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Gear / Technical Help => Playback Forum => Topic started by: audBall on July 15, 2016, 03:12:35 PM
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I've seen some posts here and there over the years about the Raspberry Pi device being used for audio streaming, playback, and DAC. I figured a dedicated thread might bring it all together. Apologies if there is already a thread. I was reading on www.hifiberry.com and they have various boards (and other accessories) for digital streaming, DAC, and amplification to add functionality to the existing Pi device. I already have a dedicated DAC/headphone amp so the Digi+ Bundle (https://www.hifiberry.com/product/hifiberry-digi-bundle/) looks promising. No fans in these things, either, which is nice. Would it make sense to use this with an external HD?
I know this is all old news to some here, but who all is using the Raspberry for this use? For those of us who may be on the "less-techie" end of the spectrum, is it fairly easy to setup and operate? It all looks pretty straightforward and there are tons of info on other sites for setting things up.
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In.
Yes, you can totally use the Rasberry Pi 2/3 with an external USB hard drive. However, the RPi 2/3 only has USB 2.0 ports. Depending on power needs, you might also need an external, powered USB HUB to support your external drives.
Right now, I just have a couple USB Flash drives hooked into the spare USB ports. But you could definitely use it to attach an external USB drive.
# Anker Ultra Slim 4-Port USB 3.0 Data Hub with 12W Power Adapter
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0192LPK5M/
I am currently running Raspian "Wheezy" on my Raspberry Pi 2 and it's rock-solid, little machine. It's perfect for running an Apache and/or file server. That's, basically, what I use it for.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/
If you want to use a standard PC monitor with the RPi 2, you'll need an HDMI to VGA adapter, like the one below.
# BlueRigger High Speed HDMI to DVI Adapter Cable
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S4R5CK/
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Thought I'd bump this and also send some people the direction of Volumio.
All you need is a Rasberry Pi. If you are hooking up via HDMI you are done. If you want onboard DAC or to use an external DAC you probably need to pick up a daughetr board as the 1/8" analog out on the Pi is noisy.
https://volumio.org/
Volumio recently updated to v2.0 and the UI is improved, more responsive and the music library function is improved. Control from any mobile device on your home WiFi.
RCA Analog Out DAC
http://www.ebay.com/itm/I2S-Interface-Special-HIFI-DAC-Sound-Card-For-Raspberry-PI-B-2B-Version-/221932185350?hash=item33ac306706:g:Sj8AAOSwQoFWOmvJ
Coax/Optical SPDIF
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HIFI-DiGi-Digital-Sound-Card-I2S-Interface-SPDIF-Optical-Fiber-for-Raspberry-Pi-/122296542120?hash=item1c797123a8:g:BFsAAOSwEzxYa0b2
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I use Volumio on a Raspberry Pi 3 with HiFiBerry board, and am pretty happy with Volumio. Another option, just so people are aware, is Moode Audio Player: http://moodeaudio.org/
Also, here are some good informational links for anyone curious about using a Raspberry Pi for audio purposes:
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2017/03/howto-building-and-installing-raspberry.html (fairly in depth how-to)
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2017/01/measurements-raspberry-pi-3-as-usb.html (actual measurements here)
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I have a Raspberry Pi and use Volumio as my music controller. I have a portable HDD hooked up to the Pi and use an iFi micro iDSD as an external DAC. I am totally computer illiterate so it was tricky for me to set up, but once I did, it works really well. The only thing that is a bit of an issue is that Volumio's search options are a bit limited, so if I'm looking for a particular song or artist, it can take a little bit to find it. That said, you can't beat it for the price or the form factor.