Article: DIY Music Server and Streamer for the Audio Hobbyist

[bobfa]

24 minutes ago, audiobomber said:

i suggest the next step should be to connect the Pi to a wi-fi access point (wi-fi to ethernet bridge). This will preserve the perfect galvanic isolation of wi-fi, and shutting off the digitally noisy wi-fi radio in the Pi will improve sound quality. 

Interesting idea.  But you have to power that device and connect it to the Pi.  Does that not introduce other problems, and noise?  You have to power the AP, the Ethernet cables will pick up noise???  So many things to think about. 

 

I have two Pi4's in the design LMS/Squeezelite.  

 

I will think about how to try this...

 

 

[audiobomber]

6 minutes ago, bobfa said:

Interesting idea.  But you have to power that device and connect it to the Pi.  Does that not introduce other problems, and noise?  You have to power the AP, the Ethernet cables will pick up noise???  So many things to think about. 

 

I have two Pi4's in the design LMS/Squeezelite.  

 

I will think about how to try this...

 

 

It is worth a try. The net result of shutting down the wi-fi radio in the network player has benefitted me and others. 

[audiobomber]

Keep the final ethernet cable short, six feet max.

 

"Due to deterioration of signal integrity, Ethernet cables longer than about 2 meters activate extra DSP circuits in the PHY/ receiver chips of the equipment they are connecting. This is not desirable as such circuits increase ground-plane noise. So it is best to keep short the cable from the final switch to whatever is your DAC-attached computer/streamer/renderer endpoint (or Etherne-input-equipped DAC).
[This is what we advise EtherREGEN owners and it is based on knowledge that my partner John Swenson has—since he literally designed Ethernet PHY chips during his 31 years as a senior engineer at LSI Logic>Avago>Broadcom.]"

Owner, Uptone Audio

[bobfa]

I get the short cables, etc.

 

Streamer -->>short cable -->> Something that does Ethernet to Wi-Fi -->> rest of the world via Wi-Fi.

 

I have done a dozen variants of the above over the last three years.  Much testing with 

 

Right now, my system looks like this:

 

Streamer -->> Wi-Fi

Server -->> Wi-Fi

 

Both devices are Raspberry Pi4's running PiCorePlayer OS.

[audiobomber]

On 12/1/2021 at 12:23 PM, bobfa said:

I get the short cables, etc.

 

Streamer -->>short cable -->> Something that does Ethernet to Wi-Fi -->> rest of the world via Wi-Fi.

 

I have done a dozen variants of the above over the last three years.  Much testing with 

 

Right now, my system looks like this:

 

Streamer -->> Wi-Fi

Server -->> Wi-Fi

 

Both devices are Raspberry Pi4's running PiCorePlayer OS.

I don't quite understand your shorthand, but here's what how my systems are set up:

 

Router -> Wi-fi to extender -> ethernet cable to network player

 

The wi-fi extender is configured to receive wi-fi, but does not broadcast wi-fi. Wi-fi reception is turned off in my network players. (Network players in my systems are Chromecast Audio, Raspberry Pi3B+, SOtM sMS-200, and exaSound Playpoint.) 

[bobfa]

1 minute ago, audiobomber said:

I don't quite understand your shorthand, but here's what how my systems are set up:

 

Router -> Wi-fi to extender -> ethernet cable to network player

 

The wi-fi extender is configured to receive wi-fi, but does not broadcast wi-fi. Wi-fi reception is turned off in my network players. (Network players in my systems are Chromecast Audio, Raspberry Pi3B+, SOtM sMS-200, and exaSound Playpoint.) 

I understand what you are doing.  You are using a Wi-Fi to ethernet bridge sometimes called an extender.    

 

I would be interested in trying one of those.  What brand and model are you using?

 

I am now just using Wi-Fi from my router.  I had been using ethernet and Optical ethernet to the network closet in he basement.

 

bob

 

[audiobomber]

24 minutes ago, bobfa said:

I understand what you are doing.  You are using a Wi-Fi to ethernet bridge sometimes called an extender.    

Yes, that's correct, but it's important to configure the extender so that it does not extend the network via wi-fi. Connection to your network music player is via ethernet cable. Not all extenders have this flexibility, but I believe there are suitable models  from Netgear, Linksys, Asus, etc.

 

Some people use a second router as an ethernet access point, and there are dedicated access points that will do the job.

 

24 minutes ago, bobfa said:

 

I would be interested in trying one of those.  What brand and model are you using?

The one I use is no longer available, but there are others. I would look for one that allows broadcast to be defeated and an outboard PSU that can be easily upgraded if desired. 

 

 

[bobfa]

December Update!

 

 

I purchased a Pi2AES and accessories from a fellow Audiophile and after testing it with the Pi3 he had it running on I moved it over to my Pi4 and PiCorePlayer.  The Farad3 is running the LMS Server and the LHY Audio is powering the Pi4 Running Squeezelite.  I got a 120 mm ULN  Nactua fan on the gear to keep things cool.  The Pi2AES replaces the Mutec MC-3 and the associated LUSH3 USB cable.

 

I still need two power supplies, but one less AC power cord with the removal of the MC-3.

 

I am VERY pleased with how things sound.    More discussion later after things settle in.  Since the initial setup, the following changes have helped the sound quality.

 

1. The custom version of Squeezelite.

2. Turning off the volume control in LMS

3.  Power supply upgrades on LMS

4.  Moving both devices to Wi-Fi

5.  Pi2AES HAT

 

Thinks I am thinking about:

1. "Better" and Shorter AES cable.

2. Further Power supply changes  Ferrum HYPSOS, PliXir, Sean Jacobs DC-3?  I like the idea of variable voltage for the Pi2AES

3. An upgraded power cord for the LMS Pi.

 

 

 

I have had some folks suggest that I try using an Wi-Fi to Ethernet bridge.  I am also looking for some sort of case to put this all in.

 

 

RJF

 

Progress!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sjj]

The WiFi to Ethernet bridge sounds interesting and something I liked to try. I’ve started to look into extenders but haven’t narrowed them down to one I would like to purchase. When reading the reviews many of them seem to be problematic.

[bobfa]

Pi + Fe Server Streamer Update

 

December brings the core of winter, which to me is a bit more time for music listening.  One of the problems I have been working on is the mechanical construction and setup of my system.  I do not need beauty I need functionality.   To that end, I have constructed a frame system using 8020 style extrusions to hold the gear.  I have 3D printed the Raspberry Pi mounts and I have replaced the power supplies with Ferrum Audio HYPSOS units. The design is built to fit inside my antique Victrola cabinet.

 

The first order of business was mounting the Pi 4 computers.  I need to be able to access them regularly.  I used the 3D model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4125055. 

I printed two sets of ears, two trays and two sleds.  They sit above each other in my design.  The Pi2AES module required a little filing  on the 3D print to allow things to fit.

 

I have not added side panels on the "frame" to allow for airflow, and fiddling.  The HYPSOS running the Pi2AES does not even get warm.  The one running the LMS server does warm up a bit.  The SSD is attached to a 3.5in tray adaptor that keeps it up off the bottom for a bit of airflow.

 

I am working with Steiner Electric to build something a bit more professional.  Once that design is done, they can reproduce it for others!  There are also services out there to 3D print things for you!  Note that the HYPSOS supplies are larger than some others, so my frame is a bit larger.   

 

I am using Isoacoustics IsoPuck Isolators under the frame.  

 

This is my little take on the NOT - Pocket Server.  

 

Here is a slide show of the current configuration:  

 

 

 

[sjj]

I disabled digital volume control and noticed a good improvement in SQ. Now using my preamp to control the volume.

[jkelly]

Running 2 pi's with LMS/material and picoreplayer with tweaks, Pi2AES, Keces 5v and 24 volt switching supply into a Holo Spring Dac and Crack/HD650 headphones. Using SPDIF.

Coming off of Roon and/or Euphony. Goodbye Roon!

 

The instrument separation and location(ing) is unbelievable. Classical music is so much fun to listen to now.

I don't think I have experienced a soundstage like this - every instrument has its own space.

I would never believe that a pi system could sound this good.

Looking for a good 24v PS.

 

My vote for article of the year!

TY!

 

 

[jkelly]

On 11/15/2021 at 7:34 PM, bobfa said:

Yes!  Most of the tweaks are on the Squeezelite endpoint software.  LMS is pretty standard but has my best power supply on it.

Somewhere along the line, I read to review all the plugins in use in LMS and turn off those not needed. I have done that. I run 3, Rescan, Material and Quboz. I sometimes add Radio and Podcasts back in.

[bobfa]

27 minutes ago, jkelly said:

Looking for a good 24v PS.

 

My vote for article of the year!

I am trying two Ferrum HYPSOS supplies right now !adjustable!  !!Be Careful!!  Over at AudioBacon there was an interesting shootout on power supplies.  I am running the Pi2AES at 30V.  The supplies are just getting warmed up, about 5 days in.  More soon.

 

Note that that little LHY Audio Supply was darn good.  I had a Ghent JSSG 360 DC cable on it.  It was also set to 30 V.

 

 

[bobfa]

8 minutes ago, jkelly said:

Somewhere along the line, I read to review all the plugins in use in LMS and turn off those not needed. I have done that. I run 3, Rescan, Material and Quboz. I sometimes add Radio and Podcasts back in.

I have done some of that.  I am not sure if there is SQ difference.  But Bob's Rules: "Less Software is better"

 

[Mike Rubin]

I have an Rpi 4 with 4gb RAM.  It currently is running Volumio as a DLNA server of music on an external NAS, but Volumio cannot stream DSD over DLNA to my Sonore renderers.  

 

Using the Pi as an LMS server is of interest if a Pi 4 has the horsepower to serve DSD to the Sonore renderers running Squeezelite.  Is the Pi up to that task?  

 

I assume that LMS in the PiCorePlayer can serve media located on a NAS, including DSD files natively, both of which are easy on Windows LMS.

[bobfa]

9 hours ago, Mike Rubin said:

I assume that LMS in the PiCorePlayer can serve media located on a NAS, including DSD files natively, both of which are easy on Windows LMS.

I see no reason why it would not.  It is rather trivial to try it.  My main system does not play back DSD files.  My secondary system has a DSD DAC on it, but I do not think I have tried to use it.  

 

I have had ZERO issues with LMS on the Pi4.  The only difference in my system and what you are proposing is that I have attached a 4 TB SSD directly to the Pi with my music on it.

 

RJF

[bobfa]

Thursday 16 December 2021 status update.

 

Over the past couple of days I have been experimenting with HQPlayer and HQplayer Embedded now that it has streaming built in.  I have tested several configurations and have been unable to get the embedded version to mount SMB or find the way to make it get music from an attached drive on a Raspberry Pi.  The documentation is weaker than I would have expected for a mature product. Initial testing with an M1 Mac Mini running HQPlayer and the Pi2AES running NAA Embedded did not have the sonic performance I had hoped, this has been put on the side to finish what follows.

 

Today I updated my LMS and two endpoints to PiCorePlayer 8.1.  Klaus (Soundcheck Audio Blog) validated that his sKit software is working.  I did in-place updates on all three Raspberry Pi's with no issues.

 

Ferrum HYPSOS Power Supply status:  I have been listening every day (four tracks) hear any changes during break-in.  I also assume that my brain is breaking in too!  Over the past three days I did not note any differences.  The LMS server is set to 5.1V direct into the Pi 4.  The Squeezelite streamer with Pi2AES is set to 30V.

 

I will start a set of listening tests at different voltages on the Pi2AES as time permits.  It takes about a minute to change the output voltage base setting, which powers down the output.  This will require a lot of patience.

 

I can say now that there is a significant improvement in sound qualities using the two Ferrum HYPSOS power supplies.  Vocal clarity (Amy Lee, Enya), instrument separation, and greater detail in electronic tracks (BT, Joe Ford, Trentemoller).  I really like the test track that @Archimago developed for DAC testing: http://archimago.blogspot.com/2021/08/ampt-test.html

 

I am slowing down on all this testing to just listen!  And we have adopted two kittens that we pick up tomorrow, so they will be needing a lot of attention. 

 

RJF

 

 

 

[Mike Rubin]

1 hour ago, bobfa said:

I see no reason why it would not.  It is rather trivial to try it.  My main system does not play back DSD files.  My secondary system has a DSD DAC on it, but I do not think I have tried to use it.  

 

I have had ZERO issues with LMS on the Pi4.  The only difference in my system and what you are proposing is that I have attached a 4 TB SSD directly to the Pi with my music on it.

 

RJF

Thanks, Bob.  As you said, trivial to test.  Off to get another microSD card for the experiment.

[bobfa]

After a couple of days of testing, I made a couple of changes to the frame system with the Pi's and supplies in it.  I flipped everything around.  All the connections are front accessible now.  I do not have to move the Victrola.

 

I cut the frame down in width to fit better.  You cannot see the IsoPucks under it from this angle.

 

 

 

The two Pi's connections are now to the front and inside the cabinet.  

 

 

I will live with this for a while and see where I go.  I could shorten the frame and add a couple of handles?    Note that this setup would be harder with a really stiff/thick AES cable.

[Iansr]

@Bob; Great article and follow up posts, thank you.   Your next challenge is to integrate CamillaDSP into the system and then do a write up on how to do it.  Please 😉

[bobfa]

49 minutes ago, Iansr said:

@Bob; Great article and follow up posts, thank you.   Your next challenge is to integrate CamillaDSP into the system and then do a write up on how to do it.  Please 😉

I am not acquainted with CamilliaDSP.  I have messed with other DSP engines, in Roon and a couple of other places.  Furthermore, I have not found them to be comfortable to my ear.  One of the things I have promised others is to actually listen to and write about the DSP in my Heavenly Soundworks 517 speakers. I have to fire up REW on a laptop to gather the right data.

[Narcissus]

On 12/1/2021 at 10:53 PM, bobfa said:

I get the short cables, etc.

 

Streamer -->>short cable -->> Something that does Ethernet to Wi-Fi -->> rest of the world via Wi-Fi.

 

I have done a dozen variants of the above over the last three years.  Much testing with 

 

Right now, my system looks like this:

 

Streamer -->> Wi-Fi

Server -->> Wi-Fi

 

Both devices are Raspberry Pi4's running PiCorePlayer OS.

Bob, any specific reason why you shifted from wired Ethernet cables to WiFi?

 

Which brings me to an important  question,

I have to connect the (client) RPI4 to the dac, For which I will have to drag a wire all thru the room, walls, door frame etc. I would like to avoid doing this (Ethernet wiring over walls).

Is it possible to use some kind of Ethernet extender? Like a Dlink Dir 505?

[bobfa]

2 hours ago, Narcissus said:

Bob, any specific reason why you shifted from wired Ethernet cables to WiFi?

 

Simple answer:  It sounds better.  I was surprised at how much better.  It is not like putting a DCS Bartok in place of a dongle DAC better, but I was and am delighted with the results.  I have always had a "rule" use Ethernet.  I am changing that rule.

 

So, my rule on networking is now:

 

• Properly working Core Network is critical.

 

Several folks here had suggested using specific Wi-Fi extenders to do this.  I have not put any energy into trying that, so I cannot help.  Visit https://soundcheck-audio.blogspot.com and read his sections on networking.  Run some tests.  Your Power line Ethernet extenders are a different beast.  If you have them try them.  If you have a long Ethernet cable try it, just as a test.

 

I propose that you turn Wi-Fi on in your Pi4 Streamer and see what happens.    It is straightforward to swap to Ethernet and see if you hear any difference.

 

RJF

 

 

[audiobomber]

Quote

Is it possible to use some kind of Ethernet extender? Like a Dlink Dir 505?

 

@Narcissus, look for an access point,  extender or router that supports Client mode (i.e. receives wi-fi, provides ethernet access, turn off wi-fi broadcast). Most manufacturers have examples. Best to get one with an external power and upgrade the PSU for best sound.

 

Powerline extenders as per your example are sonically inferior to wireless as per this article: