The Pi Preamp V5

This is an evolving project and has things yet to be implemented. As it is working and I am too busy to finish it right now, I decided to throw it out there.

This is a high quality digital preamp with an Allo PCM5142 DAC that outputs 384kHz/32bit in 2.0 stereo mode and 192kHz/32bit in 2.1 or 2.2 stereo mode. The right and left signals then pass through a Music Fidelity tube stage. It runs as a streamer, it has free radio services and will play from various sources including your phone, device or NAS storage and runs music services from the console or remotely. You can control it and stream through it from a wired or wireless LAN or Bluetooth.

The system is set up to run 2 powered subwoofers straight out of the DAC and right and left channels are redirected through the tube stage. So you have right and left stereo analog outs and 2 line level subwoofer outputs. I have not tried to use the HDMI's for output, but I'm sure they would work although this would bypass the tube stage.

It sounds really good. I would say when set up properly, with quality input, it would rival most 1K preamps. It does however, not have analog inputs yet.

I will be installing a rotary encoder on the front and a buck converter to consolidate power handling. I will install a power switch and possibly look at alternatives for the cones as well as exploring the possibilities of adding analog inputs for a turntable or other analog source.

The top and front can be printed with the raised hex pattern in a second colour. There is an alternative top, front and cones for a different look. All of these parts take a long time to print but the sunken hex pattern on the alternatives takes a lot longer.
 

Non-printed parts:
- Raspberry Pi4B 4Gb Kit w/32Gb Micro SD card
- Allo Piano 2.1 DAC hat
- Musical Fidelity X-10D 6N11 Tube Buffer Pre-amplifier Board
- Pi4B extension board
- RCA female socket connectors
- LED

You will have to modify some RCA cables to go from the DAC to the X-10D board and then from the X-10D board to the backplane. Or you can permanently solder wires directly to the terminals and the boards or a combination that works for you.

Software I have used:
If you have a keyboard, mouse and monitor connected, you can run these from the Pi Preamp. You can access them from any browser or stream a service from your device to them. Both support my NAS music library and work well.

Volumio
https://volumio.com

MoOde
https://moodeaudio.org

Parts as of this post:

Raspberry Pi4B
https://amazon.com

Allo Piano 2.1 DAC
https://www.allo.com

Music Fidelity tube buffer board
https://amazon.com

Pi4B Extension board
https://amazon.com

RCA Female socket connectors
https://amazon.com

Yet to come:
- Buck converter
- Rotary encoder
- Power switch
- Analog inputs
 

I will post updates as they are completed and tested.

As this represents considerable time in development and testing,
I request that it not be used for commercial gain.

Your support is appreciated and donations can be made on Patreon:
patreon.com/madp3d

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Enjoy!