Raspberry Pi curious

Audio Gear
1

I have been using a Sonore ultraRendu as my DLNA renderer in a system where all music is streamed on my network and nothing is connected to my server’s USB ports.

I have been trying Volumio with the DLNA plugin that makes my NUC into a Volumio DLNA server. I like the sound very much, in some cases moreso than with the much more expensive HQPlayer.

Unfortunately, I have encountered an issue in that the plugin won’t play DSD files, even as DoP. I therefore am considering purchasing a Raspberry Pi 4 to use instead of the ultraRendu and connecting it to my Topping D90 DAC or a Nuprime IDA8 integrated’s USB input.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to Pi. In the United States there are many kit options available and I am not sure where to start.

Here are some questions:

(1). Do RPi 4 kits routinely include USB connectivity or do I need to look for that specifically?

(2). Does RPi 4 have enough CPU horsepower for Dsf files at DSD64 and, if so, how much RAM is optimal?

(3). Does every RPi 4 boot from an SD card or is that something for which I need to look specifically?

(4). Is a touch screen advisable and, if so, does it affect sound quality?

(5). What other RPi 4 options are needed to run Volumio effortlessly in this use case?

Thanks. All advice greatly appreciated!

2

Welcome Mike!

(1). Do RPi 4 kits routinely include USB connectivity or do I need to look for that specifically?
Yes
(2). Does RPi 4 have enough CPU horsepower for Dsf files at DSD64 and, if so, how much RAM is optimal?
Yes, 2GB
(3). Does every RPi 4 boot from an SD card or is that something for which I need to look specifically?
Yes
(4). Is a touch screen advisable and, if so, does it affect sound quality?
Yes, the official Raspberry PI touchscreen. It shall not affect SQ
(5). What other RPi 4 options are needed to run Volumio effortlessly in this use case?
If you plan to use USB output, nothing more :wink:

2 Likes
3

Thank you! Sounds as though almost any touchscreen version should work then. Off to find a good buy on one. :grinning:

4

Forgot to ask if ethernet capability is standard. I assume it is, but just double-checking.

5

It is standart.

1 Like
6

Thank you.

7

Thanks for the guidance. I bought an RPI 4 today. Pretty basic. Easy to set up for NOOBS and then to swap out the SD card for the Volumio image. It’s running well on a fixed IP address. Only trouble I have had has been with the DLNA plug-in, which claims my NAS is nonexistent. I posted a query about that in the DLNA server thread and hope to resolve that issue soon.