ALLO USBridge Signature

[Cundis]

On 10/23/2019 at 4:40 PM, allo.com said:

Hi

 

 when did you buy the Digione Sig ? A while back we used a second diode , I can send you some pics , you need to bypass it

 

Hi! I have this problem too, and came across this post after troubleshooting for a while. Can someone please show me some pictrures of what needs to be bypassed on the middle board of the Digione Signature?

 

I guess my Digione Signature is the previous version too. It will not not power up by the USbridge Signature.

[Cundis]

18 minutes ago, suzywong said:

 

In my case the top board diode had already been replaced by a link. I left the middle board diode in place and simply soldered a loop of TCW across it.

 

Worked for me

 

Thanks alot! 

 

So in other words a short wire between the contact points will do the trick? Leave the diode there or remove won't matter? 

[Cundis]

8 minutes ago, suzywong said:

That is correct. I've left mine in place.

 

Thanks alot for your help! I'm very grateful! 😀

[Cundis]

3 hours ago, suzywong said:

A pleasure. I run my USBSig/DigiOneSig/Shanti/MoOde through a Naim DC1 BNC cable to my Naim DAC and am very happy with it:)

 

It's alot for the money indeed. I love both the Digione Signature and the USbridge. Always wanted to try Naim gear, as I think it has the PRAT I like. But for now I use Wadia Di122 which is DSD x 2 capable over DoP. 

 

Anyway, the Digione is now powered up by the USbridge, thanks to you. I only had to fix the middle board as the main board already had the fix like yours. 👍👍

[Cundis]

Now when the USbridge is broken in I can write a little mini review about it. 

Compared to DigiOne Signature it is more refined I think. If I can draw a parallel to food it can be compared to a steak that is perfect cooked with just the right amount of seasoning vs a steak that is more raw and not given that much thought in the preparation. 

 

In sound terms it sounds big, refined, deep soundstage, very well balanced from top to bottom. You can definitely hear that noise is taken well care of. 

 

When it comes to the DigiOne Signature that sits on top of the USbridge it sounds better than it did as stand alone streamer. Blacker background I would say. Maybe a little more attack and fullness in the bass.

 

As a result I love them both, sometimes the DigiOne Signature can be a little more dynamic, so on some music I can have a hard time choosing between the two. Most often I choose USbridge because it is a little bit cleaner and smoother in the treble. 

 

BUT; I've ordered a Shanti, so things can change. Right now I use a SBooster on USbridge and the standard switch mode on the Digione Signature. So it will be exciting to see how the DigiOne Signature responds to a better power supply. 

 

Well done Allo! 

 

 

If there is something I would set on a whish list it is information about older DigiOne Signatures that needs to be modified to be able to power up from the USbridge. Thankfully I got help from a member here what to do! 

[Cundis]

3 hours ago, bobfa said:

Thank you for the observations.  I have not done a proper comparison of the DigiOne to the USBridge.  I wonder what the differences in cabling or the differences in the inputs to a DAC do to these comparisons?

 

I have to get to this soon!

 

I'm actually wondering about this myself. The USB cable is the new Wireworld Starlight 8, while the SPDIF cable is Nordost Heimdall 2. I had the Heimdall USB a while back, but sold it as I was using the DigiOne Signature. I regret selling it as it was very good. The Wireworld is also good, but I have a feeling it is not as clear and dynamic as the Nordost. 

 

As for DAC I use a Wadia Di122 which does DSD 128 on the USB input. I'm very pleased with the Wadia. And I have a feeling that the USB input is a little bit better than the coax input, but I haven't investigated this a lot. 

 

So it's possible that the result would be different with other cables. And I definitely expect the Shanti to do some magic with the DigiOne Signature as @zackthedog writes about. I look forward to recieve the Shanti soon. 

[Cundis]

3 hours ago, zackthedog said:

 

I think with the Shanti powering both the USBridge and the Digione you will find the Digione ultra-clean.  I prefer USB for it's slightly more analogue-like sound, but the Digione is very punchy and "accurate" and gives you a more "exact" sense of the original recording, if that's what you want.  

 

I actually agree that the USbridge sounds a little bit more analogue. I guess that's why I mostly prefer it over the DigiOne Signature. But then again I mostly listen to DSD (DoP) with the USbridge so that should also come into the equation I guess. But on some recordings I prefer the dynamics and clarity of the DigiOne Signature. If Shanti will make the DigiOne sound alot better I guess I will have an even harder time choosing between them. 

 

Perhaps I should spend a little more time to evaluate Ropieee vs DietPi. There's differences there too. 

[Cundis]

1 hour ago, clipper said:

The Shanti is great powering the Digione Signature.  I have it powering both clean and RPI power ports on the Digione Signature.

 

That is nice to hear. Have you compared it to other power supplies, maybe the stock Allo switch mode supply? 

[Cundis]

Then it will a pleasant surprise when I plug it in I guess. But as always I expect some break in time. 

[Cundis]

Latest ropieee is sooo good! A relief to switch from dietpi! 

With dietpi there was some kind of distortion that completely went away with the latest version of ropieee. 

So if you are only using roon I strongly recommend trying it out! It sounds alot cleaner and more organic. 

[Cundis]

4 minutes ago, John Eaton said:

Many hours of critical listening to come, but my initial impression is very positive.  I think my digital listening experience will be elevated to a smoother more involving plane with less fatiguing and longer listening sessions .

 

One question is my power LED is green, but the activity (ACT) LED is flashing orange.  I that correct?

 

Yes with Ropieee it is supersmooth! The led flashing is normal for Ropieee. 

[Cundis]

26 minutes ago, zacho said:

@allo.com 

 

I ordered the Digione Signature Player on the 14th of January 2019 as order number 5043. Am toying with the idea of getting the USBridge signature player to mount the digione signature on it but am put off slightly by the need to short some jumpers on older batches of the Digione sig? I was wondering if my version of the Digione Signature is up to date that doesn't require such measures.

Hold your horses in case you like the sound a little bit on the darker side. 

I did this and over time I noticed a slight lack of midbass punch and openess in the lower midrange. The resolution overall and stereo imaging is a little bit better when mounted on top of the USbridge though. 

 

I'm actually back to having the DigiOne Signature and the USbridge as single streamers and I think I'm happy with that. Gonna try it for a couple of weeks and see if I miss the DigiOne Signature mounted on top of the USbridge. 

Personally I like a sound balance that has focus on stuff in the lower midrange, I loose interest over time when stuff gets a little bit on the analytical side. This may differ of course with others preferences, just wanted to say some words about my discovery. 

[Cundis]

29 minutes ago, zacho said:

Hmm interesting. This will definitely be something to consider before make any purchase. I too fancy a bit of midbass punch. Have you tried playing with different DC cables? or Spdif cables?

Yes a little bit. I have found my way with Nordost Heimdall 2 on the signal and digital side, and a DIY cable on the DC side. Nordost tends to be very clear, so they will not make the sound darker. But I have also tried with other spdif cables and didn't get the impression that it changed alot in the way of how the sound is balanced towards analytical vs more darker sound. 

 

I will try this for a while now and post my listening impressions when I get a  clearer picture of everything. 

 

[Cundis]

42 minutes ago, suzywong said:

Are you sure it's not your DAC? Last year I changed from: RPi3B+DigiOneSig->Musical Fidelity V-DAC2+VPSU

to: RPi3B+DigiOneSig->Naim DAC+XPS, and thought that the sound got a lot "darker" (if that's the right term) - at first, I wasn't sure I liked it.  However the other benefits of the nDAC over the MF were very apparent.

I'm pretty sure it's not my dac. I've been using this, a Wadia di122 for some time now. I also have an integrated dac in my Hegel H300 which I use occasionally, but the Wadia is my main dac. All listening impressions is based on the Wadia. 

 

I don't know why the sound has more bass impact and is slightly darker when the Digione Signature board is mounted in its old casing, the transparent one. Maybe @allo.com have some thoughts on this. It might be slightly more noisy maybe, as they have worked a lot on that as I understand on the USbridge. The slightly more noise may or may not give the impression of somewhat darker sound, but it shouldn't affect the bass impact imo. 

 

I'll run it like this for some time now and see how it goes. 

 

[Cundis]

Yes same inputs.

 

This is very strange. Maybe the differences in our systems favors some of the frequency spectrums differently. Also sometimes when people are discussing different hifi equipment they can't agree. Maybe it has to with how that equipment is interacting with each single component in the system. 

 

When I mounted the Digione Signature back in its original case the sound balance smacked into place as I was used to before I bought the USbridge. 

 

Maybe this is because my Elac speakers are very revealing in the upper frequencies, or maybe it is because my Hegel H300 also is that. Probably a combination of everything in my setup. 

[Cundis]

I've read all your posts about my findings and thoughts, I'll reply as soon as I have some spare time! 

[Cundis]

The differences with and without Digione / USbridge Sig is more of that mastertape feeling. Getting closer to the music, deeper into the recording sessions. A bigger and deeper stereo image is also what I gain with Digione or USbridge. 

 

When it comes to the Elac speakers I think they are somewhat laidback in the frequency balance, but, and this is a big but, the resolution of the Jet V folded ribbon tweeter is very high and reveals everything of what is recorded. So that's why I call them very revealing.

I too am a fan of Focal @Mycenius, so my comparison goes towards them. I've had JM lab Electra 936 speakers for almost 20 years and love the dynamics, especially in the midrange. I miss those midrange drivers alot, while the old tweeters in 936 could be somewhat hard on the ears sometimes. I also had the Electra SW900 subwoofer, and it was a system I liked alot. Except for the tweeter qualities I mentioned.

 

As some of you here have said, the Elac's focus is on the lower midrange, so they fit my taste. They also balance good against the Hegel H300 which is more revealing than laidback. The Wadia dac is smooth with very good resolution. It's actually a little bit brighter than the integrated dac in the Hegel H300, but it does sound smooth at the same time. I like it a lot better than my old Primare DAC 30. 

 

I think the reason why I get the result I get with more bass impact and slightly darker sound from the Digione vs USbridge has to do with how everything interacts in my system. But I like the Digione Sig mounted on top of USbridge a lot too, don't get me wrong. It has somewhat better resolution from mid midrange and up imo, and is maybe a little bit more silent.

Now I'm in the process of weighing pros against cons, so there is no final conclusion yet on this subject. 

[Cundis]

2 hours ago, Mycenius said:

  

Nice (re: Electra's - although IIRC they are the ones pre-beryllium tweeters, and possibly pre-"W"-cone drivers too - the beryllium will completely change your opinion - nothing, and I mean nothing, compares).

Yes they are pre beryllium, called tioxid tweeters. And they are a little bit hard sounding, and doesn't have the best resolution. The rest of the drivers however are "W" - cone. I absolutely love that material. Never heard more realistic midrange. 

One day I might end up with newer Electra's who have beryllium tweeter. I really miss those "W" - cone drivers. 

[Cundis]

I have a Hegel HD12 dac which requires driver for anything above 96 kHz and for playing DSD. Is there a solution for this with either dietpi or ropieee? For now I'm blocked for everything above 96 kHz. 

[Cundis]

@allo.com will the USbridge Signature ever be compatible with Topping D90 MQA? 

 

This is the second dac i have that have compatibility issues with it. Starting to loose my interest and will look into buying another streamer if there won't be solutions available. 

[Cundis]

1 hour ago, allo.com said:

Hello Cundis

 

  please note that D90 is not Linux compatible. Its not a question of streamer but a question of software on DAC side.

Thank you for your reply. I didn't know.

 

A good thing that Digione Signature works with all dacs I've tried at least. 

[Cundis]

Yes, the Digione Signature is limited. I have to use usb out from Mac to get higher sample rates, dsd and mqa.

[Cundis]

@allo.comNow I've read that D90 mqa works with Sonore microrendu which also is linux based? I'm really trying to understand how?

[Cundis]

On 11/18/2020 at 3:10 PM, allo.com said:

D90 is not Linux compatible , it has a patch that may or may not work depending on Linux kernel.

 

 

Thank you for your reply. 

 

I've kind settled into using usb out from Mac Mini as this sounds very good on the D90. I guess the xmos chip contributes to this. 

[Cundis]

On 11/20/2020 at 10:16 AM, allo.com said:

What OS you are using > Some OS have d90 patch

I'm using ropieee, latest version. Tried dietpi too but no luck. I don't think it was the latest. 

 

It is the mqa version I have.