To dac or not to dac

Audio Gear DACs
1

Hi,

I’m looking to create a mediaplayer for my parents, who already own a decent receiver. I’m wondering whether a DAC is actually necessary since the output could be over HDMI using the DAC of the receiver?

Second question is whether someone could tell whether audio quality over HDMI from the Pi Zero is very much different from the Pi3. Ideally I would use the Pi Zero due to lower energy consumption and smaller size.

Thanks!

1 Like
2
  1. Don’t use the PI zero: its really slow… Get a PI3 and you get really an higher value for your money
  2. You don’t really need a DAC since you already have HDMI, but an I2S DAC is indeed a good sounding option if you’re not satisfied with the HDMI output of your parents…
    Also, it can be a good idea to get one of our bundle: they come with nice cases and you have everything you need for a great price (and you will support the project). Those might be good options for you:
    volumio.org/product/iqaudio-pi-dac-bundle/
    volumio.org/product/allo-boss-player/
3

Thanks for the reply! I’ll be trying the HD I first then. Fair point about supporting the project though. If not satisfied I’ll have a look at the shop for the boss dac.