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I’ve been contacted by Ioan and Andre from Allo almost one year ago, and on our conversations it appeared that they were working on something quite innovative. They didn’t disclose so many details until Andre released this somehow cryptic post. Then of course curiosity startet to rise, both for me and the community…
Last week I finally received their package, filled with Allo’s range of product: a new single board computer called Sparky, a pair of DACs, Amplifiers, Power supplies and a misterious board.
We’ll cover in next articles all those products, let’s now focus on the last, strange item… The KALI I2S Reclocker.

What is a I2S Reclocker

In the digital Audio Domain, the accuracy of Clock is very important and it will greatly affect reproduction quality. To put in simple terms, a better Crystal Clock means better sound.
Things like sound details, instrumental separation, 3d image are hugely impacted by Jitter, and Clock directly impacts jitter. Most of the I2S DACs currently used with Volumio either feature a Master Clock integrated in the DAC, or an external Crystal. So, even if we use  I2S (the best audio connection) we are in a jitter-prone situation, especially when the clock is integrated in the DAC.

An I2S reclocker, and Kali is the first of its kind (at least for what I’m concerned), basically takes the I2S Audio signal and reclocks it , and sends this jitter-free signal to the DAC connected via I2S. In simple terms, reclocker makes sure (in the nanoseconds domain) that every bit of your track is played exactly at the moment it’s meant to.

Sound quality impacts of Kali I2S Reclocker

You might find all the above just a tedious explanation, when what really matters is what gets to your hears, right? Here’s my experience with it:

I was intrigued by this strange board, so I quickly read how to use it, I placed on top of my PI3 and attached the Collybia Mamboberry LS DAC+. Then fed the whole thing with Allo’s 5V PSU, enabled the DAC and started listening.

I was stunned, blown away like I never was before. And trust me, I’ve heard a lot of things. The immediate perception was that I was getting every fine detail out of my music. Mere example: on a guitar riff I could hear exactly guitair picks, and spot where a particular chord would stop and when the other would start. Or hear the singer taking its breath just before starting to sing. And this was just with my modest Headphone setup attached directly to the DAC ( Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, a less than ideal situation). When I tried the setup on my main system (also with the Piano DAC) I just confirmed my initial wonder. Also I could appreciate better the sound stage, at an unprecedented level.

I am not comfortable making this kind of enthusiastic statements, since I always try to be as objective as I can be. But this time I really mean it: the Kali I2S Recklocker is truly a gamechanger.

So, welcome Kali (the Indian goddes of Time), probably the most clever piece of equipment you can get for your Volumio powered PI. Why? For a reasonable price this little board will feed jitter-free music into your I2S DAC, resulting in a noticeable sound quality improvement. Not only that, power Kali with a 5V power supply, and it will directly feed clean Power both to the PI and your DAC.

And the good news is that it should theoretically work with any I2S DAC that uses Hifiberry DAC parameters, I am now doing compatibility tests with all the DACs I have (refer to the product page to see if yours is listed).

Unfortunately nor Hifiberry DAC Plus and IQ-AudIo PI-DAC+ work with the Kali (a driver issue), but we’re actively working to find a workaround. If you’re however curious to try the Kali, why not getting the Piano DAC or Collybia Mamboberry LS DAC+ as well?

Kali + Mamboberry LS

Kali + Piano DAC, the Allo Combo

To sum things up:

– It’s truly a gamechanger! The first time I listened to it, I was simply stunned (and this doesn’t happen that often…)
– Sound improvement is really noticeable: 3d image, details, instrumental separation are vastly better
– It works with virtually any i2s DAC you might have (tested with Mamboberry and DACs using Hifiberry DAC setting, to be tested with IQ Audio DAC+), refer to Compatibility section to know if your DAC has been tested with Kali
– With the Piano HiFi DAC, it makes a great bang\buck combo!
– With a single 5V Power supply, you will power the PI (or any compatible SBC) , the Kali and your I2S DAC. If you don’t have any, you can use Allo Power Supply

Available now from Volumio Shop

And yes, you can get the Kali I2S Reclocker on our Shop, together with other Allo’s products:

• Allo Kali I2S Reclocker
• Allo Piano HIFI DAC
• Allo 5V 3A PSU

I definetely thank Allo for bringing such a vent of fresh air into the Audiophile world, and I really think they are a great company (more of their products coming soon, you won’t be disappointed.

Be the first to review it and get it for free

Yes, you got it right. Get your Kali, then write a review on the product page sharing your experience, and if you’re one of the first 2 people doing it, you’ll get your Kali refunded!!!

I truly believe this is an amazing little thing, and I am really looking forward to see what your experience is as well!!!

The post Allo Kali I2S Reclocker: a true gamechanger appeared first on Volumio.

This is a quick showcase of the best creations of  Raspberry Pi audio player projects with Volumio. I feel really proud that Volumio is powering lots of brilliant Audio Players Projects, made by equally outstanding music lovers around the world. I stumbled on some, on Volumio’s Forum. Here are some carefully crafted creations, enjoy!

AN ELEGANT RASPBERRY PI AUDIO PLAYER

It looks as elegant as it could be, and it doesn’t really look a DIY Raspberry Pi audio player, but a more expensive one. Joni Ive would have made it this way, just with little more gradients

But then look at the interior, and you see how much care has put into this… Rectifier with ultrafast  diodes, linear  regulated power supply and Audiophonic’s ES9023 I2S DAC (For some infos visit the Raspberry Pi i2s DACs list..) Love it. Nothing more and nothing less the same Raspberry Pi audio player I will build …

Here’s the BOM:

• Raspberry Pi model B (Amazon)
• Inter-Tech Mini ITX Q-6 (Ebay)
• Audiophonics DAC Sabre ES9023 I2S (Audiophonics)
• 2x 7V 10VA Toroidal Trasformer
• Audiowind A-270 regulator

Kudos to Gerry_222 for his creation!!! You can see the project thread @ volumio.org/forum/volumio-project-t1522.html

BOOMBOX Raspberry Pi audio player

Simple, straight to the point. Gives a new life to an old appliance, just the way I adore. Look at it

Could you ever imagine it will feature this?

This interestin build is a brilliant work of Volumio community member Pondidum, I really encourage you to look at the Project’s forum thread @ https://volumio.org/forum/boombox-cassette-deck-replacement-t1420.html

A STEAMPUNK STYLE RASPBERRY PI AUDIO PLAYER WITH VOLUMIO

I’m a great fan of Steampunk. Love the baroccan way of building stuff this way. And this creation ranks 10\10 on my Nerdgasm scale. Period.
And didn’t mention I just crave for Tubes?

I just love it. Insanely! Kudos Oratius! You can find a detailed instructable on how to build this piece of art @ this Instructable Project Page

HI-END RASPBERRY PI AUDIO PLAYER AND STREAMER

For those of you with Fancy Audio Gear to showcase, here’s the proper companion to it. Not only the enclosure is a perfect example of “Overstatement”, but also the care that has been put into the PSU is considerable. Sure you saw something similar sold somewhere, for the price of a car.

Besides from its look. What I really approve is a dedicated power supply both for the Raspberry PI and the I2S connected S\PDIF transport.

The classy touch, for those who haven’t noticed, is a filtered IEC power connector. Digital Sources may benefit a lot with this addition, depending on your home’s power network and system. Unluckily its creator ptiboubou didn’t share so much about this on the Forum Thread. However, you may have spotted an Hifiberry-DIGI that will take care to stream music to an External DAC. The DIGI has its own power supply, even if it can be an overkill for just a trasport interface. Overall, nice creation indeed!

PORTABLE RASPBERRY PI AUDIO PLAYER

For those on a run, or those on a car (I’m both, really often) here’s a simple yet effective solution.

A Pi, Volumio, USB Thumb Drive, Wi-Fi dongle, a mobile phone battery pack  and your favourite headphones. Serve chilled. You can obtain even better result adding a i2s DAC which can drive adequately headphones. And live fast while enjoying all of your music’s nuances.

These was just examples, the one that got me more interested of the many published on Volumio’s Forum by its awesome community members. There are also technically clever projects showcased in that section, and we’ll have a look at them in another post. As of now, you have some ideas more on how to build an Amazing DIY Raspberry Pi Audio player with Volumio. Less bucks for more Rock.

How will you make your Raspberry Pi Audio Player with Volumio? Which of these projects you prefer? Join the discussion on the Forum or drop few lines via comments below!

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