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DIY Streamer

MCH

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if in the meantime you want to explore a very cheap and probably the smallest option: pi zero w + allo miniboss
 

threni

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if in the meantime you want to explore a very cheap and probably the smallest option: pi zero w + allo miniboss

How does the miniboss perform compared to the others in the range (which have been reasonably well reviewed here)?
 

MCH

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How does the miniboss perform compared to the others in the range (which have been reasonably well reviewed here)?
i have been using it in different configurations, but most often connected to a topping L30 and then to k371 or hd600. all this connected to a pi zero w straming flac to the pi with moodeaudio via wifi.
to my ears it sounds pretty good, thats all i can say, but i dont have any golden ears or audio precision device :D

beyond your question: i always recommend it to newbies like me that are not so sure about messing with pi and dont want to invest much because for 11+35euros, the size, convenience, and bang for the buck is unbeatable. And if you dont like it, you can sell it for almost the same price as new. i even managed to make it run on a powerbank, that can be very convenient. I never had the chance to compare it side by side to a pi4 + more fancy dac, but i doubt i can hear the difference...

ah yes, forgot to mention: initially i had problems to make it work, it only worked properly when using a usb wallwart/powerbank at least 2.5A, ideally 3A
 
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starfly

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Interesting. Looked up the measurements on your site and the dac measures quite well. At a SINAD of ~110db, more than good enough, and all the other measurements look good too.

I'll look at this more closely in a few days when I have more time to see if I can get this to work the way I'd want it to work for what I have in mind.
 

orchardaudio

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Interesting. Looked up the measurements on your site and the dac measures quite well. At a SINAD of ~110db, more than good enough, and all the other measurements look good too.

I'll look at this more closely in a few days when I have more time to see if I can get this to work the way I'd want it to work for what I have in mind.
Let me know if you have any questions.
 

Renato

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Hi all,

I want to build a simple DIY streamer, preferably with integrated DAC, for use on my home network to stream from my NAS (primarily), but perhaps to also have Spotify functionality and perhaps other streaming services.

I saw the Open Source Streamer project here, but looks like that thread is dead.

What are some good starting points to build something like this? Raspberry Pi?
My 2 cents... :)

I am very happy with the solution below....

 
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starfly

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Let me know if you have any questions.
To what extent can the output level of the DAC be controlled through the RPi? On your site, the default config if someone were to buy the whole kit is to use a potentiometer for output level control. What I have in mind is to do volume control through an app or web interface (such as Moode) on the RPi, or add a IR or Bluetooth receiver for use with a remote. I will not be adding a potentiometer to my build.
 

orchardaudio

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To what extent can the output level of the DAC be controlled through the RPi? On your site, the default config if someone were to buy the whole kit is to use a potentiometer for output level control. What I have in mind is to do volume control through an app or web interface (such as Moode) on the RPi, or add a IR or Bluetooth receiver for use with a remote. I will not be adding a potentiometer to my build.

It is fully controllable from SW. POT is not required. However note this is software volume control not the hardware one that I have Built-in. Both are digital though.
 
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starfly

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It is fully controllable from SW. POT is not required. However note this is software volume control not the hardware one that I have Built-in. Both are digital though.
Great. I also want to add two 12V triggers to this build, one to turn on my poweramp, and one to trigger an input switch (so it auto-switches between the streamer and my A/V receiver depending on which one I turn on). Would this trigger need to be configured on the RPi side, or with your DAC? And if with your DAC, is there a way to trigger a sleep state from the RPi? From what I've read so far, the RPi itself doesn't support a sleep function, it's either on or off.
 

orchardaudio

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Great. I also want to add two 12V triggers to this build, one to turn on my poweramp, and one to trigger an input switch (so it auto-switches between the streamer and my A/V receiver depending on which one I turn on). Would this trigger need to be configured on the RPi side, or with your DAC? And if with your DAC, is there a way to trigger a sleep state from the RPi? From what I've read so far, the RPi itself doesn't support a sleep function, it's either on or off.
There is no way to blindly power cycle the Rpi without potentially corrupting the software. So you can use a 12V trigger to turn it on only. You cannot use 12V trigger to turn it off unless you first go and do the shutdown in the settings menu.

I suggest you use 12V trigger with a relay or similar to switch the inputs into your amp.
 
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starfly

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There is no way to blindly power cycle the Rpi without potentially corrupting the software. So you can use a 12V trigger to turn it on only. You cannot use 12V trigger to turn it off unless you first go and do the shutdown in the settings menu.

I suggest you use 12V trigger with a relay or similar to switch the inputs into your amp.
Right, what I meant was that I don't want to use the trigger to turn off/on the RPi. I want the RPi to be able to turn on the power amp with a 12V signal. My power amp has 2 trigger inputs, one currently in use by my AVR to automatically turn on/off the amp whenever I turn on/off the AVR.

Not sure if the RPi can put your dac in a sleep state of some sort, but if it can, perhaps that same sleep on/off signal can be used to trigger a 12V signal, somehow.
 

orchardaudio

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Right, what I meant was that I don't want to use the trigger to turn off/on the RPi. I want the RPi to be able to turn on the power amp with a 12V signal. My power amp has 2 trigger inputs, one currently in use by my AVR to automatically turn on/off the amp whenever I turn on/off the AVR.

Not sure if the RPi can put your dac in a sleep state of some sort, but if it can, perhaps that same sleep on/off signal can be used to trigger a 12V signal, somehow.

There is no sleep mode for the DAC.

The Rpi has many pins which are not used by the DAC. I am sure you can program one of them to do what you want. They are all 3.3V output, however.
 
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starfly

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There is no sleep mode for the DAC.

The Rpi has many pins which are not used by the DAC. I am sure you can program one of them to do what you want. They are all 3.3V output, however.

Thanks, I'll do some research and will figure it out.
 
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starfly

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Well, the streamer in barebones form works with my amp. Using the PecanPI dac.

Now to build an enclosure around it and add some features.
 

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sourplum

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I am using a Raspberry Pi 4 with USB out to a Topping E30.
The software on the Pi is Picoreplayer, https://www.picoreplayer.org/ a Squeezelite player integrated with Logitech Media Server.
I have all my music stored on a SSD attached to this Pi.
At first i was using a Allo Digione for coax output, now i am using the USB output of the Pi and i can't tell the difference.
I suggest not buying any HAT for the pi and stream through USB to the DAC of your choice.
With the right software you can keep it really simple and you will be surprised how good the sound can be from such a cheap solution.
See also Archimago
And perhaps that amirm can test the quality of the USB output of the Pi 4 once
 

bigjacko

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Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W --> Topping E30. Squeezelite provides the tunes via my LMS server.

Haha, nice one with a screen to see the music. How do you connect to pi zero? I think pi zero does not have wifi or blue tooth. Do you use your own board or module to add connectivity?
 

Ralph_Cramden

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Haha, nice one with a screen to see the music. How do you connect to pi zero? I think pi zero does not have wifi or blue tooth. Do you use your own board or module to add connectivity?
Pi Zero W and Zero 2 W both have WiFi. Not sure about BT, which I never use, but I think they both support it.
 

tcpip

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I am using a Raspberry Pi 4 with USB out to a Topping E30.
...

I suggest not buying any HAT for the pi and stream through USB to the DAC of your choice.
With the right software you can keep it really simple and you will be surprised how good the sound can be from such a cheap solution.
See also Archimago
And perhaps that amirm can test the quality of the USB output of the Pi 4 once

Yes, this is a real possibility on the RPi 4. The earlier RPi had a messed up implementation of the USB controller chip or something, and was not suitable for jitter-free streaming.

But the appeal of the PecanPi is that it's a single box, and at the same time it's one of the best DACs around for twice that price, even if you compare with standalone DACs.
 
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