Raspberry Pi with amp module?

Cool Dude Ted

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Morning all
Although not yet decided, I’m toying with the idea of buying a second Pi 4 (or a Pi zero) and then pairing it with an amp HAT, to be used as a second or garage system.
I’ve just managed to get hold of a pair of old Castle speakers and a Cd player and would love to be able to bring them into use. I can’t do this at present as my main (only) system is in the lounge and I don’t want to mess about with that.
I realise there will be some big question marks about overall SQ, but I’m more interested in simply getting the speakers working again.
Also anything Pi related is small and discrete, albeit not the most glamorous bit of kit!!
Any first hand experience of using a Pi amp HAT? Do Any makes particularly stand out? I have previously used kit from Allo and am also aware of Just Boom and HiFiBerry but that's about it.
Thanks
 

bencat

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@Cool Dude Ted I have used two AmpHat systems both HifiBerry and Just Boom . Both are really very good when you consider the price your are paying and that with the right distro you have a player amp which will drive your system . Depending on the sensitivity of your speakers the amp will play loud enough but will not have enough power to really blow a room away . I use the HiFiBerry Amphat in my kitchen system and it get played pretty much every day when my wife and I are having breakfast and the sound is more than acceptable . One thing to make things work better . Both the Amp Hats have a 16-19V input using a 2.2mm barrel which if you use this then you do not need a separate 5V for the Pi . You can use a 5V psu and power both via the Pi but i found this to be a little bit weak and it would run out of puff . Get a decent 16 V LPSU and you will be very happy with the results .
 

Cool Dude Ted

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@Cool Dude Ted I have used two AmpHat systems both HifiBerry and Just Boom . Both are really very good when you consider the price your are paying and that with the right distro you have a player amp which will drive your system . Depending on the sensitivity of your speakers the amp will play loud enough but will not have enough power to really blow a room away . I use the HiFiBerry Amphat in my kitchen system and it get played pretty much every day when my wife and I are having breakfast and the sound is more than acceptable . One thing to make things work better . Both the Amp Hats have a 16-19V input using a 2.2mm barrel which if you use this then you do not need a separate 5V for the Pi . You can use a 5V psu and power both via the Pi but i found this to be a little bit weak and it would run out of puff . Get a decent 16 V LPSU and you will be very happy with the results .
Thank you for this. Can I assume assume there’s no clear winner between the HiFiBerry and the JustBoom?
I’m not expecting too much if I’m honest - just something with enough puff to drive the speakers to no more than moderate levels. My ‘proper’ listening is on the main system in the lounge.
Reading elsewhere, I’d started to realise that power supply voltage can have a bearing. No more chucking a 5v supply at it and expecting 50 watts per channel!
Thanks
 

greybeard

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I used a Pi 4 with the HifiBerry amp2, paired with a pair of Kef eggs, in my shop for a couple of years before retirement. The sound it produced was quite amazing for such a small outlay, and went loud enough for a small space. I used the 18v power supply recommended by the manufacturer. You also have a streamer and dac up to 192 resolution.
 
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bencat

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@Cool Dude Ted Just realised I have a spare Just Boom Amphat complete with a Raspberry Pi 3 including a case that you can have to try out . You will need to provide your own PSU and your own SD card with what ever distro you would like to use . If you are interested send me a PM and I can get it sorted out for you .
 
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Cool Dude Ted

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@Cool Dude Ted Just realised I have a spare Just Boom Amphat complete with a Raspberry Pi 3 including a case that you can have to try out . You will need to provide your own PSU and your own SD card with what ever distro you would like to use . If you are interested send me a PM and I can get it sorted out for you .
That is so very kind of you - thanks. I won’t take you up on your kind offer because I think I’m just going to get on with it and buy a Pi4 with an amp HAT. Thinking about it, I’m sure it’ll be fine for its intended use and if not, I’ll just sell it on.
Very grateful, though.
Stuart
 

Cool Dude Ted

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Well that’s been quite a lesson for me today.
Having decided to go for another Pi4 (I have one already being run as a Moode streamer), I couldn’t quite believe that there are literally no 2 or 4 Gb Pi4s available to buy anywhere in the UK - at least not in stock at the usual places. Although I wouldn’t be tempted to buy from E——-, the prices being asked there seem to be 2 or 3 times what I paid for a 2Gb Pi last Xmas.
So it looks like I’m back to the drawing board. At least I’m not in a hurry and this is very much something which falls into the ‘nice to have‘ category.
I may now change tack slightly and have a look at a Volt amp from Allo.
 

bencat

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Stuart - Just a word of warning sometimes the companies do not send out a reminder when they have things back in stock so you may want to check on a regular basis just in case .
 
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Cool Dude Ted

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Stuart - Just a word of warning sometimes the companies do not send out a reminder when they have things back in stock so you may want to check on a regular basis just in case .
Thanks Andrew. I’m going to keep on top of this now that I know how bad the supply situation is.
As soon as I can get hold of a Pi4 - as long as it’s not an 8Gb version - I’m going to buy one and either use it as an amp or keep it in the drawer for some future project.
Stuart
 
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Cable Monkey

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You will pay more for a Pi than you did last time. The sins of our recent past combined with a dysfunctional present will drive prices above the £35/$35/€35 level set for the base model sold now.
 
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Cool Dude Ted

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You will pay more for a Pi than you did last time. The sins of our recent past combined with a dysfunctional present will drive prices above the £35/$35/€35 level set for the base model sold now.
Happy to pay a little more than last time for such a great bit of kit.
 

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