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Looking for streamer, help!? [WENT for DIY!? with PI3 + PICOREPLAYER]

ezra_s

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Hello,

I am looking for a streamer with ethernet/wifi, good app interface to control it, which can do Tidal/Qobuz, in its highest resolutions and don't want to spend much If I don't have to since it is going to be plugged to a RME ADI-2 DAC through optical, so I don't need it to have a great DAC, just one device that won't get in the way.

Any suggestions? or.. I'd like to know your favorites for the task.

The reason I ask is because I see so many options that I just get lost, so I'd like to know first hand experience since it is clear I can't trust reviews out there.

Edit: Silly me hadn't done a proper search here earlier, so If you don't want to answer is fine, I'm also checking other threads now.
 

ENG

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Hello,

I am looking for a streamer with ethernet/wifi, good app interface to control it, which can do Tidal/Qobuz, in its highest resolutions and don't want to spend much If I don't have to since it is going to be plugged to a RME ADI-2 DAC through optical, so I don't need it to have a great DAC, just one device that won't get in the way.

Any suggestions? or.. I'd like to know your favorites for the task.

The reason I ask is because I see so many options that I just get lost, so I'd like to know first hand experience since it is clear I can't trust reviews out there.

Edit: Silly me hadn't done a proper search here earlier, so If you don't want to answer is fine, I'm also checking other threads now.


Hello
I have Moon Mind 1 & 2 and Bluesound Node. I have used Deezer and Qobuz for more than 2 years, both Moon and Bluesound support Tidal. I don't have measuring gear so you get my subjective impression. Moon is better as far as sound is concerned but the conncection is really bad, both over wifi and ethernet. They were bought from new and I have shifted the connections on boths and there are still problems. Bluesound is cheeper, 4.000 DKK, and have been measured here at ASR. Not impressive! But the wifi and ethernet is really good, stable and strong. The intern DAC is very bad, so use the direct lines out. You have a top DAC.
Cheers
 
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ezra_s

ezra_s

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Hello
I have Moon Mind 1 & 2 and Bluesound Node. I have used Deezer and Qobuz for more than 2 years, both Moon and Bluesound support Tidal. I don't have measuring gear so you get my subjective impression. Moon is better as far as sound is concerned but the conncection is really bad, both over wifi and ethernet. They were bought from new and I have shifted the connections on boths and there are still problems. Bluesound is cheeper, 4.000 DKK, and have been measured here at ASR. Not impressive! But the wifi and ethernet is really good, stable and strong. The intern DAC is very bad, so use the direct lines out. You have a top DAC.
Cheers

bluesound node2i was/is my first choice, since my dac is the rme i don't think i would have issues with sound unless optical coaxial out in that device is messed.

my only question is, since i provide my own expensive DAC if the bluesound node2i is worth the price the app and the conectivity.
 
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ezra_s

ezra_s

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If you have any IT skills at all, just get a raspberry Pi plus an optical card and the software of your choice, and you are done for less than $100.

I am too thinking about this seriously, but I don't want to pay ROON (600+ for lifetime usage?) fee or similar, all other options seem to imply to pay for software plus streaming service,that or the part where I read which software to plug to the pi, I didn't get it clear yet.

Lately these days I seem incapable of making a decision :p
 

tw99

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As an example, Picoreplayer will give you the ability to play a local library or streamed content (Spotify,tidal, qobuz) and is free software.
 
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ezra_s

ezra_s

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As an example, Picoreplayer will give you the ability to play a local library or streamed content (Spotify,tidal, qobuz) and is free software.

Thank you very much, looking into it right now!!, I have a pi3 sitting doing nothing so this may be it!

I will look for a optical/coaxial out extension for the PI, since I rather use it as transport for my DAC, if you have any recommendations on that, please do! :D
 

Certainkindoffool

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I use Tidal almost exclusively and have been looking for something like this for awhile too. As of yet, I haven't found anything better than a chromecast audio because I havent liked any of the tidal interfaces I've tried so far. I have been unwilling to purchase a roon membership as I only use streaming services at the moment.
 

tw99

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Thank you very much, looking into it right now!!, I have a pi3 sitting doing nothing so this may be it!

I will look for a optical/coaxial out extension for the PI, since I rather use it as transport for my DAC, if you have any recommendations on that, please do! :D

You can use USB out from the Pi into your DAC, and get started easily that way. If you then want to try optical, you can buy the appropriate HAT board for the Pi.
 

Certainkindoffool

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You can use USB out from the Pi into your DAC, and get started easily that way. If you then want to try optical, you can buy the appropriate HAT board for the Pi.

I will check that out too! I've got an Audiophonics RaspDIGI LTE Digipi+ that I've never used because I didnt have a spare optical port. Thanks!
 
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ezra_s

ezra_s

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You can use USB out from the Pi into your DAC, and get started easily that way. If you then want to try optical, you can buy the appropriate HAT board for the Pi.

Problem is the USB in from my RME is already in use by the PC, that's why I rather use an extension for the pi with optical or coaxial out.
 

Certainkindoffool

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Just tried the Audiophonics RaspDIGI LTE Digipi+ with volumio and it does work over usb. However, the playback is terrible. It stutters and stops continuously. Not sure what the deal is, every other device works flawlessly from that location.
 
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ezra_s

ezra_s

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ezra_s

ezra_s

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well, got the justboom digi hat and the picoreplayer working.

The device I am using is a raspberry pi3 I had laying around doing nothing, fow now it is connected using its wifi.

I am using it to stream TIDAL to my DAC (pi connected to DAC through TOSLINK from the digi hat of course) and also to read my music library from a hdd mounted through NFS which is plugged to another raspberry pi4. I control it with an android app called squeezer, not extremely fancy but gets the job done, which is just what I wanted.

Even if it is using Wifi I am having no kind of hiccups or issues with it, transitions from tidal to my library are quick too!

So, since my main purpose was to stream Tidal, mission accomplished!! Money saved!

--

Now, the only issues I have so far that I am investigating:

* DSD can't be played, even though I installed the "appropiate" plugin in LMS and picoreplayer, still in progress investigating... But I don't have many and I can still use the computer if so I am desperate to play them.

* WAV files I had recorded with 32 bits were not playing, after tweaking LMS file types in WAV section there is an option for FLAC (flac/sox) which I disabled and just leaved PCM "native", it tried to play the file but the music sounds garbled, possible due to complexity of the file? Not a biggie for me, but will investigate. --- EDIT: THERE WAS NO ISSUE, the files I tried to play were 32bit recorded, saving them as 25bit WAV they play perfectly. Let's remind that the JustBoom Digi Hat is limited to 24bit/192khz.

(note: the justboom digi hat box showed signs of being "second hand" and the hat itself had dust in it but the hat is working so I'm in no mood of complaining, it brought lots of cards with promotional codes and such, one was outdated from 2017...)
 
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jimp

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well, got the justboom digi hat and the picoreplayer working.

The device I am using is a raspberry pi3 I had laying around doing nothing, fow now it is connected using its wifi.

I am using it to stream TIDAL to my DAC (pi connected to DAC through TOSLINK from the digi hat of course) and also to read my music library from a hdd mounted through NFS which is plugged to another raspberry pi4. I control it with an android app called squeezer, not extremely fancy but gets the job done, which is just what I wanted.

Even if it is using Wifi I am having no kind of hiccups or issues with it, transitions from tidal to my library are quick too!

So, since my main purpose was to stream Tidal, mission accomplished!! Money saved!

--

Now, the only issues I have so far that I am investigating:

* DSD can't be played, even though I installed the "appropiate" plugin in LMS and picoreplayer, still in progress investigating... But I don't have many and I can still use the computer if so I am desperate to play them.

* WAV files I had recorded with 32 bits were not playing, after tweaking LMS file types in WAV section there is an option for FLAC (flac/sox) which I disabled and just leaved PCM "native", it tried to play the file but the music sounds garbled, possible due to complexity of the file? Not a biggie for me, but will investigate. --- EDIT: THERE WAS NO ISSUE, the files I tried to play were 32bit recorded, saving them as 25bit WAV they play perfectly. Let's remind that the JustBoom Digi Hat is limited to 24bit/192khz.

(note: the justboom digi hat box showed signs of being "second hand" and the hat itself had dust in it but the hat is working so I'm in no mood of complaining, it brought lots of cards with promotional codes and such, one was outdated from 2017...)

I'm really liking this raspberry pi for a stream only solution. My goal is to use it to stream tidal to a DACs using the usb out to usb in of the DACs. Curious what you have installed on it for an OS? Do you have Kodi installed on it as well? Just curious what all you had to install on it to get to this point. I'd like to replicate your solution but control it from my iPhone instead of an Andriod phone. Since I will be buying the raspberry pi new I figure I might as well get the pi4.
 

jimp

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You can use USB out from the Pi into your DAC, and get started easily that way. If you then want to try optical, you can buy the appropriate HAT board for the Pi.

I ordered a RME ADI-2 DAC and a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ over the weekend. I plan on using Pi 3 to stream music to the RME using one of the usb ports on the Pi 3. My question is about the usb cable I need for this. It looks like I just need a standard usb 2.0 A to B printer cable. Can you confirm? And no i am not going to buy some "audiophile" cable. I just want to make sure I have one with the right connectors. Thanks.
 

jimp

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The usb cable that comes with the RME ADI-2 will work for you.
Thank you. I thought I read somewhere that the RME didn't ship with a usb cable since they thought everyone would already have one and didn't want to include a cable that might just get thrown away. That must have been out dated information. I figured I was going to be very disappoint to have both the RME and Pi 3 and no cable to connect them.
 

Certainkindoffool

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That might be the case with the pro version. I can confirm that my unit did come bundled with a cable. But, any USB A to B printer cable will work.
 

bigbag34

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