A Raspberry Pi as a music server

[Kelims]

Hello, you who use moode.... If I adjust the software volume do I control the connected DAC itself or does the RPI already adjust the volume and send it to the DAC? Is this adjusting the volume to 64 bits? The thing is that when I have a DAC that has only software volume control itself it is not clear to me where the actual adjustment occurs.... I assume 64 bits is better than 32 bits.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Hello, you who use moode.... If I adjust the software volume do I control the connected DAC itself or does the RPI already adjust the volume and send it to the DAC? Is this adjusting the volume to 64 bits? The thing is that when I have a DAC that has only software volume control itself it is not clear to me where the actual adjustment occurs.... I assume 64 bits is better than 32 bits.

Either way. Objectively you won’t hear a difference. Do the math 2 to the power of 32 and then convert to dB equals ca 192dB of dynamic range. Guess what humans can year under even the best conditions. 16bit equals roughly a dynamic range of while standing next to a starting 747 you can hear a leaf fall behind you. Can you hear that leaf?

But to answer your question the RPi adjusts the volume.

 

[Kelims]

Either way. Objectively you won’t hear a difference. Do the math 2 to the power of 32 and then convert to dB equals ca 192dB of dynamic range. Guess what humans can year under even the best conditions. 16bit equals roughly a dynamic range of while standing next to a starting 747 you can hear a leaf fall behind you. Can you hear that leaf?

But to answer your question the RPi adjusts the volume.

Thanks for your reply. In case I'm using the 64 bit version of Moode the volume adjustment is done on 64 bit which is better than 32bit for a good feeling... Thanks for explaining that Moode already adjusts the smoothness and not the DAC behind it...
. Ideal to then set the dac to maximum volume.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Thanks for your reply. In case I'm using the 64 bit version of Moode the volume adjustment is done on 64 bit which is better than 32bit for a good feeling... Thanks for explaining that Moode already adjusts the smoothness and not the DAC behind it...
. Ideal to then set the dac to maximum volume.

Yes 32 and even more 64 bit is not for audible sound quality anymore. It is there because computing power is cheap and because we can. Some professionals use 32bit recording now, but not because of sound quality but because it saves time and money setting up and conducting a recording in very simple words.

Setting the DAC to max volume gives you in most cases the best SNR on the analogue side of things.

 

[davirix]

Hi All,

I'm building my first sound system, which include a stand alone music server, not a NAS, a DAC/preamp, amp, OB speakers.

After this thread Raspberri Pi seems a no brainer to me for storing and reading music. The R Pi 4 cost approx 90 USD, I can store the OS and all my family music in a single 2TB SD card which sell for few USD - just checked on aliexpress -, and I could keep one or two spare SD cards as backup. That sounds too good to be true, please correct me if I am wrong or missing some major drawbacks. Alternatively an USB memory stick could be used for storage, and be more practical for adding new music.

I don't understand how SD card and USB memory stick have become cheap compared to other SS storage products of the same capacity. Reading speed? Reliability?

Looking forwad to insights before I go shopping.

Thanks,

D

 

[MCH]

Hi All,

I'm building my first sound system, which include a stand alone music server, not a NAS, a DAC/preamp, amp, OB speakers.

After this thread Raspberri Pi seems a no brainer to me for storing and reading music. The R Pi 4 cost approx 90 USD, I can store the OS and all my family music in a single 2TB SD card which sell for few USD - just checked on aliexpress -, and I could keep one or two spare SD cards as backup. That sounds too good to be true, please correct me if I am wrong or missing some major drawbacks. Alternatively an USB memory stick could be used for storage, and be more practical for adding new music.

I don't understand how SD card and USB memory stick have become cheap compared to other SS storage products of the same capacity. Reading speed? Reliability?

Looking forwad to insights before I go shopping.

Thanks,

D

My experience with no brand high capacity suspiciously cheap SD cards or memory sticks has been very bad (basically they were fake). Be aware and check customer comments. Good luck.

 

[Tom C]

It is common for the SD card in a RPi to fail after so many read/write operations, and need replacement. I would opt for the USB stick for music storage. In fact, it’s possible to boot the pi from a USB stick, too. I’ve never bothered to try it, but it’s supposed to provide a faster boot.

 

[wacomme]

Here's my situation (problem) with RPi.

I had RPi working with Volumio in the Raspberry 7" display and had it running for two weeks. It then would boot intermittently, and then it died. I took the RPi out of it's display case, flashed several new good quality microSD cards with Volumio and Moode, but neither would boot. I'd get a solid red light (power), and 8 green light flashes and then nothing. With a little research it appears that 8 green light flashes indicate bad SDRAM. So it seems my RPi is faulty. I've tried to communicate with the EBay seller that the RPi he sold me isn't working, but I've heard no reply. Thus, I'm assuming I just have a bad RPi and nothing can be done about it. I'm contemplating buying another RPi, but at $100 I'm hesitating.

Does my rationale for what happened seem reasonable? Does it appear that my RPi is dead with bad SDRAM? Can it be repaired? Or, should I buy another RPi? With limited supply, it seems that EBay is my best bet for another RPi. Is that correct, or is there a better source for RPi's?

 

[maltux]

Hi All,

I'm building my first sound system, which include a stand alone music server, not a NAS, a DAC/preamp, amp, OB speakers.

After this thread Raspberri Pi seems a no brainer to me for storing and reading music. The R Pi 4 cost approx 90 USD, I can store the OS and all my family music in a single 2TB SD card which sell for few USD - just checked on aliexpress -, and I could keep one or two spare SD cards as backup. That sounds too good to be true, please correct me if I am wrong or missing some major drawbacks. Alternatively an USB memory stick could be used for storage, and be more practical for adding new music.

I don't understand how SD card and USB memory stick have become cheap compared to other SS storage products of the same capacity. Reading speed? Reliability?

Looking forwad to insights before I go shopping.

Thanks,

D

If you are in North America I might wait till middle - end of this year when Raspberry Pi's are available at MSRP. Currently the price is not even reasonable.
Raspberry Pi production news.

 

[Tom C]

Agreed. Authorized sellers have agreements with RPi foundation not to sell above retail. I would expect one of them to accept a return on a faulty product.
Doesn’t eBay enforce a policy that the seller has to accept a return if the product is faulty or is not as advertised? Or has the return windows expired?
Sorry I can’t answer your question about whether or not the unit can be repaired.

 

[Tom C]

Here’s the site recommended by the Raspberry Pi folks:
RPi locator
I see Adafruit in USA had some yesterday. They usually sell out very quickly.

 

[MCH]

Here's my situation (problem) with RPi.

I had RPi working with Volumio in the Raspberry 7" display and had it running for two weeks. It then would boot intermittently, and then it died. I took the RPi out of it's display case, flashed several new good quality microSD cards with Volumio and Moode, but neither would boot. I'd get a solid red light (power), and 8 green light flashes and then nothing. With a little research it appears that 8 green light flashes indicate bad SDRAM. So it seems my RPi is faulty. I've tried to communicate with the EBay seller that the RPi he sold me isn't working, but I've heard no reply. Thus, I'm assuming I just have a bad RPi and nothing can be done about it. I'm contemplating buying another RPi, but at $100 I'm hesitating.

Does my rationale for what happened seem reasonable? Does it appear that my RPi is dead with bad SDRAM? Can it be repaired? Or, should I buy another RPi? With limited supply, it seems that EBay is my best bet for another RPi. Is that correct, or is there a better source for RPi's?

This is a subject i always wondered about, the reliability of the RPI for audio tasks (=good life? compared to other crazy projects)
I have currently 7 raspberry, some working 24/7, some even suffered my poor skills with the soldering iron, always crossing fingers when plugging back, and i have never had one failing.
Good luck? I don't know what is the experience of other members here, but I would be curious to hear about it.

 

[davirix]

It is common for the SD card in a RPi to fail after so many read/write operations, and need replacement. I would opt for the USB stick for music storage. In fact, it’s possible to boot the pi from a USB stick, too. I’ve never bothered to try it, but it’s supposed to provide a faster boot.

Thanks MarcosCh and Tom. Is there a minimum RAM requirement for running such system? I forgot to mention that the R Pi will be using Volumio or Daphile.

 

[wacomme]

This is a subject i always wondered about, the reliability of the RPI for audio tasks (=good life? compared to other crazy projects)
I have currently 7 raspberry, some working 24/7, some even suffered my poor skills with the soldering iron, always crossing fingers when plugging back, and i have never had one failing.
Good luck? I don't know what is the experience of other members here, but I would be curious to hear about it.

I do wonder if the problem with the SDRAM can be fixed? Is it worth sending it back to Raspberry, or if I could solder some new SDRAM onto the board?

 

[MCH]

Thanks MarcosCh and Tom. Is there a minimum RAM requirement for running such system? I forgot to mention that the R Pi will be using Volumio or Daphile.

You mention you want to use a raspberry pi 4.
The raspberry pi 4 comes with 1, 2, 4 or 8 gb. I don't know what server software you want to use, but I would think that any of them will be more than enough. Here in Europe i like the 2gb version because the price is quite good and i always found it good enough. Higher models are very expensive and i never had a 1gb one, as the savings are not great, so i can't compare.
Now if you ask about the size of the hard disk/SD card/memory stick to store the music. Well i guess that depends on the amount of music you have. I have a 1tb SSD connected to a raspberry pi 4b 2gb ram running LMS and it works flawlessly. I can imagine larger SSD work as well, i don't know what is the limit, if there is one. Nor i know if it is worth a faster, more expensive SSD vs a cheaper SD card/memory stick...
Hope it helps!

 

[JoachimStrobel]

I read that SD and USB share the same technology which is OK for storage but not for continuous data retrieval. This is where SSDs are better and should be used. It is difficult to teach the Raspi to boot from an SSD. The best one can do is to boot from the SD and run data storage from an attached SSD. I crashed about 3-4 SD cards and keep a copy of them on my PC for reflashing. Improper power downs are the main problem. Hence better leave the Raspi running or buy a small USP to avoid the „ I want to hear music, my SD crashed, where did I install that flashing software and how was it called and how did it work and were did I keep my backup“ which could spoil a Saturday evening.

 

[maltux]

This is a subject i always wondered about, the reliability of the RPI for audio tasks (=good life? compared to other crazy projects)
I have currently 7 raspberry, some working 24/7, some even suffered my poor skills with the soldering iron, always crossing fingers when plugging back, and i have never had one failing.
Good luck? I don't know what is the experience of other members here, but I would be curious to hear about it.

I had an old raspberry pi 2 fail. It was working 24/7 for 5 years as a firewall (pi-hole). First the video cut out but was still useable for my purposes. I replaced it with an unused raspberry pi 4 I already had.

 

[maltux]

I read that SD and USB share the same technology which is OK for storage but not for continuous data retrieval. This is where SSDs are better and should be used. It is difficult to teach the Raspi to boot from an SSD. The best one can do is to boot from the SD and run data storage from an attached SSD. I crashed about 3-4 SD cards and keep a copy of them on my PC for reflashing. Improper power downs are the main problem. Hence better leave the Raspi running or buy a small USP to avoid the „ I want to hear music, my SD crashed, where did I install that flashing software and how was it called and how did it work and were did I keep my backup“ which could spoil a Saturday evening.

The argon case allows you to connect a SATA SSD and it runs seamless. No problems booting from the SSD. I use one to control my JMRI Model Railway.
argon 4 case

 

[anon2k2]

I've had good luck with all my raspberry pis and other small single board computers. I currently have 6 of them deployed as firewalls and other utility devices, including as music servers. I've never had one fail yet. I use sd cards that are marketed as "high endurance" or "surveillance camera" because they are rated for more read-write cycles. My RPi3B that runs pi-hole for dns has been active for 5 years and its current uptime is over a year.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Go for Pi. I have two - one before switching to PC worked 24/7 for 1 year as a music streamer (Moode) the other 24/7 for my 3d printer since 5years. Never ever a single problem. I use brand name SD cards but nothing special.