I was poking around the website this afternoon, looking at the different prebuild players and I noticed that they are all (in my opinion) outrageously expensive. Not saying there isn’t a good reason for that… I’m just wondering what makes the Rivo so different from one I could build myself for say $200 as opposed to >$1000. For reference, my setup is based on a rpi 4 with the IQaudio DAC Pro and the XLR daughter board. I get one extra XLR, 3 extra usb ports, an RCA port, and a hi-fi headphone jack and yet mine costs way less. Can someone explain the reasoning behind the high prices please? It’s out of curiosity more than anything.
I’ve been wondering the same thing. The developers seem a bit out of touch, in my opinion. I recently started using this platform, and while it’s definitely an improvement over MoOde in terms of UI, it still feels like a work-in-progress project that they’re trying to sell as “premium.” Spending $1000 on a device you could build for a fraction of the cost just doesn’t sit right with me. I’d love to know what sets their device apart from a DIY version. What makes theirs so special? Is it just price gouging for people who don’t know how to build their own? How much better sound quality would the average audiophile really notice? It just seems strange to me. Plus, having a premium paywall after dropping $1K is ridiculous.
The reasons that justify the value of Rivo are numerous.
First of all, the fact that you’re purchasing a ready-to-use streamer holds significant importance.
First and foremost, there’s the engineering work behind designing a digital signal path as clean as possible.
Filtering and isolation have been meticulously designed by employing multiple 1:1 OFC copper grain-oriented transformers, which guarantee the galvanic isolation of the digital outputs.
Staying technical, Rivo features a power supply separated for each section, with one dedicated to the internal clock that has its own stabilizer.
Before powering the circuits, a filtering section has been implemented, based on a chain of inductors and electrolytic capacitors with custom-developed cells.
All integral parts of Rivo, as a result, offer high performance and stability on their own, which together create a completely noise-reducing and reliable device.
As for the software, Rivo includes an onboard lifetime Premium license that covers all the features of our subscription (Tidal and Qobuz integration, multiroom, Roon ready, and many others).
I hope this provides a clear and complete overview of how Rivo is the product of meticulous technical work, design and distinctive Volumio Premium features.