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Author Topic: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player  (Read 3894 times)

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Dr Pan K

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Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« on: March 07, 2015, 12:49:29 PM »
Have been testing the latest Rpi2 over the last week or so, this thing loaded with Volumio is the best audio player I have ever heard and by a long margin.

The main advantage here is MPD, which is the secret weapon behind the vast majority of high end ($$$) audio streamers. Interface is down right simple, but the sound comes out as clean as nothing else. The web app for Volumio runs smooth without lag, the android version too. Of course there are other headless OS like Rune, Archphile, etc.

The new Rpi2 has a quad core 900MHz Armcortex (compared to the single core 700MHz of the previous version) and 1Gb of ram. Last night I loaded a DXD file of 1.2G and it went through the playback without a single glitch. Previous version was unable to handle heavy DXD files.

Best part? The price tag, a starting kit with case, memory, 2A SMPS and the Pi2 comes under 100$

And there are quite a few I2S dacs under $50 that can be connected and powered directly from the Rpi2, tested two of those and they sound more than good for the money. Also tested a linear power supply which made one of these "snap on" DACs to sound even better (smoother, detailed and with "flow").

Probably the best upgrade I can recommend for any digital audio system and at a ridiculously affordable price. Anyone else using the new Pi2 here?

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dBel84

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2015, 04:19:09 PM »
I have been tempted to play with this a few times, I currently just use an old laptop as part of the system. What made you choose RPi over BeagleBone? Most of the research I did earlier suggested that this was the preferred platform for audio. Volumio support was not available a while back but I see it is now.

Thanks for sparking the interest again  :)p1 :)p3

..dB
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Priidik

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2015, 04:38:52 PM »
Very interesting. I have used Daphile (Linux too), which has similar features and is based on daemon. Noticeably better sound than Windows, not to mention Mac. Maybe my dac does only digests Linux..

So you are saying it hs I2S output?
How good is it vs for exmple Amanero USB to I2S ?
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Dr Pan K

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2015, 04:56:12 PM »
A couple, maybe three weeks back my streaming laptop went dead (tnx HP..) and just about the same time the new Rpi2 was announced. I had not used the older Rpi versions as they were lacking in specs (both processor and memory were on the low side for hi res audio).

The new Rpi2 has a much much stronger quadcore 900MHz processor and 1Gb of RAM which is what made me order it. It can chew on pretty heavy files, i've been throwing just about everything on it including DSD, DXD and it is 100% glitch free. The price point/ specs are now on par if not better than most platforms and support is by far the best (reason is it remains the most popular)

I tested Daphile and though it sounds better than foobar, I somewhat doubt it can match Volumio, Rune and the like. There are some ethical reasons why I dont fancy Daphile too.

You can get I2S from the Rpi2 (and older versions too) and with small dacs like hifiberry+ the sound is more than decent (when you consider the price it is wayyyy more than decent). I still have some perplexities regarding the Rpi2 clock and I will be using it mostly as a USB streamer. It reads my HDD in a minute.

I have tested it with the Marantz HD DAC1 over USB, and with hifiberry+ and mamboberry over I2S. The only issue I had is with my Geek Out 1000 which i attribute to the GO being power thirsty (as a device it was correctly identified). 99.99% of dacs should work just fine.

This week I will have a 5A linear power supply ready for the Rpi2 and will be testing more DACs
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Bill-p

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2015, 06:22:00 PM »
Yeah, I have Rpi2 in a box here. Brother got it for me.

I haven't decided on what to do with it yet, but making a dedicated music hub out of it isn't out of the question. It certainly seems capable of just that. Will probably pair it with GO450 (hopefully less power hungry than GO1000), or maybe one of those i2s boards... I'm highly tempted to take a Gamma2 board and feed i2s directly into that... bypassing the SPDIF board.
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Dr Pan K

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2015, 11:06:08 AM »
Besides Volumio i stumbled upon TCMODS player which adds a couple of extras (covers, cpu% +T) and spoke with the proggramer, Tim, which seems a nice guy. This is my fav OS so far http://tcmods.org/



There is one issue, the Rpi2 with both Volumio and TCMODS cannot cope with more than one HDD at the same time, even when these get powered by an external USB hub.

And I found a great Android interface, Mupeace, highly recommended!  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.musicpd.android&hl=el


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Clemmaster

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2015, 05:55:29 PM »
Thanks for your info!

I've had the Pi2 in its box since day one. Since I got the Aries, I didn't feel the urge to play around with a linux player, but your info caught my attention.
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Azteca X

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2015, 06:26:36 PM »
Do Daphile or any of the other software mentioned work well as a DLNA/UPnP renderer? In my case I'm specifically thinking of using my Pi (1, not 2) as a zone for JRiver Media Center.
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meloman

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2015, 06:49:27 PM »
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Dr Pan K

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Re: Raspberry Pi 2 model B (2015 model) as audio streamer-player
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2015, 11:40:21 PM »
@Clemmaster The Aries is nice, but the Rpi2 will do pretty much the same for a fraction of the money. I streamed 32/352.8 DXD files with no problem to my Rpi2 !!!

@Azteca I m afraid I havent done any DLNA testing. I used Daphile just a bit (on a normal PC) and it is not my cup of tea. Besides sound-wise I doubt it can hold against MPD based solutions which is the only important thing for me.

@meloman The I2S has a serious limitation with the clock used on the Pi2 board but trust me, it is far less audible that on paper. I was very skeptical myself but listening to the Pi2-hifiberry+ got me scratching my head. The most serious issue is some distortion with this combo but I found out it's a known issue and hardware volume should be kept to "96" which corresponds to level 0.
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