It's time for even better music

After a week of using the new audio system, I found some things that I liked about it and some things that I didn't like about it.

  • Likes:
    • Easy to use.
    • Always on.
    • Access to my entire music library.
    • I can use a streaming service like Deezer or Spotify.
    • The tablet remote control is always there to change the volume or make up a new playlist. I really like that the hardware volume controls can be used to remotely adjust the volume.
  • Dislikes:
    • The sound of the Edifier speakers is missing something. it doesn't seem to have crisp highs and I couldn't get it figured out even after tinkering with the 7-band EQ.
    • The Squeezer app on the tablet doesn't seem to cache album images, so it didn't have the same look and feel that I was hoping for. It was functional, but not quite complete.

So with that out of the way, I needed to figure out something for the speakers. I found a pair of Polk RT3 speakers and a Polk 10" sub for sale, used, at a price that made sense. I was really excited to get another set of Polk speakers as I've enjoyed their sound in the past. The Polk RT3 speakers are not powered, so I needed to get an amp, and I still had the requirement that the amp be powered 24x7 and draw very little power at idle. I did a bit of reading and research on Class D amplifiers and decided that would be the route to go.

I found the Fosi Audio TB10A amplifier that had a reported 100w per channel power output using the Texas Instruments TPA3116D2 amplifier chip. I double-checked the chip specs and verified what the Fosi specs stated. When in mono mode, the chip will produce up to 100w at 2 ohms. That information in hand, I knew that the power output would be less at 4-6 ohms, which is how the RT3 speakers present. It was still better power output than other Class D amps in this price range, so I got one. The only thing I don't like about this little amp, which is typical of most, is that the banana plugs are so close together that using bare wire in them is asking for trouble - too easy for a stray strand to touch the case or another jack. Side-mount banana plugs wouldn't be much better, but I found some inexpensive banana plugs where the wire comes out the back of the plug.

I tested that amp on another Pi using the built-in audio output. That drove the Fosi amp, and its outputs went to the powered subwoofer. The RT3 speakers were then connected to the sub. It worked! The sound was much better than the Edifier speakers, and the lower-end bass was great to have. I wasn't happy with using the speaker pass-through option of the sub, so I set out to see how I could have a line-level subwoofer output on the Pi or even just a second mirrored audio output. After a bunch of searching, I found one Pi HAT that had four line-level outputs and was configurable in many different ways. More importantly, it supported 2.1 (mono subwoofer output) and 2.2 (stereo subwoofer output) with a configurable crossover frequency. I ordered the Allo Piano 2.1 DAC (via Amazon) to try.

After a week-long test of the Fosi amplifier turned on all of the time, the Kill-A-Watt I had it plugged into estimated the annual electricity cost to be just over $4. That was well within my comfort level and a small price to pay for an always-on amplifier.

When the new DAC arrived, I tried it in 2.1 mode. Setup was easy in piCorePlayer - I only needed to install the Allo firmware from the menu to be able to switch modes and crossover frequency on the Piano DAC. Some of the supported modes on the Piano are dual mono, 2.1, and 2.2.

Next up was a case. I got another HiFiBerry universal black case to put it all in. When I got the case, I realized a few things about the Piano and why they say it doesn't conform fully to the Pi HAT specs. The phono jacks are mounted where they are lower to the board than the HiFiBerry and protrude out. A little time with a Dremel and a file to make the cutout larger and I was in business. The sound was even better with this configuration.

A few extra pieces... I got a Raspberry Pi 3B+ because of the built-in WiFi, new auto cables, and banana plugs for the speaker wire. I found that the binding posts on the Fosi amp were really close together and I didn't want to take the change of a stray speaker wire strand shorting out. The banana plugs cleaned up the install and took care of that risk. Ready to deploy!

I then wanted a replacement for the free Squeezer app, so I scanned the Android Play store and found Orange Squeeze. I read through the reviews on Play and a few on the Internet and decided it was worth the $4.99. I bought it on the tablet and quickly set it up. The layout of the album art and artwork caching makes for an even better experience; it feels more polished. I'm sold, so to speak, and my family is happy with it too.

Equipment and software used:

This article was updated on February 21, 2024

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