Raspberry pi streamer

[abdo123]

What about the UPnP option? That doesn't require Tidal integration as you would use it with Mconnect. I'm assuming that this would be okay as that's what you've suggested in one of your earlier posts in this thread.

Interestingly enough the Qobuz integration on MyVolumio is pretty good, but I do prefer using a 3rd party app (and I do prefer Moode)

mconnect is a perfect budget option. really flawless for the price.

I recently moved to Roon (1$ three months blackfriday deal) only for room correction.

 

[Charles_b]

No problem on the MQA front. I don't use MQA but I'm more than happy to help. I also agree with the "I've paid for it so I'll use it" approach.

What you'll need is software for the RPi that's "imaged" on to the micro SD card - really easy to do and lots of info online about it. You'll then need some way of controlling this from your phone. I'll tell you how I do it.

Set up 1
RPi running Moode Audio, controlled by Bubble UPnP app on android phone
Moode can't handle Tidal (or Qobuz, which is what I use) on its own. This means that I set Moode as a UPnP renderer. I then control this with the Bubble UpnP app. All sounds complicated but it's not.

Set up 2
RPi running Volumio, controlled by MyVolumio user interface
Volumio can handle Tidal (and Qobuz) but there is a small charge for this (I pay £2.78 GBP a month)

Obviously set up 1 is cheapest (there's no additional cost other than the Qobuz subscription). Neither option requires a Roon-type Core and both options allow streaming of locally stored files from an attached USB flash drive.

Here's the key issue and one where I can't speak from personal experience. As far as I'm aware, to play an MQA file as an MQA file, your D90 needs to get a bitpefect MQA file from the RPi.

If I was going down the RPi route I'd experiment with the following set up:

RPi running Moode Audio, configured as a UPnP renderer and with volume control disabled. I'd then use Mconnect Android app as the UPnP controller, sign in with Tidal and that should do everything that you need.

Instead of Moode you could use Volumio. You could either use this a UPnP renderer or (as in set up 2 above) you could pay the MyVolumio subscription. If you pay for MyVolumio you wouldn't need Mconnect Android app as MyVolumio allows you to sign in to Tidal on the MyVolumio User Interface.

Again, all of this sounds complicated, but it's not. People are here on this forum to help.

HOWEVER!!!! There is a much easier alternative, but this only works if you're happy to physically plug your phone into your DAC using a USB cable. You could then use USB Audio Player Pro Android app. This handles MQA and no additional hardware is needed. I used to use this in my main set up, but now prefer an RPi as it doesn't physically tie me (well, the phone) to the DAC.

EDIT: @abdo123 might be able to answer whether or not the bitperfect UPnP streaming option works as he's in on this discussion and uses MQA

Thank you so much for your thorough reply. I think setup 1 looks promising. Ive read on forums that volumio can only play MQA tracks to 24bit/48khz.

Many thanks,
Charles

 

[abdo123]

Thank you so much for your thorough reply. I think setup 1 looks promising. Ive read on forums that volumio can only play MQA tracks to 24bit/48khz.

Many thanks,
Charles

this is a little misleading, with a USB MQA DAC like yours you will be able to play up to 384Khz MQA.

i uploaded a video of the 'mconnect' experience on my phone on OneDrive.

Feel free to see it here: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AtUxvwVv47jB6BcfJlDeLrCeCuTh?e=fq5tHE

 

[Charles_b]

What about the UPnP option? That doesn't require Tidal integration as you would use it with Mconnect. I'm assuming that this would be okay as that's what you've suggested in one of your earlier posts in this thread.

Interestingly enough the Qobuz integration on MyVolumio is pretty good, but I do prefer using a 3rd party app (and I do prefer Moode)

This also sounds good also. Lots of good suggestions and lots of further reading for me too

 

[Foxenfurter]

With picoreplayer, do you need a server with all your tracks on? I only want to stream from tidal, could it do just this? Would i get mqa quality if I plugged the RPI into my mqa DAC?

Many thanks

One option with picoreplayer is that the Pi can host LMS. This gives you the access to plugins which include Tidal. You would need to add the details of your Tidal account to the LMS plugin page.

I don't use Tidal personally, so I can't comment on functionality. I know that there was also talk of enabling Tidal Casting, but I don't know how far that got.

Details can be found here
https://forums.slimdevices.com/search.php?searchid=4476865

 

[Sukie]

Thank you so much for your thorough reply. I think setup 1 looks promising. Ive read on forums that volumio can only play MQA tracks to 24bit/48khz.

Many thanks,
Charles

This is the problem, lots of conflicting info. I think @abdo123 has actual experience of this and it's worth looking at his link.

One of the things about RPis is that you often need to try a few different things before you find a solution. When I first got one I wondered if it would work for me. But it only cost £60 (including a nice case) and so it was worth a punt. I've never looked back.

 

[Charles_b]

this is a little misleading, with a USB MQA DAC like yours you will be able to play up to 384Khz MQA.

i uploaded a video of the 'mconnect' experience on my phone on OneDrive.

Feel free to see it here: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AtUxvwVv47jB6BcfJlDeLrCeCuTh?e=fq5tHE

Is that right? I read on the volumio forum many posts like this:
https://community.volumio.org/t/mqa-does-it-work/12366

However, if it could play MQA like you say, then this would be another really good option for me

 

[abdo123]

One of the things about RPis is that you often need to try a few different things before you find a solution.

I completely agree, I started with balena sound and ended with Volumio. (now roopieXL for roon end point)

But RoopieXL is a great starting point, great feature set, as simple as it gets.

 

[abdo123]

Is that right? I read on the volumio forum many posts like this:
https://community.volumio.org/t/mqa-does-it-work/12366

However, if it could play MQA like you say, then this would be another really good option for me

I'm guessing the D90 MQA can do full unfold (step 1 and step 2) via its USB input. If this is not the case then you won't get MQA. Even if your DAC can do step 2, you won't get the MQA audio Nirvana LED color.

 

[abdo123]

The main reason i ditched Volumio is their lack of Room correction/DSP support. (BruteFIR plugin was way too much work and little result).

Roon not only offers Room correction, but it also does it without breaking the MQA authentication. so the Audio Nirvana LED can turn on.

 

[Sukie]

Is that right? I read on the volumio forum many posts like this:
https://community.volumio.org/t/mqa-does-it-work/12366

However, if it could play MQA like you say, then this would be another really good option for me

I'm guessing the D90 MQA can do full unfold (step 1 and step 2) via its USB input. If this is not the case then you won't get MQA. Even if your DAC can do step 2, you won't get the MQA audio Nirvana LED color.

Unfortunately we always seem to get to this point and it's where I have no first hand knowledge. I simply don't know if Volumio can "send" MQA to the DAC and I simply don't know if a particular DAC will fully unfold the file it receives. I do know that the developers over at Moode are not keen at all on MQA, but Volumio do seem, in theory, to be more sympathetic.

This is one of the reasons that I use Qobuz, but that's not available to you (nor do I want this thread to lapse in to the usual MQA vs FLAC discussion)

 

[Charles_b]

I'm guessing the D90 MQA can do full unfold (step 1 and step 2) via its USB input. If this is not the case then you won't get MQA. Even if your DAC can do step 2, you won't get the MQA audio Nirvana LED color.

I believe it it does- it says mqa full decoder on toppings website https://www.tpdz.net/productinfo/398270.html
Many thanks

 

[abdo123]

I believe it it does- it says mqa full decoder on toppings website https://www.tpdz.net/productinfo/398270.html
Many thanks

yep it's a full MQA decoder like i thought, just use the USB input and you're good to go.

 

[Charles_b]

yep it's a full MQA decoder like i thought, just use the USB input and you're good to go.

Fantastic! I really like your suggestion. I think I'm going to go with it!

Many thanks,
Charles

 

[Charles_b]

Silly question, but would I need to buy some fans for the pi 4? (I don't think I will). I just remember when I completed a nes pi build based on pi 3, they included a couple of cooling fans in the kit. Cheers

 

[Sukie]

Silly question, but would I need to buy some fans for the pi 4? (I don't think I will). I just remember when I completed a nes pi build based on pi 3, they included a couple of cooling fans in the kit. Cheers

You don't need a fan for an RPi4 using it as an audio streamer.

 

[Charles_b]

You don't need a fan for an RPi4 using it as an audio streamer.

Super, thank you

 

[Iglo]

There are also fully passive cases available for the RPi4.

I got the Akasa Gem Pro case. Machined aluminium with big chunks of aluminium inside to provide passive cooling. Keeps everything at 36 °C (96 °F).
That's cooler than the Argon one case (passive + fan) used for my RPi NAS.

And I do like how it looks.

It's running MoOde Audio. Really happy with how it works (direct streaming and playing FLAC from my RPi NAS). The only wish I have is a 10 band parametric EQ but this should be coming in version 7.

 

[Charles_b]

There are also fully passive cases available for the RPi4.

I got the Akasa Gem Pro case. Machined aluminium with big chunks of aluminium inside to provide passive cooling. Keeps everything at 36 °C (96 °F).
That's cooler than the Argon one case (passive + fan) used for my RPi NAS.

And I do like how it looks.

It's running MoOde Audio. Really happy with how it works (direct streaming and playing FLAC from my RPi NAS). The only wish I have is a 10 band parametric EQ but this should be coming in version 7.

Pimp my Pi!

Cheers

 

[Sukie]

There are also fully passive cases available for the RPi4.

I got the Akasa Gem Pro case. Machined aluminium with big chunks of aluminium inside to provide passive cooling. Keeps everything at 36 °C (96 °F).
That's cooler than the Argon one case (passive + fan) used for my RPi NAS.

And I do like how it looks.

It's running MoOde Audio. Really happy with how it works (direct streaming and playing FLAC from my RPi NAS). The only wish I have is a 10 band parametric EQ but this should be coming in version 7.

I went with the FLIRC case, purely for aesthetic reasons. It turns out it's really good at passive cooling as well .