Topic: Raspberry Pi HiFiBerry: External Hard Drive USB to Stereo Receiver

[KenH]

I'm looking to hook up an External Hard Drive via USB to Stereo Receiver home stereo to play FLAC files.  I have a ton of shows on an external SSD, but the receiver doesn't have USB input.

There would need to be some interface to choose what to play based on playlists.

Any suggestions ?

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Raspberry Pi + Volumio + DAC

https://www.hifiberry.com/build/documentation/setting-up-volumio-to-get-great-audio/

[flask]

Raspberry Pi + Volumio + DAC

https://www.hifiberry.com/build/documentation/setting-up-volumio-to-get-great-audio/

Exactly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUY1pOv7c1E

[heathen]

Pi is a great approach but I'll throw in an endorsement for Rune Audio: http://www.runeaudio.com/

I liked it better than Volumio, but I'm not going to sit here and rag on Volumio.  Both are good, and one of the great things about the Pi is that if you have two micro SD cards you can simply put Rune on one and Volumio on the other and try each for yourself by only swapping the card!

[KenH]

Kind of hoping not to involve a PC.  The Raspberry Pi seems like a lot of steps, which I could probably figure out, but still needs a PC.UI.
The Rune interface looks good, but still need a PC.

USB Drive > "unit" > DAC > amp.   If "unit" has say an Windows/IOS/Bluetooth interface, I could control what plays.

[kindms]

Kind of hoping not to involve a PC.  The Raspberry Pi seems like a lot of steps, which I could probably figure out, but still needs a PC.UI.
The Rune interface looks good, but still need a PC.

USB Drive > "unit" > DAC > amp.   If "unit" has say an Windows/IOS/Bluetooth interface, I could control what plays.

you can use an amazon fire device. If your amp can take HDMI or optical (first gen fire tv)

well modified to add you would need to run a computer somewhere to run the server software that will map your HDD. Like Plex or logitech

If you go with a NAS most have an audio server app installed. From there you would just need something to interface with your stereo

[flask]

Or you could upgrade your receiver to one that accepts USB

[KenH]

A lot to think about, but hey this is music we're talking about 

Might be able to just plug the USB drive to my TV and if it supports playlists (eg, grateful Dead 1973-05-20), with optical out to the receiver, it might work...  the UI would be the TV.   

If I can mount USB drive to an Amazon Fire tablet, depending on the outputs, this might work too.

Definitely tired of my Yamaha receiver though; really don't need the 7.1 stuff!

Thanks for the advice...

[heathen]

I'm confused about why you say the Pi needs a PC?  The Pi is a stand-alone unit.  You don't necessarily need any other computer. 

[KenH]

I'm confused about why you say the Pi needs a PC?  The Pi is a stand-alone unit.  You don't necessarily need any other computer.

Probably just me that's confused!      How do you select a show to play through Pi ?   Wouldn't you need some sort of user interface ?   I guess that would be Volumio or Rune, but what does that display on ?

[heathen]

I'm confused about why you say the Pi needs a PC?  The Pi is a stand-alone unit.  You don't necessarily need any other computer.

Probably just me that's confused!      How do you select a show to play through Pi ?   Wouldn't you need some sort of user interface ?   I guess that would be Volumio or Rune, but what does that display on ?

There are multiple ways.  One of the easiest is on your phone.  The UI shows up in your web browser and you can control Rune/Volumio from there.  Of course you could also use a keyboard and mouse.

When I was using my Pi for playback (it's currently being tinkered with as an eight-channel bit bucket, but I digress), I kept it inside a cabinet.  All I needed to do was bring it up in the web browser on my phone and I could control it...didn't even need to see the thing.

[KenH]

IOS phone interface would be fine.   Will have to look into that more.  Thanks!

Also, Sony Bravia apparently doesn't support FLAC playback, but I haven't tried it yet.

[kindms]

IOS phone interface would be fine.   Will have to look into that more.  Thanks!

Also, Sony Bravia apparently doesn't support FLAC playback, but I haven't tried it yet.

do you have a sony playstation or microsoft xbox ?

those would also possibly give you some options

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

For Volumio the Pi and DAC are all you need. It's "headless" (no monitor). You will use you're phone to browse your files on a hard drive connected to the Pi.

Setting it up isn't the easiest thing ever, but if you can record a concert and convert it to FLAC's you can set up the Pi to run Volumio (or Rune).

Should cost more than $100 (not including a hard drive).

[heathen]

Should cost more than $100 (not including a hard drive).

You meant NOT more than $100, right?

[morst]

Note that the raspberry pi is a fully functional tiny computer. https://www.raspberrypi.org/about/


Do you presently have a smart TV with a USB input? What model?


How about a Micca Spec?
"The Micca Speck G2 is a true 1080p Full-HD digital media player, capable of decoding all popular video formats such as H.264/MKV, MOV, and AVI files, up to 1080p resolution and 10Mbps bit rate. It supports playback from USB flash drives and USB hard drives upto 2TB, and SD memory cards up to 32GB."


https://www.miccatron.com/micca-speck/


Dang, that thing won't play FLAC, probably needs WAV files. sorry.

[lsd2525]

Note that the raspberry pi is a fully functional tiny computer. https://www.raspberrypi.org/about/


Do you presently have a smart TV with a USB input? What model?


How about a Micca Spec?
"The Micca Speck G2 is a true 1080p Full-HD digital media player, capable of decoding all popular video formats such as H.264/MKV, MOV, and AVI files, up to 1080p resolution and 10Mbps bit rate. It supports playback from USB flash drives and USB hard drives upto 2TB, and SD memory cards up to 32GB."


https://www.miccatron.com/micca-speck/


Dang, that thing won't play FLAC, probably needs WAV files. sorry.

I looked at file types, it showed FLAC, but not wav??

[KenH]

Do you presently have a smart TV with a USB input? What model?

Yes, the 60" version of KDL-48W650D, but I don't have the exact model number... Sony Bravia.

[KenH]

For Volumio the Pi and DAC are all you need. It's "headless" (no monitor). You will use you're phone to browse your files on a hard drive connected to the Pi.

Is this the DAC that you buy as an option and attach to the Pi ?

[heathen]

For Volumio the Pi and DAC are all you need. It's "headless" (no monitor). You will use you're phone to browse your files on a hard drive connected to the Pi.

Is this the DAC that you buy as an option and attach to the Pi ?

Yes.  Don't be intimidated by that, though.  It's about as complicated as attaching two Legos together 

You could of course use your own DAC.  I was doing that via USB cable.

[KenH]

How about a Micca Spec?
"The Micca Speck G2 is a true 1080p Full-HD digital media player, capable of decoding all popular video formats such as H.264/MKV, MOV, and AVI files, up to 1080p resolution and 10Mbps bit rate. It supports playback from USB flash drives and USB hard drives upto 2TB, and SD memory cards up to 32GB."


https://www.miccatron.com/micca-speck/


Dang, that thing won't play FLAC, probably needs WAV files. sorry.

The website and manual indicates that the Speck G2 supports FLAC playback...  interesting unit...

[kindms]

Raspberry Pi folks

If I have a USB DAC I am assuming all i need is the base Pi + an OS correct ?

No need to get an onboard DAC unless I want to run straight to an AMP

I know its a dumb question and Im pretty sure the answer is all I need is a Pi but before I buy one to play with figured I would confirm

[heathen]

Raspberry Pi folks

If I have a USB DAC I am assuming all i need is the base Pi + an OS correct ?

No need to get an onboard DAC unless I want to run straight to an AMP

I know its a dumb question and Im pretty sure the answer is all I need is a Pi but before I buy one to play with figured I would confirm

Correct.  Just connect the Pi to the DAC via USB cable and you're off to the races.

[morst]

The website and manual indicates that the Speck G2 supports FLAC playback...  interesting unit...

Oh good! I didn't do a deep dive on the manual, but wanted to bring the unit to your attention. We use them at my work sometimes. For instance, when folks in trade show booths need their media to loop, but the smart TV won't do it directly, or exactly the way they want.

[kindms]

Raspberry Pi folks

If I have a USB DAC I am assuming all i need is the base Pi + an OS correct ?

No need to get an onboard DAC unless I want to run straight to an AMP

I know its a dumb question and Im pretty sure the answer is all I need is a Pi but before I buy one to play with figured I would confirm

Correct.  Just connect the Pi to the DAC via USB cable and you're off to the races.

do you happen to know if the frontend will support multiple Pi's on a LAN ? so i can select say pi in one room vs the other ?

[heathen]

Raspberry Pi folks

If I have a USB DAC I am assuming all i need is the base Pi + an OS correct ?

No need to get an onboard DAC unless I want to run straight to an AMP

I know its a dumb question and Im pretty sure the answer is all I need is a Pi but before I buy one to play with figured I would confirm

Correct.  Just connect the Pi to the DAC via USB cable and you're off to the races.

do you happen to know if the frontend will support multiple Pi's on a LAN ? so i can select say pi in one room vs the other ?

That I don't know.

[KenH]

Pretty much settling on the Raspberry Pi - seems like the best option (and thanks for the great advice!).

A question or 2:
- What Operating System ?   Does it come with Raspbian installed, or would I need to download it to a flash card to load it ? 
- Then install Volumio or Rune as the audio app, or is that an O/S as well ?

TIA

[heathen]

Pretty much settling on the Raspberry Pi - seems like the best option (and thanks for the great advice!).

A question or 2:
- What Operating System ?   Does it come with Raspbian installed, or would I need to download it to a flash card to load it ? 
- Then install Volumio or Rune as the audio app, or is that an O/S as well ?

TIA

Rune and Volumio are operating systems.  You'll need to put those on a card with your computer.  It's a matter of just downloading the image file from either site, and then using any number of programs to put that on the card (I could recommend one when I'm at home...I can't remember the name of the one I use off the top of my head).  It's really easy.  At that point you just put the card in the Pi and power it up.

I would definitely recommend getting a couple cards so you can swap back and forth between different operating systems, though, until you find one that works best for you.  Even for an OS dedicated to audio playback, there are more options than just what have been discussed in this thread!  If you've used any of the common Linux distros before, Raspbian will look the most familiar.  Rune and Volumio literally look like just audio players (that's what they are, after all).

[KenH]

Great, thanks for that info!

I've never used Linux, but have worked with and on a few other O/S before (Unix, VMS, Windows, and even older ones like TOPS-20(!)) in my database/software engineering jobs...

[KenH]

Any idea if the HiFiBerry bundle comes with a power supply (as in what's pictured) or does that need to be added to the bundle ?

https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/bundles/dac-bundle/

[heathen]

Any idea if the HiFiBerry bundle comes with a power supply (as in what's pictured) or does that need to be added to the bundle ?

https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/bundles/dac-bundle/

I'm not certain.  That picture certainly makes it look like it comes with a power supply, but then scrolling down it looks like it's just the DAC board.  Probably best to contact them to make sure.

[kindms]

Raspberry Pi folks

If I have a USB DAC I am assuming all i need is the base Pi + an OS correct ?

No need to get an onboard DAC unless I want to run straight to an AMP

I know its a dumb question and Im pretty sure the answer is all I need is a Pi but before I buy one to play with figured I would confirm

Correct.  Just connect the Pi to the DAC via USB cable and you're off to the races.

do you happen to know if the frontend will support multiple Pi's on a LAN ? so i can select say pi in one room vs the other ?

That I don't know.

I was able to answer my own question. It seems at least volumio supports multi device selection with in the UI

[KenH]

My HiFi Berry arrived at the post office     Less than a week to arrive which is awesome considering it was shipped from Switzerland!
I'm psyched to check it out!

A couple of questions:
- Once Volumio or Rune is installed via Micro SD, use Bluetooth to connect to the unit, and configure it from there ?
- Do I need to purchase Volumio from the Apple Store, or will the app run on the iPhone once connected via Bluetooth ?
And/Or:
- Configure using a web interface, but connecting to my WiFi would require my WiFI password.  I've seen a YouTube video where the user accesses the unit via volumio.local/, but he had his unit connected via Ethernet cable.  I suppose I could do the same thing in the "office", then configure from there...

Thanks again!

[heathen]

My HiFi Berry arrived at the post office     Less than a week to arrive which is awesome considering it was shipped from Switzerland!
I'm psyched to check it out!

A couple of questions:
- Once Volumio or Rune is installed via Micro SD, use Bluetooth to connect to the unit, and configure it from there ?
- Do I need to purchase Volumio from the Apple Store, or will the app run on the iPhone once connected via Bluetooth ?
And/Or:
- Configure using a web interface, but connecting to my WiFi would require my WiFI password.  I've seen a YouTube video where the user accesses the unit via volumio.local/, but he had his unit connected via Ethernet cable.  I suppose I could do the same thing in the "office", then configure from there...

Thanks again!

I've always connected via my local network through my phone's web browser (with both Rune and Volumio).  No bluetooth or apps necessary.  I also always just connected via ethernet cable, but I doubt the wifi is a big deal to setup.  Do you not know your wifi password?

[KenH]

I do know the password, of course.  I set it up    

To connect a device (like a phone) to WiFi, you need to enter your password.   Similarly, connecting the RPi to WiFi would also require a password, but would need to connect to the RPi first to configure it, sort of a chicken or egg scenario.

Will see what develops when it's built and if access through the phone will work sufficiently.

[heathen]

I do know the password, of course.  I set it up    

To connect a device (like a phone) to WiFi, you need to enter your password.   Similarly, connecting the RPi to WiFi would also require a password, but would need to connect to the RPi first to configure it, sort of a chicken or egg scenario.

Will see what develops when it's built and if access through the phone will work sufficiently.

I think Volumio/Rune don't have a password out of the box.  I don't remember having to input one, at least. 

[kindms]

https://volumio.org/forum/configure-volumio-wifi-without-using-cabled-ethernet-t3953.html


https://volumio.github.io/docs/User_Manual/Quick_Start_Guide.html

second or 3rd paragraph explains the wifi setup

[KenH]

Cool, thanks!

I got the HiFiBerry DAC+ PRO - anyone else using that ?   Wondering if I should have gotten the DIGI, will see how the DAC+ sounds vs the DAC in my receiver.

[heathen]

If you end up wanting to try the digi let me know. I'm pretty sure I have one sitting around I could send you if you feel like paying a few bucks to cover postage.

If the DAC in your receiver has USB in, though, you can just use the USB port on the Pi without any hat.  I like that method, personally.

[KenH]

Receiver has no USB in...  thanks for the offer, might take you up on that...

[KenH]

Got it set up and working...  took some time to get it going, but it works!       After some brief listening, I'd say it sounds "OK", but not great.  Requires further critiacl listening...   I did read / see that adding a separate power supply to the DAC could improve things, but want to try the DIGI hat to see if that's better.

The thing is tiny and light weight, pretty cool device!

Thanks for all the advice. 

[heathen]

Got it set up and working...  took some time to get it going, but it works!       After some brief listening, I'd say it sounds "OK", but not great.  Requires further critiacl listening...   I did read / see that adding a separate power supply to the DAC could improve things, but want to try the DIGI hat to see if that's better.

The thing is tiny and light weight, pretty cool device!

Thanks for all the advice. 

One of the things I love about going the Pi route is that even if it doesn't work out, there are about a billion other things you can do with it.  It's pretty much guaranteed to not be a waste.

[KenH]

Got a problem.   I have 2 devices, a USB flash drive and a USB SSD, and have used each in the R Pi w/ Volumio.  When I insert either into a PC running Windows 10, I get :

Do you want to scan and fix Great Music (G:)?   [that's what I named the SSD ]

There might be a problem with some files on this device or disc. This can happen if you remove the device or disc before all files have been written to it.

[Scan and fix (recommended)]
[Continue without scanning]

For the thumb drive, I did the Scan and fix, and it wiped out the contents! (I do have a backup)
The contents of the drives are visible and I can navigate to folders.

But if I try to write anything to the device (before the scan/fix), I get a Copy File error:

An unexpected error is keeping you from copying the file. If you continue to receive this error, you can use the error code to search for help with this problem.
Error 0x80071AC3: The operation could not be completed because the volume is dirty.  Please run chkdsk and try again.

Any ideas ? 
Damn!

[heathen]

What file system do you use on the flash drive and SSD?

[KenH]

Both are exFAT.   

Also saw something about problems w/ USB drives occurring if just pulled out vs "safe removal", not required for Windows, but maybe for the Pi ?  Ie, shut down the Pi before removing the USB device ?

[heathen]

Maybe the drive is corrupted or something?  I know those things aren't great for long-term storage.  Do you have another drive you can put the music on and see if that throws the same errors?

[KenH]

New development, when I inserted the USB thumb drive again, the files were there, so they didn't get wiped out.
Thought I'd try "Eject..." from windows prior to removing it, then inserted it again to the PC.  No errors and it's writable again!   

Not to figure out if I can do the same thing for the SSD which doesn't have an Eject... option.

[heathen]

New development, when I inserted the USB thumb drive again, the files were there, so they didn't get wiped out.
Thought I'd try "Eject..." from windows prior to removing it, then inserted it again to the PC.  No errors and it's writable again!   

Not to figure out if I can do the same thing for the SSD which doesn't have an Eject... option.

Always try to do that before removing one of those drives.  You should be able to have Windows "eject" the USB SSD as well.

Also, while on the subject, try not to remove the micro SD card from your Pi while it's running.

[KenH]

I don't think the SSD is corrupt, Windows scan finds now errors, and it's readable.  And it's unlikely both would get corrupt at the same time.

However, the SSD appears to be Readonly (and says so under Ready Boost property, not that I was going to check that off, it just says device is mounted readonly).  Said the same w/ the thumb drive, but now it doesn't after using Eject.

I managed to find Eject for the SSD, but it didn't help. 

Might just reformat it, and restore the backup.   And never remove it from the Pi w/out shutting the Pi down.

[Chilly Brioschi]

Use the SSD's manufacturer's tools to check it out
Lacking those, the SSD formatting weapon of choice is "Parted Magic"

[KenH]

Will check that out.  Ended up restoring the SSD from backups...

Really liking this R Pi DAC+ Pro setup!

[Chilly Brioschi]

+T for backups!

[KenH]

New development, when I inserted the USB thumb drive again, the files were there, so they didn't get wiped out.
Thought I'd try "Eject..." from windows prior to removing it, then inserted it again to the PC.  No errors and it's writable again!   

Also, while on the subject, try not to remove the micro SD card from your Pi while it's running.

Well, after shutting down the Pi first, then removing a Sandisk Cruzer thumb drive, same problem.   Shutting down the Pi  before removing the d rive doesn't seem to improve things.

Plug it into a PC, and get
"There might be a problem with some files on this device or disc. This can happen if you remove the device or disc before all files have been written to it."

Clck Scan and Fix, and Windows finds no problems.   

Files are readable, but can't write to it, at first, but now I can - very strange!    This is only a 65 gb drive, but I'm real concerned about a 500 GB SanDisk SSD and using it in the Pi.  I couldn't fix that problem before, and I have 168 Gb of files on it (so far).    Don't really want to risk not being able to add more music to it, so I guess I need to continue filling it up before using it w/ the Pi !

Off to check SanDisk website on this problem.

[KenH]

Update:  Happy to report that the "dirty" disk issues have been resolved!   Thanks for the Volumio website for the info.

Basically, need to follow one of 2 options to safely remove a USB Drive from the HiFi Berry:

1) Navigate to the USB device in Volumio Browse > Media Library > USB > click the three dots next to the device, and select "Safe Remove Media"  (this option was only seen after upgrading to the latest and greatest, released a few weeks ago.)

OR

2) Showdown the Pi and Volumio through Volumio > Shutdown.  Recommended that you don't just turn it off through the power adapter (mine has an on/off switch).

 

[kindms]

finally took the plunge and picked up a Pi 4. Have volumio up and running. If i actually paid attention I wouldnt have had a problem mounting the NAS shares but overall from unboxing to playing tune about an hour

Pretty slick. The Pi has dual 4k etc out so really overkill for what im doing but thought it would be fun to play with

[kindms]

finally took the plunge and picked up a Pi 4. Have volumio up and running. If i actually paid attention I wouldnt have had a problem mounting the NAS shares but overall from unboxing to playing tune about an hour

Pretty slick. The Pi has dual 4k etc out so really overkill for what im doing but thought it would be fun to play with

So I stuck this out in my office and I have to say best 120$ i have spent in a long time. I had a USB DAC kicking around so i just plugged it in and I was playing tunes over the built in wifi > NAS. Ive got it running in to an early 90s Marantz SR880 Receiver > Altec Lansings and an Energy 8" sub. 

When i set it up in the house the wifi signal icon looked weak so i thought outside it would be an issue but it must be misleading as it was able to pick my AP without issue.

Found a local guy im going to bring my non-working Adcom to get fixed and probably have him work on my integrated thats got a funky channel