Reply To: [Announce] New Max2Play Image for Raspberry Pi 4

14. Juli 2020 at 15:24 #49311

As indicated above i have replaced a Pi 4 4gb unit with a new Pi 4 8gb one. Expectation was just that this new unit would be a direct replacement and offer perhaps a little more speed and smoothnes in response . As indicated I use my Pi 4 8gb as a stand alone Music Server running Logitech Media Server and with a USB 2 TB Hard Drive connected to one of of the 3.0 USB inputs. I used the SD card that was previously set up for the old Pi 4 4gb and I was replacing the Pi 4 2gb unit which was acting as a short term replacement and which had also used the SD card as well .

using the Pi 4 2gb made no real difference except for a very small loss in speed and things were as i expected. However and i know there will be many who will doubt this and I am at a loss to explain it but the Pi 4 8gb sounds som much better than the other units . And I am not saying this lightly . I have been one who has been sceptical about the benefits of using expensive (sometimes very expensive) audio company streamer units made by the likes of Linn , Naim , Melos and others. Given what the unit had to do store and pass on digital files there seemed no way that they could influence sound quality .

Well I am now left not a little puzzled but very happy . The use of the Pi 4 8gb unit makes the sounds coming form all of my different systems sound better . Better bass , more natural vocals , better imaging and this is from a very lofi kitchen system using a Raspberry Pi 3 + a Justboom Amphat connected to Rodgers Wall speakers , to what I am listening to now which is a fully active system of Raspberry Pi 4 2gb plus a HiFiBerry Digi Pro+ feeding a MiniDSP DDRC 24HD acting as digital crossover , DAC and Pre amp then feeding two x Quad 405 power amplifiers into four (Stacked ) KEF 103 reference speakers one amp for each side . Inj each case and in all of my other systems by only changing the Music Server to a Pi 4 8gb they have become more nautral and detailed in a good way . This is using the Pi 4 8gb with a standard Raspberry pi PSU so no help there and it is just a straight swap of one for the other.

I have switched back to the Pi 2gb and the drop in quality is very noticable things become just less musical and a swithc back has my partner asking what have I changed . I am delighted with this gain but frankly I have no way of rationalising what is causing the increase in sound quality . All i can be sure of is in my system and with my music and my ears this is real . It may be something that is worht looking at if you are planning to start your own system and having either a standlaone Pi music server or a Player / Server set up . The Pi 4 8gb is more expensive but I for one think it is well worth the extra . Next thing is to make a cheap but quiet Linear Power Supply Unit for the Raspberry Pi 4 8gb and see if that pushed the sound quality a little further .