[Swifty]

Problem with OE on the Pi for analog is you are stuck with the crappy analog audio output of the Pi, and OE doesn't have support for USB audio DACs with better analog audio output.

Agreed, this was a total pain in the ass when I first set it up as it was crackling and all sorts, but there was a new firmware release a while ago that has solved the analog audio issues on Pi - it runs quite happily now.

[xbs08]

Have you tried www.squeezeplug.eu ?

I haven't, it does look interesting, I am looking for the hardware which that till run on. Which hardware do you use with that software?

A 256MB RPi + 4GB SD card + WiFi USB + Mobile device/Browser for control/library management

[bluray]

The only problem is that you cannot bitstream the best audio "WAV" file through HDMI from HTPC to AVR....

[toddhutch]

The only problem is that you cannot bitstream the best audio "WAV" file through HDMI from HTPC to AVR....

Bluray, I'm still trying to decide on the equipment for audio only, is the limitation of not being able to bitstream WAV files through HDMI, something that impacts being able to stream those through the analog port on the RPi?

[whitebelly]

Agreed, this was a total pain in the ass when I first set it up as it was crackling and all sorts, but there was a new firmware release a while ago that has solved the analog audio issues on Pi - it runs quite happily now.

You can get smooth playback, but the problem is the quality of the audio DAC hardware on the Pi itself. Its just not good hardware. The analog output of the Pi is of very limited quality and there is nothing you can do about it. You'll get much better audio quality from the analog outputs of a decent USB DAC or HDMI extractor.

If the application doesn't require hi-quality sound, then the analog audio out on the Pi might suffice.

[toddhutch]

Agreed, this was a total pain in the ass when I first set it up as it was crackling and all sorts, but there was a new firmware release a while ago that has solved the analog audio issues on Pi - it runs quite happily now.

You can get smooth playback, but the problem is the quality of the audio DAC hardware on the Pi itself. Its just not good hardware. The analog output of the Pi is of very limited quality and there is nothing you can do about it. You'll get much better audio quality from the analog outputs of a decent USB DAC or HDMI extractor.

If the application doesn't require hi-quality sound, then the analog audio out on the Pi might suffice.

Whitebelly, in my reading it appears people are upgrading the quality of the sound coming out of the RPi with a USB DAC connected to the RPi, is this approach not worth it in your opinion? I'm looking at a RPi for for $60, but then I have to get a DAC which looking around seems might be more than the cost of the RPi.

[whitebelly]

Whitebelly, in my reading it appears people are upgrading the quality of the sound coming out of the RPi with a USB DAC connected to the RPi, is this approach not worth it in your opinion? I'm looking at a RPi for for $60, but then I have to get a DAC which looking around seems might be more than the cost of the RPi.

Some folks are using USB DACs to get high quality analog (or optical) audio from their Pi. But they are not doing it with XBMC, as there are issues with ALSA on the Pi. They are using other software, like Volumio. For the Pi, with OpenELEC or any other XBMC, you really are stuck with using an HDMI audio extractor such as this. I have used one of these and it performs brilliantly, but the price is high. Good USB DACS can be obtained for much less.

I think Volumio on the Pi with a $10 USB DAC is a very good value solution if you want a basic network music player. If you pay $35 for the audio extractor so you can use OpenELEC/XBMC, its still a decent value IMO, but your cost is getting up closer to $100 when you add the power supply and SD card, so maybe it depends on what you have laying around. I prefer the slickness and options of the XBMC web interface and other available control apps, but in the end Volumio gets the job done, and is easier to get set up to start with.

If you have an HDMI input on your AVR, it becomes a no brainier IMO, the Pi serves as a great network music player with either software you choose.

BTW, I only have used wired Ethernet on mine. You could add a wireless USB adapter to either solution for and additional $10 or less.

[whitebelly]

...as openelec won't boot into XBMC without one. Without the monitor connected, x11 won't start, and XBMC won't start.

I pulled out my old Foxconn netbox and updated with latest OpenELEC (generic). I can verify that it will boot headless and work just fine. Of course, I used a monitor to do all the setup. So I guess there may be some hardware or build specific situations where it won't start up XBMC, but its not universal. I remember I had that problem on the same machine back when I tried XBMCBuntu. Ubuntu does not like to be headless.

This will become my garage music player.

[toddhutch]

Whitebelly, in my reading it appears people are upgrading the quality of the sound coming out of the RPi with a USB DAC connected to the RPi, is this approach not worth it in your opinion? I'm looking at a RPi for for $60, but then I have to get a DAC which looking around seems might be more than the cost of the RPi.

Some folks are using USB DACs to get high quality analog (or optical) audio from their Pi. But they are not doing it with XBMC, as there are issues with ALSA on the Pi. They are using other software, like Volumio. For the Pi, with OpenELEC or any other XBMC, you really are stuck with using an HDMI audio extractor such as this. I have used one of these and it performs brilliantly, but the price is high. Good USB DACS can be obtained for much less.

I think Volumio on the Pi with a $10 USB DAC is a very good value solution if you want a basic network music player. If you pay $35 for the audio extractor so you can use OpenELEC/XBMC, its still a decent value IMO, but your cost is getting up closer to $100 when you add the power supply and SD card, so maybe it depends on what you have laying around. I prefer the slickness and options of the XBMC web interface and other available control apps, but in the end Volumio gets the job done, and is easier to get set up to start with.

If you have an HDMI input on your AVR, it becomes a no brainier IMO, the Pi serves as a great network music player with either software you choose.

BTW, I only have used wired Ethernet on mine. You could add a wireless USB adapter to either solution for and additional $10 or less.

I'm going to look around for a cheap DAC for the RPi, suggestions are welcomed. I have to say that in 2 or 3 days of discussing this topic, I've learned more than my research over the past 3 month. So thank you to everyone for the input. I'm definitely getting close to having a comfort level that would allow me to make an informed decision about which way to go.

---

...as openelec won't boot into XBMC without one. Without the monitor connected, x11 won't start, and XBMC won't start.

I pulled out my old Foxconn netbox and updated with latest OpenELEC (generic). I can verify that it will boot headless and work just fine. Of course, I used a monitor to do all the setup. So I guess there may be some hardware or build specific situations where it won't start up XBMC, but its not universal. I remember I had that problem on the same machine back when I tried XBMCBuntu. Ubuntu does not like to be headless.

This will become my garage music player.

Once openelec is installed and working. I tried to boot my machine without the monitor attached, and it never enters XBMC. What ports does your video card have? I'm using one which has DVI, VGA, and S-video. Maybe I should try a different card.

[whitebelly]

As for DACs, i'd look at the forum http://volumio.org/forum/ for ones that work with that software, but you might want to try the software first before you get the usb DAC.

My Netbox has an HDMI video out as well as VGA, but it was set to HDMI with sound set to analog. You could try another card if you have one laying around. There may be a trick like the other member who posted using 'hdmi_force_hotplug=1' set in the config.txt for the Pi.

[toddhutch]

Have you tried www.squeezeplug.eu ?

It of course works with RPi, I was hoping to test it out on some equipment before I committed to buying a RPi. I will see if I can get the vm version to work.