Streamer DAC

Primo V3

The redesigned Primo, with ESS ES9039Q2M conversion and adjustable XLR and RCA outputs.

Buy in the shop, Primo V3Compare with Primo V2Find a dealer
Volumio Primo V3 seen from the front left: a black case with a wood-textured front, the Primo name and a square button with a blue light.

The highlights

  • Volumio OSinside: TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, AirPlay and Roon Ready, with every Premium feature built in
  • 384kHzPCM at 32-bit, from the built-in DAC
  • 8+ NOSDAC filters, or none at all
  • 8levelsof output to match your amplifier, up to 6.3 Vrms balanced
  • Preampmode, hardware volume set in the app: connect straight to a power amp
  • 4KVolumio on your TV over HDMI, at 60 fps

Reviews

Reviews of Primo V3

A hand reaching for the button on the front of Primo V3, which sits on a grey marble top.

Primo V3 is designed and made in Florence.

Two Volumio team members check a main board at the assembly table in Florence, with a stack of finished boards beside them.

Made in Florence

Assembled by hand, in Italy

Primo V3 is designed in Florence and assembled there by hand, by the team that also writes its software. Each unit is checked before it leaves the lab.

More about Volumio in Florence

Look inside

Engineered for sound

Primo V3 is a complete redesign of the original Primo. A linear power supply stage and a high-precision clock keep noise and jitter low, and the layout keeps every current path short. Along the edge sits a hidden nod to Florence. Pick a part to find it on the board.

The Primo V3 main board, with each section named on the board: ARM CPU module, control unit, peripherals, ES9039 Sabre DAC, low-noise LDOs, master clock, analog linear PSU, op-amp dual PSU, trigger out and power filter. A line of Italian verse runs along the bottom edge.

Sound

Match it to your system

Eight filters, or none

Pick one of eight DAC filters, with Minimum Phase as the default. Or switch on NOS mode for conversion without oversampling.

Eight output levels

Set the level to suit your amplifier or active speakers. With the volume set in the app, Primo V3 also works as a preamp, straight into a power amp.

Level 1Output in VrmsLevel 8

Connections

Network in. Analog out.

Stream over Gigabit Ethernet or dual-band Wi-Fi. Then send the signal out balanced or unbalanced, or to a USB DAC.

The back of Primo V3 on a marble top, with balanced XLR cables plugged in.

In

Ethernet
Gigabit, 10/100/1000
Wi-Fi
802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 and 5 GHz
Power
5 V DC / 3 A, on a 5.5 × 2.1 mm barrel jack

Out

Analog
Built-in DAC, up to PCM 384 kHz / 32-bit
Balanced
XLR, 1.00 to 6.30 Vrms in 8 levels
Unbalanced
RCA, 0.50 to 3.15 Vrms in 8 levels
USB-A × 2
To a USB DAC, up to PCM 1536 kHz / 32-bit and DSD1024, with multiroom off
HDMI
Mirrors the Volumio app on your TV, up to 4K at 60 fps

The Volumio experience

Volumio OS inside. The app in your hand.

Primo V3 runs Volumio OS, the player behind 800,000+ devices. You play it from the Volumio app, free on iPhone and Android.

Primo V3, front viewVolumio OS inside
Primo V3 plays everythingTIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Roon Ready, web radio and your own files, bit-perfect. Every Premium feature is built in.
The Volumio app on a phone, playing an album: the cover, the controls and the volume.
You play it from the appSearch every service at once, play in every room, and control it from any phone, tablet or browser. Or on your TV, over HDMI.

Discover the Volumio experience

Premium features built in

All your music. One platform.

Primo V3 has every Premium feature built in. TIDAL, Qobuz and Spotify sit next to internet radio such as Radio Paradise and TuneIn, in one place. TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect and AirPlay work too.

They belong to this Primo, with no subscription. On a Raspberry Pi or a PC, the same features come with a Volumio Premium subscription.

A living room with a TV on the wall showing album art, two white speakers on stands and Primo V3 on a white carved dresser.

On your TV

Connect HDMI and browse your music on the big screen, in up to 4K at 60 fps.

A listener holding a tablet that shows album art, with Primo V3 on a dresser and the same album on the TV above it.

In your hand

Browse, play and control it all from the Volumio app, in lossless and high resolution.

App StoreGoogle Play

Works with

Spotify, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, TIDAL and YouTubeDLNA, AirPlay, FLAC, TuneIn and Radio ParadiseMP3, Compact Disc, SHOUTcast and DMD2See everything it works with

Compare

Primo V3 or Primo V2

Both are streamer DACs with the Premium features built in, and both measure 27 × 15 × 5.2 cm. Primo V3 moves to the ES9039Q2M DAC, plays up to PCM 384 kHz / 32-bit and adds adjustable outputs and NOS mode. Primo V2 keeps an S/PDIF coaxial output and comes in two finishes.

DAC
Primo V3: ESS ES9039Q2M
Primo V2: ESS ES9038Q2M
DAC resolution
Primo V3: Up to PCM 384 kHz / 32-bit
Primo V2: Up to PCM 192 kHz / 24-bit
DAC filters
Primo V3: 8, Minimum Phase by default
Primo V2: 7
NOS mode
Primo V3: Available
Primo V2: Not available
Balanced XLR output
Primo V3: 8 selectable levels, 1.00 to 6.30 Vrms
Primo V2: 4 Vrms, fixed
Unbalanced RCA output
Primo V3: 8 selectable levels, 0.50 to 3.15 Vrms
Primo V2: 2 Vrms, fixed
S/PDIF coaxial output
Primo V3: Not available
Primo V2: Up to PCM 192 kHz / 24-bit
Processor
Primo V3: ARM Cortex-A72, quad-core, 1.5 GHz
Primo V2: ARM Cortex-A55, quad-core, 1.9 GHz
USB-A ports
Primo V3: 2 × USB 2.0, 0.56 A and 1.33 A
Primo V2: 1 × USB 3.0 and 1 × USB 2.0
On both
2 GB DDR4 memory and 16 GB eMMC storage. Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. HDMI up to 4K / 60 fps. Preamp mode, straight into a power amp. 5 V / 3 A power. 27 × 15 × 5.2 cm and 1.12 kg. Premium features built in.

Primo V3

Tech specs

Primo V3 audio specifications

DAC
ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M
DAC filters
8 digital filters for fine tuning
Supported resolution
Up to PCM 384 kHz / 32 bit
NOS mode
Switchable ON/OFF
Master clock
Ultra-low phase noise
Power supply
Integrated linear power supply stage
USB output
Up to PCM 1536 kHz / 32 bit and DSD1024, with multiroom off
Analog balanced output
1.00, 1.55, 2.00, 3.00, 4.00, 5.00, 6.00, 6.30 (Vrms)
Analog unbalanced output
0.50, 0.775, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00, 2.50, 3.00, 3.15 (Vrms)
Analog output impedance
≈140 Ω
Supported formats
DSD, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AAC, Vorbis, MP3 and others
Supported services
AirPlay via Shairport Sync, Spotify Connect, TIDAL and TIDAL Connect, Qobuz and Qobuz Connect, Roon
UPnP/DLNA
Renderer with OpenHome support
Plugins
YouTube, Squeezelite, Radio Paradise, Podcasts, Pandora, Fusion DSP, SoundCloud, Mixcloud

Primo V3 hardware specifications

USB
2 × USB-A 2.0 (5 V / 0.56 A; 5 V / 1.33 A)
Analog balanced output
1 × XLR (stereo)
Analog unbalanced output
1 × RCA (stereo)
Video output
Volumio OS app mirroring over HDMI up to 4K / 60 fps
LAN
Gigabit 10/100/1000 Mbps
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
Bluetooth
5.0
CPU
ARM Cortex-A72, Quad Core 1.5 GHz
RAM
2 GB DDR4
Internal storage
16 GB eMMC
Power
5 V DC / 3 A
Power input
Barrel jack 5.5 × 2.1 mm (positive polarity)
Dimensions
27 × 15 × 5.2 cm (10.6 × 5.9 × 2.0 in)
Weight
1.12 kg (2.47 lb)
Box dimensions
31.5 × 19.7 × 11.6 cm (12.4 × 7.8 × 4.6 in)
Box weight
1.96 kg (4.32 lb)
Primo V3 from the front.

In the box

  • Volumio Primo V3
  • 5 V / 3 A power supply
  • NFC and QR code information card
Read the user manual

Primo V3

Buy in the shop, Primo V3Find a dealer
Or see Primo V2
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