nbpf Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Has anybody compared the new USBridge Sig to a standard RPi3 (or RPi4) as a host system for the DigiOne Signature? Are there obvious advantages/disadvantages using an USBridge Sig instead of a RPi? Thanks, nbpf Link to comment
nbpf Posted October 12, 2019 Author Share Posted October 12, 2019 Let me make a first attempt at answering my question: with an RPi I can * switch off the internal audio (dtparam=audio=off in /boot/config.txt) * turn off bluetooth (dtoverlay=pi3-disable-bt in /boot/config.txt) * disable HDMI (sudo /opt/vc/bin/tvservice --off in /etc/rc.local) * switch off the USB bus (with echo '1-1' | sudo tee /sys/bus/usb/drivers/usb/unbind) This brings down the energy consumption of the RPi to about 200 mA. Would I be able to do the same with the USB Sig? Do you see any other potential disadvantages of the USB Sig against the RPi as an host for a DigiOne Signature? Link to comment
franz159 Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 On 10/11/2019 at 7:52 AM, nbpf said: Has anybody compared the new USBridge Sig to a standard RPi3 (or RPi4) as a host system for the DigiOne Signature? Are there obvious advantages/disadvantages using an USBridge Sig instead of a RPi? Thanks, nbpf According to what posted here Allo team /cdsgames) mentioned on diyaudio forum that there would be very little difference (aka advantage) in running a DigiOne signature with USBridge vs running it with a standard raspberry. On the other hand it would be certainly nice to have both a UBS optimised and a Coaxial optimised output signal in the same device... Link to comment
nbpf Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 11 hours ago, franz159 said: According to what posted here Allo team /cdsgames) mentioned on diyaudio forum that there would be very little difference (aka advantage) in running a DigiOne signature with USBridge vs running it with a standard raspberry. On the other hand it would be certainly nice to have both a UBS optimised and a Coaxial optimised output signal in the same device... ... sure and the USBridge Sig + DigiOne Signature could be hosted in a nice enclosure. Still, I am not sure whether one would be able to turn off bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, HDMI, etc. as with the RPi. Also, would one need to add both DigiOne Signature cards to the USBridge Sig or just the top one? As usual, Allo's documentation is very incomplete ... Link to comment
Tintinabulum Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 You'd just put the Digione Sig on top. The Pi used is supposed to be better for Audio that the 3 or 4. You have the option of USB or SPDIF with optimised boards. It should and no doubt will sound very good. Link to comment
nbpf Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 38 minutes ago, Tintinabulum said: You'd just put the Digione Sig on top. The Pi used is supposed to be better for Audio that the 3 or 4. You have the option of USB or SPDIF with optimised boards. It should and no doubt will sound very good. Right but the DigiOne Signature consists of two boards: the main board and the child board. I would expect that only the main board needs to be mounted on the top of the USBridge Sig but perhaps I am wrong. Anyway, I'll wait for Allo to clarify and perhaps until then we will know more from USBridge Sig users. Link to comment
uniquesnowflake Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 1 hour ago, nbpf said: Right but the DigiOne Signature consists of two boards: the main board and the child board. I would expect that only the main board needs to be mounted on the top of the USBridge Sig but perhaps I am wrong. Anyway, I'll wait for Allo to clarify and perhaps until then we will know more from USBridge Sig users. IIRC the child board houses the WM8805 chip that converts the i2s to SPDIF. If that’s the case then it is mandatory. The USBridge does not have onboard WiFi or BT to begin with, so that’s a plus for those of us who prefer wired connection. Link to comment
nbpf Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 7 minutes ago, uniquesnowflake said: IIRC the child board houses the WM8805 chip that converts the i2s to SPDIF. If that’s the case then it is mandatory. The USBridge does not have onboard WiFi or BT to begin with, so that’s a plus for those of us who prefer wired connection. Right, thanks for pointing out the lack of onboard WiFi, I hadn't noticed it! This is definitely a deal breaker for me as I typically stream over WiFi and I shut down the USB bus on the RPi that hosts my DigiOne Signature. Too bad, I would have liked to try out the USBridge Sig ... Link to comment
wanta911 Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 20 hours ago, nbpf said: * switch off the internal audio (dtparam=audio=off in /boot/config.txt) * turn off bluetooth (dtoverlay=pi3-disable-bt in /boot/config.txt) * disable HDMI (sudo /opt/vc/bin/tvservice --off in /etc/rc.local) * switch off the USB bus (with echo '1-1' | sudo tee /sys/bus/usb/drivers/usb/unbind) This brings down the energy consumption of the RPi to about 200 mA. Would I be able to do the same with the USB Sig? Do you see any other potential disadvantages of the USB Sig against the RPi as an host for a DigiOne Signature? Interesting.....does this make a difference in SQ? Link to comment
nbpf Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 1 minute ago, wanta911 said: Interesting.....does this make a difference in SQ? Not to my ears but I have a rather poor hearing and I find it very difficult to test system configuration options in terms of sound quality. But the low energy consumption makes it possible to power the RPi side with an high quality low power PSU. wanta911 1 Link to comment
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