Allo Boss 2

Allo BOSS 2 with display, case and remote control

The BOSS 2 is the successor of the successful Allo BOSS DAC. Allo skillfully improves the sound quality of the already very good predecessor. What is new is that the DAC comes with a housing, OLED display and remote control.

The BOSS 2 comes with a pre-assembled acrylic case. With the predecessor, the case had to be bought and mounted separately. With the BOSS 2, however, only a Raspberry Pi 4 has to be inserted into the case from below.

The chic casing is made of black acrylic. A two-line OLED display is integrated, which is easy to read and has a balanced brightness.  

A significant innovation of the BOSS 2 is the sound chip used. In the BOSS 2, the Cirrus Logic DAC CS43198 (192 kHz/ 32 bit) now sets the tone. As with its predecessor, emphasis is also placed on high-quality power supply. The BOSS 2 has over 30 LDOs, 2 Super Caps and several filters for optimal voltage regulation.

Two modes are available for the power supply. In Single PSU mode, the factory default, one power supply powers the Pi and DAC. In Dual PSU mode, two separate power sources are used. The Dual PSU mode is activated via a jumper. 

The sound is very clear and balanced with a pleasant tendency towards warmth. The listening impression is also confirmed by the impressive measured values.   

The sound settings can be controlled via the remote control or the small joystick on the front of the case. The remote control also has a separate mute button. 

• UP/Down          Volume
• LEFT/RIGHT      Navigation menu
• CENTRE            MUTE/UNMUTE or OK within the menu

The BOSS 2 can be customized in detail to your own sound needs in its menu: 

• HV-EN High Voltate Output. Increases the output voltage from 1.7 Vrms from 2.0 Vrms for a more powerful signal
• FILTER: PHCOMP phase-compensation, HP-FIL High Pass Filter, DE-EMP De-Emphasis, NON-OS disables oversampling, F-SPEED Slope of the filter

At a glance:

• DAC CS43198 (192 kHz/ 32 Bit)
• Sample rates from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz
• Selectable DAC output level (1.7 Vrms or 2.0 Vrms)
• Stereo RCA-Outputs
• Sound settings can be controlled via joystick button next to the display or the remote control
• Selectable filters properties
• High precision clock
• Single PSU mode (default): one common 5V / 3A power supply for Pi and DAC.
  Dual PSU mode (via jumper): separate power supply for Pi (USB-C) and DAC (5V, 250mA)
• Colour: black

Scope of delivery

• Allo Boss 2 in acrylic housing with OLED display
• Remote control (needs 2 AAA batteries, batteries are not included)

Boss 2 with Max2Play

Max2Play provides a browser-based administration interface for Raspberry Pi based on Linux. With Max2Play, applications (Max2Play Erweiterungen) can be installed and administered on a Raspberry Pi without special Linux knowledge. It can be controlled via smartphone, tablet or computer, i.e. without connecting mouse and keyboard. A special Allo Plugin is available.