Examples of Raspberry dac's that would be comparable to a Touch analog out

[mlsstl]

I have two Raspberry Pi 3+ boards. One has a HiFiBerry standard DAC on it which is very good -- much better in fact than it has a right to be. I could easily live with it as my only player. I find it better than the analog outputs of my Touch.

The other RPi has a Digi+ Pro HAT on it that outputs into my Bel Canto C5i's DAC. It is also excellent.

I use the HiFiBerry OS (operating system) on both RPis. It is also an excellent choice if you don't want to use the RPi as anything other than a player.

[bencat]

I have over five Raspberry Pi based units most with Digi Hats feeding a digital signal in to the system DAC . I also have a Justboom Amphat powering speakers in the Kitchen . I have a SBT but it is currently unused in the large chest i use to keep all my excess wires and equipment.

All the Digihats I have tested HiFiBerry , JustBoom , Allo Digione offer a much better sound quality through the DAC,s in the various system I use which is not surprising as in each case the DAC is over three times the cost of the SBT . I would say that the AlloDigione when used with the Shanti power supply is by far the best digital source i have used to date and is the one I would reccomend.

Using DAC boards the Khardas Toneboard is the best audio quality i have heard as a pure Pi and DAC combination and this offers in my view much better sound quality than a SBT on its own . I have not used any other hat DAC,s as listed above but I would say that all of the items offered by Allo Audio seem to be made and designed with sound quality as the main objective so any DAC Hat they make is likely to to sound excellent and would be at least the equal of an SBT if not better.

[doggod]

I have over five Raspberry Pi based units most with Digi Hats feeding a digital signal in to the system DAC . I also have a Justboom Amphat powering speakers in the Kitchen . I have a SBT but it is currently unused in the large chest i use to keep all my excess wires and equipment.

All the Digihats I have tested HiFiBerry , JustBoom , Allo Digione offer a much better sound quality through the DAC,s in the various system I use which is not surprising as in each case the DAC is over three times the cost of the SBT . I would say that the AlloDigione when used with the Shanti power supply is by far the best digital source i have used to date and is the one I would reccomend.

Using DAC boards the Khardas Toneboard is the best audio quality i have heard as a pure Pi and DAC combination and this offers in my view much better sound quality than a SBT on its own . I have not used any other hat DAC,s as listed above but I would say that all of the items offered by Allo Audio seem to be made and designed with sound quality as the main objective so any DAC Hat they make is likely to to sound excellent and would be at least the equal of an SBT if not better.

Have missed this input in the flow ... :-/ this was a really interesting read. Thanks for input! :-)

Seems like you've done lots of comparasion? Do you have any preferences feeding your DAC? (optical or coax?) Also regarding your kitchen setup; been thinking about these "AMP HATS" that exist. Could be really interesting solution in different setups. Would love to hear more specific what speakers you're driving with that Amp Hat? I can google for specs myself naturally if you have brand & model. Otherwise if you know power, sensitivity, impedance maybe?

[doggod]

Ok so think I should add my own experience now when I've had some time for some listening tests. Ended up with as a test buying an AUDIOPHONICS I-Sabre LTE DAC ES9023 HAT.

And my most subjective conclusion is that it's better than a Touch but the differences are small. Sometimes with a different song I liked the Touch performance better but as a whole, yes the Rpi combo is better.

To sum it up and as help for anyone else reading; would agree completely with what "zordaz" wrote : >

"I did a blind listening test with a RPI2+Hifiberry DAC+ and my SB Touch a few years ago and could't hear the difference.
IMHO all RPI add-on boards from established brands are fine. Let your choice therefore depend on compatibility and support. "

[fphredd]

I bought an Allo Boss with the hope of replacing my Touch in my main stereo as I could also then run video (concerts) through it as well. My wife and I both instantly agreed (surprisingly, based on expectations, tbh) that the Touch sounded better. Videos go through the Allo, FLAC still through the Touch. My endless search for a used DAC is well, endless, at which point I'll retire (relocate) the Touch.

[waldo]

To sum it up and as help for anyone else reading; would agree completely with what "zordaz" wrote : >

"I did a blind listening test with a RPI2+Hifiberry DAC+ and my SB Touch a few years ago and could't hear the difference.
IMHO all RPI add-on boards from established brands are fine. Let your choice therefore depend on compatibility and support. "

+1 I've compared to IQaudio DAC+ and Khadas Toneboard, cannot tell the difference with SB Touch

Don't discard age factor since I'm over 50

[Paul Webster]

Don't discard age factor since I'm over 50

I suspect that is a common factor here on the forum.
There may well be some youngsters here below 40 but I suspect not many.

[pkfox]

Here previous owner of a SB Touch. Couple of years ago made the jump to Raspi2 (running both LMS server and player) + IQAudio Pi DAC+ (unbalanced RCA).
Could not tell the difference between both DACs.
Take into account I'm +50 and much as I enjoy my amp (Nad C352) + loudspeakers (AE Evo1) for their "musicality", I know "detail" is not the best.

I'll probably get rid of the Pi2 + IQaudio now because I need a Raspi4 and don't dare to put a HAT on that. Will be using a Khadas Tone Board (USB DAC instead).

Why wouldn't you put a hat on a pi 4 ?

[waldo]

Why wouldn't you put a hat on a pi 4 ?

Because a Pi4 is terribly hot compared to previous models. I ended up with the Flirc case, which is both a case + heat dissipator and am very happy I did so.
I believe that using a HAT would mean, at least, the raspi processor slowing down to avoid heat damage (and for similar performance, then I'd rather use a Raspi 3)

[pkfox]

Because a Pi4 is terribly hot compared to previous models. I ended up with the Flirc case, which is both a case + heat dissipator and am very happy I did so.
I believe that using a HAT would mean, at least, the raspi processor slowing down to avoid heat damage (and for similar performance, then I'd rather use a Raspi 3)

I think the Pi group have lost their way a bit - removing the full size HDMI for one and adding two minis was a mistake in my book. Who will want to run a dual monitor setup on a pi ? and yes I agree they run a lot hotter than the other models. I've used a 3b+ as my LMS server and player for years now without any problems. I'd be interested to know how you use a Khados tone bar as I would like to try using another SBC ( FriendlyElec Nanopim4 v2) as a server and player and as none of the pi DAC hats will work on them maybe a Khados is the answer. My motive for using it is you can fit a NVME M2 SSD drive via a hat and that would enable me to get rid of my external USB drive and reduce the clutter of wires. Does the Khados simply plug into a USB port ?