Just wanted to say thank you for the great email support that NanoMesher has given during my installation process. The DAC is up and running with very smooth sounds.
My NanoSound DAC was from the first batch of its production. While the installation was rather straightforward (but not without hiccups), I am please with the result. Thought that I should document a few pointers I was given here:
I found the following page very useful on the hardware installation (particularly, for someone who intents to use a Linear PSU for the DAC independently) as I do:
http://nanomesher.com/nanosound-hardware-installation/
I first installed the NanoSound plug-in (as in the Software Installation support page) on Volumio 2.246. It ran as expected. However, after I had upgraded to Volumio 2.285, music stopped playing. The Mixer in Volumio UI also acted up. After a couple of emails back and forth with the customer support from NanoMesher who suggested the following changes, the NanoSound DAC has started to sing again:
A quote from one of the NanoMesher emails to change the NanoSound card from card 0 (as in 2.2.46) to card 1 (as in 2.285):
Edit /boot/config.txt, remove or comment the line
#dtparam=audio=on
then edit /etc/asound.conf
pcm.!default {
type hw card 0
} ctl.!default {
type hw card 0
}
Then do a reboot.
I hope NanoMesher will update it’s plug-in to take care of this issue soon.
The LED displays works for my own music files, but not for Spotify. Not sure if any future plug-in upgrade would take care of it as well.
Note: The volume from the 3.5 mm jack on board of the NanoSound DAC is just enough for 32-ohm headphones (and is on the weak side). I have just placed an order for a NanaSound Amp^2 for my headphones with higher impedance.
All in all, I like the sound coming out of the NanoSound DAC. To my ears, the extreme top appears to be tamed and controlled, behaving a bit like good sounding tubes. The mid and low are quite pleasing for the kind of music I listen to (Jazz and Classical). With a Linear PSU feeding the DAC, the noise floor is very clean. I could hear a pin drop in the concert hall. And it’s that much of details that this DAC is rendering.
Thanks again,
John