VolumIO with a "PiFi" PCM5122 Hifi Dac Audio Sound Card Module I2S+Led Indicator

Help and Support
1

While waiting for the IQAudio Pi-DAC Pro to become available, I treated myself to a “PiFi” PCM5122 DAC Hat from Aliexpress PCM5122 Hifi Dac Audio Sound Card Module I2S+Led Indicator for Raspberry Pi 3B/2B|Demo Board Accessories| - AliExpress

It arrived today and I plugged it into my RPi 2B and was pleasantly surprised that it seemed to configure itself in VolumIO as a HiFiBerry AMP2 and seems to work well. It sounds a lot better than the RPi on-board 3.5mm output Jack but I don’t have a IQAudio or HiFiBerry Card (yet) to do a comparison. On a subjective comparison, it makes the on-board output Highs sound like sandpaper on the percussion sounds and there is no audible sibilance that my aging ears can detect. The output level is higher than the on-board output and better matches the input on my Amplifier.

Some Questions:

  1. Is HiFiBerry AMP2 the correct I2S setting for this device? If not, which should I use?
  2. Does anybody else use this DAC and can you share experience please
  3. The Card has an on-board IR receiver. Is there a way to use this? … and is it worth the bother?

Happy Easter, Robin

2

Since my original post, I have found that the correct I2S setting for this device is the HiFiBerry DAC Plus which incedentally is the same Driver as is used bt the HiFiBerry AMP2.

I also found these reviews:
Review and Measurements of PiFi DAC+ Pi Sound Card | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum and IQaudio Pi-DAC Pro Streamer DAC | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum for the IQAudIO PI DAC Pro which suggests that the performance of the two devices is almost identical.

It also seems from this review Review and Measurements of HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum of the HiFiBerry DAC + Pro which boasts Dual Crystal Clocks that there is a measurable inprovement in THD (0.002739% v 0.005257%) and SINAD (7db better at -92db).

Does anybody have a view on the audibility of the difference? - R