Raspberry Pi with Allo Boss I2S DAC v1.2 (The Last Piece of Pi, I promise) By Steve Graham In the previous Raspberry Pi installment Raspberry Pi Postscript: S/PDIF Vs. USB Sound Comparison, I pitted a Pi with S/PDIF-out HAT board against another Pi employing USB out. The short version of the tale was that I came away underwhelmed by the USB connection. My plan had been to employ an underutilized, USB-connected, Meridian Explorer 2 DAC in my workshop music system. With that scenario falling flat, a Plan B was needed. Plan B: Equip a Raspberry Pi with a D to A converter HAT. For about $87 CDN ($65 US) I bought an Allo Boss DAC I2S v1.2. It’s not exactly an entry level-priced DAC HAT, but it’s not the most expensive either. I also splurged a bit on an acrylic case, $19 CDN ($15 US), and Allo’s $15 CDN ($10 US) audio-specific power supply. The supply is touted as, “made to specifications guaranteeing the lowest ripple and noise possible.” The Boss has a couple of tricks up its sleeve that sets it apart from less sophisticated DAC HATs. Firstly, it allows for individual powering of the Pi and HAT boards. [...]
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