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Other Easiest way to improve Rrap Pi 3b audio

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Otis1337, 17 Nov 2017.

  1. Otis1337

    Otis1337 aka - Ripp3r

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    So im looking to improve my mums audio on her pi 3b with OSMC.

    Is there any plug and play options at all? or am i going to have to start getting use to using command?
     
  2. yuusou

    yuusou Multimodder

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  3. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    You rang?

    First question: what's actually wrong with the audio?

    Second question: Are you using the analogue output (which, to be fair, is bobbins) or the HDMI output? 'cos if it's the latter, It Be Digital: you ain't going to improve nuffink over that.

    If it's analogue then something like a HiFiBerry DAC+ Light would work, as per @yuusou's recommendation, for £20 - with the pretty big proviso that the tools picked an audio chip that doesn't support ALSA volume control, meaning it outputs at a fixed volume (which you could then adjust at the destination, i.e. your amplifier, TV, hi-fi, whatever.) A cheaper alternative with functional volume control would be a USB soundcard for about a fiver, so long as you make sure it's happy with Linux (and doesn't require closed-source drivers, 'cos nobody'll have compiled those for ARM.)
     
  4. Otis1337

    Otis1337 aka - Ripp3r

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    First answer: She will be getting some half decent 2.0 speakers to run off this and iv heard the pi's audio is a bit meh from the 3.5mm jack.

    Second answer: currently just using the TV speakers, but shes going to be upgrading soon to some active 2.0

    The Pi is for her TV, could i plug the speakers into the TV which takes a HDMI signal from the Pi? So Pi>TV>speakers?
    The speakers will be self amp'ed active units so this should be the simplest way to do this?

    Cheers
     
  5. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    That's the way I'd do it, assuming the TV has an output for the speakers. You'll get a range of advantages that way: you don't have to spend any more money, you're bypassing the Pi's crappy analogue audio output, and you can control the volume with the TV's remote. That's a win-win-win, far as I can see.
     
  6. yuusou

    yuusou Multimodder

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    This is the way I do it, albeit with an RPi 1b (512MB RAM). HDMI to the TV, some simple, quite old Logitech 2.1 speakers with audio jack plugged into the TVs' headphone out.
     

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