5 ms·

Wow this is a super impressive project. I was originally expecting a device built around a Raspberry Pi, but this is a completely custom designed linux board!

NGRhodes 5y ago
And a nicely detailed writeup.
sneak 5y ago
I don't understand why they didn't just use a pi; it would have been cheaper and easier. It already has ethernet and analog audio out.
- blamazon 5y ago
  Because they wanted to make something.
- corobo 5y ago
  It would have been even easier to plug an aux cable into an old phone and use that Not as interesting though. Not as fun
- bayindirh 5y ago
  Raspberry Pi's analog audio out is not very high quality either. I run a HiFiBerry on a Raspberry Pi, and while it's really delicious to use (good sound, good app, good ergonomics), it's just mount, flash and play. It's not something you make from scratch. I'd love to have time to work on something similar. My targets would be different audio-quality wise, but it's a very nice project. Kudos to its maker.
  - 3np 5y ago
    I also imagine if this device is on close to 24/7, reduced electricity costs will more than make up for any cost savings in the end.
  - kesslern 5y ago
    I use a cheap USB audio device with my Pi. I got a constant buzz through my CRT with the built-in analog output. The USB device fixed that and all other audio issues I had.
    - bayindirh 5y ago
      These generally work well enough. My requirement was to drive a pair of HiFi speakers with minimum hardware, so I went for HifiBerry.
  - pjerem 5y ago
    > Raspberry Pi's analog audio out is not very high quality either. On this point, can't you use some USB DAC ? I know nothing on this topic but there must be something that sits between "Raspberry Pi sound quality" and "multi thousands $ DAC".
    - bayindirh 5y ago
      You can, but I’m not very knowledgeable about USB DACs which works on Linux. The HiFiBerry amplifier I use is $50, has great software and enough power and top notch DACs from TI. On top of that it’s a hat, has a dedicated steel enclosure and everything is powered by a laptop brick. It’s unbeatable at that price point IMHO.
      - pjerem 5y ago
        That's interesting, thank you !
      - jxcl 5y ago
        I'm not sure about the specifics of the protocol but I've used tens of DACs and only ever run Linux, and I've never had a problem with compatibility. I'm pretty sure the USB audio standard is pervasive enough so that basically any DAC you buy will be compatible. On all the DACs I own I also have no trouble configuring the protocol to higher bandwidth settings like 24-bit 192 kHz signals.
        bayindirh 5y ago
        That's good to hear. It's not that I believe that they won't work, but because I didn't need such setup. I use a desktop PC as my main battlestation and I use a Xonar D2X on that (over PCIe), and it works beautifully, so I didn't need anything else. For the Raspberry Pi, I needed something tidy, like this box. My father gave his HiFi system to me due to space constraints, but kept a nice set of speakers, so I needed something comparable in clarity, in absolute smallest and sturdiest package. HiFiBerry allows me to do that. Moreover the software is co-developed with Bang & Olufsen, and it's extremely polished, like the hardware itself. My setup is pretty lean, but HiFiBerry can do some serious stuff like B&O self-tuning and custom DSP filters for sound shaping (for room, for taste, for fun). My setup is as follows: - Raspberry Pi 4/2GB. - HiFiBerry AMP2 [https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-amp2/ https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-amp2/] - Steel case for Pi4 + AMP2 [https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/cases/steel-case-for-hifiberry-dac-pi-4-2-2/ https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/cases/steel-case-for-hifiberr...] The result is a literal black box with power in and speakers out. I added a SanDisk Fit USB drive for local music storage. It can run spotifyd, AirPlay 2, direct BT, local files and more. It packs a decent punch, runs cool, can be used from anywhere (runs a webapp on a server, advertised with mDNS). If there's an update, it installs and reboots automatically. Set & Forget, at its finest.

NGRhodes 5y ago

And a nicely detailed writeup.

sneak 5y ago

I don't understand why they didn't just use a pi; it would have been cheaper and easier. It already has ethernet and analog audio out.

blamazon 5y ago
Because they wanted to make something.
corobo 5y ago
It would have been even easier to plug an aux cable into an old phone and use that Not as interesting though. Not as fun
bayindirh 5y ago
Raspberry Pi's analog audio out is not very high quality either. I run a HiFiBerry on a Raspberry Pi, and while it's really delicious to use (good sound, good app, good ergonomics), it's just mount, flash and play. It's not something you make from scratch. I'd love to have time to work on something similar. My targets would be different audio-quality wise, but it's a very nice project. Kudos to its maker.
- 3np 5y ago
  I also imagine if this device is on close to 24/7, reduced electricity costs will more than make up for any cost savings in the end.
- kesslern 5y ago
  I use a cheap USB audio device with my Pi. I got a constant buzz through my CRT with the built-in analog output. The USB device fixed that and all other audio issues I had.
  - bayindirh 5y ago
    These generally work well enough. My requirement was to drive a pair of HiFi speakers with minimum hardware, so I went for HifiBerry.
- pjerem 5y ago
  > Raspberry Pi's analog audio out is not very high quality either. On this point, can't you use some USB DAC ? I know nothing on this topic but there must be something that sits between "Raspberry Pi sound quality" and "multi thousands $ DAC".
  - bayindirh 5y ago
    You can, but I’m not very knowledgeable about USB DACs which works on Linux. The HiFiBerry amplifier I use is $50, has great software and enough power and top notch DACs from TI. On top of that it’s a hat, has a dedicated steel enclosure and everything is powered by a laptop brick. It’s unbeatable at that price point IMHO.
    - pjerem 5y ago
      That's interesting, thank you !
    - jxcl 5y ago
      I'm not sure about the specifics of the protocol but I've used tens of DACs and only ever run Linux, and I've never had a problem with compatibility. I'm pretty sure the USB audio standard is pervasive enough so that basically any DAC you buy will be compatible. On all the DACs I own I also have no trouble configuring the protocol to higher bandwidth settings like 24-bit 192 kHz signals.
      - bayindirh 5y ago
        That's good to hear. It's not that I believe that they won't work, but because I didn't need such setup. I use a desktop PC as my main battlestation and I use a Xonar D2X on that (over PCIe), and it works beautifully, so I didn't need anything else. For the Raspberry Pi, I needed something tidy, like this box. My father gave his HiFi system to me due to space constraints, but kept a nice set of speakers, so I needed something comparable in clarity, in absolute smallest and sturdiest package. HiFiBerry allows me to do that. Moreover the software is co-developed with Bang & Olufsen, and it's extremely polished, like the hardware itself. My setup is pretty lean, but HiFiBerry can do some serious stuff like B&O self-tuning and custom DSP filters for sound shaping (for room, for taste, for fun). My setup is as follows: - Raspberry Pi 4/2GB. - HiFiBerry AMP2 [https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-amp2/ https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/boards/hifiberry-amp2/] - Steel case for Pi4 + AMP2 [https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/cases/steel-case-for-hifiberry-dac-pi-4-2-2/ https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/cases/steel-case-for-hifiberr...] The result is a literal black box with power in and speakers out. I added a SanDisk Fit USB drive for local music storage. It can run spotifyd, AirPlay 2, direct BT, local files and more. It packs a decent punch, runs cool, can be used from anywhere (runs a webapp on a server, advertised with mDNS). If there's an update, it installs and reboots automatically. Set & Forget, at its finest.