I’ve been setup and working for a year now using Pi 3, 16gb SD, Hitachi external HD source, Allo Boss DAC, Kenwood Receiver, currently on Volumio 2.444. The system gets light use - a few hours of every couple weeks.
A few weeks ago we found the audio restricted. Normally an audio setting of 30 is fine for easy listening, but it was very low and under powered. If we increase the volume up to say 70 there is a loud pop through the speakers and audio is better - but then goes back down. The receiver works fine with other audio sources. I tried another power supply for the pi and saw an improvement - so I ordered a new one, but the problem re-occured a couple days later. I also reseated the audio cables to the DAC when I plugged in the new power supply on the test. Repeating this currently doesn’t produce an improvement.
Could the Boss DAC have a technical problem causing this? I can plug things together, but don’t know much about circuit boards. If you have a diagnostic suggestion in that area, please be very specific so I can benefit from your suggestion.
Thank you for your time.