Volumio Motivo Streaming DAC – Quick Look
All Image Credit: Volumio
After years of R&D Italian company Volumio joins the touchscreen streaming DAC race with the introduction of the Motivo. Their flagship touchscreen Audiophile Streamer, Transport and headphone amplifier.
The most obvious feature that sets this new device from its competition is its 8inch IPS mutipoint touchscreen that is mounted into the top of an angled anodized aluminum housing. Atop the display is a haptic button for the control of volume and display functions.
The high-end ESS SABER ES9038 32bit/768KHz digital-to-analogue converter (DAC), which is known for its wide dynamic range and ultra-low distortion, provides the signals for both the 2Volt RCA or 4Volt XLR outputs that double as high and low-impedance headphone sockets, respectively. Hi-Res support hitting 24bit/384KHz for PCM and DSD256. External DAC connectivity is provided by the addition of the HDMI-based I2S output that mirrors the internal DAC with a USB 2.0 output supporting both PCM 32bit/768KHz and DSD512. S/PDIF and coaxial digital outputs providing PCM up to 192KHz/24 bit. File format support includes; DSD, WAV, FLAC, Alac, Aac, Vorbis, Cue, Mp3 and more. A second USB 2.0 port may be used to attach USB accessories, thumb drives, USB storage drives, keyboards, mice and smart remotes.
The Motivo runs from a 16GB of embedded multi-media card (EMMC) and is powered by a Quad Core 1.5GHz Broadcom BCM2711 processor with 2GB of DDR4 RAM. Its Volumio operating system was developed in house and will be recognizable to many a Raspberry Pi user. Offering both Ethernet and Wi-Fi streaming the Motivo comes with Airplay via Shairport Sync, Spotify & Spotify Connect, TIDAL & TIDAL Connect and QOBUZ. Available plug-ins include; Youtube, Squeezelite, Radio Paradise, Podcasts, Pandora, Fusion DSP, Roon Bridge, Soundcloud and Mixcloud.
Rear panel hard wired connectivity includes; RCA unbalanced and XLR balanced line level/headphone outputs, optical S/PIDF, coaxial and i2S digital outputs, plus two USB 2.0 ports and one RJ45 network connection.
Specifications:
- Analog Balanced and Unbalanced Output
- RCA: 2V RMS up to PCM 384kHz/24bit and DSD256
- XLR: 4V RMS up to PCM 384kHz/24bit and DSD256
- USB DAC Port: USB Audio Output: up to PCM 768kHz/32 bit and DSD256 (USB DAC required)
- Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF: Digital Output: up to PCM 192kHz/24 bit
- Headphones: Stereo Headphone Amplifier, dual output optimized for High and Low impedance Headphones: up to PCM 384kHz/24bit and DSD256
- I2S over HDMI Output: Digital Output: up to PCM 384kHz/24bit and DSD256
- USB DAC Port: 2x USB 2.0 current up to 900mA per port
- LAN: Gigabit 10/100/1000M
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G and 5G)
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- Supported Formats: DSD, WAV, FLAC, Alac, Aac, Vorbis, Cue, Mp3 and others
- UPNP DLNA: Renderer with Open Home support
- Supported Services: Airplay via Shairport Sync, Spotify & Spotify Connect, TIDAL & TIDAL Connect, QOBUZ
- Available Plugins: Youtube, Squeezelite, Radio Paradise, Podcasts, Pandora, Fusion DSP, Roon Bridge, Soundcloud, Mixcloud
- CPU: Broadcom BCM2711, Quad Core 1.5 GHz
- DAC: ESS Sabre 9038
- RAM: 2 GB DDR4
- Internal Storage: 16 GB EMMC
- Power Supply: 9V, 4A
MSRP:
- US: $1,849.00
- UK: £1,499.00
- EU: €1,749.00
For more information visit the Volumio web site.
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