Article: Allo USBridge Sig Review

[Gavin1977]

Great review!  How did you power the txUSBultra - HDplex?      Does the USB signature have the same timing and clarity you get from the txUSBultra when attached to your server?

[Gavin1977]

My USBridge sig arrives today - I went for the eMMC version as this frees up the SDcard slot.  I'm wondering if payback direct from SDcard is possible and if it also sound better than a network source.  I look forward to testing!

[Gavin1977]

12 minutes ago, Richard Dale said:

Does the eMMC version sound any better than the SD card version. Are the any advantages with having the OS run off eMMC?

I don't know - but I intend to find out over the weekend!

 

eMMC should be lower latency as it's located on the Raspberry Pi compute module.

[Gavin1977]

Received my USB signature over the weekend - in my case there where no issues in getting it up and running and I must admit that I really like the Moode software!  I need some more time before I do sound comparisons, but it sounds great so far 🙂

 

The eMMC module is indeed external - I should have spotted this from the photos on Allo’s website. I think it’s potentially prone to damage so...

 

@Allo

 

Anything stopping me replacing the existing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 for one which includes the 32GB eMMC?

 

Will the SDcard slot still work in parallel with the onboard eMMC afterwards?

[Gavin1977]

Further feedback - the USB signature is very good indeed, but it is lean in presentation compared to my DNHE NUC, Euphony and tX-USBultra digital frontend.  Both comparisions where made feeding my Naim DAC V1 -> Ncore monoblocks.  I don't really have anything to pull up on the USB Signature, it's a great product, and it is perhaps just that my sound perference is more to the warm side.

 

To give people a feel on presentation - Euphony to me sounds like as PS Audio Directstream, whereas the Allo USB SIgnature sounds like a Benchmark DAC.  i.e. both very very good, just different presentations.

 

Any ideas on adding some warmth?  What is the output impedance of the Allo USB sig?  Would it benefit from a higher quality preamp?  Or would a different DAC work (e.g. PS Audio).  Also I wonder if slight adustments to the frequency response might work as Moode has an integral parametric equalizer - any ideas on what slight adjustments might provide some warmth?

 

Euphony market their sounds as 'warmth and depth of the vinyl era' and I would probably agree when compared to Moode on the USB Signature - however I'm sure some tweaks can be made to level the field and adjust to peoples preference.

[Gavin1977]

10 hours ago, zackthedog said:

 

I think your assessment is probably about right, at least from a raw playback POV.  I don't know that different associated equipment is going to change that too much.  Have you tried squeezelite on the USB Sig?  It tends to have a bigger, warmer sound.  Also, have you tried Audirvana with it?  It imparts a fuller, more relaxed feel to the USB Sig than using Moode as a standalone player.  You need to activate the UPnP renderer to do that.  I don't know how Euphony gets the sound they get, but it's not typical of the "straight" MPD sound, they definitely warm it up somehow.

Thanks - useful feedback - Audirvana also allows the use of audio units - I'll give it a try.

 

ickStream plugin is no longer available in LMS, and the bulk of my listening is through Tidal so Squeezelite is a no go for me.

 

I agree with you that Euphony definately warm it up somehow, and it's not the straight MPD sound.  Moode sounds very similar to Audiolinux IMO, which should come as no supprise given their foundation.  I'd love to know what Euphony have done in their playback engine to get their warm / spacious sound.

[Gavin1977]

1 minute ago, allo.com said:

Dear Gavin

 

  USbridge Sig is just hardware outputting digital signal . We concentrated on reducing any noise on the hardware bus.

 

As such USbridge does not have a sound signature . I think that you are referring more to the combination of software that might change how you perceive sound .

 

 Yes you can play with any EQ and try finding a sound thats more to your liking , its all in software .

Since I used the same DAC for my comparision it must be software related - so I completely agree with you.  Euphony Audio only works on x86, so I will try different software as discussed - otherwise a hardware change (e.g. different DAC or tube buffer) could be used to the same effect.

 

Any thoughts on my other questions:

 

Anything stopping me replacing the existing Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 for one which includes the 32GB eMMC?

 

Will the SDcard slot still work in parallel with the onboard eMMC afterwards?

[Gavin1977]

22 minutes ago, 4est said:

I do not see it listed, but does the USBridge Sig come included with a Pi

Yes the Pi Compute board is included

[Gavin1977]

9 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

Thanks Gavin for the tips, I'm gonna follow these instructions here

 

https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/96032/how-do-i-flash-install-raspbian-on-raspberry-pi-compute-module-3-3

 

That carrier board is so cheap and I'll pay about 25 bucks to get it on December 12th

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=608019251388

 

Also available here

 

https://www.waveshare.com/compute-module-poe-board.htm

http://www.waveshare.net/wiki/Compute_Module_PoE_Board

 

32GB for 40 dollars with free shipping, what a bargain

 

https://hk.element14.com/raspberry-pi/cm3-32gb/raspberry-pi-compute-module-3/dp/2989464

Exactly my plan - although I did wonder if the USBsig could be used by itself as the I/O board .  I/O board is only £20 in the U.K. though so it might be easier / convenient 

[Gavin1977]

On 12/5/2019 at 5:30 AM, clipper said:

This made me curious since I go way back with LMS, even though I don't really use it much now.

 

Anyway, it looks like ickStream was discontinued (as you said), but the LMS TIdal app works ok.  You have to set it up at mysqueezebox.com and input your Tidal credentials (account settings tab).  Then you have to enable it and set it to display on your player's home menu (player settings tab).  I'm listening to it now that way (with squeezelite running on the USBridge Signature) and it sounds good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For your player:

 

Well there you go - it works!

[Gavin1977]

Good news in that accessing the eMMC/microSD works perfectly fine using a Samsung SD Card adaptor - many forums state that these only work with microSD cards and that you'll need something like a dedicated Transend card reader for it to work propertly.  No problems here.

 

Further comparisions to follow - I've been delayed because running two streamers on the same network is a pest and I've had all sorts of uPNP conflicts as a result.

 

[Gavin1977]

On 11/30/2019 at 4:07 PM, franz159 said:

I have been using Moode for many years now. As of late, after the issues with Qobuz streaming, I'm back using more and more the Squeezelite Renderer in Moode.

For the server part, I use Logitech Media Server (LMS) installed on another raspberry on my LAN.

As a control point, to select and play music,  I  heartily recommend this free, simple but effective skin for LMS called "LMS Material", which can be installed directly in the list of LMS plugins.

In this way you have a simple and very easy to use unique interface for all your local music and streaming sources such as Spotify, Tidal. Qobuz, Deezer, Bandcamp...

If you are using Squeezelite, this applies directly to the USBridge Signature as well.

I have "pinned" my preferred Apps in the home screen, so that I really have everything at my fingertips!

Please see below a few screenshots of the desktop interface (but it is responsive and scales down automatically on smartphone):
 

Homepage

 

Qobuz New Releases

 

Tidal Moods

 

Spotify Artists

 

Dezeer Genres

 

Bandcamp

 

My Music Albums

 

Now Playing

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CDrummond/lms-material/master/public.xml

 

Doesn't work for me - just type it in the plugins box and press enter?

[Gavin1977]

Amazing - Thanks Bob.  I especially like the link to the "fit Headless" HDMI adaptor, brilliant!  I'm still progressing with my evaluation and intend to post up further feedback when I have chance.

[Gavin1977]

1 hour ago, Richard Dale said:

I paid 3.49 euros for a year's subscription.

As soon as they add in streaming services then I'm in!

[Gavin1977]

13 hours ago, Richard Dale said:

Rigelian is an MPD client and so it isn't its job to implement streaming services. That would be done by the server end software running MPD, such as moOde.

It's on their to do list on their website

[Gavin1977]

Sorry - I've since moved onto other solutions.  eMMC should be more robust/reliable.  I'm not sure there will be any audible benefit between the two options, if the OS is loaded into memory then access latency isn't much of an issue.