Raspberry Pi for audio playback

[cburbs]

Raspberry Pi components
Raspberry Pi Board
Raspberry Pi board model B+ (Single Core, 512MB)
Raspberry Pi 2 Model B (Quad Core, 1gb)[/a]
Raspberry Pi™ 3 Model B 1GB

Raspberry Pi Cases
Flirc Raspberry Pi B+ case
ModmyPi Cases
Adafruit Cases
mcmelectronics
EleDuino Cases

Micro SD Memory Cards
Micro SD memory card (at least 8GB)
thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-microsd-card/

Micro USB Powe Adapter
Micro USB power adapter
5V 2.2A AC Switching Power Supply
General list

DACS
[Guide] List of I2S DACs for Raspberry Pi

HiFiBerry DAC+ - RCA or Phone Jack, Dedicated 192kHz/24bit high-quality Burr-Brown DAC, Hardware volume control.
Pi-DAC+ - Audiophile TI Burr Brown 32-bit/384kHz DAC (TI PCM5122), Full-HD audio – up to 24-bit/192kHz playback
Wolfson Audio Card for Raspberry Pi Revision 2 Model A and B
Durio Sound - PCM5102 DAC chip , 24-bit 192kHz ultimate sound quality
Hifimediy Dacs – ESS 9023, ESS 9018
Audiophonics I-Sabre DAC ES9023 Raspberry Pi A+ B+ / I2S
Raspyplay


Raspberry Pi Starter Kits
CanaKit Raspberry Pi B+ Complete Starter Kit with WiFi (Raspberry Pi B Plus + WiFi + Original Preloaded 8GB SD Card + Case + Power Supply + HDMI Cable)
CanaKit Raspberry Pi B+ Basic Kit (Raspberry Pi B Plus + 2.5A Micro USB Power Supply)

Software
Volumio- Volumio is an entirely new music system. It is designed to play all your music, whether is an Hi-Res file or a Web Radio, with the highest quality.

RuneAudio - RuneAudio is a free and open source software with one specific objective: to transform an embedded platform (a cheap, silent and low-consumption mini-PC) into an Hi-Fi digital music player. It offers a lot of features and aims to be easy to use, flexible and future-proof.

SqueezePlug- SqueezePlug is a platform for different Media-Servers:Logitech Media Server (f.k.a. Slimserver, SqueezeBox Server) in the latest version, MiniDLNA, MPD.

PiCorePlayer - piCorePlayer is a dedicated Squeezebox player (like a Duet receiver) for your Raspberry pi board. It is build on a small read-only linux (Microcore) and Triodes excellent Squeezelite player.

PiMusicBox- Headless audio player based on Mopidy (no need for a monitor), streaming music from Spotify, SoundCloud, Google Music, Podcasts (with iTunes, gPodder directories), local and networked music files (MP3/OGG/FLAC/AAC), Webradio (with TuneIn, Dirble, AudioAddict, Soma FM directories), Subsonic. - See more at: pimusicbox.com/#sthash.ZvwmcO0M.dpuf

Mopidy- Vanilla Mopidy only plays music from your local disk and radio streams. Through extensions, Mopidy can play music from cloud services like Spotify, SoundCloud, and Google Play Music.

Archfile - Archphile is an Archlinux ARM/Mpd based distribution for Raspberry Pi (B and B+), Udoo Quad (also dual with some extra steps) and Cubox-i targeted to users with USB DACS (official I2S support is on it’s road).

TC Mods(Moode Audio player) -

Articles
Raspberry Pi as Hi-Fi Player with RuneAudio
Turn Raspberry Pi into audiophile music player
Raspberry Pi i2s DAC: why this sounds so good
Installing squeezelite player on raspian
The Raspberry Pi (half-baked): the $50 Network Player
How-To: Using Raspberry Pi as a Streaming Music Player
Raspberry Pi as low-cost audio streaming box


Remote control APPs for Iphones/Androids
mpd.wikia.com/wiki/Clients
www.runeaudio.com/forum/runeui-with-chrome-s-add-to-homescreen-feature-t331.html

Windows & Android devices
Chrome - Since Chrome M31, you can set up your web app to have an application shortcut icon added to a device's homescreen, and have the app launch in full-screen "app mode" using Chrome for Android’s "Add to homescreen" menu item.

Android
Volumio Web App - With this App you can easily control your Volumio-powered Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone Black etc It will allow you to have Volumio's Web UI to show as a standalone App, out of your browser.

Sound@Home for Volumio- This App is a dedicated app for Volumio OS that will simply allow you to fully control your favourite music in your apartment.

Iphone
Mpod - MPoD is your iPhone / iPod Touch remote control for MPD (Music Player Daemon). Featuring a slick, intuitive user interface, MPoD makes it very easy to browse through your collection, and play the music you want to hear from a large collections of artists, albums and songs.




My Raspberry Pi setup
Raspberry Pi board model B+
Flirc Case
Kootek 5V 2A Universal Micro USB Charger Adapter Power Supply
Samsung 16GB EVO Class 10 Micro SDHC
HiFimeDIY Sabre U2 Asynchronous USB DAC ES9023
Currently running Volumio and pulling music from my unraid server. I have also tested Runeaudio but prefer some items from volumio over rune.

[cwmcobra]

Great information. Thanks for such a detailed post!

[cburbs]

No problem I will be updating information as I have time or find new stuff.

[hemster]

I agree, great info.

How long would it take for a technically savvy person to put this rig together? I might consider paying for a ready-built Pi (if reasonably priced).

I'd like to have my Pi and Edith too!

[cburbs]

I am hoping to test each piece of software but so far a quick test of volumio vs rune and I like a few things with volumio that I would choose it over rune though rune has a few small things volumio doesn't. Next one I want to test is PiCoreplayer.

I have to say the Flirc case is a wonderful case for the Pi....very solid. I will probably also be buying the new pi2 setup and sell of my Pi B setup which is basically this right here.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DG9D63A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and this case www.amazon.com/dp/B00ASJRMT0?psc=1

[garbulky]

I really appreciate this info. I've been trying to learn about the pi but currently it's a little over my head.

[cburbs]

Not really that hard to setup!

[NotTheHerbie]

Feb 20, 2015 11:32:00 GMT -5 cburbs said:

Not really that hard to setup!

I agree. It was easier to setup than expected. I would like to point out a few cautions though. Because the Raspberry Pi 2 is new and the Raspberry Pi B+ is also fairly new, not all of the listed I2S DACs have support built into the various operating system distributions yet. (It should only be a matter of time.)

I also noticed that the Parts Express Listing for the Wolfson Audio Card says it is compatible with the Raspberry Pi 2. That is incorrect. That particular card is only compatible with the original Model A and Model B. The version that is compatible with the B+ and the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is now called the Cirrus Audio Card. (Wolfson was bought by Cirrus last year.) The MCM Electronics website does a pretty good job of identifying which version of the Pi, an add-on board, case or accessory is combatable with.

I currently have 6 Raspberry Pi Model B's (version 1) running on my network. I'm able to play up to 192KHz/24bit audio files and can synchronize playback across multiple Pi's or play unique content on each.

See This to read more about my experience with the Raspberry Pi.

- Mike

[cburbs]

Great info in regards to the I2s Dacs and Wolfson Card.

Are you upsampling to that rate with VOlumio? 192KHz/24bit

[NotTheHerbie]

Feb 20, 2015 14:32:41 GMT -5 cburbs said:

Great info in regards to the I2s Dacs and Wolfson Card.

Are you upsampling to that rate with VOlumio? 192KHz/24bit

No, I'm streaming bit-perfect audio at whatever the source bit rate and depth is. I'm currently using SqueezePlug which includes a version of Raspbian and a number of audio servers and clients that can be installed. Since I have a Logitech Media Server running on my network file server (Synology DS1513+), I've installed the SqueezeLite client on my Pi's. I can control playback on any of my 6 Raspberry Pi's from my Android phone, iPad 2, iPod Touch or any web browser on my network. I can also synchronize playback on 2 or more Pi's so that the song you're listening to as you walk from my living room, through the kitchen and Pub and out the back door to the pool, plays in perfect sync and you don't ever have to miss your favorite guitar riff or song chorus.

FYI, although I do have a few 192/24 albums, most of my high def music is either 96/24 or 88.2/24 (all purchased from hdtracks.com.) The rest of my music I've been slowly ripping from CD to 44.1/16. Everything is saved as flac files.

- Mike

[Chuck Elliot]

Nice set of links to RPI audio stuff.

HiFiBerry has 2 types of products: DAC and Digi. The DAC products have the usual analog type outputs, while the Digi products have digital coax and Toslink outputs. Link to Digi+ product.
I decided on the HiFiBerry Digi+ product because of its wide support by various player apps. and I'd rather have the decode done by the XMC-1.

All my HD music(all sample rates) is in FLAC format while my CD rips are all Apple-Lossless.

[dasanto2]

I'll apologize for my ignorance in advance.

Is there a serious benefit of a digital signal from say an optical or coaxial cable (with the additional upgrade from the hifi berry) over the digital signal from the on-board hdmi cable?

[NotTheHerbie]

Feb 20, 2015 20:21:55 GMT -5 dasanto2 said:

I'll apologize for my ignorance in advance.

Is there a serious benefit of a digital signal from say an optical or coaxial cable (with the additional upgrade from the hifi berry) over the digital signal from the on-board hdmi cable?

There shouldn't be any difference in the digital signal between the Pi's HDMI out and either of the SPDIF outs from the HifiBerry Digi (for the original Model A and B) or Digi+ (for the B+ and the Version 2 Model B).

That said, up until the release of the new Raspberry Pi Version 2 Model B, some of the operating systems distributions for the Pi artificially limited HDMI audio output to 48KHz/24bit. I don't know if this has or will be fixed in the combined distribution for the B+ and Version 2.

- Mike

[NotTheHerbie]

Chuck,

What did your Digi+ cost including shipping and how long did it take to get to you? Did you get the Digi+ with or without the output transformer?

Thanks,
Mike

[Chuck Elliot]

Feb 21, 2015 11:54:34 GMT -5 NotTheHerbie said:

Chuck,

What did your Digi+ cost including shipping and how long did it take to get to you? Did you get the Digi+ with or without the output transformer?

Thanks,
Mike

I had to go to the UK to get it, so I got nailed price-wise, but you can now order from Canada. See this Link to pi.ca.

Yes, I got the Digi+ with the isolation coax transformer. Pi.ca doesn't list it, but I'm sure they can get it.

PS Just sent them an email to ask.....

[Chuck Elliot]

Feb 21, 2015 12:42:03 GMT -5 Chuck Elliot said:

Feb 21, 2015 11:54:34 GMT -5 NotTheHerbie said:

Chuck,

What did your Digi+ cost including shipping and how long did it take to get to you? Did you get the Digi+ with or without the output transformer?

Thanks,
Mike

I had to go to the UK to get it, so I got nailed price-wise, but you can now order from Canada. See this Link to pi.ca.

Yes, I got the Digi+ with the isolation coax transformer. Pi.ca doesn't list it, but I'm sure they can get it.

PS Just sent them an email to ask.....

Hello Chuck,

I will take a note of this. Sorry but we are not expecting new shipments from HiFiBerry in the next several weeks. We have just got their three most popular boards.

Best regards,

BuyaPi.ca Support Team

On 2/21/2015 1:06 PM, Chuck Elliot wrote:
> Are you going to carry
> the HiFiBerry Digi+ with isolation transformer in the future?

[Chuck Elliot]

I'm willing to write up a complete guide to installing and using Volumio on a RPI!

I don't want to spend the time unless there is interest! Please like if you're interested.

I find that Volumio best serves my needs although there are other packages available. Music can be stored on an external USB drive that is formatted in NTFS which allows the drive to also be plugged into my main PC for file transfer and management.

Connection to NAS is also provided.

[plm]

Chuck

If you get into this, you should consider running the (free) Logitech Media Server on one Pi and then the Squeezelite client on the others. Multi-room, synchronizable audio, and high bitrate supported. Plus internet radio and a heap of other goodies.

[Chuck Elliot]

Feb 23, 2015 22:51:09 GMT -5 plm said:

Chuck

If you get into this, you should consider running the (free) Logitech Media Server on one Pi and then the Squeezelite client on the others. Multi-room, synchronizable audio, and high bitrate supported. Plus internet radio and a heap of other goodies.

IMO, Volumio is a far less complex application to install and get working on a Raspberry Pi. Not all have Linux experience and will have to "fight" through a bunch of library downloads and configuration file edits. Volumio pretty much works out of the box once transferred to a SD Card.

You're also not locked in. You can always update to something else in the future.

With Windows 10 coming to the Pi and JR Media Center already having a Linux port, I look forward to exploring that combo in the future too.

[cburbs]

Well I gave in and ordered the pi 2 and HiFime 9018 Asynchronous High resolution USB DAC.