Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
“Simplify, then add lightness,” British inventor and Lotus founder Colin Chapman once said. New Jersey-based Orchard Audio may not have attained the renown for iconic designs that Lotus has nor quite the status of an exemplar of American hi-fi as Naim or Harbeth have of British hi-fi. But it does seem to have followed Chapman’s paradigm, handcrafting relatively small, light components with a clear focus on simplicity and performance, eschewing nonessential connections and features. The PecanPi+ Streamer Premium, which retails for $1500 (prices in USD), is a prime example of this paradigm. You won’t find advanced functionality on this streamer, the sort of features found on “full-service streamers,” but you will find that the functions it offers, it executes extremely well.
Under the hood
The 3.7″H × 12.2″W × 7.5″D chassis of the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium (PecanPi+ Premium hereafter; note that a non-Premium version also exists) contains much empty space and two small circuit boards, each about the size of a credit card: one handles clocking, conversion, filtering, and output amplification; the other, a Raspberry Pi 3 single-board computer preloaded with your choice of Volumio or Ropieee, handles streaming duties. Ropieee allows you to use the Orchard streamer as a Roon endpoint. Volumio lets you play music from a network drive or from a drive connected to one of the device’s USB-A ports. You can also stream via AirPlay or UPnP. The PecanPi+ Premium includes a lifetime subscription to Volumio Premium, which adds in-app support for Qobuz, Tidal, and HighResAudio. A downloadable extension adds support for Spotify. Other features of Volumio Premium include an AI-based search Volumio calls SuperSearch, CD playback and ripping, and support for Tidal Connect.
The PecanPi+ Premium has a slanted front panel that accommodates a bright, responsive 5″ touchscreen, centrally, a knurled volume knob on the left, and a 1/4″ headphone jack on the right. Its aesthetic matches that of its recently updated amplifier brethren in the Premium line: the Starkrimson Mono Premium, which I reviewed in August, and the Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium and limited-edition Starkrimson Mono Ultra Premium LPS (the latter two shipping in November). Like the Premium line amplifier cases, the top edges of the PecanPi+ Premium’s case are rounded, and the company logo is etched on the top.
Around the back are four USB-A ports, an ethernet jack, a coaxial 75-ohm S/PDIF input, balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) analog outputs, and a 2.5mm DC power jack. A pushbutton power switch enables/disables the PecanPi+ Premium’s streaming functionality; but even when off, as long as it’s plugged in, it can serve as a preamp-DAC. Orchard provides an iFi Audio iPowerX low-noise power supply with the streamer.
Missing from the back panel are some connections that are typically found on fully featured streamers: TosLink ports, a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi antenna, auxiliary inputs, digital coaxial outputs, a USB-B port, and HDMI ports. Also missing is a remote control, but volume adjustment and source selection can be done through the streaming app of choice. The PecanPi+ Premium’s paucity of connections is easily forgiven, considering what it is: a high-performing specialist. To trick it out with all manner of connections would be like to furnish a Lotus hypercar, to continue with our analogy, with floor mats and a glove box.
Like the Lotus, the PecanPi+ Premium also packs a powerful engine in its aluminum chassis: an AKM chipset, which makes up the streamer’s digital section. It includes a Velvetsound AK4499EXEQ DAC chip and AK4191EQ delta-sigma modulator, a Crystek clock with a jitter spec of 82 femtoseconds, and a Cirrus Logic receiver chip. Burr-Brown amplifiers handle the analog outputs and headphone section. The PecanPi+ Premium’s suspension would then be the ultra-low-noise voltage regulators, by Analog Devices. OK, this may be pushing the analogy a bit far, but the point is that the audio circuitry of this streamer is no joke.
Orchard Audio claims a THD+N spec of 0.00025% via the PecanPi+ Premium’s RCA outputs, 0.00016% from its XLR outputs. An A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio of 128dB may be had from the RCAs, while the XLRs achieve 133dB. The dynamic range is specified as 124dB for the RCA outputs and 129dB for the XLRs. The headphone amp puts out a peak of 851mW into a 16-ohm load, half that into 32 ohms, and drops to 45.5mW into 300 ohms. The headphone amp’s output impedance of around half an ohm means highly reactive loads shouldn’t pose much trouble. The PecanPi+ Premium will dump up to 1.7W peak into 32 ohms with a pair of balanced ʼphones (and an XLR adapter). These and other performance figures are found on the “PecanPi+ Implementation, Spec, & Test Results” web page. Our measurement lab has tested the device’s performance as well.
Getting ready for race day
Luckily for me, the PecanPi+ Premium’s sparse connectivity was not an issue in my system. I used a generic ethernet cable from a Netgear R6080 router, powered by a Jameco linear power supply, to connect the streamer to my home network. A Tributaries Delta 75-ohm coaxial cable ferried digital audio to it from my Oppo BDP-105 universal disc player. I used my review pair of Starkrimson Mono Premium amplifiers in this audition as well as my First Watt F5 stereo amplifier. The Orchard Audio monoblocks accept only a balanced signal via XLRs, while the F5 requires a single-ended input via RCAs. I used a pair of Blue Jeans Cable DA202 XLR cables to connect the monoblocks to the streamer and Have Inc. RCA cables to connect the F5. Both are based on Canare star-quad cables and use Neutrik connectors. These amps were driving my Paul Carmody-designed DIY Amiga speakers via a pair of Amazon Basics OFC speaker wires.
My stereo system handles the TV sound, too, which could have been a problem with the PecanPi+ Premium functioning as the preamplifier since, as mentioned, it lacks HDMI ARC and TosLink inputs. Luckily, I had a simple workaround: my Oppo BDP-105 (which, again, was connected to the PecanPi+ Premium by a coaxial cable) does have an HDMI audio input, to which I connected the digital audio signal from the TV via a Blue Jeans Cable Series-FE HDMI cable. This worked without any noticeable audio degradation or delay between the picture and sound. Orchard Audio recommends the use of a TosLink-to-coaxial adapter in this situation, a small, inexpensive, simple solution. And if a physical ethernet connection is not within reach or is undesirable, a Wi-Fi bridge is the simplest solution. (A couple of TP-Link models are suggested on the PecanPi+ Premium product page.)
Since I normally stream from Spotify, my review sample was set up to run Volumio. I won’t delve into the process of setting up Volumio as it is described on Volumio’s website and elsewhere. Configuration instructions are also found in a PDF document on the PecanPi+ Premium web page. There’s not much to it. Once the streamer was on the same Wi-Fi network as my phone, I just followed a couple of steps in the instructions and had the two paired. I had to download the Spotify extension for Volumio to get the two apps to play nice, and then I was home free. It took only a couple of minutes. With Spotify, I could easily search for and select tracks; through Volumio, I had configurable digital volume control.
That brings me to the single major downside of the PecanPi+ Premium: while volume control is possible through Volumio when streaming music, it can only be done manually, with the volume knob, when using the streamer’s S/PDIF input. This was a bit annoying, but it wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me. Quirks like this can be expected from a device so focused on streaming.
On the street, on the track
I began my audition with the PecanPi+ Premium feeding the Starkrimson Monos. Having auditioned these 150W amps, I already knew they are capable of producing a remarkably clean and expansive sound and sharply outlined sonic images. But with the PecanPi+ in place of the Oppo BDP-105, I soon found the sound had more meat on the bones, improving the balance considerably.
The Orchard trio’s sonic talents were best illustrated on FKA Twigs’s “Two Weeks,” from her 2014 debut album LP1 (256kbps AAC, Young Turks / Spotify). Compared to the Oppo-Starkrimson combo, everything was a shade warmer with this all-Orchard setup and a bit more rounded. The laser-precise forms that the Oppo depicted around the speakers were now replaced by a wall of sound across the soundstage. There seemed to be greater warmth in the track’s deep, mechanical bass, which was quite pleasing, some extra oomph to the synthesizers and sampled tones, and a little more breathiness in the vocals.
The PecanPi+ Premium meshed seamlessly with the Starkrimson Monos. Whatever little these exceedingly neutral amps left behind in the audio signal was too insignificant to constitute a true sonic signature. The combo presented this demanding track superbly, lending great clarity to the midrange, in particular. Attack transients seemed rounded off slightly, however, and imaging was somewhat nebulous. Still, for some, the PecanPi+ Premium and Starkrimson Mono amps could put an end to chronic upgraditis.
As part of my audition of the Starkrimson Monos, I compared them to my First Watt F5 stereo amplifier and found that the two were very similar in sound. Whereas the Starkrimson Monos’ forte was their incisive imaging, the F5’s was its warmth and tonal accuracy. This made it a better match for the PecanPi+ Premium, and I therefore did most of my critical listening using this amp, not the Starkrimson Mono pair.
The first song I played with the F5 back in my system was the Stone Temple Pilots’ “Big Empty,” from their 1994 album Purple (256kbps AAC, Atlantic Records / Spotify). A plaintive, mid-tempo slide guitar opens the song, which the PecanPi+ Premium rendered with a soulful realism. It presented this track somewhat warmly, as it did “Two Weeks,” but not even for a second did it muddy things up, nor did it compress the dynamics as the band transitioned from the mostly acoustic verse to the distorted electric chorus—the full dynamic impact was preserved, and nothing sounded jumbled or congested during louder passages. Microdynamics was excellent too.
During the instrumental bridge section, the tom-tom was imaged distinctly, though the soundstage was quite shallow. To be fair, this seems to be an inherent trait of this recording. And however well-implemented and low-THD the DAC is—and the one in the PecanPi+ Premium certainly is—it won’t add depth to the soundstage. That aside, the great clarity and fast transient response of the PecanPi+ Premium made this and other tracks exciting to listen to—none ever sounded tiresome.
Next I played “10:37” by Beach House, from the band’s 2015 album Depression Cherry (256kbps AAC, Sub Pop / Spotify). I had a hunch this dreamy, ethereal song would be especially well presented by the PecanPi+ Premium, and it was. Most impressive was the sense of space it created around the reverberating vocals and guitars. The separation was as clear as I’ve ever heard it. Initially, the soundstage seemed a bit shallower than I’m used to, but the more I listened, the more depth and space I was able to sense in recordings. I noticed that some sonic elements appeared on the plane of the speakers and some even in front of them. Vocal clarity was unremarkable on this song (and it’s easy to lose the plot on Victoria Legrand’s reverb-soaked vox on this track), but the PecanPi+ Premium presented vocals with vibrancy and purity rarely encountered in products at this price level.
Orchard versus the grid
Next, I decided to compare the headphone output of the PecanPi+ Premium with that of my Oppo BDP-105 (which otherwise served strictly as a digital transport, as mentioned). I donned my trusty Grado SR60e ʼphones and spun up Tool’s Ænima (Zoo Entertainment 61422-31087-2).
On the album’s second track, “Eulogy,” the long intro and extended first verse slowly swell in intensity and volume until the chorus hits. This passage is replete with small percussive details, which flitted about Danny Carey’s snare, at dead center. The PecanPi+ Premium handled it all with aplomb and remained stoic through the loud, high-energy chorus section. Even the sizzling cymbals, though quite harsh at times, were clearly delineated and sounded natural. The Oppo, in contrast, could not keep its composure and allowed the cymbals to sound thin and splashy and get in the way of vocalist Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones.
In almost every respect— dynamic shading, timbre, separation—the headphone output of the PecanPi+ Premium was superior to that of the Oppo, the one exception being the soundstage: the Oppo made the Grados sound just a bit wider. Again and again, I found myself going back to using my headphones with the PecanPi+ Premium, something I almost never do on auditions.
To confirm my initial impression, I also compared the BDP-105 to the PecanPi+ Premium through the speakers. These two components are in different product classes, of course, but since both are still digital audio devices with RCA and XLR outputs, such a comparison is not unreasonable. I returned to the FKA Twigs track for this comparison. As before, whether I used the Starkrimson Mono Premium amps or the First Watt F5, I consistently obtained similar results: the BDP-105 tended to have a cooler presentation with sharper imaging and a deeper soundstage than the PecanPi+ Premium. To my ears, the Oppo sounded more true-to-life, overall, although the PecanPi+ Premium rendered vocals with captivating purity and equal realism.
The PecanPi+ Premium is well-positioned within its product category, but it faces stiff competition from similarly priced streamers. Examples include the $1449 Innuos PULSEmini, which offers similar features and integrates with Innuos’s excellent Sense app but lacks an S/PDIF input and XLR outputs; the $1099 Cambridge Audio CXN100 network audio player, which has nearly the same connectivity and functionality as the Orchard streamer and works with Cambridge Audio’s StreamMagic control app; and the $1999 EverSolo DMP-A8 streaming preamplifier, which shares the AKM chipset of the PecanPi+ Premium but not its design philosophy—it overflows with connections and functionality. Like Innuos and Cambridge audio, EverSolo, too, has a proprietary control app.
Finish line
For someone looking for a quality streamer and a serious pair of mono amps as a nice little just-add-speakers system, a PecanPi+ Streamer Premium and a pair of Starkrimson Mono amplifiers, at just under $4000, represent a solid value.
The PecanPi+ Streamer Premium’s no-frills approach is admittedly a bit weird in the current hi-fi landscape, one where there’s a push to offer as many features in a single product as possible. But that allows it to pack the latest AKM Velvetsound chip under the hood and keep under $1500. That it also incorporates a great touch screen and top-notch audio circuitry is very unusual at this price level; few bare-bones network streamers at a comparable price offer that.
Orchard Audio embraces a philosophy and a build that prioritizes performance over comfort and convenience. This is a proven paradigm, one that has certainly served Lotus well. In fact, I’m sure that the same sort of people who appreciate the focused design of a Lotus hypercar would also appreciate the focused design of the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium (that is, when they’re not busy chasing down Porsches and Ferraris). I’m sure many others will too.
. . . Matt Bonaccio
mattb@soundstage.com
Associated Equipment
- Speakers: DIY Paul Carmody Amiga, built from a Parts Express kit
- Integrated amplifier: McIntosh Laboratory MA6850
- Power amplifier: First Watt F5; Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Premium
- Digital Source: Oppo BDP-105
- Digital cables: Blue Jeans Cable Series-FE HDMI cable
- Analog interconnects: Blue Jeans Cable DA202 XLR cables; Have Inc. RCA cables
- Speaker cables: AmazonBasics 14AWG OFC speaker cables
- Television: LG C1 OLED display, 55″, directly wired via Cat 6e cable to router
- Internet router: Netgear R6080; Jameco 170245 Linear Regulated DC supply
Orchard Audio PecanPi+ Streamer Premium DAC
Price: $1499.95
Warranty: One year, parts and labor
Orchard Audio
176 Franklin Ave.
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Phone: (504) 233 3444
Email: leo@orchardaudio.com
Website: www.orchardaudio.com
