Substitute for Chomecast audio?

[jcbenten]

7 hours ago, firedog said:

Haven't tested, b/c I don't yet have the powered speakers the device will be hooked up to. I think I am going to buy 2 devices: a Chromecast audio off ebay: (yes, in spite of what I previously thought they are so cheap I might as well),; and a Raspberry PI built into a touch screen/stand from Volumio. One of my goals for this setup is to add a SB Touch replacement, hence the item from Volumio.  The Chromecast will go into the powered USB port on the speakers and the Pi will connect via AUX. 

 

I am interested in your experiences with the Volumio.  I have an unnatural fear of Linux and have yet to try a Pi.

[firedog]

1 hour ago, jcbenten said:

 

I am interested in your experiences with the Volumio.  I have an unnatural fear of Linux and have yet to try a Pi.

I’ll report back, but for budget/CC reasons I’m not ordering the item for another week or so. So it might be a few weeks till I can tell you anything. One of the advantages of this item is that it is all plug and play- everything is set up before it arrives, no assembly or OS installation necessary. I can do it, but buying the components won’t save me enough money to make the hassle worth it.

 

A preset-up Linux device really isn’t anything to fear. Almost every streamer on the market is one. Generally you have a built in browser app or phone app used or control it.

Of course, one of the advantages of the Pi HW platform is that I can just burn another Pi OS like picoreplayer to an SD card and switch the OS anytime I like.

[jcbenten]

Thanks.  I am more interested in appliances and not DIY...as my SBT.

 

I gave a Pi to my 12 yr old nephew for Christmas and he had it up and running in minutes...I suppose I could fly him in to setup...

[bluesman]

On 4/29/2019 at 12:03 PM, jcbenten said:

I am interested in your experiences with the Volumio.  I have an unnatural fear of Linux and have yet to try a Pi.

 

You don't need to worry about Linux on a Pi any more than you do about Android or iOS (both of which started with Linux kernel variants under the hood) on your computer, phone or tablet.  The stock OS (Raspbian) is Debian, but the GUI is all you'll ever work with and it's as easy and intuitive as Windows or Mac to use.  You're already running JRMC & Foobar according to your footer, so all you need to do is stick the OS on an SD card, put the Pi on your network,  and connect it to your DAC or powered speakers either by USB or analog output. If you can configure Foobar, you'll have no trouble at all with Raspbian.

 

The latest Raspbian images have VLC included as the default player. Yes, it's a video player - but it'll play bit perfect FLACs etc up to 24 bit as I recall.  It's a terrible library management tool , which is irrelevant if you're only using it as a JRMC or Foobar endpoint.  I don't think it'll play native hi res files, although I never tried  There are dozens of other great players you can easily download and install, but VLC's pretty good and requires no effort from you other than to click on the icon under the Sound and Video link in the menu (click the raspberry in the taskbar to open the menu).

 

You can easily stream from JRMC to a Pi. You may need to download Bubble UPnP Server to the device on which you're running your JRMC instance to make Chromecast and some other renderers show up as DLNA zones, but VLC should not require this.  To stream from Foobar, download and install the Foobar UPnP media renderer output module.  It'll put all your network UPnP renderers on Foobar as endpoints.  You'll see a list of them under view-UPnP Browser in Foobar, and AFAIK you need this for all UPnP / DLNA endpoints.

 

I don't know of a better use for an audiophile's $30 or less (they're almost always on sale at a discount somewhere) than a Pi!

[bluesman]

6 hours ago, bluesman said:

The latest Raspbian images have VLC included as the default player. Yes, it's a video player - but it'll play bit perfect FLACs etc up to 24 bit as I recall.  It's a terrible library management tool , which is irrelevant if you're only using it as a JRMC or Foobar endpoint.  I don't think it'll play native hi res files, although I never tried  There are dozens of other great players you can easily download and install, but VLC's pretty good and requires no effort from you other than to click on the icon under the Sound and Video link in the menu (click the raspberry in the taskbar to open the menu).

 

You can easily stream from JRMC to a Pi. You may need to download Bubble UPnP Server to the device on which you're running your JRMC instance to make Chromecast and some other renderers show up as DLNA zones, but VLC should not require this.  To stream from Foobar, download and install the Foobar UPnP media renderer output module.  It'll put all your network UPnP renderers on Foobar as endpoints.  You'll see a list of them under view-UPnP Browser in Foobar, and AFAIK you need this for all UPnP / DLNA endpoints.

 

I don't know of a better use for an audiophile's $30 or less (they're almost always on sale at a discount somewhere) than a Pi!

 

Thanks to a wonderfully polite and helpful message from Crenca, I must correct a few errors I made by relying on my memory instead of going back and setting this all up again first.  Many thanks to John for being an excellent role model for all of us!

 

The UPnP / DLNA player function in VLC only accesses the servers on the network - it does not appear as a zone. I have a running VLC instance set up on one of my test computers, & I see that although it shows all my network UPNP / DLNA servers, it does not show up as a zone in JRMC or Foobar and is not on Bubble's renderer list.  This means that you can play files from any UPnP / DLNA server on your network with VLC on a Pi, but you can't control it with JRMC or Foobar.

There are several foobar plugins dealing with various aspects of UPnP and DLNA.  I thought I remembered using foo_out and foo_out_UPnP to play to VLC.  But on trying it, I can't.  There was a previous plugin that did let you do this, but it's apparently now gone.

 

If I read the descriptions correctly, it appears that you can use GMediaRender on Raspbian to make Pi  a player for JRMC and Foobar.  I haven't tested this and it would require you to use the command line (which I gather you don't want to do).  I have Volumio and Moode currently set up on Pis, so I know they'll work as you want them to work - but you'd have to install them with their integral OSs (again not a difficult proposition, but you seem to want to avoid having to do that). You can also use PiCorePlayer and many other such OS/players if you're willing to download them, burn them to a microSD card, and configure them.  It's as easy to do as configuring and managing Foobar - and once it's done, it's done.

 

I'll see if I can find another simple player that will also serve as a JRMC / Foobar zone.   I'm truly sorry for my errors!

 

Best regards -

 

David

[jcbenten]

Thanks @bluesman .  I need to update my signature a bit.  I use JRiver & Foobar for local playback and not network...I tried JR once, awhile back, and it was a PITA.  Never tried FB on the network.

 

I primarily use the Squeezebox Touch.  While the SBT can be finicky when running the server on my laptop, on my QNAP NAS and running QLMS, it is very stable.  I currently have the SBT feeding a Topping NX4 DSD DAC into my, now vintage, Linn system and I am happy.  I have tried running  Minimserver into my Oppo BRD but finding a reliable and stable control point on my iPad is an excercise in frustration...and I have tried a few, including BubbleUPNP.  I primarily use the Minimserver and my phone or Sony DAP into my Edifier Active speakers when I am in the garage.  Works...OK.

 

I read most of the threads on the RPi and my interpretation is that it is not really more stable than my SBT and when troubleshooting is warranted, requires Command Line stuff and I am not interested.  I also read the Rendu threads and the (seemingly) constant need to UPdate/Save/Restart in the proper order just gives me chills.  When the SBT bites the dust, I will need to either get my feed to the Oppo working more reliably or try an RPi...I am not willing to spend much more than that on my system.

[bluesman]

PiCorePlayer will work as a Squeezelite renderer out of the box. I’ve tested it on a Pi 3b+ on my network as a Roon zone (Roon will play to Squeeze devices as zones). So when you need a solution, you can put PCP on a microSD card, stick it in a Pi, and get back to your music in about 20 minutes for $35 or less. You don’t have to open a terminal at all - PCP is easy to configure from a browser on any network device.

 

Enjoy!

[firedog]

4 hours ago, jcbenten said:

I also read the Rendu threads and the (seemingly) constant need to UPdate/Save/Restart in the proper order just gives me chills.

 

It's way exaggerated there by a few users with problems. I'm pretty sure for the vast majority there is no issue and the rendus "just work". 

[firedog]

4 hours ago, bluesman said:

PiCorePlayer will work as a Squeezelite renderer out of the box. I’ve tested it on a Pi 3b+ on my network as a Roon zone (Roon will play to Squeeze devices as zones). So when you need a solution, you can put PCP on a microSD card, stick it in a Pi, and get back to your music in about 20 minutes for $35 or less. You don’t have to open a terminal at all - PCP is easy to configure from a browser on any network device.

 

Enjoy!

Yep, just what I'm planning. What I don't understand is why more of these Pi OS's don't have Roon Bridge as a built in/add in component. 

[bluesman]

21 minutes ago, firedog said:

Yep, just what I'm planning. What I don't understand is why more of these Pi OS's don't have Roon Bridge as a built in/add in component. 

You can install Roon Bridge on almost any of these audio OS / player installations using the command line. Just follow the instructions that come up from the link on the Roon downloads page - it’s 3 simple lines entered and executed one at a time. If there’s no terminal access, you can often use SSH.

 

You have to install and activate SSH access on most to do it from a networked device using Putty etc. But if the basic OS is a Linux kernel or derivative, you can do it easily on most.

[bluesman]

I just remembered reading about another option to make Pi into a zone on JRiver.  You can make a Raspberry Pi a Shairport device by following these instructions on the JRiver Interact forum.  Per the posts in the linked Interact thread, this will put the Pi on the JRiver zone list so you can control it from JRMC.

 

My Roon instance recognizes Shairport devices as zones too - Volumio on a Pi shows up as a Roon zone and says "ShairportSync" next to its network name. I have not intentionally set up this Pi or its Volumio OS/player as a Shairport device.  Volumio includes this functionality.

 

Even more interesting is that the same Pi running Volumio shows up in the Bubble Server renderer list.

[R1200CL]

21 hours ago, jcbenten said:

I also read the Rendu threads and the (seemingly) constant need to UPdate/Save/Restart in the proper order just gives me chills.

 

Very rare, almost never, these issues has nothing to to with the Rendu’s itself.

And the support is good. 

[jcbenten]

19 hours ago, firedog said:

 

It's way exaggerated there by a few users with problems. I'm pretty sure for the vast majority there is no issue and the rendus "just work". 

 

Sure it is exaggerated just like I stated my "fear" of the RPi/Linux...But I want something that works like my stove where I have replaced one flame sensor in 12 years.  Note that my Linn Majik/Keilidh are over 20 yrs, the 2250 I picked up used nearly 10 years ago.  I think my SBT is finally stable as I have it back on the NAS but it has only been 3-4 weeks.  Hence I am interested in how stable your Volumio will be once you have it set up.

[R1200CL]

On 5/2/2019 at 3:39 PM, jcbenten said:

I think my SBT is finally stable as I have it back on the NAS but it has only been 3-4 weeks.

 

If you add a LPS-1.2 power supply to that SBT, you get a quite nice lift in SQ. (Plug is 2,5 mm). 

Add the EDO upgrade to get 192 support. 

And, yes, the SBT is very stable. 

[jcbenten]

On 5/5/2019 at 2:46 AM, R1200CL said:

 

If you add a LPS-1.2 power supply to that SBT, you get a quite nice lift in SQ. (Plug is 2,5 mm). 

Add the EDO upgrade to get 192 support. 

And, yes, the SBT is very stable. 

 

Thanks but I do not have any complaints about the audio quality.  Besides I am not going to spend $400+ to "improve" a 10-yr old $300 streamer.

 

And I should clarify, LMS is not more stable on the NAS and necessarily the SBT.  I had been running LMS on my laptop but with frequent travel, the on/off regime would cause instability requiring restarts and reboots throughout the chain...with the NAS, always on.

[firedog]

Just as a followup-

The Volumio SOS player (Raspberry Pi with added DAC board and installed inside 7" touch screen on stand) is on it's way.  I also have already burnt PiCorePlayer to an SD card so I can just switch SD cards if I want to change OS from Volumio. I'll probably use PCP the most, as I want the "SBT" emulation on the touch Screen. 

In addition, there's an Australian site having a blowout of what they claim are new Chromecast Audio devices: $12.17 US including standard (postal) shipping worldwide. Ordered one. Figured at that price I've got little to lose and if it isn't a rip off it's an amazing bargain. 

I will update once it is all here.