Raspberry Pi 3 model B+ audio hat advice ?

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xyeovillian

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#290828 7-Dec-2021 19:22

I have Raspberry Pi 3 model B+ 2017 I have been playing with Volumio to be able to stream audio got it all working fine.
But I would like to add a DAC hat been thinking of getting this one Raspberry Pi IQaudio DAC Pro.
Anyone have any experience with this set up and which one is best just using it with the headphone jack at the moment.

jm3

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#2826235 7-Dec-2021 19:58

I've had the Pifi Digi+ ver 1.0 from AliExpress with a Pi3 for a number of years and it's been rock solid. I just use the optical to my amp which is an I.AM.D V200 also from Ali.

I've used volumio but also really like moodeaudio.

davidcole

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#2826262 7-Dec-2021 21:14

I’ve got a suptronics x400 amp running in volumio. Seems to be ok. I mostly use it with Spotify connect or airplay. So I’m not a real audio file. Ok for day to day use

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elpenguino

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#2826320 7-Dec-2021 23:05

The built in audio is awful.

Any I2S DAC will work wonders with your files. They start at about $7 on AliEx.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

richms

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#2826395 8-Dec-2021 01:15

If you have been using the 3.5mm output on a pi and not finding it totally disgusting audio, then you should be happy with any of the audio hats available.

There is a minor difference between the ones I have bought as far as their ability to quieten the high noise floor of the powersupply going thru the pi, but its minor, and all are so much better than the onboard and comparable to most audio gear for low noise levels.

The x400 is a pretty good board, if you are ok with its low power levels for background music and the bass issues with a cheap class D amplifier then it will save you from having to have a seperate amplifier powered up all the time ready to send audio to, and it also powers the pi from the 24v powerbrick meaning that its one less thing to have to power up.

Richard rich.ms

xyeovillian

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#2826466 8-Dec-2021 08:34

jm3: I've had the Pifi Digi+ ver 1.0 from AliExpress with a Pi3 for a number of years and it's been rock solid. I just use the optical to my amp which is an I.AM.D V200 also from Ali.

I've used volumio but also really like moodeaudio.

That sounds good might get one of those any idea which case suits for the hat and Pi.

At the moment its only a play thing to plug into an old amp to play in garage.

jm3

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#2828466 8-Dec-2021 09:14

Any case I think that will expose the GPIO. I personally have one of the layered acrylic ones, no fan just heatsinks. It does get a bit dusty.

If you want to play around with different things I've found NOOBS/PINN quite convenient for switching between multiple distros, however you are limited to the ones they've pre-configured. https://pinn.mjh.nz/

For example: I have Kodi and Volumio so just boot between them in the lounge as needed. Noobs companion let's you boot back into a specific one from Kodi or you can select from a menu at boot.

Depending on the audio hat you may need to add some text to /boot/config.txt to load the correct modules you'll find lots of examples online.

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openmedia

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#2828535 8-Dec-2021 10:52

If you AMP has HDMI you can just use the HDMI out from the PI to drive audio. There are a couple of boot tweaks to make sure it stays active when running headless, and it is a lot better than the 3.5mm analog audio.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.