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Post by MartinT on Jun 2, 2020 18:40:47 GMT
That's in keeping with my findings that both the Mutec and EtherREGEN responded very well to external power supplies, in particular the Mutec.
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 2, 2020 20:27:24 GMT
Can anyone confirm what size DC cable the Oehlbach requires?
They told me it's 5.5 / 2.35 but that doesn't seem to exist ...
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Post by John on Jun 2, 2020 20:32:32 GMT
I am using 2.1mm without issue
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 2, 2020 20:36:56 GMT
Thanks John.
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 2, 2020 21:28:49 GMT
I've ordered a DC cable for a wee experiment ...
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alp
Rank: Trio
Posts: 161
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Post by alp on Jun 2, 2020 22:10:18 GMT
I have gone back to using the supplied power supply with my Oelbach. The NiCd batteries sound very good but simply don't last long enough. I have also found that with the 5V supply sometimes my SEG says its locked but Volumio cannot see the DAC. This is with the ATB but it does not work at all with the RPI4 - the voltage must be marginal. Jules, I'd be interested if you've found a good solution.
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 2, 2020 23:05:07 GMT
So would I! I may be barking up the wrong tree but I have spent the princely sum of £1.99 on the cable so won't be the biggest disaster if it's back to the drawing board ... I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this now as the system hasn't been switched on since lockdown but there we go!
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Post by John on Jun 3, 2020 5:29:15 GMT
With the power bank, I was using a 1% charge for a two-hour listening session A power bank is better than the SMPS a linear Power supply is better still. All do a good job.
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alp
Rank: Trio
Posts: 161
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Post by alp on Jun 6, 2020 11:54:13 GMT
ATB vs. RPI4 I set-up Volumio identically for both and tried with/without upsampling and with/without Squeezelite and LMS on my NAS, playing FLAC from my NAS, and streaming Spotify 320 Kbps and Radio Paradise FLAC. In short, there is not a lot in it. The ATB seems to have a more dynamic sound, slightly deeper bass and on some material a slightly deeper sound stage. I will be sticking with the ATB, at least for now.
What I did notice with both devices is that the "sound signature" settings on the Caiman SEG make a real difference to the sound from Volumio whereas it is much more subtle using LMS/Picoreplayer. With "one flash" setting (out of four) the sound from Volumio is "hard" and frankly unpleasant. With "three flashes" it is very good. I have never heard Spotify sound so good before!
A second finding common to both devices is that I prefer the sound when using the Volumio Squeezelite plug-in and streaming from LMS on my NAS. The difference is subtle and hard for me to describe. I am using upsampling and it may be that the work is being done on the NAS rather than the ATB or RPI4.
From what I have read, despite the RPI4 having the Ethernet and USB on different buses (on the RPI3 they share the same one), there has been a line of thought that says because the RPI4 has higher clock speeds it must be generating more noise and is therefore worse for audio than the RPI3. Whether this is correct or not I can't say but my RPI4 is under-clocked to 800 MHz (as is my RPI3/DigiOne), which should neutralise that effect. I have not tried Slinger's 666MHz settings, so there may be more to gain.
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Post by MartinT on Jun 6, 2020 12:48:06 GMT
The RPi 3 certainly benefitted from underclocking to reduce noise but the limitations of the shared ethernet/USB port I think created a ceiling in performance.
The fascinating thing is that the ATB has no such underclocking settings yet has an obvious lower noise floor and, as you say, a considerably more dynamic and vibrant sound. I never tried an RPi 4 as I was attracted to the ATB and I'm glad I went for it.
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 9, 2020 22:03:33 GMT
Quick update on the Oehlbach reclocker.
Tonight I am feeding it 5V/3a (max) from my Charmast powerbank and it's working fine apparently.
However it has taken so long to get it working that I can't do a meaningful SQ test until tomorrow when I hope to fire it up again to a decent sound level.
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Post by John on Jun 10, 2020 5:09:23 GMT
I found I would have to start on two devices as the clock does not draw a lot of power. After I stabilised, I could disconnect the other device.
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alp
Rank: Trio
Posts: 161
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Post by alp on Jun 10, 2020 6:01:50 GMT
I have to do the same.
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 10, 2020 12:33:22 GMT
Sorry guys I'm not with you - could you explain this to me?
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alp
Rank: Trio
Posts: 161
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Post by alp on Jun 10, 2020 12:39:55 GMT
The current draw from the Oehlbach is so low that the battery automatically shuts off or does not even come on. Having something else powered by the same battery stops this happening. The Ankaka battery was popular with Caiman DAC owners because it did not shut off. Some people used a small bulb to work around it.
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Post by julesd68 on Jun 10, 2020 12:47:20 GMT
Gotcha.
In normal use I will be fine as am powering the Tinker by the same battery too. I did notice that effect when I was trying to get Volumio working and was plugging / unplugging the Tinker a number of times.
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Post by chriscrosdale on Jul 8, 2020 0:45:00 GMT
Hi All, I was thinking about jumping in the mix as well and have ordered a Tinkerboard S. I was hoping to build a kind of DIY "Volumio Primo Light" box with linear power supply (guts from purchased Chinese unit) and a Tinkerboard with a SPDIF connection (coax or optical), connected out to currently-owned DAC. The video posted earlier in this thread about the Volumio Primo ( ) notes that the SPDIF connection comes off the Tinkerboard directly (about the 4min point), not the DAC. And this forum ( tinkerboarding.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/thread-893.html ) shows the solder/pin connection points. It looks like there is some reduction in the quality potential of SPDIF vs. USB (24/192 vs. 32/768), but getting those super-hi-def files is not worth my time compared to some advantages (easier to get good coax cables, no need for reclocking devices, etc. I was wondering if anyone considered doing this or have tried this for this project?
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Post by John on Jul 8, 2020 4:31:53 GMT
It sounds like a good plan Chris and should work well. It would be good if you could share your build. I would suggest the reclocking will still make a difference no matter what way you are outputting. Mutec SPDIF Reclocker is about £300 cheaper than the USB version so might be something to consider for the future.
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Post by MartinT on Jul 8, 2020 6:06:49 GMT
I didn't know the TBS had a direct S/PDIF output so that sounds like a good project, Chris. If you use co-ax you should be good for up to 24/192 files or streams and that's all you need, really.
What DAC do you have?
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Post by chriscrosdale on Jul 8, 2020 19:48:29 GMT
Hi MartinT,
I have a Schiit Modi 3 DAC, which I like and fits the audio quality of my system. I use it with a laptop but want a simple headless streamer. The idea is to find the best quality, cheapest, solution to a music streamer and was thinking about options to get it sorted out for around $100. I'm a bit reluctant to spend a lot of money on all-in-one products that rely on ongoing firmware/software/app updates to work. I figure this project, if needed, could be upgraded with new boards and operating systems pretty easily in the future.
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