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I'm not so sure that's fair, Pete. The Pi4 isn't a high fidelity component, but it's perfectly acceptable for a secondary system. The streamer he compared it to cost 4X as much, and he didn't talk about how the Node sounds on it's own dac (like crap). Now, the Node gets high marks from me on it's digital output (though it's only s/pdif) as a dedicated streamer, but now you're talking about a 8X or more increase in price from a Pi4 and cheapie dac. Anybody who's looking for a $100 streamer isn't likely to pair it with a $500-$1k dac, or expect it to sound as good as a $1.5k-$2k streamer/dac combo.

He also never mentioned usb cables. As most who have experimented know the digital cable could be the most important cable in your system.

I think the Pi4 is a good cheap Roon endpoint that sounds fine in a non-audiophile system or headphone system if mated to a good usb cable and reasonably priced dac.

To add to Jim's comment, I think the RPi4 is also perfect for endpoints for remote systems through the house. Yes, in the main rig you want to have a nice endpoint, but for remote location using a cheap (but good quality) DAC into a small system, you cannot beat the utility and sound for the money. Why pay $500 per node (and in some cases still need a DAC) when you can get a cheap Pi and a Schitt Modi (or comparable $100-$200 DAC from Topping or others) into a little integrated amplifier and bookshelf/desktop speakers, and you can have a really nice and enjoyable setup.

David

I'm not so sure that's fair, Pete. The Pi4 isn't a high fidelity component, but it's perfectly acceptable for a secondary system. The streamer he compared it to cost 4X as much, and he didn't talk about how the Node sounds on it's own dac (like crap). Now, the Node gets high marks from me on it's digital output (though it's only s/pdif) as a dedicated streamer, but now you're talking about a 8X or more increase in price from a Pi4 and cheapie dac. Anybody who's looking for a $100 streamer isn't likely to pair it with a $500-$1k dac, or expect it to sound as good as a $1.5k-$2k streamer/dac combo.

He also never mentioned usb cables. As most who have experimented know the digital cable could be the most important cable in your system.

I think the Pi4 is a good cheap Roon endpoint that sounds fine in a non-audiophile system or headphone system if mated to a good usb cable and reasonably priced dac.

Naturally, we've had the most success with cables that appear to be no longer available, YFS and Kingrex. The 2 currently available options that have performed the best were Curious Cables Evolved and a JCat cable, though I forget the model. Charlie could provide you the model name and possibly have a couple to let you compare to what you're using.

I've tried quite a few. My pal Jim turned me on to Triode Wire Labs interconnects, and I fell in love. Clean, focused, coherent, not a hair out of place--but with plenty of color and dynamics. I tried his USB cable and it has been in the system for almost a year now. Same thing--clean, focused, totally coherent presentation, nothing jumps out except the music. I have "The Dongle" because my Allo USBridge Sig sits right on top of the DAC. If that's all you need, it's a great deal for $150.