Post by alp on Feb 27, 2021 18:28:19 GMT
PI2AES from Pi 2 Design is a Raspberry Pi HAT that provides I2S, AES, SPDIF and Toslink outputs to connect to your RPI to an external DAC. I had wanted to try the I2S and AES inputs to my Topping D90 DAC for a while so I thought I would give it a try. Part of my motivation was to see if I could have a single cable connected to my DAC rather than the £500 worth of 2 USB cables, 2 silencers and a LiFePO4 powered reclocker that I have connecting my ATB to my D90.
The PI2AES costs $149 but by the time you have bought a case and paid for shipping (expensive) it is closer to £200. I bought the recommended Meanwell Powersupply in the UK for around £20.
The PI2AES board uses a separate power supply from the RPI. The specs say 24V-48V but 20V seems just fine too, even 12V works too. The default is to also power the RPI but there is a jumper you can remove if you want to power the PI separately (which I do). The PI2AES is available with clear or black acrylic case to house your RPI3B+ or RPI4. I have tried it with both.
To test the Pi2AES I purchased a £16 "Best Cables in the World" AES cable and I had a couple of cheapo 1m (yes 1m) HDMI cables for the I2S. Using PiCorePlayer or Volumio (I have tried both) you need to select the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro I2C DAC option. Connect them all up and you are way. The 1m HDMI cables work just fine with my D90 using default settings in the D90. I have read that I2S would not work on cables longer than 300 mm.
I compared the PI2AES running in an 8GB RPI4 (using Picoreplayer) against my Asus Tinkerboard S (ATB) with an Oehlbach reclocker, AQ Carbon and AQ Coffee USB cables, an IFI Silencer+ and an IFI Silencer 3.0.
First of all, at least with the cables I have, I cannot detect any difference between I2S and AES outputs. Secondly, I can only detect the tiniest difference compared to USB, where the USB just picks out details a little better. I have not noticed any difference between the RPI3B+ and 8GB RPI4. I would like to try the PI2AES with the ATB. In theory it should work but there does not seem to be a driver for the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro on the ATB version of Volumio.
Using better cables might allow the PI2AES to surpass USB but before I go down that route i) I first want to sell the USB kit and ii) I have recently been very impressed by the sound I am getting streaming from my Samsung tablet to the D90 via LDAC Bluetooth, which currently beats all the USB, AES and I2S inputs.
The PI2AES costs $149 but by the time you have bought a case and paid for shipping (expensive) it is closer to £200. I bought the recommended Meanwell Powersupply in the UK for around £20.
The PI2AES board uses a separate power supply from the RPI. The specs say 24V-48V but 20V seems just fine too, even 12V works too. The default is to also power the RPI but there is a jumper you can remove if you want to power the PI separately (which I do). The PI2AES is available with clear or black acrylic case to house your RPI3B+ or RPI4. I have tried it with both.
To test the Pi2AES I purchased a £16 "Best Cables in the World" AES cable and I had a couple of cheapo 1m (yes 1m) HDMI cables for the I2S. Using PiCorePlayer or Volumio (I have tried both) you need to select the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro I2C DAC option. Connect them all up and you are way. The 1m HDMI cables work just fine with my D90 using default settings in the D90. I have read that I2S would not work on cables longer than 300 mm.
I compared the PI2AES running in an 8GB RPI4 (using Picoreplayer) against my Asus Tinkerboard S (ATB) with an Oehlbach reclocker, AQ Carbon and AQ Coffee USB cables, an IFI Silencer+ and an IFI Silencer 3.0.
First of all, at least with the cables I have, I cannot detect any difference between I2S and AES outputs. Secondly, I can only detect the tiniest difference compared to USB, where the USB just picks out details a little better. I have not noticed any difference between the RPI3B+ and 8GB RPI4. I would like to try the PI2AES with the ATB. In theory it should work but there does not seem to be a driver for the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro on the ATB version of Volumio.
Using better cables might allow the PI2AES to surpass USB but before I go down that route i) I first want to sell the USB kit and ii) I have recently been very impressed by the sound I am getting streaming from my Samsung tablet to the D90 via LDAC Bluetooth, which currently beats all the USB, AES and I2S inputs.