The Volumio Rivo Plus was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the Volumio Rivo Plus is €1299 and includes shipping, import fees and sales taxes. You can order yours from the Volumio online shop.
Volumio
For people who are not familiar with the Volumio brand, let’s remember that it all started with the Volumio OS. A free software for Raspberry Pi and PC that is designed to be a Music Player OS. It is a highly optimized system for bit-perfect audio playback, it is compatible with all file formats, highly extensible with community developed plugins and easy to access from other devices on the network.
The Volumio OS is not only used by audio enthusiasts but it is also adopted by many established brands as the core software of their streaming devices. The basic version of the Volumio OS is free to install but the premium features require a monthly or annual subscription.
You can read more about the Volumio OS and explore its features here.
After the successful reception of the Volumio OS, the brand expanded into making their own streaming devices. They make digital transports with or without a DAC, an integrated amplifier with streaming capabilities and an all-in-one desktop DAC/amp streamer. You can read more about the Rivo, the Rivo Plus, the Primo, the Integro and the Motivo here and read my reviews.
Volumio Rivo Plus
The Volumio Rivo Plus builds on the acclaimed Rivo model, a standalone streamer without built-in DAC, now featuring several enhancements: a dedicated ASIC for enhanced S/PDIF and AES-EBU outputs, upgraded MEMS clocks in the USB HUB IC, an I2S over HDMI digital output and a 12V trigger to power on/off other components. The Rivo Plus, just like any other Volumio device, comes with a lifetime subscription to all the Volumio OS premium features.
Technical highlights
The new model features a dedicated ASIC to generate the S/PDIF and AES-EBU output signals, offloading this crucial task from the CPU. This specialized integrated circuit is designed to produce these digital output signals with uncompromising precision, free from any potential interference or jitter introduced by the main processor.
Powering this dedicated ASIC is a high-quality MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) clock, which provides an exceptionally stable and low-jitter timing reference. Coupled with low-noise voltage regulators, this enhancement to the Rivo Plus ensures the output signals maintain the utmost purity and refinement.
The upgraded MEMS clocks in the USB HUB IC enhance reclocking and signal integrity, especially when connected to the USB DAC port. This delivers exceptional jitter and frequency stability, reducing susceptibility to temperature changes and aging for consistently high-quality audio output.
At the heart of the system there is an Amlogic S905D3, Quad Core 1.9 GHz processor with 2GB of DDR4 RAM and 16GB EMMC ROM, the same configuration with the Rivo. The device is powered by a generic external 5V/3A switching power adapter but it has an internal power supply with large filtering capacitance and several local voltage regulators.
Design and build quality
The Volumio Rivo Plus is identical looking to the Primo and the Rivo models but with a different colored faceplate and center button. The two WiFi antennas are concealed inside the chassis while the device doesn’t have a power on/off switch so you can’t switch it off and it always stays in standby mode. Please note that there is now a new version of the original Rivo where the WiFi antennas are also hidden inside the box.
The slim and modern looking chassis is designed by the renowned company Design Narratives Ltd. The appearance is plain and minimalistic, the front panel has a single button with an integrated LED that is used to wake the device from standby mode. The menu gives you the option to adjust the luminosity of the LED.
The full aluminum enclosure, that is exceptionally well made and finished, measures just 27x15x5cm so it can fit virtually everywhere while its contemporary and classy appearance will match all internal decorative styles.
Connectivity
The Rivo Plus is a dedicated streaming transport with digital only outputs. The device has USB DAC, coaxial, AES-EBU and I2S over HDMI outputs for enhanced connectivity. The Rivo Plus supports Gigabit 10/100/1000M LAN, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2X2 MIMO with RSDB and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
There are also two USB inputs (2.0 and 3.0) for connecting external storage devices, a micro SD card slot and an HDMI display port. You can also use the two USB ports to connect a mouse and a keyboard to control the Rivo Plus just like a PC.
I2S over HDMI output
You will probably know that there is not an industry standard when it comes to the pin arrangement of the I2S over HDMI protocol. Every DAC manufacturer has its own pin assignment and it is not guaranteed that a transport is going to work with every DAC. There is no need to worry though because the Volumio Rivo Plus has an automatic pin assignment feature that includes pin configurations for almost any known DAC with an I2S input.
The only thing you have to do is to enter the I2S configuration menu in the Volumio application, select your DAC from the list and you are ready to go. In the rare case that your DAC is not included in the list, you can contact Volumio support and ask them to implement it in a future firmware update or help you select another DAC from the list that might have an I2S pin assignment that matches yours.
Set-up and operation
Getting started takes a couple of minutes. The only thing you have to do is to download the Volumio official iOS/Android application and follow the on-screen directions to connect the device to your home network or just use Bluetooth. Another option is to open a web browser page on your PC and do all the adjustments from there.
The Volumio Rivo Plus lets you stream from all known music services, bring content from local or network attached drives and play internet radio. The Rivo Plus is also a UPnP/DLNA renderer with open home support and supports Airplay via Shairport Sync.
The Rivo Plus is Roon ready certified and supports Spotify & Spotify Connect, Tidal & Tidal Connect and Qobuz natively while you can access YouTube, Squeezelite, Radio Paradise, Podcasts, Pandora, Fusion DSP with EQ, Mixcloud and Soundcloud by installing the respective plugins. The device is compatible with all music file formats and the maximum supported bit-rate is 768kHz/32bit PCM and DSD256 through the USB and I2S outputs.
The Volumio Premium OS offers many useful features like gapless playback, CD playback and ripping, streaming music from Volumio to Chromecast enabled devices or SONOS, AI super search, multi room playback, music and artists credit discovery etc.
The only thing missing for now is that you can’t browse the Qobuz information booklets, the Qobuz track metadata are not as detailed as in the original application and you cannot edit or manage your favorites and playlists.
A strange glitch is that the Volumio takes over the phone’s or tablet’s volume and maxes it out so you can’t watch videos or other multimedia content while using this device as a remote for the Rivo Plus.
Please consider that there are so many features that is impossible for a reviewer to test them all and report possible glitches.
User experience
The Volumio Rivo Plus offers a premium user experience with a nicely designed and easy to navigate application, seamless integration of streaming services and large music libraries with fast search and access speeds.
The OS is stable, fast and responsive without glitches or freezes while it performs regular updates. I have been using the Rivo and the Rivo Plus constantly and I can barely remember a couple of times that I had to do a restart.
The Rivo Plus is a plain and minimalistic device without an LCD display that is usually there to make the device bigger and introduce digital noise. Everything you need to know is at the palm of your hands on your phone that you are using as a remote control. Some people might complain about the lack of a display but personally speaking, I don’t care much and I always have something better to do than browse the cover art or the sampling rate at the display that usually sits too far away from the listening position.
Listening impressions
I have used the Rivo Plus with numerous DACs and DAC/amp combo units both in my 2-channel speaker system and with many headphones. The performance was consistent in all scenarios and the Rivo Plus proved capable of highlighting and improving the sonic performance of much more expensive components like the Lab12 dac1 reference, the Laiv Harmony DAC and the Extraudio DAC1 MKII. The Rivo Plus doesn’t have any limitations when it comes to its audio performance and can be considered as an end-game streamer, no matter the quality or the price of the audio set-up.
A high-end digital transport, like the Rivo Plus, will not magically convert your DAC into something else and make it sound different than it already does. What the Rivo Plus does is to feed the source with crystal clear and as transparent as possible digital streams without jitter and electronic or digital noise. This automatically translates that the DAC will sound at its best and exactly as it was intended by its designer.
It doesn’t matter if the DAC has a tube output buffer or it is an R2R design or an excellent measuring by-the-book implementation. The Rivo Plus makes no exceptions and guarantees that all kinds of DACs – no matter the implementation – will reach the peak of their sonic performance.
More listening impressions
I have tested many different DACs to conclude that technical sounded more technical while “timbre” DACs more natural and realistic. The Rivo Plus smoothened out the hard edges of the treble and minimized digital artificiality in all sources that suffered from these diseases. And in sources that where already immune, their sound became more organic and lifelike, the Rivo Plus helped them to obtain additional analog-like characteristics.
All DACs saw notable improvements in their soundstage that opened up and gained in depth and positioning accuracy, as well as – depending on the DAC – in holography and grandness. They gained in resolution, details emerged in a more effortless way, without the source becoming analytical, while dynamics widened and appeared more authoritative. I could continue counting benefits, like the flow of the music or the expression of the melody or the insight of the listening material but its time to put a full stop. What is left to say is that the Rivo Plus was able to showcase and improve all the core characteristics of a given DAC without adding any kind of audible negatives.
(I have used the I2S and USB digital outputs with cables by Oehlbach and Lavricables.)
Power adapter upgrade
The Rivo Plus has a good enough power supply design to help it sound clean and silent out of the box but it can greatly benefit from a higher quality power adapter.
A less noisy power adapter is essential to unlock its full potential and make it shine as it adds extra layers of silence and a blacker background. A high quality switching power adapter, or even better, an external LPS can raise clarity to another level, enhance separation and inner definition, make the sound smoother as well as improve the transparency and the timbre quality of the Volumio Rivo Plus.
It doesn’t have to be something expensive, the SilentPower iPower2 5V/2.5A is much more silent than the stock power adapter and a good option for starters. Then, and depending on your budget, you can experiment with true linear power supplies, like the Volumio Lineo5 or something else of your choice.
Vs the Volumio Rivo
The Volumio Rivo model (read my review here) is still produced and it costs €310 less than the Rivo Plus. The main differences between the two devices are that the Rivo Plus has an I2S over HDMI output and several critical circuit enhancements.
The Rivo has been my main digital transport for more than a year now so it was not difficult to compare it with the Rivo Plus and conclude that the newer model helped all my DACs sound better and closer to their true potential. The differences were not night and day, but very audible nonetheless, so the question that has to be answered is if the Volumio Rivo Plus justifies the €310 price increase over the original model.
The answer is yes but only if your system is capable enough to take advantage of the improved sonic performance or if you need a high quality I2S over HDMI digital output. It is widely known that when it comes to high-end audio, you pay a lot to gain meaningful but rather minimal improvements where the investment is much more than the returned benefits. In this regard the Rivo Plus justifies the price jump but in any other case, the Volumio Rivo is an excellent digital transport at an unbeatable price and a better value than the Rivo Plus.
And in order to be absolutely honest, for €310 more I should have expected from Volumio to include a higher quality external power adapter. Like something by the renowned manufacturer MeanWell that makes low noise power adapters so reasonably priced that it would not threaten the profit margin of the company.
In the end
The Volumio Rivo Plus takes up from where the Rivo has left off and improves the performance of an already exceptional digital transport. The new model includes many critical enhancements that translate at an even better sonic performance while it adds the long awaited I2S over HDMI output.
The Rivo Plus doesn’t make the Rivo obsolete but it offers superior audio quality that justifies the premium price tag and it is the only high-end digital transport that you can buy at a reasonable price, especially considering that it includes a lifetime subscription to all the Volumio OS premium features.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2025.
+ Class-leading digital transport
+ Exceptional clarity and transparency
+ Insightful and very natural sound
+ Many critical circuit enhancements
+ I2S over HDMI digital output with in-menu pin assignment
+ WiFi, LAN and Bluetooth connectivity
+ Many digital outputs and 12V trigger
+ Fast and responsive Volumio OS
+ Well designed and easy to use application
+ Extensive file format support
+ Native streaming services, Roon ready and many other features
+ Lifetime subscription to Volumio OS premium
+ Slim design and modern appearance
+ Excellent build quality and made in Italy
- A high quality external power adapter is needed to unlock its full potential
- At this price, a better power adapter should have been included
- No display and power on/off switch
- DSD support is limited to DSD256
- Some software glitches
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