Upgrade from Pi3b+ / HifiBerry DAC+ to which DAC?

[efung]

Just a quick update. I got the Topping E30 and it all works fine! But if I'm really honest I can hardly tell a difference between the HifiBerry DAC+ and the Topping E30. I listened to all kinds of music on Tidal and also tried to test it by having the same songs play from Mac -> Topping E30 -> NAD receiver vs. Raspberry -> Hifiberry DAC+ -> NAD receiver and switching between the channels of the receiver. Sometimes I thought there's a more detailed and clear soundscape with the Topping E30 but then couldn't really say for sure. I think in a real blind-test I'd fail to tell which is which. Maybe my ears are too old by now or my setup is not good enough.

But anyway, that itch in the back of my head that I need this is gone now so all good :-)

I think you need a better audio amplifier and loudspeakers for audition if you are serious about sound quality. By the way HiFiBerry DAC+ is not as good as the BOSS.

I guess so. I've got KEF IQ9s on a NAD C 326 BEE. So there's room for an upgrade there but to be honest I'm happy like it sounds for. The good thing is I can connect my TV also to the Topping E30 now! :-)

But also I'd love to do see a well set up blind test of 100 or so audiophiles trying to distinguish a 10k DAC from an $8 Apple DAC.

Another suggestion is using low capacitance interconnect RCA cable. You can find BJC LC-1 in Amazon.

[hifinet]

I have used the HiFiBerry DAC Pro in the past, and the Allo Boss sounds significantly better. Especially the bass, blacker background and less distortion. The SMSL Sanskrit MkII is in another league from the Boss. The Boss sounds slightly "fuzzy" by comparison. Instrument placement in space and soundstage is much better defined with the SMSL. Each orchestral section has better definition. SINAD is not even close at 97 dB for the Boss and 114 dB for the SMSL. That's when I knew it was time to upgrade. I just got the SMSL a few days ago, with only a couple of listening sessions. It took less than 5 minutes to decide the SMSL was clearly better. The most distinctive difference is "fuzziness" of the Boss. The Boss may have better bass in my system. It's directly driving an Icepower 500ASP Class D amp, which has fairly low input impedence of around 8k . One of TIs advertising points of the PCM5122 is that it has a low output impedence of 1k. Not sure about the output impedence of the SMSL. I will listen to the SMSL for about a week, and then go back to the Boss. I'm with Hans B that it's better to take it slow, listen for a while, before switching back. Better than immediate A/B switches.

[hifinet]

IMO/FWIW

I've been listening to the SMSL for about 2 weeks. Highly recommend MPD 0.22~git (test), which is a major improvement in SQ. Also discovered, that when you are doing testing and making a lot of system changes (e.g. adding and removing the Linux Audio Adjustments), it's best to reflash Moode, and then set up the desired components. See below. I didn't need the USB fix after the reflash, as there were no pops without it. The SQ was significantly improved, so apparently Moode had become adulterated in some way. SQ now is the highest I have experienced in my system.

I went back to the Allo Boss with the system/setup in the signature below. SQ is really nice and it was very enjoyable. Compared to the SMSL, though, image and definition is not as sharply defined, bass is slightly bloated. IMO the SMSL is a very noticeable and worthwhile upgrade.

But, in the following ways, I prefer the I2S DAC, since it seems there is less to go wrong. There never was an issue with pops with Hifiberry or Boss. I needed to reflash Moode, because I couldn't get the USB DAC to connect after an in-place update to 6.7.0 . I also prefer the on screen volume control over the remote control volume of the SMSL USB DAC, which is flimsy and very directional. In the end, it's about sound quality, and that moves the SMSL ahead of the Boss.