly to classical music, as solo instruments, chamber music or orchestral works. I have a RPI3 and a RPI4 with 4GB RAM, the Hifiberry Digi+Pro HAT, the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 / Wadia 121 DAC and a Shiit Eitre USB to SPDIF Converter (instead of the Digi+ Pro). The music files are stored on a 1 TB USB SSD with approx. 2ā800 titles and total 205 hours playtime, recorded mainly from CDās or vinyl records. That means I have a reference sound quality and am able to compare the volumio sound with the āoriginalā.
It seems to me that the sound of the RPI3 is a little bit smoother, but with it, i have corrupted music files (I assume that the USB Interface of the RBPi3 delivers too less power) and interrupts. When I change the playlist, the web-GUI restarts often and often freezes, so I have to hard reset the RPI3. I tried to feed the USB-Power of the disk with an external power supply. This reduces the freezes but surprisingly increases the sound quality,
Until now, I donāt have these problems with the RPI4. So I decided to accept the sound differences and have a stable plattform instead.
My experiences with the USB Disk:
- Best sound with exfat, but poor support for disk/file maintenance (corrupt files are only detected, but not repaired). No access over network.
- Worst sound with FAT32, but good access over network (good tools to maintain the disk/files)
- ntfs: I am testing it now. I have special drivers for my mac to access this disk. network access: no problem. For disk/file maintenance, I need a windows PC.
At the moment, I use the RPI4 without HAT but with USB and Eitre. Network access over Wi-Fi. But until now I am not absolutely satisfied with the soundā¦
Has anybody else made some experiences with different sound qualities depending on file storage?
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For me the DigiOne converter provided an audible improvement over the Hifiberry. But the biggest difference came from using a good linear power supply. Either, a S/PDIF converter, or a power supply make a bigger difference in sound than RPI3 vs. RPI4 IMO.
Otherwise, I completely agree regarding stability. If you play high-res sound files occasionally, then RPI4 is a must.
My disks are formatted with ext4 (I am a Linux guy). Good sound and no problem to access via smb.
ā Reiner
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I am changing my DAC to an Audiophonics EVO-SABRE DAC. It supplies a GPIO-Connector for a RPI. I assume that I have no further need for a S/PDIV HATā¦
I completely agree with the influence of the power supply. My new DAC uses a seperate, external, not included power supply for the RPI. Do you have any experiences with such a power supply for the RPI4?
I am trying now the ext4-USB-Disk.
Georg
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Seems the rPi will be fed through the PSU supplied with the DAC. I expect that they took care of filtering the spikes generated by a switch PSU. The ratings are good to power both.
Just make sure that you donāt extract more than 1.2 amps summarized on all USB ports. As the rPi4 will drop the voltage to limit the total power.
You might even consider a linear PSU, as this provides a much cleaner output voltage. As these are considerable more expensive, try first with the supplied adapter.
Looks very promising and some good reviews, but my Polish in not that good.
They do ship through Europe?
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The Tomanek PSU is not available at the moment. Do you know do they ship to Switzerland?
The problem of the PSUs is that the standard PSUs have 5.0V and RPI 4 needs 5,15 - 5.25V. If I build this PSU by myself, I am able to apply this voltage, but this is some work to do.
Georg
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I see the same points as important as you. After getting the DAC I have to check the PSU, the power up / power down process and the cooling of the RPI4.
Additional I made an USB 2 Adapter (only data and ground wires are connected, the 5V power of the device has its own psu) and use it for the CD-Reader.
Iāll share my results here.
Georg
I am not sure about Switzerland. Shipping to Germany was no problem at all.
Iām unable to build hardware, but my brother is a radio amateur and works professionally with electronics. He said that he could build a comparable power supply, but the parts, when ordered in small quantity, would cost nearly as much as the Tomanek PSU. Plus the effort ā¦ The voltage issue is exactly one of theproblems he mentioned.
Reiner
Have to agree with heahnle. Building this yourself will become expensive unless you have the toroidal transformer in your lunchbox. (saves 40 euro)
Also looked at some Laboratory Power Supplies, starting at 70 Euro. Like this one.
Which suggest to be a linear, due to the 110/220V switch, but it is to small to house a full blown Trafo.
Iāve ordered a 5V/10A PSU from a Dutch company, which seems to do the trick. (Measured output voltage 5.21V).
Still the rPi lowers the voltage when my DAC is connected to the USB, but easily bypassed by adding a relay to the USB port that switch the PSU to the DAC.
since a week I have been using a khadas tone board (usb) in collaboration with raspberry pi 4 and the powerboard below with toroidal transformer. it now sounds nicer than my other allo boss 1.2 with allo isolator v1 and better than my kali reclocker with piano 2.1.
After the first tests I know a little more about the Evo-Sabre DAC.
- The rPi4 gets its power from the DAC. No separate power supply.
- There is one problem: When I stop the playback or play it again, it cracks. When no track is playing I hear a noise. The cracking depends on the device parameters, manly the Volume control.
- I tried also the volumio version from Audiophonics, but the result is more or less the same.
So I separated the rPi4 from the DAC, use the allo digione hat and the S/Pdif-Input of the DAC. At the moment, this is the best sounding combination.
As PSU I use a pimped kit with dual linear rails, individually adjustable, one with 5.2V for the rPi and one for the DACās 9V. Both are able to deliver 4 -5 A, only limited by the heat dissipation. A Noctua fan with reduced supply voltage is responsible for the cooling of the psu and the rPi4. It is very silent - no noise.
After tests with the rPi3, I switched back to the rPi4 - for me, the sound with the rPi4 seems more clear, more clean and with a broader and deeper soundstage.
Georg
Iāve considered a Pi4, hence seeing this thread. However my Pi3B works really well. I build my own case, have the 7ā touch screen, HiFiBerry DAC Pro HAT via a ribbon cable. I build a PSU with toroidal transformer. I feed the Pi power from the HAT and a separate wire to the display. I play FLAC, M4A and MP3 from a WD NAS, via WiFi - it sounds great (I can compare some albums via turntable). The FLAC files sound better. The only reason I was wandering about the Pi4 was the speed of the Volumio App. Given the heat issues with the Pi4 - Iām super happy with the sound.
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