• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Improve Raspberry 4 streamer

OP
officialsm

officialsm

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2021
Messages
99
Likes
14
Not really. It depends on the DAC you use. If you use an I2S DAC, then yes, RPi4 is overkill

If, on the other hand, you want to use a (usually better) USB DAC, then there are quite a few well documented cases where the RPi3 USB implementation (shared with networking) can cause audible glitches. Given that the cost differential of a RPi4 over an RPi3 is negligible, especially once you add everything else you need to make it work, including your time to setup things, using an RPi3 is a bad tradeoff, IMHO. A lightly loaded RPi4 doesn't need cooling

A 1Gb RPi4 costs exactly the same as a 1Gb RPi3, and 1Gb is more than enough. Why would anyone buy an RPi3? You need a case anyway, and a cooling case costs just a little more over a non-cooling case. And you have better future proofing

So rpi3 better with hat dac (due to bus sharer).
For rpi4 will be better usb output or hat dac also?
 

Zek

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 17, 2018
Messages
1,583
Likes
2,147
RPi3 is better with hat dac and RPi4 will be better with usb DAC.
 
OP
officialsm

officialsm

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2021
Messages
99
Likes
14
RPi3 is better with hat dac and RPi4 will be better with usb DAC.
Usb dac is always an external dac. Correct?
 

Phorize

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 26, 2019
Messages
1,533
Likes
2,060
Location
U.K

Gekel

Active Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
116
Likes
90
I can answer this question now, and the answer is no. I am so dumb. I should have had a closer look at the data. There is zero difference.

And I can confirm this again. Today the pi4 arrived. All I did was to place it somewhere near the DAC without any cover or shielding, plug in the first PSU I found with the first cable I could grab, attached a cheap USB cable to the output and launched Moode. I even plugged in an USB stick and streamed FLAC from it, and this should stress the USB port/create noise etc etc.

Perfect Audio output, no matter what I do. Well worth the money I saved here
 

Gekel

Active Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
116
Likes
90
I have already upgraded the pi4 now.....

The pi4 (2GB) gets hot without cooling, but I hate noise. Purchased a passive metal case (13 Euro, Amazon), now the pi is running at 40°C which is fine.

The installation was moved from the SD crad to a SSD, currently with 512GB. 40GB reserved for the system partition, rest for FALC. That's enough space for about 900-1000 albums, which is fine for me. Had some troubles with a 2 TB SSD (pi didn't like it), will try to move the system at a later stage again.

The metal case came with a PSU of unknown origin. I don't want to see that thing burning down the house, so I ordered a high quality PSU (Leicke 5.1V/3A).

The original USB cable (noname) was absolutely fine. Replaced it with a also still cheap Oehlbach USB cable with some better mechanical properties (gold plated connectors which sit tight on the port and a more sturdy cable).

The internal wifi module is slow. Currently I use ethernet, but this won't work at the final place behind the amp, so I ordered a faster dongle with an external antenna. This should work fine then, because most of the music already is stored on the pi and internet radio doesn't need a lot of bandwidth.

Otherwise I might buy a 7" touchscreen for displaying information and to steer the pi, but that's something I plan to look at at a later time.

So far I am happy I didn't buy a more expensive solution with an unneeded "clean USB port". I'll spend the money on something else, maybe a second pi I can attach to my main PC so I can stream internet radio during work.
 

Cyfrox

Member
Joined
May 14, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
14
Hi all. I m currently running Volumio via Raspberry Pi 2 connected to Fiio Q1 (1st Gen) though USB .
I am using the Q1 temporarily until Topping E30 arrives.
I've also plugged in D-Link 2.4Ghz WiFi dongle and USB Thumb Drive.
I am powering up the RPi2 using a 2 port 10000mAh power bank which will also be used to power up the Topping later.
Will this setup be OK using RPi 2 only as a streamer or should I upgrade to RPi 4?
Should I be worry about any noise generated from any of the components?

Just of out curiosity, may I know what kind of sound should be audible if there are any noise?
The FiiO Q1 is connected to an Onkyo-A9110 Int. Amp powering a pair of Dali Spektor 2 speakers.

I max out the volume from FiiO Q1 and also A9110 with no music being played and I can only hear hissing sound when I twist the vol knob to around 95-100%.

Thanks :)
 
Last edited:

AdamG

Proving your point makes it “Science”.
Moderator
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
4,637
Likes
14,926
Location
Reality
Hi all. I m currently running Volumio via Raspberry Pi 2 connected to Fiio Q1 (1st Gen) though USB .
I am using the Q1 temporarily until Topping E30 arrives.
I've also plugged in D-Link 2.4Ghz WiFi dongle and USB Thumb Drive.
I am powering up the RPi2 using a 2 port 10000mAh power bank which will also be used to power up the Topping later.
Will this setup be OK using RPi 2 only as a streamer or should I upgrade to RPi 4?
Should I be worry about any noise generated from any of the components?

Just of out curiosity, may I know what kind of sound should be audible if there are any noise?
The FiiO Q1 is connected to an Onkyo-A9110 Int. Amp powering a pair of Dali Spektor 2 speakers.

I max out the volume from FiiO Q1 and also A9110 with no music being played and I can only hear hissing sound when I twist the vol knob to around 95-100%.

Thanks :)
Welcome Aboard @Cyfrox.
 

somebodyelse

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
3,682
Likes
2,962
@Cyfrox - try it and see. There is a potential issue with pops/clicks when using USB audio on the Pi 2, and it may be different with different DACs. It's difficult to predict whether or not you'll suffer from it as it depends on too many factors. If you don't suffer from it then there's no need for a Pi 4. If you do you could upgrade, or just live with it and call it a retro vinyl effect if it's not too bad.
 

Ralph_Cramden

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 6, 2020
Messages
2,575
Likes
3,470
Hi all. I m currently running Volumio via Raspberry Pi 2 connected to Fiio Q1 (1st Gen) though USB .
I am using the Q1 temporarily until Topping E30 arrives.
I've also plugged in D-Link 2.4Ghz WiFi dongle and USB Thumb Drive.
I am powering up the RPi2 using a 2 port 10000mAh power bank which will also be used to power up the Topping later.
Will this setup be OK using RPi 2 only as a streamer or should I upgrade to RPi 4?

I've run the Topping E30 and the D10s from a Pi Zero (piCorePlayer) without issues, so I expect your Pi 2 will do fine. Nice thing about the D10s is that it is powered via USB - one less cable to deal with. piCorePlayer has a bunch of setting to deal with USB issues, but I've never had to tweak them.
 

Cyfrox

Member
Joined
May 14, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
14
Welcome Aboard @Cyfrox.
Thanks so much :)

@Cyfrox - try it and see. There is a potential issue with pops/clicks when using USB audio on the Pi 2, and it may be different with different DACs. It's difficult to predict whether or not you'll suffer from it as it depends on too many factors. If you don't suffer from it then there's no need for a Pi 4. If you do you could upgrade, or just live with it and call it a retro vinyl effect if it's not too bad.

Thanks for your reply. I have been testing for the past few days. No pops/clicks. Only hissing at max volume which at my normal listening level, the volume knob rarely goes beyond 11 o'clock position. I would stick to RPi 2 if there are no obvious benefits in upgrading to RPi 4. :)

I've run the Topping E30 and the D10s from a Pi Zero (piCorePlayer) without issues, so I expect your Pi 2 will do fine. Nice thing about the D10s is that it is powered via USB - one less cable to deal with. piCorePlayer has a bunch of setting to deal with USB issues, but I've never had to tweak them.

Thanks for your feedback. I was waffling between E30 and D10s but went for E30 in the end due to more inputs.
I understand in ASR there are no difference in DACs, but are you able to tell any difference listening to both of them? Which one do you prefer?
Have you tried Volumio before? Just wondering how it differs from piCorePlayer.
I went for Volumio for the Tidal Integration and Tidal Connect but still wondering which platform is better.
 
Last edited:

Ralph_Cramden

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 6, 2020
Messages
2,575
Likes
3,470
Thanks so much :)



Thanks for your reply. I have been testing for the past few days. No pops/clicks. Only hissing at max volume which at my normal listening level, the volume knob rarely goes beyond 11 o'clock position. I would stick to RPi 2 if there are no obvious benefits in upgrading to RPi 4. :)



Thanks for your feedback. I was waffling between E30 and D10s but went for E30 in the end due to more inputs.
I understand in ASR there are no difference in DACs, but are you able to tell any difference listening to both of them? Which one do you prefer?
Have you tried Volumio before? Just wondering how it differs from piCorePlayer.
I went for Volumio for the Tidal Integration and Tidal Connect but still wondering which platform is better.

Both DACs are perfectly fine, but I use an RME ADI-2 DAC FS, which adds so many more features, primarily the great volume control and the auto-switching inputs, but much more. There's no difference in the "sound" of any of them, of course.

I tried Volumio, hated its UI. piCorePlayer is extremely lightweight, puts very little burden on the CPU and memory. I run it on a Pi 4 as an LMS server, on a Pi Zero WH with a nice touchscreen and JiveLite, and on a Pi Zero WH with a Justboom Digi Zero. All work very well. Other than the touchscreen, control is primarily via the Material Skin on my Chromebox or phone - far better UI than Volumio, IMO.
 

Cyfrox

Member
Joined
May 14, 2021
Messages
20
Likes
14
Both DACs are perfectly fine, but I use an RME ADI-2 DAC FS, which adds so many more features, primarily the great volume control and the auto-switching inputs, but much more. There's no difference in the "sound" of any of them, of course.

I tried Volumio, hated its UI. piCorePlayer is extremely lightweight, puts very little burden on the CPU and memory. I run it on a Pi 4 as an LMS server, on a Pi Zero WH with a nice touchscreen and JiveLite, and on a Pi Zero WH with a Justboom Digi Zero. All work very well. Other than the touchscreen, control is primarily via the Material Skin on my Chromebox or phone - far better UI than Volumio, IMO.

pCP looks great. I will try it out. Volumio is a bit heavy and will get stuck sometimes. I saw some video on YouTube. Material skin looks great. I don’t think I will miss Spotify and Tidal connect much since everything can be done through pCP. Best of all no need to pay.
 

Gekel

Active Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
116
Likes
90
I don’t think I will miss Spotify and Tidal connect much since everything can be done through pCP. Best of all no need to pay.

You won't miss it. Just push some flacs to a ssd on the pi4 and add some internet radio stations of your choice on moode. I am so happy with mine, I will buy a second one so I have some internet radio and sound while working and without the need of running my main pc for that purpose.
 

Ralph_Cramden

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 6, 2020
Messages
2,575
Likes
3,470
LMS supports Spotify in its UI with the Spotty plugin. Works great. Also supports Spotify Connect; any LMS endpoint can be enabled as a Connect endpoint, including Chromecast, UPnP and Squeezelite devices. Not sure about Tidal, I don't use it, but I think it's supported via mysqueezebox.com.
 

chefffe

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2020
Messages
85
Likes
77
Is there an audible difference using USB or SPDIF (with Digi2 Hat) to go into an external DAC (SU-9)?
At the PC I can adjust the USB to transmit up to 384khz. Is this somehow also possible/needed with the Raspi? I am using Picoreplayer and Raspi 3B V1.2.
 

Berlin

Active Member
Joined
May 5, 2021
Messages
269
Likes
489
Location
Berlin
Is there an audible difference using USB or SPDIF (with Digi2 Hat) to go into an external DAC (SU-9)?
At the PC I can adjust the USB to transmit up to 384khz. Is this somehow also possible/needed with the Raspi? I am using Picoreplayer and Raspi 3B V1.2.

It did not on my Hegel H120...
 
Top Bottom