Allo Sparky USBridge

[tboooe]

12 hours ago, suresh3 said:

I can see the USB to gigabit has been added to the website. Now all we need is the aluminium cases to be available. Any pics on how they will look? And ETA on when they will hit the website?

I too am waiting for the AL case before ordering.

Perhaps tagging @allo.com will yield a quicker response. 

[tboooe]

2 hours ago, ambre said:

Hallo,

 

Just received the Sparky Bridge thanks  this including the USB 3.0 TO GIGABIT ETHERNET ADAPTER.

 

I found at first instance the wired Ethernet connection " slow"  in terms of responsiveness for large library music files upsampled by HQ-Player to DSD 128. Sparky Bridge as NAA for the HQ-player. 

 

Therefore I attached the USB 3.0 TO GIGABIT ETHERNET ADAPTER.  But after starting Sparky USbridge I was only able ty transfer music-files to max 48 Mhz. I have changed the technical settings ( by means of Allo Web GUI)  Sharepoint from 48Mhz to 352.8 Mhz and after that I was able playing high rated PCM and DSD files. 

 

Is this the correct way of installing?  

Ps. Playing with latest DiepPi version 1.58

 

Very best regards, Andreas

I am very interested in your comments about the wired ethernet.  I intend to purchase the Allo after xmas to use as an NAA receiving DSD512 from HQP.  I have heard from several other Allo owners that they were able to play DSD512 through the Allo wired ethernet connection without any issue.  Are you having a problem?  What do you mean by "slow"?  Is the music stuttering?

[tboooe]

1 hour ago, ambre said:

@tboooe,

 

My Sparky UsBridge is NOW running flwawlessly with the latest (re)update V159 as NAA for HQ-player . Even with the normal Ethernet connection instead of the Gigabit USB  3.0 dongle the library access is fast (enough). 

 

Very  nice SQ ......much better than my Mac Mini as NAA HQ-Player.

 

Keep in mind that I upsample  to max DSD 128. I don't have any experience with DSD 256 or even 512!  But an earlier post in this thread you find  following remarks.

 

Very best regards Ambre

Thank you for the feedback.  In looking at the network traffic on my NAA PC playing DSD512, I see that rates between 44-49mbps which is getting a bit too close to the theoretical max of the Allo ethernet port. I may have to consider using the USB dongle.

 

I have a couple if dongles at home now, can I use one of those or is there something special about the one that Allo is selling?

[tboooe]

@allo.com if I place an order in about a week will the unit come with version 160?

[tboooe]

@allo.com are new orders of the USBridge shipping with v6.1?  I am planning to buy a unit but want to wait until it is shipped with v6.1

[tboooe]

Guys, I am interested in getting the Allo to see if it sounds better than my current mini pc acting as NAA in my system.  My current problem is that I have a split USB cable with the data and power legs completely separated (Light Harmonic).  Until I get a new USB cable  I have 2 options:

 

1.  Plug the power leg of the cable into the USB port of the Allo and the data leg into the USBridge

2.  Provide 5vdc power via an external source like an LPS or battery

 

So if I go with option #1, will I be essentially eliminating the benefits of the USBridge by using the noisy 5vdc from the Allo?

[tboooe]

1 hour ago, piripiri82 said:

IMHO, without having tried it I can only assume that option 1 would be detrimental. Option 2 would be my preferrence.

I was thinking the same thing.  So in the short term I will use my LPS to supply the 5vdc to the USB cable then eventually get a new USB cable, perhaps the Lush.

 

I will have plenty of current since I will be using my 400W HDPlex LPS.  Longer term I will get another LPS-1 to power the USBridge.

[tboooe]

8 hours ago, allo.com said:

Not entirely (eliminating benefits) but clean power will be gone..

 

 I would go with option 2

OK I pulled the trigger on the USBridge.  For now, I will use my HDPlex LPS to supply 5vdc to the Sparky and USB separately.  Maybe I will get one of those LT3045 voltage regulators for the USB 5vdc.  Eventually I get an LPS-1 to power the USBridge separately.  

 

Pretty excited to try this out compared to my cheapo mini PC acting as NAA.

[tboooe]

Anyone having issues with the new version of Dietpi and HQP/NAA mode with the Usbridge?

[tboooe]

I just received my USBridge today and got it up an running without any issue.  I am using as an NAA and was hoping to play DSD512 through it.  I believe some users have mentioned this was possible through the Sparky Ethernet port.  Unfortunately for me, it does not seem to work reliably.  I get stutters frequently.  If I reduce change my HQP settings to DSD256 the USBridge plays fine.  In reviewing NetData, I see that the Ethernet port is receiving data at a rate of 43-50mbps when I play DSD512.  Is this at the limit of what the USBridge is capable of?  Do I have to now use a USB-Ethernet adapter?  I have a couple laying around that I could try.  Can anyone point me in the right direction to set up the USB-Ethernet adapter  with a fixed IP address?  I know I will have to SSH into the Sparky but not sure what I need to do from there.  

[tboooe]

More issues....now I am not getting any sound from the USBrigde.  I have verified that my system works with my original NAA pc but with the USBridge I get no volume.  HQP sees it on my network as an NAA, From the netdata page I see network traffic indicating that the music is being sent to the USBridge.  On my SU-1, all 3 lights are lite and my DAC is showing the correct sample rate so that seems to indicate that everything is getting data from the USBridge but still no sound.  Any ideas?

[tboooe]

6 minutes ago, juliocat said:

 

ssh to your sparky with root password dietpi

run alsamixer

check if your SU-1 is mutted

Thank you...I am going to need to refresh my memory on unix.  Can you please be more specific?  I can putty into the Sparky but not sure what to type after that.  How can I tell if the SU-1 is muted?

[tboooe]

2 minutes ago, juliocat said:

 

if you have a Mac you can access it via terminal, with a PC you have to install Putty: https://mediatemple.net/community/products/dv/204404604/using-ssh-in-putty-

In your terminal window type:

ssh root@dietpi
Password = dietpi

Once your logged in SSH into diet pi type the command:
alsamixer

Thank you. How can I tell if the SU-1 is muted once I type alsamixer?

[tboooe]

3 hours ago, juliocat said:

 

when in  alsamixer  press m 

 

Thank you!  That did the trick. Not sure how the USBridge got muted in the first place?  It was working fine one moment then the next it stopped playing music.

 

2 hours ago, pgbcincy said:

 

Hey Tommy, my rate is between 46-50 and I play DSD512 fine.  I dont think that is the issue.   

 

Yeah, thats why I am perplexed.  Seems you and I have very similar setups yet I cant seem to play DSD512.

 

1 hour ago, clipper said:

Hi Tommy.  I'm using a slightly older version of DietPi and am assuming things are similar.

 

SSH in and type dietpi-config.  

Choose Audio Options.

Make sure the Soundcard is set for usb-dac (or whatever you think is correct).

 

For the DSD512 issue: were you able to do DSD512 before using your NUC as NAA?  I had to tweak the heck out of my HQPlayer machine (control pc) before I could get DSD512 to play without stuttering.  Overclocking, Process Lasso, etc.  Even with this, I can tell it's right on the edge, so I think I have to build a new (faster) machine.

 

 

 

Hey there!  I hope all is well.  Thank you for the post.  I have been able to run DSD512 with my current Windows based NAA.  My i7-6700 cpu runs at around 50% when I play DSD512.  The only change is replacing the Windows NAA with the USBridge.  I did as you suggested but still no luck.  Not sure what could be causing it.  Perhaps a buffer setting somewhere?

[tboooe]

OK I messed around a bit more with my USBridge.  I have a couple of USB-Gigabit Ethernet adapters laying around so I tried to use them instead of the builtin Ethernet port.  The USB adapters definitely improved playback of FLAC to DSD512.  90% of the stutters went away.  Oddly, I am still not able to play DSD64 or 128 files converted to DSD512 though.  I get the same stutters with the USB adapter as I was getting with the Ethernet port.  

 

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[tboooe]

More investigation...in looking at the netdata, the system overview section shows the Net Inbound circle graph.  When I am streaming DSD512 at around 43mbps, almost all of the graph is colored green.  When I stream DSD256 about half of it is colored green.  Does that mean that the Sparky ethernet port is only capable of 50mbps max?  I thought it was a 10/100 port?

[tboooe]

7 hours ago, volpone said:

 

Hi @tbooe, i'm interested in your findings. According to ALLO recommandation for DSD i'm using USB to Gigabit adapter: https://allo.com/sparky/usb-to-gigabit.html . Plug and Play, fixed IP,  no issue with NAA, USBridge is very stable but i'm only playing DoP DSD128 (10-13 mbps) due to my DAC FW limitation (Amanero). Seems @pgbcincy succeed playing DSD512.

 

I am not sure why the gigabit adapter is required.  The Sparky has a 10/100 ethernet port with is more than double the speed that is required for DSD512.

 

3 hours ago, volpone said:

 

Interesting, are you using USB3 to Gigabit adapter (to stream native DSD512) ?

No, he is not using the adapter. 

[tboooe]

10 minutes ago, juliocat said:

Maybe the problem is not the sparky, the stutter can be caused if the machine running HQplayer doesn't have the CPU power to run the oversampling to DSD 512

Fair assumption but before using the USBridge I was playing DSD512 just fine using my windows based PC as NAA.  Nothing else in my system has changed other than adding the USBridge.  In fact, I reverted back to my windows NAA and played DSD512 with no issue.  

 

@Allo any ideas why I cant play DSD512 through the USBridge?  The 10/100 ethernet port should be able to handle 50mbps streams without any issues.

[tboooe]

7 minutes ago, juliocat said:

Network performance is a problem on the sparky

 

Well that sucks.  Seems I will be returning/selling this then.  Anyone want to buy a very lightly used USBridge???

[tboooe]

3 minutes ago, volpone said:

 

Amazing  @pgbcincy succeed (without Gigabit Ethernet to USB3 adapter)

Agreed...its a shame because the USBridge does sound pretty good though I cannot do a more detailed comparison because of all the stutters.  

 

BTW, I love your speakers!  Its on my list to eventually get a pair of Harbeths for a second system.

[tboooe]

I dont know if this is related to why I cannot play DSD512 but when I try to add the USBridge as a Roon endpoint, I get an error that the device cannot be found, even though its listed in the Roon settings.  What does everyone think?

[tboooe]

@Allo @Daniel Knight

Ok more tests on my quest to play DSD512 through the USBridge.  I decided to test a variety of network configurations with and without a USB-Gigabit adapter.  In my system, my preferred setup is a direct network connection from my HQP PC to the NAA.  Note that DSD256 plays fine in all network configurations described below.

 

Setup A - with USB-Gigabit adapter

Network configuration #1 - cat6a cable wired from a Dlink DAP-1650 wireless AC bridge to USB-Gigabit adapter

Result - FLAC files converted to DSD512 plays OK.  DSD64/128 files converted to DSD512 has a few dropouts per song.  I am not sure why FLAC files @ DSD512 plays consistently but DSD files @ DSD512 has issues.  Its the same datastream right?

 

Networks configuration #2 - cat6a cable wired from Dlink DAP-1650 wireless AC bridge to a Netgear GS105 switch, cat6a cable from switch to USB-Gigabit adapter

Result - Same results as Network Configuration #1, however DSD64/128 files converted to DSD512 plays a bit more reliably with fewer dropouts per song.

 

Setup B - with USB-Gigabit adapter, direct connection

Network configuration #3 - cat6a cable wired directly from a HQP PC Gigabit port  to USB-Gigabit adapter

Result - FLAC files converted to DSD512 has consistent dropouts.  DSD source files converted to DSD512 has a lot of dropouts

 

Networks configuration #4 - cat6a cable wired from HQP PC to a Netgear GS105 switch, cat6a cable from switch to USB-Gigabit adapter

Result - same result as Network Configuration #3 except DSD source files converted to DSD512 has fewer dropouts

 

Setup C - using Sparky 10/100 ethernet port

Network configuration #5 - cat6a cable wired from Dlink DAP-1650 wireless AC bridge to Sparky 10/100 port

Result - FLAC files converted to DSD512 has consistent dropouts.  DSD source files has more dropouts.

 

Network configuration #6 - cat6a cable wired from Dlink DAP-1650 wireless AC bridge to a Netgear GS105 switch, cat6a cable from switch to USBridge ethernet port

Result - same as Network Configuration #5

 

Setup D - using Sparky 10/100 ethernet port, direct connection

Network configuration #7 - cat6a cable wired directly from a HQP PC Gigabit port  to USBridge 10/100 ethernet port

Result - FLAC files converted to DSD512 has consistent dropouts.  DSD source files has more dropouts.

 

Network configuration #8 - cat6a cable wired from HQP PC to a Netgear GS105 switch, cat6a cable from switch to USBridge ethernet port

Result - same as Network Configuration #7

 

Summary - so it seems the only way I can play DSD512 is to use a USB-Gigabit adapter and the addition of the switch seems to play DSD source files more reliably.  Oddly, a direct connection from my HQP PC to the USB-Gigabit adapter with and without the switch made things worse.  Using my windows based NAA with a gigabit ethernet port connected directly to my HQP PC, I have no issues playing DSD512.

 

Conclusion - I have no idea how people are able to play DSD512 using the Sparky 10/100 ethernet port.  The USB-Gigabit adapter does not seem to be the answer either since it cant seem to play DSD source files reliably.  Its a shame really, because listening to the USBridge playing DSD256 files, I was very impressed with the additional nuance I was able to hear.  I guess the search continues for a  very good decently price endpoint that can play DSD512.  Maybe I have to bite the bullet and get something the UltraRendu to SMS Ultra?

 

 

 

[tboooe]

32 minutes ago, Allander said:

@tboooe

 

I have  successfully been using USBridge with ROON-HQP-dsd 512 for a few months now. Similar set up I7 computer-Netgear 108- fmc-fmc-singxer Su1-Lks Da004

 

In contrast I chased the same issues you are discovering for almost a year with both a micro rendu, ultra rendu and SMS 200, I then switched to the Usbridge and it’s worked flawlessly. Around the same time Sonore came out with an update and I made some changes to my Hqp settings and was able to get both the Ultra Rendu and Micro Rendu playing Hqp Dsd 512 at that point. 

(Upsampling through Roon to Dsd 512 was never an issue with any unit) 

I decided to keep the Usbridge to these other units. 

Im not sure if it’s related but the solution for the Rendu's seemed to be turning the max volume down to -6db and the delay back up to 50ms in HQP. Again though these settings didn’t cause an issue for the Usbridge and with an update from Sonore around the same time I can’t be certain it was the issue. 

 

My my understanding is upsampling the higher Rez dsd rates is far more consuming then upsampling pcm -Dsd or Lower Rez Dsd. So with that thought are you potentially maxing out your computer doing the upsampling?

 

Not sure if any of that will help but I would have tried anything at that point. Hopefully it is just some settings. 

 

So you are able to play DSD512 without having to use a USB-Ethernet adapter?

 

My computer seems to be fine playing DSD source files converted to DSD512.  CPU load is about 50%.  I am able to play DSD512 without any issues using a windows based PC acting as NAA.

[tboooe]

24 minutes ago, Allander said:

 

 

Does Roon upsampling to Dsd 512 work? 

I didn’t have an issue here. 

 

Have you tried changing any of the settings in Hq player? 

I had the buffer turned all the way up thinking this would help and initially had max volume set to -3db. 

 

Computer direct also worked for me. 

At the time I was using a Gustard X20 pro, it was questionable weather it would actually do Dsd 512 or not as it won’t display the correct sample rate. 

Computer direct seemed the best way to rule all other variables out and just listen for the difference. 

I cant add the USBridge to Roon.  Even though its listed in the Audio settings when I try to enable it I get a Device not found error.  Odd since the USBridge is listed as an endpoint. Not sure whats happening here.

 

I've tried all sorts of things with HQP and I think I stumbled on something.  As long as my total cpu utilization in my HQP pc is less than around 40%, I dont have any issues with the USBridge.  For example, if I set HQP to DSD256 but use a non -2s filter like poly-sinc-short-mp which results in a CPU utilization of 31% there are no issues.  But if I pick a filter like poly-sinc-xtr-mp which causes CPU utilization to be about 55% I get stuttering.  So it seems the issue perhaps isnt the USBridge ethernet port?  This is really odd because using my windows based NAA, I have no issues regardless of the CPU utilization.  I am really perplexed now.

[tboooe]

44 minutes ago, pgbcincy said:

 

Hey Tommy, I tried poly-sinc-xtr-mp with DSD256, no issues BUT when I try that HQP setting with DSD512; I get stuttering.  What I also notice was my Network throughput dropped from 45-50 Mbps (normal range) with DSD512 to 30-35 Mbps.  Like you stated CPU goes up too but I would think the issue is the drop in Network speed that coincides with it.

Thank you for trying that.  Curious, do you have Turbo enabled on your HQP PC?  I do not but was wondering if that may be the difference between your setup and mine since our system is very similar in a lot of other aspects.

 

Your observation about the speed dropping is interesting.  When I use poly-sinc-xtr-mp the speed drops to 15-20mbps while poly-sinc-short-mp the speed is 22-26mbps.  So it seems  that the more CPU is used, the network speed drops resulting in stuttering.  I think that must be whats happening with me but what I really dont understand is why I am able to play DSD512 using the USB-Gigabit adapter and only when I do not use a direct connection to my HQP pc?  Man this is beginning to make my hear hurt.  I just want to listen to great sounding music!!!!!