[landroni]

 

What is the advantage to getting a hifi-berry with coaxial out to connect to a DAC over just connecting to the DAC via USB?

USB is inherently flawed for audio, there are many conversations around here as to why if you are interested. Other forms of digital out avoid the raspberry Pi's USB which is shared with its network adapter and any external devices you use with it. Things like the hifiberry lift the audio out without touching the USB controller then output it as other digital forms like coaxial as you said. Whether you can hear a difference? No idea, YMMV. But for the cost I'd say it's a worthy investment just to try.

I will add that vanilla RPi is inherently unsuited for audio, since its internal clocks are very different from the speeds used for audio (multiples of 44.1 and 48 kHz), which requires non-integer math and will result in important jitter (i.e. timing errors). Things like Digi+ implement their own clocks, this time suitable for audio, and give you the added bonus of less noisy transport if you use RCA Coax with galvanic isolation or Toslink Optical outputs.

 

[mysticstryk]

Because those services have relatively closed api's the options I can think of are:

1. Chromecast audio using its optical out assuming you can cast from bandcamp. Bubble upnp can handle local files and tidal.
2. Pi running kodi using USB out or hifiberry.
3. Pi using traditional music os (volumio/runeaudio) with USB out/hifiberry but download whatever you want to listen to from bandcamp and use bubleupnp server to provide tidal streaming.

For such a great platform, bandcamp is pretty annoying to extract audio from and control.

Anyone else got any other ideas for that combo? It's a bit of a weird/unfriendly combo.

 
Thanks!  I didn't even think of a Chromecase Audio.  Looking into it briefly here, it looks like the bubble upnp app will allow me to cast a bunch of stuff from my phone.  How would I get my local files from my hard drive onto the chromecast though?  I'm assuming I can't plug in an external hard drive like I can with the Pi.

 

[kfarndog]

   
Thanks!  I didn't even think of a Chromecase Audio.  Looking into it briefly here, it looks like the bubble upnp app will allow me to cast a bunch of stuff from my phone.  How would I get my local files from my hard drive onto the chromecast though?  I'm assuming I can't plug in an external hard drive like I can with the Pi.

Or you can use the Pi (server) with a Chromecast Audio (renderer).  Allows you to add a ton of storage to the Pi.

 

[lukeap69]

Or you can use the Pi (server) with a Chromecast Audio (renderer).  Allows you to add a ton of storage to the Pi.

Can you expand please?

 

[kfarndog]

Can you expand please?

I run a Pi with Moode Audio. Added USB thumbdrives and hard drives as storage.  Use Bubbleupnp as your go between for the Pi and your Chromecast(s) and to throw to wi-fi speaker setup.

 

[lukeap69]

I run a Pi with Moode Audio. Added USB thumbdrives and hard drives as storage.  Use Bubbleupnp as your go between for the Pi and your Chromecast(s) and to throw to wi-fi speaker setup.

Thanks

 

[MikeyFresh]

  I run a Pi with Moode Audio. Added USB thumbdrives and hard drives as storage.  Use Bubbleupnp as your go between for the Pi and your Chromecast(s) and to throw to wi-fi speaker setup.

First time post in this thread, I too am running MoOde Audio Player on an RPi3.
 
In my case I wanted this unit be a UPnP Renderer for an existing JRiver DLNA Server, which also runs BubbleUPnP Server over the top for additional/enhanced ease of compatibility.
 
This has so far turned out great, although my initial attempt with Volumio2 didn't work out so well. Probably my fault being a relative noob, but instead of swimming upstream I ditched Volumio and installed MoOde, and I've had no additional difficulty in using the Oppo HA-2, or LH Labs GO1000 DACs.
 
Here is the build, using the SUPERB PiKrust case, milled from T6061 billet and anodized red:
 

 

 

 


Here is the browser view streaming DSD, I've since disabled the software volume control:
 

 
And using JRemote as the UPnP Controller:
 

 

[silvrr]

So Volumio (https://volumio.org/) which is a sister/cousin to Rune Audio that I use in the first posts of this thread has an x86 compatible version.  I think this may open an number of people up to this type of player.  Getting started on a x86 system brings the "scary" factor down quite a bit.  I think that it can be run off a USB drive (won't touch your windows/Mac hard drive) and install was pretty quick.  
 
I am testing this out on a couple of old laptops my neighbor gave me this week as I do a review.  Ill report back with my findings.  This could be an awesome way to use that old laptop a lot of us may have sitting around as it runs stand alone, no internet connection required.  

 

[tjw321]

daphile is a bit like an x86 volumio. You may want to take a look at that as well.

 

[silvrr]

  daphile is a bit like an x86 volumio. You may want to take a look at that as well.

 
I remember looking into daphile awhile back and I didn't get very far with it.  Ill have to download the iso again and give it a try.  I like some of the features it has listed.  It may have just been an early release or something.  Thanks for the heads up on that!

 

[yay101]

I'm surprised it took volumio that long to be honest, the exact same packages have been available for x86/arm all along. Not sure how I feel about wasting a whole x86 machine on single task like audio, especially given the mountain of drawbacks especially older x86 hardware has.

Oh well, more power to them I guess.

 

[RobertUSA]

How do you handle CCA EQ?

​It looks like Google has no intent to add EQ software to the CCA device and controller software within the Chromecast app ;(

Bummer, there was so much promise for CCA streaming to self-powered monitor speakers, component power amps, headphones, and earbuds 
 
https://code.google.com/p/google-cast-sdk/issues/detail?id=705
 
Project Member #63 sya...@google.com

 Chromecast Audio was designed to provide streaming content from the service provider. Processing of that content is not part of the feature set. Chromecast Audio is designed to feed audio systems of a very broad variety, across a wide range of user tastes, and many of those provide their own post-processing feature sets. Chromecast Audio was not intended to provide redundant capabilities in that regard.

 
 
I guess we can ask the question why google play music still doesn't have EQ built in 

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[thejewk]

I built a system in December using a Pi 3, Justboom Digi, USB drives and toslink out to some KANTO YU3 speakers. I did my initial setup using Moode, which was flawless. I'm currently playing around with Volumio 2, which is better for the interface, but Spotify, the reason I am trying it, is patchy at best. There's also some delay in the interface for some reason.

I am going to give Rune a try this week, but may well just go back to Moode in the end unless I can get a reliable Spotify setup.

It's amazing how good it sounds really for the cost.

 

[MikeyFresh]

.