Must admit I really like the utilite… It is a perfect solution as audiophile music player, it comes in a really nice and elegant form factor, has all the connectivity we need (S/PDIF, USB, Analog) and comes with a powerful integrated wi-fi. On top of that, is really powerful.
Trust me guys if I say that with Volumio on it, Nirvana is here to stay!
What’s your experience with the S/PDIF vs USB audio? Similar sound quality with no pops and cracks? How about USB on more powerful devices such as this and the Cubox vs RPi?
Currently using a RPi with a USB dac, but I think that in time I will get either a Hifiberry or similar to the Pi or upgrading to a more powerful device. This one is a lot more expensive, but still reasonable and certainly looks nice!
I can tell you that I tend to prefer a good USB transport in front of S/PDIF connection.
I must tell that The pi with an i2s DAC is really impressive for the cost. Really.
I can tell you also that there is a huge difference from the pi to the other platform. They are faster, better working, more … complete… That’s the feeling I have.
If I were you, I’ll buy an i2s DAC anyway, they are cheap enough to be buyed without worries. Then I will think on another device, the best that suits your needs. I would reccommend the utilite or the new cubox-i if you need something boxed, or UDOO if you’re into DIY…
What i2s DAC(s) have you tried? The HiFiBerry looks good, although in my main setup I would need to get the “Digi” one because I use my DAC as a fully digital preamp, so I don’t want analog outputs. Do you think that would be an improvement over async USB?
I thought of getting a Cubox, but in the end I went for a Pi first, mainly because of the community, there’s so much going on for the Pi. Postage was slow and then a guy was selling one quite cheap in my area, so I got that one and now I have two. For the moment one for Volumio and one running Xbian.
For the moment one for Volumio and one running Xbian.