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Raspberry Pi Starter Kit

A

Allaboutmusic

pfm Member
Hi all,

appreciate this has been asked before but looking to try and build a cheap raspberry pi streamer and there is currently this starter kit available on Amazon. Would this include everything I need?

OKdo Raspberry Pi 4 4GB Starter Kit - Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4GB, 32GB Micro SD Card with Noobs, USB C Cable, Power Supply, 2 x HDMI Cables, 3 x Heat Sinks, Aluminium Case With Fan (4GB) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084NW35M5/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Also what is best software and how do you install? Want to be able to play tidal, Qobuz and ideally radio but streaming is the main priority. And ideally control via iOS.

Many thanks
 
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Have a look at this thread

https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/the-2020-raspberry-pi-streaming-guide.239168/#post-3945734

I'd prob go with the 4GB one but 2GB is perfectly fine. I don't think you need heatsinks on a Pi4 for your use case, the overheating bug was fixed. You could go for the 3B+ older one to save some dosh and/or put a WTD ad in on classifieds. A couple other options for Starter Kits
https://thepihut.com/collections/ra...0xgUjziIECOQRFUGkJRIXjo36lH7n3n0aAqAgEALw_wcB

https://cpc.farnell.com/ucreate/rpi...KWL&s_kwcid=AL!5616!3!451469769786!b!!network}!!&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5auGBhDEARIsAFyNm9HrAbEfcOXzhHoydtOSsjJ5JoHh2ivFI-A2XRFaNsy54oevbH6fxxMaAlybEALw_wcB
 
Do you want to mess with the Pi as a hobby computer too or purely as a Hi Fi Streamer - if the latter as above you can get away with a less costly/more targeted approach.

I found Volumio very easy to get going then went on and tried all the other usual suspects but as I run Roon ended up with RoPieee on a tricked out Allo rig.
 
Amber Audio said:
Do you want to mess with the Pi as a hobby computer too or purely as a Hi Fi Streamer - if the latter as above you can get away with a less costly/more targeted approach.

I found Volumio very easy to get going then went on and tried all the other usual suspects but as I run Roon ended up with RoPieee on a tricked out Allo rig.
Click to expand...

You probably gave details before. Do you have a link to what exactly you use?
 
Allaboutmusic said:
Hi all,

appreciate this has been asked before but looking to try and build a cheap raspberry pi streamer and there is currently this starter kit available on Amazon. Would this include everything I need?

OKdo Raspberry Pi 4 4GB Starter Kit - Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 4GB, 32GB Micro SD Card with Noobs, USB C Cable, Power Supply, 2 x HDMI Cables, 3 x Heat Sinks, Aluminium Case With Fan (4GB) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084NW35M5/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Also what is best software and how do you install? Want to be able to play tidal, Qobuz and ideally radio but streaming is the main priority. And ideally control via iOS. ...
Click to expand...
I wrote up a crib-sheet the last time I installed piCorePlayer. The equipment list is below (for USB DAC, playing local files, BBC Sounds and Qobuz including iPhone support). It has a few more items than the kit but you may these have already.

For the permanent installation:
  • RPi, PSU and case.
  • µSD card (16 GB suffices but it could be smaller).
  • USB 2.0 A to B cable (AKA printer cable) to connect the RPi player to the DAC.
  • Wireless or Ethernet network connection to the RPi.
  • Web browser on the network to control the RPi music server (e.g. on a PC or mobile phone); or a specialist control application (e.g. iPeng 9 for the iPhone).
  • BBC Sounds account (and the BBC Sounds application for iPhone).
  • Qobuz subscription (and the Qobuz application for iPhone).
  • USB memory stick for storing music library files on the RPi music server.
For setup:
  • Host PC with network access and browser.
  • µSD card adaptor for the host PC.
  • µSD card image burner on the host PC (multi-OS: RPi imager – https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/ – there are others).
Potentially useful but not essential:
  • Spare µSD card for experimenting.
  • µSD card formatter on the host PC (for Windows: SD Card Formatter – https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/).
  • SSH terminal application (e.g. PuTTY) running on a networked PC to run commands directly on the RPi. This can occasionally be useful after setup. Alternatively use a USB keyboard and HDMI TV/display.
  • TV/display with HDMI input and HDMI lead to observe directly what the RPi is doing but only during the early setup steps (e.g. boot-up), not thereafter.
I can make the crib-sheet available if anyone wants it but it was really assembled for my own needs. However it looks like it's aligned fairly well with this request.
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Amber Audio said:
Do you want to mess with the Pi as a hobby computer too or purely as a Hi Fi Streamer - if the latter as above you can get away with a less costly/more targeted approach.

I found Volumio very easy to get going then went on and tried all the other usual suspects but as I run Roon ended up with RoPieee on a tricked out Allo rig.
Click to expand...
Just streaming direct into my dac.
 
So I’m thinking raspberry 4 plus the digi hat from just boom and try Volumio.

would this allow for streaming via an app on my phone?

also would the case provided with starter kit suffice or would I need an alternative?

mid there anything I wouldn’t require in the starter kit as could potentially buy items individually from the pi store.

thanks again
 
Does your DAC have an SPDIF/Toslink input or is it USB only? If USB only you won't need a digi HAT, and the case supplied will be fine.

If your DAC does not have USB input, but only SPDIF/Toslink, then you will need a digi HAT and the case that matches "your HAT plus your model of RPi" (note that RPi 3 & RPi 4 are different).

If your DAC has both USB and SPDIF/Toslink then you have a choice of either of the above.

Other digi boards are available from IQAudio & HiFi Berry. They are all pretty good.

Volumio is a good starting place, in the future then you may find that Moode Audio is worth considering.

For control, you will be able to use iOS devices. Both Volumio and Moode incorporate Web Browsers. I use Moode on my four streamers, and have set up dedicated buttons on both my iThings for all of them (open the Volumio/Moode web page in Safari and then "Add to home screen").
 
My advice is not to buy a case until you are certain about which type is best for your set up

Control apps here

https://volumio.org/volumio-mobile-...oid-and-ios-companions-for-your-music-player/

I'm actually installing Volumio on a rpi4 at this very moment (not for me, as I don't like it:p) I might try the iOS app

ronnie

don't worry about the heat, if you place the bare rpi on its side (gpio pins, down) that will knock off 3 degrees Centigrade without a problem ;)

I normally use either PiHut or Pimoroni for the hardware (both are good for rma) micro sd cards I always get from Amazon (Sandisk Ultra)

ronnie
 
suzywong said:
Does your DAC have an SPDIF or Toslink input or is it USB only? If USB only you won't need a digi HAT, and the case supplied will be fine.

If you need a digi HAT then you will need the case that matches your HAT and model of RPi (RPi 3 & RPi 4 are different).

Other digi boards are available from IQAudio & HiFi Berry. They are all pretty good.

Volumio is a good starting place, in the future then you may find that Moode Audio is worth considering.
Click to expand...
Has all 3 is a rega dac r

I will have a look at alternatives then as just boom cases seem to be sold out.
 
John Phillips said:
I wrote up a crib-sheet the last time I installed piCorePlayer. The equipment list is below (for USB DAC, playing local files, BBC Sounds and Qobuz including iPhone support). It has a few more items than the kit but you may these have already.

For the permanent installation:
  • RPi, PSU and case.
  • µSD card (16 GB suffices but it could be smaller).
  • USB 2.0 A to B cable (AKA printer cable) to connect the RPi player to the DAC.
  • Wireless or Ethernet network connection to the RPi.
  • Web browser on the network to control the RPi music server (e.g. on a PC or mobile phone); or a specialist control application (e.g. iPeng 9 for the iPhone).
  • BBC Sounds account (and the BBC Sounds application for iPhone).
  • Qobuz subscription (and the Qobuz application for iPhone).
  • USB memory stick for storing music library files on the RPi music server.
For setup:
  • Host PC with network access and browser.
  • µSD card adaptor for the host PC.
  • µSD card image burner on the host PC (multi-OS: RPi imager – https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/ – there are others).
Potentially useful but not essential:
  • Spare µSD card for experimenting.
  • µSD card formatter on the host PC (for Windows: SD Card Formatter – https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/).
  • SSH terminal application (e.g. PuTTY) running on a networked PC to run commands directly on the RPi. This can occasionally be useful after setup. Alternatively use a USB keyboard and HDMI TV/display.
  • TV/display with HDMI input and HDMI lead to observe directly what the RPi is doing but only during the early setup steps (e.g. boot-up), not thereafter.
I can make the crib-sheet available if anyone wants it but it was really assembled for my own needs. However it looks like it's aligned fairly well with this request.
Click to expand...
Does picore player have an app?
 
Allaboutmusic said:
Does picore player have an app?
Click to expand...
piCorePlayer is an all-in-one operating system + player + server that you can control from a browser. It does not need a control app but you can control it from the iPeng app too on iOS. Note, BTW, that you do not install an OS first on the R.Pi - you install it on the uSD card and boot from there. NOOBS from the kit is not needed.

That's the same as you get with Volumio, Moode or several other DIY integrated streaming solutions. But note for that some DIY streamers you get the player only such as with RoPieee and you have to install a separate server or use an external source (e.g. Roon).

Mostly the integrated solutions can do the same things as each other, but in different ways that some may like and other may dislike. So it may be a case of finding out which solution suits you.
 
If you're using iOS then Airplay might be the most straightforward approach. I've no idea about SQ. Works for me using a Raspberry Pi Zero, a Khadas Tone Board and Spotify: I set it up a year ago and just forgot about it.
 
Allaboutmusic said:
So I’m thinking raspberry 4 plus the digi hat from just boom and try Volumio.

would this allow for streaming via an app on my phone?

also would the case provided with starter kit suffice or would I need an alternative?

mid there anything I wouldn’t require in the starter kit as could potentially buy items individually from the pi store.

thanks again
Click to expand...

Yep. I use volumino and stream from my phone to the dac in my amp. Just works, never drops out. In fact i set the whole thing up using my iphone.

I was going to buy a case but haven’t gotten around to it. It just sits naked on the sideboard, i quite like it.

As a non computer nerd I found the whole process strangely satisfying.
 
Getting a Pi4 and a KTB was a perfect introduction to streaming for me, sooo glad I jumped in and gave it a try.
I stuck with Volumio while I used the Pi, so easy to set up and run I was annoyed I waited so long to give it a go.
Reminds me, I still pay the Volumio subscription 6 months after I stopped using it!
 
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