How To

How to set up Allo BOSS DAC hat for your Headless Raspberry Pi

One of the best ways to improve the sound quality of your Raspberry Pi streamer is to use a DAC Hat. It would be nice if the process of adding a DAC was plug-and-play, but as of now many DAC Hats don’t work straight out of the box.

In this post we’ll go through the process to enable the Allo Boss DAC hat for your Raspberry Pi. I’m using this DAC with one one of my Headless Plexamp Endpoints.

For this post, I’m using the Allo Boss DAC 1.2, which provides excellent sound quality for my Plexamp endpoint.

If you’re using the Innomaker RPI HIFI DAC you should refer to our similar guide to Install the Innomaker DAC Hat.

What is a DAC Hat?

A DAC Hat (Digital to Audio Converter Hat) is a piece of hardware that can be used to improve the sound quality of your Raspberry Pi. It converts digital audio signals into analog audio signals, resulting in improved sound quality.

How Does a DAC Hat Work?

A DAC Hat works by connecting to your Raspberry Pi via the GPIO pins. Once connected, it will convert digital audio signals into analog audio signals, which can then be sent to speakers or headphones, allowing you to get better sound quality from your Raspberry Pi.

How to set up Allo BOSS DAC hat for your Headless Raspberry Pi

How to set up Allo BOSS DAC hat for your Headless Raspberry Pi
How to set up Allo BOSS DAC hat for your Headless Raspberry Pi

Follow this guide to improve the sound quality of your Raspberry Pi by configuring a DAC hat. With a DAC Hat, you can get considerably better sound quality from your Raspberry Pi.

Project Cost: $78 – $99

Total Time: 20 Min.

Tools and Supplies

Here is a list of tools and equipment that you should have on hand before you begin this project:

Tools

  • Terminal or another Command Line Interface tool

    You’ll need to use Terminal or a similar Command Line Interface (CLI) to get access to configuration files in the Raspberry Pi. It will be helpful if you already have some experience with CLIs, but these steps should still be simple enough for someone without command line experience to follow.

Supplies

  • A Raspberry Pi 2, 3 or 4

    For this tutorial I am using a Pi 4 with the included power supply. If you don’t have a Raspberry Pi handy, I would recommend buying a Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit from CanaKit. They offer a variety of kits, but each configuration will include everything you’ll need to get started.

    In writing this tutorial I’m using a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM, but I’ve read user reports that a Raspberry Pi 3B+ and up should work, and reports that 2GB of RAM is sufficient if you’re building for a Plex server (for example).

  • Allo Boss 1.2 DAC HAT for Raspberry Pi

    Get the Allo Boss DAC HAT Board for Raspberry Pi 2, 3, or 4. This is a great DAC option if you’re looking for the best sound out of your Raspberry Pi.

  1. Power off your Raspberry Pi and attach the DAC hat

    To get started, you’ll need to connect the DAC Hat to your Raspberry Pi and configure it.

    Power off your Raspberry Pi, and then attach the DAC hat to the GPIO pins. Once connected, you can power the Raspberry Pi back on.

    Power off your Raspberry Pi and attach the DAC hat
    Power off your Raspberry Pi and attach the DAC hat
  2. SSH into your Raspberry Pi

    If you’re following our Complete Guide to creating a Headless Plex Server with Plexamp endpoints using a Raspberry Pi you should already be familiar with how to SSH into your Raspberry Pi, but if you need a refresh you can visit the guide How To SSH or Secure Shell into your Raspberry Pi

    On your computer, launch your command-line interface app (Terminal, in my case) and enter the following command, where username is the SSH username and hostname is the hostname you created in Raspberry Pi Imager:

    ssh username@hostname.local

    Then hit Enter and follow the prompts as you normally would.

    SSH into your Raspberry Pi
    SSH into your Raspberry Pi
  3. Enable the audio module for Allo Boss DAC Hat

    To add the Allo Boss DAC hat option to the Raspberry Pi you will need to add a line of text to a configuration file.

    Use the following command to open the config.txt file

    sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt

    Scroll down to the bottom of that file and add the following text. Make sure it’s pasted exactly as you see it in the screenshot:

    dtoverlay=allo-boss-dac-pcm512x-audio

    With that new line added, hit the following key command to Write Out and save the file:

    Control + O

    Hit ENTER

    Then exit the config file with the following key command:

    Control + X

    Enable the audio module for Allo Boss DAC Hat
    Enable the audio module for Allo Boss DAC Hat
  4. Reboot the Raspberry Pi

    This is a good time to reboot the Raspberry Pi with the following command:

    sudo reboot

    Hit ENTER

    Then SSH back into the Pi:

    ssh username@hostname.local

    Hit ENTER

    You may also need to re-enter your password.

    Reboot the Raspberry Pi
    Reboot the Raspberry Pi
  5. Find the output device number for your DAC

    With the DAC hat attached and enabled we’ll just need to find the device number. Check the device number with the following command:

    aplay -l

    Hit ENTER

    This should show you an initial list of devices. For the Allo Boss DAC you’ll want to look for the BossDAC listing.

    NOTE: Allo Boss can be powered independantly or via the Raspberry Pi power source (default). If you’re powering the Boss DAC independently for performance reasons, don’t forget to power up your Allo Boss DAC.

    rm ~/.asoundrc

    If you are asked to confirm the deletion, type yes

    Hit ENTER

    Then run the following command in Terminal:

    cat /proc/asound/cards

    Hit ENTER

    This will pretty much just confirm the device number of the DAC. You can see in the screenshot that the device number in my case is 3

    Find the output device number for your DAC
    Find the output device number for your DAC
  6. Set the device as the default Soundcard

    Now we’ll sent the device number we found as the default soundcard, which should automatically select the DAC as our output device each time you launch the Raspberry Pi.

    Use the following command to create and open the sound config file:

    sudo nano /etc/asound.conf

    Hit Enter

    Now, paste the following code block at the bottom of the file:

    pcm.!default { type hw card 3 } ctl.!default { type hw card 3 }

    Remember to replace the card number with the device number you found in a previous step.

    With that new line added, hit the following key command to Write Out and save the file:

    Control + O

    Hit ENTER

    Then exit the config file with the following key command:

    Control + X

    Set the device as the default Soundcard
    Set the device as the default Soundcard
  7. Reboot the Raspberry Pi

    This is a good time to reboot the Raspberry Pi with the following command:

    sudo reboot

    Hit Enter

    Then SSH back into the Pi with the following command ( you know this one by now 😊 )

    ssh username@hostname.local

    Hit Enter

    Reboot the Raspberry Pi
    Reboot the Raspberry Pi
  8. Access the Raspberry Pi config file to change the default audio settings

    Now you’ll set the newly added DAC as your default audio output in the Raspberry Pi configuration file.

    Use the following command to open the Raspberry Pi configuration UI:

    sudo raspi-config

    Hit ENTER

    Select System Options → Audio

    Select BossDAC from the output list, then select Ok

    Important: The device number in the audio output settings should match the device you set as the default soundcard. If it doesn’t, reboot the Raspberry Pi again and re-check sudo raspi-config

    Access the Raspberry Pi config file to change the default audio settings
    Access the Raspberry Pi config file to change the default audio settings
  9. Reboot the Raspberry Pi

    Yes, once again you’ll need to reboot the Raspberry Pi with the following command:

    sudo reboot

    Reboot the Raspberry Pi
    Reboot the Raspberry Pi
  10. Launch Plexamp in your browser to see your device

    If you’re using a Headless Plexamp player, you should now see the device in your list of Audio Device options by navigating to Settings → Playback → Audio Output → Audio Device

    Note: I’m assuming here that you have your Headless Plexamp configured to launch automatically when you boot up your Pi. If not, you’ll need to launch Plexamp manually.

    To launch Plexamp manually enter this command in Terminal:

    node plexamp/js/index.js

    Hit Enter

    Then navigate to:

    http://#.#.#.#:32500

    Remember to replace #.#.#.# with your Pi’s own IP address, which you can find with the following command:

    hostname -I

    Launch Plexamp in your browser to see your device
    Launch Plexamp in your browser to see your device
  11. Start Listening

    At this point your Raspberry Pi should self-select the DAC hat, by default, each time you power up the Pi. You can test this hooking the output of the DAC to your AMP and start streaming.

    If that’s not the case the first thing you should do is reboot the Pi:

    sudo reboot