Volumio Primo
The Volumio Primo brings a liquid midrange, muscular bass and vivid rhythmic drive to network listening, while its generous USB, HDMI and digital-output options make it a remarkably adaptable streamer or bridge. Hi-Fi Choice admired its emotional tonal balance, and 6 Moons found clean, dimensional imaging even in dense mixes. A compelling choice for listeners who prize musical flow and deep customisation.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
87/100
Features Usability
86/100
Value for Money
93/100
Pros
Engaging, tonally natural sound with a liquid midrange, excellent timing and powerful bass.
Clean, grain-free presentation with dimensional imaging and strong separation during complex music.
Exceptionally flexible connectivity, including multiple USB ports, USB-DAC output, coaxial S/PDIF, HDMI, Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
Highly configurable software ecosystem with useful plug-ins and effective Roon Bridge support.
Cons
Volumio’s menu-rich, plug-in-based interface has a learning curve and is less polished than mainstream alternatives.
The warm, rounded voicing trades some ultimate treble openness, transparency and transient precision for listenability.
Reviewers found that a higher-quality external power supply can unlock appreciable gains in focus, resolution and authority.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
Reviewers consistently describe a smooth, musical and unusually involving presentation, with strong timing, deep bass and stable imaging. Its character leans slightly warm and rounded rather than ultra-neutral, while power-supply upgrades are reported to bring further gains in focus, texture and authority.
Overall Sound
91/100
Hi-Fi Choice praised the Primo's liquid midrange, convincing tonal balance, excellent timing and drive, and sensational bass performance. Other reviewers likewise heard clean, grain-free sound, strong image separation and an agreeable analog-like smoothness; the main qualification is that it is less incisive and transparent than some more ambitious alternatives.
Digital Signal Integrity
89/100
The design uses a high-precision clock and low-noise regulation, and Hans Beekhuyzen notes that the oscillator is located close to the relevant circuitry to minimise jitter. Reviewers found clean high frequencies, composed separation in dense material and useful upsampling options, although several also found that an upgraded external supply further improves image focus and resolution.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 86/100
This is a flexible streamer with broad storage, service, protocol and output support, plus extensive customisation for those willing to explore it. The Volumio platform is stable and versatile in everyday use, but its plug-in-led approach is less polished and immediately intuitive than the strongest mainstream alternatives.
Streaming Software
83/100
Reviewers found Volumio stable, versatile and capable of effective library browsing, playlists and integration with Tidal, Qobuz, internet radio and Roon Bridge. However, the interface has a learning curve, some plug-ins can be unreliable, and its service selection and multiroom provision were considered less comprehensive than Sonos or Bluesound.
Features Connectivity
92/100
The connection provision is especially generous for this class, including Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, coaxial S/PDIF, multiple USB ports and analogue outputs. Reviewers also welcomed USB-DAC support, local-drive playback, UPnP and the ability to connect peripherals such as a USB optical drive, finding little useful missing.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
87/100
The Primo is described as compact, well made and housed in sturdy metal or anodised aluminium. Its deliberately plain, light-free enclosure will appeal to listeners who favour unobtrusive equipment, though the reviews offer limited insight into long-term durability.
Value for Money
93/100
Reviewers repeatedly regarded the Primo as highly compelling at roughly €400–€799 depending on version and market. It was called a very attractive option, a winner in its class and better built than expected for the price, with performance that compares credibly with familiar rivals.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Specifications
- Analog Balanced and Unbalanced Output
- RCA: 2V RMS up to PCM 192kHz/24bit XLR: 4V RMS up to PCM 192kHz/24bit
- Coaxial S/PDIF
- Digital Output: up to PCM 192kHz/24 bit
- USB DAC
- USB Audio Output: up to PCM 768kHz/32 bit and DSD256 (USB DAC required)
- Video output
- HDMI 2.1/HDCP 2.2 up to 4K 60fps
- USB
- 1x USB3.0, 1x USB 2.0
- LAN
- Gigabit 10/100/1000M
- Wireless
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2X2 MIMO with RSDB
- 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
- Amlogic S905D3, Quad Core 1.9 GHz
- RAM
- 2 GB DDR4
- Internal Storage
- 16 GB EMMCz
- Power Supply
- 5V, 3A
- Designer
- Design Narratives Ltd.
- Weight
- 2.25 kg
- Dimensions
- 33.5 × 20.5 × 11 cm
Manufacturer's Description — Volumio
TOP OF THE LINE DAC
Made with SABRE DACs connected in I2S to the digital input section, that can satisfy any enthusiast entering the world of streamers.
CONNECT YOUR MUSIC IN ONE APP
PRIMO lets you stream from your favorite music services such as Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz.
DEDICATED SUPPORT
One-on-one support to help with everything from set-up to troubleshooting. Always available for you!
PRIMO IN THE PRESS
"Audio lovers, prick up your ears, because the Primo is surprisingly good."
Martijn ten Napel
"The Volumio Primo is characterized by particularly compact dimensions so that it can be placed in any environment, is easy to install, ensures access to your own content as well as important online services"
Michael Holzinger
A NEW LOOK WORTH SEEING
A COMPLETE REDESIGN.
Designed by the latest Red Dot Award winner, Design Narratives Ltd. has designed the Primo around a chassis made of antimagnetic aluminum.
Complementing with a dark wood texture front panel and adding a status LED and power button, giving a 360˚ aesthetic change from our first version of Primo.
ENJOY MUSIC FROM YOUR FAVORITE SOURCES
Primo lets you stream from your favorite music services
Bring your content from local or network-attached drives and play internet radio
A BUILT IN TOP OF THE LINE DAC TO BRING HI-FI SOUND
A truly complete product, for those who already have an audio system and want to complete it with a high-level DAC-Streamer.
Volumio Primo was made with the top of the SABRE DACs -the ESS 9038Q2M– in differential configuration connected in I2S to the digital input section, that can bring any enthusiast to the world of streamers without compromising.
MADE IN ITALY
All Volumio products are proudly designed and assembled in Florence Italy
ROON READY
All Volumio products are Roon Ready certified by Roon Labs. allowing seamless integration with Roon
POWER COMES FROM WITHIN
With all internal components carefully being examined for improvements, Primo was developed with a highly performant quad-core processor, making Primo achieve first-class efficiency and speed for audio reproduction.
The latest Amlogic Quadcore CPU running at 1.9GHz and 2GB of RAM form Primo brain that effortlessly runs the Volumio OS.
GET WELL CONNECTED
Explore a wide range of connectivity options with Primo.
Analogue audio outputs are available in both balanced and single-ended formats, and there’s a digital SPDIF coaxial output, one HDMI port for an external monitor and two USB ports.
VOLUMIO PREMIUM BUILT IN
On board, the Primo is the latest version of Volumio – Volumio AI- that incorporates Supersearch an AI-powered search function that is meant to optimize your music discovery.
Volumio OS comes with a Multi-room capability that creates an integrated environment with other Volumio stations in your home.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX
- Volumio Primo
- User Manual
- 5V, 3A Power Supply
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Volumio Primo
- A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
- Audio Domain — online and in-store — Stadtbezirke I, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
- AV Connection — in-store — Roodeschool, Groningen, Netherlands (website)
- Douglas HiFi — online and in-store — Osborne Park, Western Australia, Australia (website)
- Elite Audio UK — online and in-store — Pittenweem, Escocia, United Kingdom (website)
- Homecine Solutions — online and in-store — Compiègne, Hauts-de-France, France (website)
- Just Hifi — online and in-store — Glückstadt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (website)
- King Audio — in-store — Velp, Gelderland, Netherlands (website)
- Living Entertainment — online and in-store — South Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia (website)
and 5 more verified dealers