I initially planned to use a simple wired speaker via the headphone jack – the kids already had one of these and it would mean one less thing to worry about. What I hadn’t considered was the fact that these were rev 2 versions of the original Pi B… so the sound quality via the headphone jack was pretty abysmal.
Adding a better external speaker wouldn’t solve the problem, it would still be using the same audio output. This left me trying to figure out how to use my other options – HDMI, USB, DAC or Bluetooth.
Option 1 – HDMI
My immediate response was to drop HDMI – although the audio would be excellent, getting hold of small, cheap HDMI equipped speakers was going to involve some weird devices or Alibaba shopping. I have a Cyp HDMI to Phono box…. But they cost ~£120 and for that money I’d rather buy a Sonos Play:1.
Option 2 – USB
I could add a cheap USB sound card (they are as little as £2 on Amazon/eBay), but that would mean extra bits sticking out of the case. For £2 these bits are not going to be robust enough to handle my kids. Spending more doesn’t really solve the problem, but it might be the best of a bad situation.
Option 3 – DAC
Buy a DAC… would love to…. But this means electrical things not in cases and vulnerable to pokey fingers. It also potentially adds a big lump to the cost of building the box, something I’m trying to avoid.
Option 4 – Bluetooth
Buy a Bluetooth speaker and connect them. No big extra bits hanging out or exposed on the case. I can re-use one of the BT dongles I already have. Speakers can be as big or as small as necessary. But I’d have to buy a speaker.
I decided to try the USB and BT options. I’d got a cheap BT speaker from one of the Amazon daily deals and with a few birthdays coming up I could add a £2 USB card as an add-on item to my basket.
In part three I’ll look at setting up the two to see which works best.
[…] Moo Music – Part 2 – The Speakers […]