Yamaha WXC-50 or Allo digione Signature

[Jatintan007]

If you are a guy who can tinker little bit with computers, you can always go with RPi based solutions. Allo, have some nice offerings based on RPi. They have BOSS v1.2 which is what I am currently using, and their next gen BOSS came, BOSS2. Both these are DAC hats use with Raspberry Pi. If you are okay to tinker with these small components, you can buy seprately and assemble for fun. Otherwise buy the fully built unit, which is almost plug and play.

BOSS2 player using a different DAC chip, as compared to earlier model and its a definite upgrade over the previous generation as per Allo. It offers a small oled display and a remote also. The streaming capacity always depends on the software you use with these small babies. Volumio and Moode are the most popular audio distros currently using in the RPi world. You can refer the features on websites of both distros. Both are equally good in quality wise, but differs on features and also on UI. Both can be controlled over basic apps for changing the tracks or adjusting volumes etc.

If you don't want to deal with these small computers, you can look for Arylic S50 pro or Yamaha wxc50 or many others. diyaudiocart is dealing with arylic,

S50 Pro+ Wireless Stereo Preamp With aptX HD & ESS 9023 DAC

Unbelievable price with a wireless stereo preamp integrated with WiFi, aptX HD, Airplay, Multi-room features, and ESS Sabre DAC, AKM ADC. Free Shipping from US/EU/RU warehouse.

www.arylic.com

Thanks for your help. But I checked both options don’t have Hdd support only Pendrive

 

[Jatintan007]

Shanti will be always better, as its an LPSU and cost is also high. But Nirvana being an SMPS, it got very good review in the forums and among people. You can consider that one also, if you don't want to go for Shanti now. Allo recommend Nirvana for Boss2 player. In the ASR review, he used Nirvana for BOSS2.

Allo Boss2 Review (Stereo Streamer)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Allo Boss2 Ethernet (and wifi) streamer/player. It was sent to me by the company for testing and costs US $149 by itself. My tested configuration included the Nirvana power supply which brings the cost up to US $209. I must say, I am very...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Can it be purchased ready made?
I m not a technical person so DIY not possible for me.

 

[Jatintan007]

I have observed drops-outs with some FLAC and MQA tracks via Tidal with my USBridge Signature as well. There is a known issue with Allo Asix Ethernet driver on this Allo device and it has been fixed subsequently. Installing this update fixed all drop-out/stuttering issues for me completely.

Follow these steps to update the driver.

1) ssh or terminal login to RPi using OS credentials. If you are using Volumio then do the following 'ssh [email protected]' where x.x.x.x is the IP address of your USBridge Signature. Enter 'Volumio' as the password when prompted.

2) cd /usr/src/

3) sudo wget http://3.230.113.73:9011/Allocom/asix2v0/install.sh

4) sh install.sh

5) Reboot Volumio.

6) You can apply this fix even if you are using Moode or DietPi. Of course, the login credentials might change depending on the OS.

You can find more instructions on this thread.

ALLO USBridge Signature

audiophilestyle.com

Hope this helps.

Thanks sir but this is too technical for me

 

[premoddev]

Can it be purchased ready made?
I m not a technical person so DIY not possible for me.

You can buy from any of the below sites,

Buy BOSS2 PLAYER in India | Fab.to.Lab

Boss2 is a meaningful upgrade over Boss in sound quality (measurements, THD / Jtest) and a much better bang for your buck.

www.fabtolab.com

ALLO - BOSS - 2PLAYER

Buy BOSS2 Player online in India at waretohouse

BOSS2 Player

www.waretohouse.com

 

[DB1989]

I have observed drops-outs with some FLAC and MQA tracks via Tidal with my USBridge Signature as well. There is a known issue with Allo Asix Ethernet driver on this Allo device and it has been fixed subsequently. Installing this update fixed all drop-out/stuttering issues for me completely.

Follow these steps to update the driver.

1) ssh or terminal login to RPi using OS credentials. If you are using Volumio then do the following 'ssh [email protected]' where x.x.x.x is the IP address of your USBridge Signature. Enter 'Volumio' as the password when prompted.

2) cd /usr/src/

3) sudo wget http://3.230.113.73:9011/Allocom/asix2v0/install.sh

4) sh install.sh

5) Reboot Volumio.

6) You can apply this fix even if you are using Moode or DietPi. Of course, the login credentials might change depending on the OS.

You can find more instructions on this thread.

ALLO USBridge Signature

audiophilestyle.com

Hope this helps.

Thanks Shyam. I'll keep you posted.

 

[DB1989]

These are the hiccups which keep happening with Allo products, if we can get a decent OS with Tidal & Qobuz integration, we will be having a contender which gives expensive streamers a run for their money.

That's a pity.

I'd plugged up the Allo, put on low bitrate internet radio (BBC One) and powered it through the wall wart and yet, i'd had a 'holy mackerel' moment where i just sat back and marveled at how much better it sounded than my laptop or for that matter, streaming through the SR6013 as a source. Was followed shortly after with hours frustration. Will follow Shyams advice and fingers crossed, it gets resolved.

 

[DB1989]

An unexpected turn of events, the issue of stuttering playback decided to resolve itself. Integration with spotify is still not seamless but life is good for the time being.

Yes Spotify does work. I was thinking about high res music. The Volumio sub comes around 2.5K for a year which is worth it for me as I’ll mostly be relying on streaming services for my music.

Just about. I’ll also try out other OS’es such as moode and max2play to check if they fare any better but thats some time down the line.

Ques

1.When u ordered did u mention u want both installed together in one box?

No. I would imagine taking it out would not pose much of a problem. I suppose you can ask them to ship it separatey.

2.is only one psu viz., shanti needed to power ur full setup viz., usb and digione?

Yes. The Shanti PSU has two power output slots/cables.

3.How mych did the total thing cost minus the power supply?

Minus the power supply and the wallwart, it would come to approx 28k i believe. You can try building the config you want and proceed to the checkout page to get the price including GST. The power supply is approx 9200 including GST. Shipping was 800 to my location.

just a thought, why do you need the usb out? There are plenty of DACs at a low price point which sound fantastic through their SPDIF in and your current amp does not accept usb either. Get a digione signature if you are inclined towards Allo and it should be more than sufficient. I opted for the usb signature player because i have the ifi Zen DAC plus a good micro usb cable for my Chord Mojo and it was more of an experiment than anything else.

 

[catalyst360]

An unexpected turn of events, the issue of stuttering playback decided to resolve itself. Integration with spotify is still not seamless but life is good for the time being.

Just about. I’ll also try out other OS’es such as moode and max2play to check if they fare any better but thats some time down the line.

Since you bought the digione signature addon with the USBridge, you're in a unique position to compare both the digione signature and the USBridge. Please do compare between the USB and SPDIF out of your Allo and let us know which one sounds better to your ears, if there is difference at all.

 

[raghavan iyer]

so instead of rpi as the base are u using allo usbbridge?if thats the case how do u use it as a network streamer because i was of the idea that its the rpi board that provides the streaming ca

If you are a guy who can tinker little bit with computers, you can always go with RPi based solutions. Allo, have some nice offerings based on RPi. They have BOSS v1.2 which is what I am currently using, and their next gen BOSS came, BOSS2. Both these are DAC hats use with Raspberry Pi. If you are okay to tinker with these small components, you can buy seprately and assemble for fun. Otherwise buy the fully built unit, which is almost plug and play.

BOSS2 player using a different DAC chip, as compared to earlier model and its a definite upgrade over the previous generation as per Allo. It offers a small oled display and a remote also. The streaming capacity always depends on the software you use with these small babies. Volumio and Moode are the most popular audio distros currently using in the RPi world. You can refer the features on websites of both distros. Both are equally good in quality wise, but differs on features and also on UI. Both can be controlled over basic apps for changing the tracks or adjusting volumes etc.

If you don't want to deal with these small computers, you can look for Arylic S50 pro or Yamaha wxc50 or many others. diyaudiocart is dealing with arylic,

S50 Pro+ Wireless Stereo Preamp With aptX HD & ESS 9023 DAC

Unbelievable price with a wireless stereo preamp integrated with WiFi, aptX HD, Airplay, Multi-room features, and ESS Sabre DAC, AKM ADC. Free Shipping from US/EU/RU warehouse.

www.arylic.com

yamaha is the best no service spares issue

 

[sand87ch]

An unexpected turn of events, the issue of stuttering playback decided to resolve itself. Integration with spotify is still not seamless but life is good for the time being.

Just about. I’ll also try out other OS’es such as moode and max2play to check if they fare any better but thats some time down the line.

No. I would imagine taking it out would not pose much of a problem. I suppose you can ask them to ship it separatey.

Yes. The Shanti PSU has two power output slots/cables.

Minus the power supply and the wallwart, it would come to approx 28k i believe. You can try building the config you want and proceed to the checkout page to get the price including GST. The power supply is approx 9200 including GST. Shipping was 800 to my location.

just a thought, why do you need the usb out? There are plenty of DACs at a low price point which sound fantastic through their SPDIF in and your current amp does not accept usb either. Get a digione signature if you are inclined towards Allo and it should be more than sufficient. I opted for the usb signature player because i have the ifi Zen DAC plus a good micro usb cable for my Chord Mojo and it was more of an experiment than anything else.

was just curious.i am settled on the allo boss 2 dac.seeing so many peopledo so many things with allo and their horrible documentation its only from real users we can hope to get answers to such questions

 

[DB1989]

Since you bought the digione signature addon with the USBridge, you're in a unique position to compare both the digione signature and the USBridge. Please do compare between the USB and SPDIF out of your Allo and let us know which one sounds better to your ears, if there is difference at all.

I intended to do just that and was one of the considerations that weighed with me while getting the combo

so far, compared the usbridge signature (through Audioquest Pearl USB cable>Chord Mojo>Audioquest Golden Gate) to my SR6013 (through RCA preamp out and Mogami Gold interconnects) and laptop (through Audioquest Jitterbug Noise Filter>generic usb amazonbasics usb 3.0 usb cable>Ifi Zen DAC>Ifi 4.4mm pentaconn to balanced XLR) as streaming sources, all connected through the aforementioned connectors to a Cambridge Audio CXA81. I’ve mentioned the cables to inform people reading this post about the weak links in the chain besides the source, amp and speakers itself. Speaking about speakers, the ones employed during this test were the Quad S5's.

Just to clarify in case somebody cries foul, the Chord Mojo connected to my laptop as a source through the abovesaid set of connectors sounds near identical to the Ifi Zen DAC with the GTO filter and aforementioned set of connectors to my ears. My thoughts on the comparison between these two DACs are already documented on this forum.

All music was played through spotify and I was quickswitching between inputs on the CXA81 in order to be able to immediately gauge the differences and more importantly, negate the effects of inconsistent memory. time taken to switch between components was approx 3-5 seconds max since I have to switch source output on the spotify app and at the same time, select input on the Amp. The fact that spotify switches seamlessly and instantaneously between sources without missing a single beat is what has compelled me to keep it around despite already being subscribed to Apple Music and Tidal.

In comparison to the USBridge Signature, the laptop sounded thinner and dryer though the details were all there. Conversely, the USBridge signature had a richer tonality and sounded meatier without overpowering the microdetails. Bass was also stronger without overpowering other frequencies. After coming from the laptop, it sounded like the same music had been sprinkled with a bit of magic sauce which made the music sound sweeter. I hate to use the word I'm going to use next but for lack of a better adjective to my mind at the moment, the USBridge sounded more 'musical'.

On the other hand, the SR6013 (through its internal DAC,its AKM though does that matter at all?) had a similar rich tone to the USBridge Signature but detail retrieval was nowhere close to it or the laptop and the bass was a little too strong, overblown almost and a little one note as the SR6013 was not able to track the changes and shifts in bass notes as well as the other two. Somehow, compared to the other two sources, the balance between the terble, the mids and the highs seemed off for some reason. Though cables shouldn’t be the limiting factor, I’ll try swapping out the mogami's for the DAC ARX01 interconnects to see if that makes a difference though ideally, it should not.

Insofar as SQ is considered (emphasis on SQ as i have a bone to pick when it comes to ease of use), the USBridge signature has come out on top and convincingly at that.

Next will be a comparo between the USBridge (connected to the mojo through usb) vs Digione Signature (SPDIF to the Chord Mojo). However, i don’t have the appropriate cable at the moment so i’ll have to get that first.

 

[DB1989]

I am considering paying for volumio just to get the the Tidal connect feature so that I don’t have to faff about with sub par software integration and just use the Tidal app on my phone.

Just checked the pricing of the Volumio Superstar subscription plan and clearly the folks at Volumio must be smoking something weird if they are pricing it in the same ballpark as Roon! I used roon for a couple of months some 2 years back and it was infinitely better than what volumio is at the moment. Its like comparing chalk to fine cheese. Jeez!

 

[shyamv]

Just checked the pricing of the Volumio Superstar subscription plan and clearly the folks at Volumio must be smoking something weird if they are pricing it in the same ballpark as Roon! I used roon for a couple of months some 2 years back and it was infinitely better than what volumio is at the moment. Its like comparing chalk to fine cheese. Jeez!

Volumio Superstar $81 per year is for 6 devices while Roon is $120 per year for 1 device. Volumio Virtuoso at $35 for 1 dev can be better compared to Roon. Roon is admitted more user-friendly but not worth almost 4 times the price. Moreover, Roon is a music networking software, requires seperate Core and Endpoint/Bridge components and is a lot similar to UPnP. Volumio is a bit-perfect music OS for RPi and a more simpler way to get started with streaming music. Unless one has a large music collection or really wants multi-room streaming, there isn't much point in using Roon. Of course, one can use Volumio as a Roon Bridge too and use Roon app to stream to Volumio.

I have been using both Volumio and Roon, the later mainly as an interface, for a couple of years now. Tidal(Connect and MQA), Qobuz and Spotify Connect integration in the Volumio native app is now working well. I have stopped using Roon now and switched to Volumio native interface. Volumio's support is far better than that of Roon and with the upcoming 3.0 launch, hopefully the user experience will also get improved.

 

[drkrack]

Volumio Superstar $81 per year is for 6 devices while Roon is $120 per year for 1 device. Volumio Virtuoso at $35 for 1 dev can be better compared to Roon

Roon single license is for 1 server.
You can Run Multiple Roon Endpoints. For example You can Run 10 Roon ready devices, not limited to 6 as with Volumio.
As far as user interface is concerned the Roon premium is quite justified I believe. Any Paid Volumio doesn't stand a chance in UI comparison with Roon ; other than the Volumio free offering.
My 2 Cents

 

[chiragpatnaiik]

I have a yamaha wxc-50 that I bought when it first came out...2012 or 2013 I think. A lot of other digital chains have come and gone. But I've always retained the yamaha for its Swiss knife flexibility. I've used it as a streamer, as a dac and also as a pre-amp. And for a asking price of 24k it is beyond complaints, and in fact is very good actually. We can easily expect a price tag of multiples of that asking price if it came from a brand touting hifi royalty

Surprisingly last year I was trying out a lumin T1 streamer cum dac vs a yamaha wxc-50 feeding a esoteric K-01. I preferred the sound of the wxc-50 + esoteric combination.

I've never tried out the allo digione signature, so iam not saying the yamaha is better. Infact being a more dedicated streamer, more optimised singularly for streaming. I would hazard a guess that it might surpass the wxc-50 at streaming quality. But the yamaha definitely has better flexibility. And a musicast app.

I guess my post didn't help resolve the conundrum...and might actually have left you more confused than you were before

Hi,

Since you own one. I wanted to know if this can be used to power an active speaker like the Edifier S350db (have this)) or s2000 MKIII (planning to get this). Both speakers feature optical in.

Or would I need a dedicated amplifier?

Thanks

 

[shyamv]

Roon single license is for 1 server.
You can Run Multiple Roon Endpoints. For example You can Run 10 Roon ready devices, not limited to 6 as with Volumio.
As far as user interface is concerned the Roon premium is quite justified I believe. Any Paid Volumio doesn't stand a chance in UI comparison with Roon ; other than the Volumio free offering.
My 2 Cents

Yes, I was wrong. Thanks @drkrack for the correction. One can run multiple Roon endpoints with 1 license. However, I still think one cannot compare Roon with Volumio as these are meant for two slightly different things.

 

[DB1989]

Hi,

Since you own one. I wanted to know if this can be used to power an active speaker like the Edifier S350db (have this)) or s2000 MKIII (planning to get this). Both speakers feature optical in.

Or would I need a dedicated amplifier?

An active speaker has its amplifier inbuilt... so, no... you’ll be golden with just a preamp which the wxc50 is. My apologies for butting in @Yelamanchili manohar ...

 

[drkrack]

I have observed drops-outs with some FLAC and MQA tracks via Tidal with my USBridge Signature as well. There is a known issue with Allo Asix Ethernet driver on this Allo device and it has been fixed subsequently. Installing this update fixed all drop-out/stuttering issues for me completely.

Follow these steps to update the driver.

1) ssh or terminal login to RPi using OS credentials. If you are using Volumio then do the following 'ssh [email protected]' where x.x.x.x is the IP address of your USBridge Signature. Enter 'Volumio' as the password when prompted.

2) cd /usr/src/

3) sudo wget http://3.230.113.73:9011/Allocom/asix2v0/install.sh

4) sh install.sh

5) Reboot Volumio.

6) You can apply this fix even if you are using Moode or DietPi. Of course, the login credentials might change depending on the OS.

You can find more instructions on this thread.

ALLO USBridge Signature

audiophilestyle.com

Hope this helps.

Did it completely.
(I have a decent enough working knowledge of CLI).
To my surprise it worsened the connection issues. It became very troublesome. Tried rebooting again but issues pretty bad.
Then Freshly Reinstalled Volumio, lost all Playlists, setting etc, And it's working fine now. I never faced such connection issues because most of it is wired connection with Cat 7 and LPSU for Every Router and Desktop Switch.
This DIY type issues aren't quite new with Volumio in my experience.
Anyways No issues currently.

However, I still think one cannot compare Roon with Volumio as these are meant for two slightly different things.

Yes I agree, but from a payment perspective, volumio doesn't make sense logically & personally; personally it is ok to pay double for the more Easier and Refined UI, which works flawlessly.

 

[shyamv]

Did it completely.
(I have a decent enough working knowledge of CLI).
To my surprise it worsened the connection issues. It became very troublesome. Tried rebooting again but issues pretty bad.
Then Freshly Reinstalled Volumio, lost all Playlists, setting etc, And it's working fine now. I never faced such connection issues because most of it is wired connection with Cat 7 and LPSU for Every Router and Desktop Switch.
This DIY type issues aren't quite new with Volumio in my experience.
Anyways No issues currently.

That's surprising. This was on a USBridge Signature right? It worked well for me and from what I gather from other forums, it seems to have worked for several others too. In fact, I apply this fix after every new update of Volumio as it uses a 'generic' version of Ethernet driver. It has worked everytime for me. Are you using any wifi dongle with your Allo USBridge Signature?

 

[DB1989]

Volumio Superstar $81 per year is for 6 devices while Roon is $120 per year for 1 device. Volumio Virtuoso at $35 for 1 dev can be better compared to Roon. Roon is admitted more user-friendly but not worth almost 4 times the price. Moreover, Roon is a music networking software, requires seperate Core and Endpoint/Bridge components and is a lot similar to UPnP. Volumio is a bit-perfect music OS for RPi and a more simpler way to get started with streaming music. Unless one has a large music collection or really wants multi-room streaming, there isn't much point in using Roon. Of course, one can use Volumio as a Roon Bridge too and use Roon app to stream to Volumio.

I have been using both Volumio and Roon, the later mainly as an interface, for a couple of years now. Tidal(Connect and MQA), Qobuz and Spotify Connect integration in the Volumio native app is now working well. I have stopped using Roon now and switched to Volumio native interface. Volumio's support is far better than that of Roon and with the upcoming 3.0 launch, hopefully the user experience will also get improved.

Perhaps the comparison was a bit unfair since i don't precisely know the difference between roon and volumio and was comparing them from the streaming and interface perspective. The long and the short of it is that i wouldn't pay money for a half baked product.

But i think the age old adage that one man's garbage is another mans gold is apt. I guess I'll just have to look for something else whereas hopefully, volumio utilizes the donations from its patrons and develops a better product.