ALLO USBridge Signature

[allo.com]

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40 minutes ago, uniquesnowflake said:

Speaking from experience, upgrading the regulators directly powering the critical components is more impactful compared to the “pre-regulator” powering them. It would be sensible then, to assume that replacing all DC converters with LDOs, as Allo has done, would be as beneficial - if not more so - compared to giving the dirty side quality power

 I fully agree. Still a quiet LPSU to power your unit (like Shanti or similar) brings another subjective increase in SQ...that I am unable to see in test data. Its subjective and we cant show it so thats why we don't advertise it.

[allo.com]

Usbridge Sig/ Audiiophile SBC will send the standard i2s signal (rather cleaner) but not over 384Khz (with the right distri)

 

  Usbridge Sig will run standard Rasbian but speed on network will be limited to 100Mbs. By updating the driver of the ethernet IC you will reach 330Mbs ( we will post a manual on how to do itl and the source code of the driver)

[allo.com]

Yes we do.

 

 However we have as company policy not to advertise subjective opinions , since of course we have a bias .

 

  As such , we can discuss what we see in our test data not what we hear.

 

However...we also understand what test data is useful but subjective hearing is much more complex and might not be fully captured with single machine test.

 

 

  USbridge Sig PCB is now selling and I am sure you will get a lot of reviews shortly .

[allo.com]

15cm/12cm

[allo.com]

USbridge Sig alu cases are in clearance in India , they will start selling this week .

 

 Mounting holes next to RPI connector are compatible with RPI HATs , mounting holes of USBridge corners are compatible with our ALU casing.

 

 USB outputs (USBridge Signature) was our main target . We can assure you , that while this is a 250$ unit , we are fully confident that it will compete with the best of the best (streamers) on USB

 

  Not everyone needs SPIDIF...but if you do , we chose not to reinvent the wheel and make it compatible with Digione.Digione Signature coaxial/BNC digital outputs (that was tested as the lowest jitter device on ASR forum)

 

  At last...Ethernet itself was made to be very quiet. In fact we have 5 LDOs feeding the Axis IC with independent power rails . In addition , we have placed filtering after the isolation transformer with components that just came out last year (common mode chokes for GB Ethernet for noisy auto environments)

[allo.com]

Correct , based on acceptance

[allo.com]

You need only 1 Shanti

 

3A feeds USBrisge Sig (that in turn will feed Digione Sig "dirty side") and 1A output to "clean side" of Digione Sig

[allo.com]

Yes Usbridge Sign with ALU casing is shipping from this week (India) and a next week from EU

 

 https://allo.com/sparky/usbridge-signature-player.html

 

Thx you all for your patience .

[allo.com]

You need to order the USB Sig + Digione Sig casing..

[allo.com]

Hi

 

  we will check the issue , in our setup there are 0 dropouts. I think the issue is related to DietPI

 

India is on holiday until Wednesday , I am trying to get the tech team to take a look at it. What DAC are you using ?

[allo.com]

Is it possible to switch to Ropiee OS ?

 

 It should fix the issue with dropouts until we check with Dan the dietpi issue

[allo.com]

Hi

 

  I spoke briefly to the main engineer .

 

USbridge Sig has the latest linux kernel , old USBridge has a old kernel that we have patched for many DACs.

 

  Even with the latest kernel we might need to patch some DACs drivers.

 

On DietPI , tested speed is 512 DSD and rock solid. If you have a issue with dropped signal (thats not related to ethernet) that means your DAC might need patching .

 

  I think tech support is in touch with Ronnie and I have asked for PM to tintinabum

[allo.com]

First , we moved to RPI compute module that has the latest kernel (compared with Usbridge that had a very old kernel)

 

 Second , we felt that from a hardware point we viwe we could do match better (in terms of filters , LDOs)

 

  Third , the new USbridge Sig has a RPI connector making it compatible with Digione or any other DAC hats.

[allo.com]

11 hours ago, nbpf said:

Sure, but an external antenna would allow to use the USBridge Sig in environments where a wired connection is not possible or to use it as an integrated server + renderer solution. I am afraid that the USBridge Sig is another half backed solution like the DigiOne Signature. Great devices if they happen to fit one's need  but at the same time missed opportunities to build a really modular platform with upgradeable components and a future proof design.

Hello Nfbf

 

   We understand that everyone has an opinion . Designing a good audio device...with a good price is not a trivial task .

 

We believe our USbriddge Sig is a modular design and will release n the future a few upgrades . Meanwhile , there are always other choices in the market , if our product does not suit you.

 

 

[allo.com]

1 hour ago, senior.god said:

Regarding the critics of the Allo USBridge......

 

What i wonder is why allo use an ethernet-over-usb solution for the ethernet port. I moved from rpi to allo because allo sparky had ( as far as i know) an ethernet port connected (via PCI?) directly without using the USB bus - in opposite to raspberryPi.

The fact that allo has to patch the drivers for the ethernet over usb chipset make me feel they face exactly the same problems which RPI's had in past: performance problems and dropouts at playing highres files, which have to be read in and send out (PCM) over the same usb bus. This was obvious especially with real time kernels.

Has anybody experiences playing highres files with standard kernel?

Has anybody experiences playing highres files with real time kernel?

 

 

A rather complicated answer ..

 

   Sparky had a direct connection Ethernet to the SOC (rgmii I think not pcie or pci) and still we needed to patch many drivers for DACs since the USB kernel was old

 

   The main problem with USB audio...is that end devices are not always compliant.To compound this , even hardware (USB hub ic ) behaves differently (pops) depending on make etc.

 

  Our solution was to use a Axis IC for ethernet and we chose one of the best HUB ic from TI  (with buffers) and we worked directly with Asix company in Taiwan to improve the standard driver and get rid of all pops in audio USB

 

   Now the Rasbian has the Axis driver (not that great for audio USB) ...and we did submit the new driver(2 months ago) Unfortunately it takes time to integrate in  , we are still waiting for it.

 

  Meanwhile are working with all players and  Moode , PCP , Max2play, Ropiiie  , have already the correct driver . From what I know DietPI will have it soon .

 

   In essence ANY usb renderer will have 2 issues. Kernel (how old) and hardware compatibility to your DAC.

 

Lets take a RPI (3 of 4) and connect direct to your DAC. In many DACs you will get pops etc , since its not a Kernel but the hub ic (driver) is not very good for USB audio

 

 We think that USbridge Sig solved those issues. Yes you still need ( to update manually the driver on some audio players), but we hope thats a small price to pay for having the latest kernel , a great HUB ic that we tested versus many DACs and also...a low noise USB feed.

 

 

 

  Enjoy.

 

 

[allo.com]

I want to add one last thing..I checked with our team and DietPI is made by Dan K.. For  personal reasons Dan is not available since December and this is the reason the driver has not been updated.

 

  We are trying to get in contact with the new developer with no luck so far..

 

 

[allo.com]

Hardware wise...yes. Driver is available in Rasbian . However from all the players , I think that PCP removed most of the drivers to make it light weight (so for PCP you need to add it manually)

[allo.com]

17 hours ago, dtossan said:

I ordered USBridge Sig, eMMC, case for USB Sig & DigiOne Sig, plus Shanti on Oct4. Ord# #006544

Total price US$474.65 = CAD656.05 including US$48.90 shipping.

 

Got msg from Fedex today Oct 15 that pkg has arrived at their facility here in Toronto, Canada.

And Fedex wants me to pay CAD84.88 for duty & import tax before they will deliver.

It this a mistake?

I have bought lots of electronics parts before but didn't have to pay duty&tax.

Pls clarify ASAP.

Den

 

Hi Dtossan

 

   items are shipped from India . Its up to customs from your country to charge duty. Sorry about that , I know that Canadian customs sometimes overreach

[allo.com]

16 hours ago, bamyasi said:

That sounds odd, usually @MichaIng (current DietPi dev) is very responsive. However, he might be busy preparing next DietPi release right now. Maybe try contacting him on the DietPi forum?

 

 

Yeap we are contacting him .

[allo.com]

14 hours ago, nbpf said:

Sure, I am actually very happy with the DigiOne Signature on a very low power RPi3. Still, it would be nice to have a audiophile mainboard that can be extended with clean USB outputs, clean S/PDIF outputs, high quality Ethernet and wireless interfaces according to one's specific needs. The USBridge is a first step in the right direction but I very much hope that a more modular design will emerge at a certain point.

I think that adding WIFI on board will not be very good for low noise USB/Spidif oputput , while it might be more convenient

 

As I said , its rather hard to build a low cost , hi quality audio device. We are doing our best and note that we are also one of the first ones with a modular design . I am sure that more companies will start doing so, however I have doubts that it will be at the same price point .

 

  Everything is possible , but the combination of great sound (low noise digital outputs) low/medium costs is not something we see very often

[allo.com]

10 hours ago, dmormerod said:

My USBridge Sig won’t play upsampled DSD. My previous USBridge happily played PCM upsampled to DSD128 into my McIntosh C52. I’ve tried DietPi and Ropieee but no luck. Anyone else able to upsample to DSD? My C52 doesn’t indicate a DSD signal but shows PCM 352.8. 

Hi

 

  so you are sending DSD 128 to your C2 ? From what you report , it seems that you are sending DOP 128 = PCM 352.8

[allo.com]

Hi Dmormerod

 

  I am not quite sure why it used to showed DSD 128 before, but DOP 128 (DSD over PCM) IS PCM 352.8 (with DSD 128 inside the PCM) 

 

It seems that it functions correctly .

 

 USbridge Sig will work with lower A but we never tried at 1.1A (will do so in near future)

[allo.com]

I did not realize there is no sound .

 

  OK can you check in Usbridge Sig (not sure what OS you have) that you have enabled DSD native ?

[allo.com]

Enjoy 🙂

 

 

 

[allo.com]

Usbridge Sig replaces the RPI, It is build using RPI compute module 3B+. Speed on the ethernet (our own design and dedicated ICs)  is 330Mbs enough for DSD 512 or even 1024 (not that it exists..)

 

 USbridge Sig uses a type C connector for power (including dirty power to your Digione Sig) and USB type A to output data (to your DAC). We have a special  ALU case that allows a Digione Sig output (BNC RCA) and DC barrel to "clean side" of Digione

 

 In regards to noise , Usbridge Sig needs a good PSU if you want to feed your DAC from USB power . We recommend Shanti at around 100nV of noise. Normally good DACs are not powered from USB port and Shanti is a dual PSU feeding both USBridge and your favorite DAC (5V/3A side for Usbridge and 5V/1A side for Dac)

 

 Whats better USB or BNC/RCA output ? Frankly it depends on how your DAC input was implemented . USB can output 512 DSD while RCA is limited by standard at 24/196 PCM

 

 

38 minutes ago, purehifi192 said: