• 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!

$100 Roon Bridge Endpoint: Raspbery Pi & HiFiBerry Digi+ Pro

jacobacci

Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2018
Messages
89
Likes
79
Location
Switzerland

pierre

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
962
Likes
3,046
Location
Switzerland
Roon Bridge is open source software, provided freely by Roon, that allows Roon-native endpoints to be created using a wide variety of devices, either DIY or commercial.

It uses the RAAT protocol to provide lossless audio streaming services without some of the downsides faced when using AirPlay or Squeezebox methods.

Before your eyes glaze over, the net result of all this is:

For about $100, and less than an hour of your time, you can create a small, dedicated, Roon endpoint that provides ethernet-based streaming and lossless 24bit/192khz digital audio output over optical and coax S/PDIF to your DAC.

Prerequisites You Will Need:

1. A computer with USB port
2. A computer running Roon Core. It doesn't matter if it's the same computer or not as #1.
3. A router or hub that has 100 megabit or better Ethernet that is within cable distance of your audio electronics
4. Ethernet cable long enough to go from your router or hub to your audio electronics

Parts You Will Need to Buy:

1. Raspberry Pi 2 Model B $40

4133JwedpXL.jpg


Why the 2 B and not the newer, more powerful, slightly cheaper 3 B?

The 3B's WiFi antenna is too weak-sauce, with poor QoS for high-resolution audio streaming (it's okay for Redbook), it sucks up extra CPU and bus cycles, and causes potential interference. Buying the 2B eliminates the unnecessary complication and it still has more than enough compute horsepower when running a minimal operating system to stream digital audio just fine.

If you're enough of a Linux guru to know to how to disable the WiFi services on the 3B, go ahead and get it if you prefer.

2. HiFiBerry Digi+ Pro $45

digiplus-pro-441x441.jpg


I recommend the top of the line model. For only $15 more than the Digi+ Standard, you get:

-Galvanic isolation
-Output transformer
-Dual clock oscillators for lower jitter
-You can solder on a BNC connector if you want to be badass

There is a comparison chart of different models. If you don't need or want any of the Pro features, you can get one of the cheaper ones.

3. Case (or Not) $0 to whatever

I use the HighPi case because it's tool-free, snaps together, isn't too ugly, reasonably priced, and specially designed for HiFiBerry HATs (Hard Attached to Top, Pi-speak for daughter cards like the HiFiBerry family).

unicase-front.jpg


But you can also make one out of Legos...

TqaxpuQRn6zXb0tSu264eLOqp0b51h6tsKOagBA6N8Q7T4fMARYmNSwfnMdYk9yaq4u3VyMS=w282-h187-p-no


zFEIB_Bg0A_me4PUQZFpxFz2m5fYVudzquF9gvDl59c.jpg


Or go naked and use nothing at all:

RPI-HB+DIGI-6-1000x667.jpg


4. 32 GB Micro SD Card $12

61QUihx7wiL._SL1200_.jpg


For this application, you can actually get away with the 8 GB model if you want to save $5. I prefer to spend the extra $5 in case I need more storage in the future if I repurpose the parts.

5. Optional: USB SD-Card Reader

If your computer has native SD card reading capabilities, or you already have a reader for digital cameras, you probably don't need this.

6. Optional: Micro USB 5V/2.5A Power Supply

If you have an Android phone or other micro-USB powered devices, you might have several of these lying around the house already (I did). If you don't, you'll need to buy one.


Act I: Assembling The Pi:

1. Plug the 40 PIN GPIO pin female connector of the Digi+ into the 40 PIN male connector of the Raspberry Pi

hifiberry+01.jpg


2. Stick it in your case. Or not if you're not using one.

Don't bother plugging it in and trying to turn it on; it doesn't have an operating system yet so nothing will happen except the power light will come on.


Act II: Creating the Boot Image, Configuring the Software, adding to Roon

At this point, I will direct you to the excellent guide for the software side of things already written by Roon Community member RBM.

Follow what he says step by step for your particular desktop OS with one major exception:

Because of a security update to the Raspbian Jessie Lite OS since RBM wrote the guide, you will need to do one extra step.

In the section Writing the OS to the SD Card, he says:

"The writing process will take a few minutes. When it’s finished, just close the app and eject your SD-card. Insert the freshly written SD-card into your Pi, attach network and power cables and off you go!"

Before you eject the card, you need to create a file with no extension called ssh in the root of the boot image.

If you don't do this extra step, you won't be able to remotely connect to the Pi using ssh or Putty; remote connectivity is no longer on by default for security reasons.

Once you've done that, you can proceed with the rest of his instructions as written.


Act III: Have Fun

If you follow the rest of RBM's guide you should be done and playing music.

Enjoy!
Is RoonBridge open source? I thought it was closed source.
 

rwortman

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 29, 2019
Messages
740
Likes
683
Since I switched to Roon, I took the JRMC SD card out of my RPi and flashed one with an OS and Roon Bridge. I tried Ropieee and DietPi. Both would not play 96/24 files without occasional glitches. It was like listening to an LP, random clicks and pops. I did a bunch of googling around, tried a few things, some of the things suggested don't seem to be allowed in the newer distributions (i.e. messing with cpu affinity) I decided to get off the shared USB bus and try a Digi+. I didn't get the Pro version because HiFiBerry says the shield side of your DAC RCA jack needs to be grounded, Mine isn't. I put the resulting assembly in the nice steel case they make for it. I know the USB probably measures better when it's not dropping data but I doubt the difference is audible and now I get 96/24 with no glitches and that's the limit of my DAC. It worked fine with Roon downsampling to 16/44 and I am quite sure I couldn't hear any difference. It's just that the engineer in me wanted it to work. Installing it was a treat. Assemble the parts into the case. Flash a card with their RoonBridge image and turn it on. Done. No tweaking required. So simple even a..... never mind, can't say stuff like that any more. ;)
 

geckos

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
9
Likes
8
Location
Germany
Yeh I just realized that after searching and not finding it there. So went ahead and ordered it from HiFiBerry direct. At first I thought they were Chinese company when it said mailing would be without tracking and such. But once I saw that they were a swiss company I felt at ease and ordered it from them.

Their form fill by the way at check out is odd. It breaks Autofill with Chrome if you try to edit any fields.

Hello Armir,
I love your forum and work, you are really one of very few persons who know what they tell (us). Thanks for that, had searched long for such a forum.

What about your ordered HifiBerry DAC+ Pro and a Review and Measurements? I possess one and I think it´s really worth a closer look, it sounds great to me. The new version (HW 2.6) has better performing quarz clocks, as Daniel (Hifiberry main developer) told me. And the beast is really cheap, about 45€ here... 5V discrete power supply can now easy be connected through 2pin connector on the top with desoldering of a 0 Ohm SMD resistor. Would be interesting if a discrete power supply boosts the measurements of SINAD e.g. even more.
Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
OP
watchnerd

watchnerd

Grand Contributor
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Messages
12,449
Likes
10,408
Location
Seattle Area, USA
So I made a new endpoint.

Differences this time:

RPi 4
HiFiBerry DAC 2 HD
OS: Ropieee

Can confirm it is connected to Roon Core over RAAT.

Running it over WiFi, unlike the old bridge.

New version, with case, power supply, SD Card, and other sundry parts costs $192.
 

abdo123

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
7,423
Likes
7,940
Location
Brussels, Belgium
The Hifiberry Digi+ pro has an independent clock and Galvanic isolation. So it’s the bare minimum of a decent transport HAT.

Anything above that and you’re bordering snake oil territory.

Unless you’re doing DSP or active crossover downstream of the Pi. I wouldn’t do transport HATs at all. (Unless you have other inputs like a TV for example).
 

abdo123

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
7,423
Likes
7,940
Location
Brussels, Belgium
So I made a new endpoint.

Differences this time:

RPi 4
HiFiBerry DAC 2 HD
OS: Ropieee

Can confirm it is connected to Roon Core over RAAT.

Running it over WiFi, unlike the old bridge.

New version, with case, power supply, SD Card, and other sundry parts costs $192.

I would love for someone to measure the DAC2 HD.

Since Allo Katana has been discontinued (the only ‘fully transparent’ pi DAC at a reasonable price)
 

syzygetic

Active Member
Joined
May 26, 2020
Messages
124
Likes
106
Location
Washington DC, USA
As a person who has had a bunch of these hats, I can attest to a couple things:
1. They're great. They all sound pretty good (I've bought the Hifiberry XLR, Digi+Pro, Allo Signature).
2. Even better is just getting a Raspberry Pi 4 and installing Ropieee and hooking that up to a USB DAC. This is the direction I'm going with the latest two endpoints I have in the house.
 
OP
watchnerd

watchnerd

Grand Contributor
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Messages
12,449
Likes
10,408
Location
Seattle Area, USA
As a person who has had a bunch of these hats, I can attest to a couple things:
1. They're great. They all sound pretty good (I've bought the Hifiberry XLR, Digi+Pro, Allo Signature).
2. Even better is just getting a Raspberry Pi 4 and installing Ropieee and hooking that up to a USB DAC. This is the direction I'm going with the latest two endpoints I have in the house.

My latest build is using Pi 4 and Ropiee.

Pretty happy so far, although I haven't figured out how to control the volume within Roon yet.

I set it to DSP volume in Roon and that did nothing....moving the slider didn't change any actual volume.

Setting it to hardware is obviously the opposite problem...full output, no volume control.

And I don't want to mess around with Volumio if I'm using Roon.
 

abdo123

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
7,423
Likes
7,940
Location
Brussels, Belgium
My latest build is using Pi 4 and Ropiee.

Pretty happy so far, although I haven't figured out how to control the volume within Roon yet.

I set it to DSP volume in Roon and that did nothing....moving the slider didn't change any actual volume.

Setting it to hardware is obviously the opposite problem...full output, no volume control.

And I don't want to mess around with Volumio if I'm using Roon.

There is a force volume option in Roopie's 'Roon' tab. maybe worth checking in case you accidentally turned it on.
 
Top Bottom