Hi all,
I'm not sure what hardware others are using, but in case anyone has been looking for cheap options for new player setups I thought i'd share a nice cheap option I've been using with good results.
I've been using on a raspberry pi with a cheap DAC from Aliexpress ($6.50 USD)
Raspberry-Pi-pHAT-Sound-Card-I2S-interface-PCM5102-DAC-Module-24-bit-Audio-Board-With-Stereo
The DAC's not plug and play on a raspberry pi, however I found the pin info I needed here (listed below for reference in case that site disappears at some point). Once it's connected to the right pins you can treat it like a basic HiFiBerry DAC (it's the same chip) in things like PiCorePlayer
All in all once set up, I've been really impressed with the sound quality - it's much better than I expected for the price and more than good enough for my general around the house listening. There is no niceties like onboard volume control etc, but LMS handles this anyway for me so it's not a problem.
If you already have a Pi, it's a significant improvement in sound quality for a bargain price.
Pins for Raspberry Pi B
DAC RPI PIN P
Vcc 5v 1 P2
3.3v 3.3v 2 P2
GND gnd 6 P1
FLT gnd 7 P2
DMP gnd 8 P2
SCL SCL 5 P1
BCK BCK 3 P2
DIN Data 6 P2
LCK LCK 4 P2
FMT gng 14 P1
XMT 3.3v 1 P1
Pins for Raspberry Pi B+ /2B/3B
DAC RPI PIN
Vcc 5v 2
3.3v 3.3v 1
GND gnd 39
FLT gnd 14
DMP gnd 20
SCL SCL 5
BCK BCK 12
DIN Data 40
LCK LCK 35
FMT gnd 30
XMT 3.3v 17
(Also make sure the that DIN, LCK, BCK wires are kept as short as possible., to avoid audio degradation)
I haven't tried the below, but I did find this comment about setting up on an Orange Pi if anyone uses those.
Works well with Orange PI PC. Power it with 5v (VCC pad) keep 3v3 pad unconnected. (Board has an regulator which powers the 5102 . The chip logic is 3v3 tie XMT to gnd and FMT to 3v3 (for i2s) Use the 3 wire interface (leave SCL unconnected) DIN -> PA20 LCK -> PA18 BCK -> PA19
I'm not sure what hardware others are using, but in case anyone has been looking for cheap options for new player setups I thought i'd share a nice cheap option I've been using with good results.
I've been using on a raspberry pi with a cheap DAC from Aliexpress ($6.50 USD)
Raspberry-Pi-pHAT-Sound-Card-I2S-interface-PCM5102-DAC-Module-24-bit-Audio-Board-With-Stereo
The DAC's not plug and play on a raspberry pi, however I found the pin info I needed here (listed below for reference in case that site disappears at some point). Once it's connected to the right pins you can treat it like a basic HiFiBerry DAC (it's the same chip) in things like PiCorePlayer
All in all once set up, I've been really impressed with the sound quality - it's much better than I expected for the price and more than good enough for my general around the house listening. There is no niceties like onboard volume control etc, but LMS handles this anyway for me so it's not a problem.
If you already have a Pi, it's a significant improvement in sound quality for a bargain price.
Pins for Raspberry Pi B
DAC RPI PIN P
Vcc 5v 1 P2
3.3v 3.3v 2 P2
GND gnd 6 P1
FLT gnd 7 P2
DMP gnd 8 P2
SCL SCL 5 P1
BCK BCK 3 P2
DIN Data 6 P2
LCK LCK 4 P2
FMT gng 14 P1
XMT 3.3v 1 P1
Pins for Raspberry Pi B+ /2B/3B
DAC RPI PIN
Vcc 5v 2
3.3v 3.3v 1
GND gnd 39
FLT gnd 14
DMP gnd 20
SCL SCL 5
BCK BCK 12
DIN Data 40
LCK LCK 35
FMT gnd 30
XMT 3.3v 17
(Also make sure the that DIN, LCK, BCK wires are kept as short as possible., to avoid audio degradation)
I haven't tried the below, but I did find this comment about setting up on an Orange Pi if anyone uses those.
Works well with Orange PI PC. Power it with 5v (VCC pad) keep 3v3 pad unconnected. (Board has an regulator which powers the 5102 . The chip logic is 3v3 tie XMT to gnd and FMT to 3v3 (for i2s) Use the 3 wire interface (leave SCL unconnected) DIN -> PA20 LCK -> PA18 BCK -> PA19