re: F* a soundbar, building a DIY sound system - Update pg 4 - paywalls suck

Which one did you buy so e can avoid that one? My bar had that feature, but it could be disabled.

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Hey, how’s your take on the CHAZ doing?

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I try to contain my clowning to the poliboard and the OT.

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Have you tried using the volume button to get the soundbar to come back on? This works for my Vizio. If for whatever reason my TV is on and the soundbar is off (was previously gaming before switching to FireTV, didn't turn on with the TV, sat too long unused, etc.) I can just hit volume one way or the other on my FireTV remote and the soundbar turns on. No need to cycle the TV too or dig out the Vizio remote.

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Yes, I tried everything. But even if that would have worked, there was still a ~10 second delay as it powered up before it started producing sound, which would have annoyed me for years. At least if my project here has some annoyances, it'll be my own fault.



To flesh out the idea some more, I think the pi/soundcard/amp will work pretty well to push a couple bookshelf speakers, but I'm more excited to try to expand the system. There is software to make a DIY Sonos type system, so I'm pretty sure I can add a powered sub later with another Pi and sync up the audio. I just hope it's possible to keep the latency low enough.

Update:

It took a while for the parts to come in, and then once they did I realized I had made a mistake. The HiFiBerry Amp2 and the Audio Injector are both HATs (Hardware Attached on Top) for the RPi, and since they use the same I/O pins they are not compatible. So I had to order a USB audio adapter with mic port to use instead of the Audio Injector, which came in today. I put the standard Pi OS on the microSD, booted up, edited one config line to get the Amp2 to work, and the USB adapter worked automatically. I used an old speaker I already had for testing, hooked it up and it sounds great. Then with one command I can pipe audio from the mic port straight through the Amp2 and to the speaker. I will launch this command automatically on boot once I've got all the details ironed out, so that all you have to do is supply power and an audio source and I have a working amplifier. It boots up a lot faster than that fricking soundbar I bought, and it won't go to sleep like a dumbass.

One problem is unfortunately my TV's audio output does not adjust volume, so now I need to make the Pi adjust volume itself. I ordered an IR receiver today, as well as a small LCD display. With these I will be able to control the Pi with any infrared remote, and make it execute arbitrary commands in response to arbitrary signals. In my case, I need the TV to still power on/off with the Roku remote, so it has to remain programmed for my TV. I will just record the IR output from the remote for volume up/down and config the Pi to adjust volume based on that. And of course the display panel will indicate the volume level, and I will probably also make it show the input source, and maybe its IP address and whatever else will fit.


I am using a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, which has wifi and bluetooth, so my options for control and expansion are pretty wide. I can write a simple API with a web UI or mobile app for control. And I will need to do some testing, but I believe I can add speakers with another Pi+Amp attached anywhere in the house and stream the audio to it via wifi, which I guess will make it a DIY Sonos system.


Cost:

RPi3B - $42 (already had)
HiFiBerry Amp2 - $56
18V power supply - $26
USB audio adapter - $5
Display - $7
IR receiver - $1.50
Misc cable & wire - $5
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Total - $142.50


Once I get it all together with the IR receiver and display, I will design and 3D print a housing. I am also waiting to snipe a price drop on a pair of decent (for me) bookshelf speakers, which are typically $99 but I hope to get for ~$75. So all in I will still be under $250, and I believe it will sound much better than any similarly priced system. It will also be palm-sized (minus the speakers), and hopefully the foundation of a future whole-home audio system. Plus so far it's been a fun project.


If anyone is interested, when it's all done I will post some pics and a guide.

no offense kork but there are some things that don't need a linux machine to run.

i have enough shite that i have to keep up with already like my smart hub and my media server. the last thing i want is to have to worry about my speakers not booting correctly.

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no offense kork but there are some things that don't need a linux machine to run.

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No offense taken.

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i have enough shite that i have to keep up with already like my smart hub and my media server. the last thing i want is to have to worry about my speakers not booting correctly.

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That was kind of the problem I had with the commercial set I bought! Slow boot, couldn't disable sleep mode, sometimes sub wouldn't connect.

Also, the reason I'm replacing my old set is because it kept blowing a cap on a board that I could not buy a replacement for. Have you ever taken a soundbar apart? They are insanely complex. My setup is dead simple by comparison, and cheap to repair if it is ever necessary.

Would your opinion change if I build this out into a Sonos type system for 1/3rd the cost?

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tough to say since my sonos speakers are already a sunk cost and i don't plan on buying any more anytime soon.

don't forget sonos is allowing IKEA to sell sonos-lite speakers for $100 but i'm sure the sound quality isnt exactly great.

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For me it's as much about the (lack of) ecosystem as it is the cost/value. Or, put another way, not being locked in to an ecosystem has a lot of value to me.


And before I started this, I had basically zero knowledge about audio. I still have little knowledge about it, but at least it's a non-zero amount now.

I have also found many alternatives to the devices I chose for this. I went with the HiFiBerry because I had already heard of it, but I can bring my cost down significantly by using a standalone amp board with a DAC and a Pi zero, and have higher output as a bonus.

You are obviously way more advanced than I am on this stuff so I'm probably going to out myself as a standard simpleton here but what the heck. My Harmony remote with hub can set a delay. I use it to first turn on whatever device takes the longest to boot up and then the other devices that are quicker.

I've had the Yamaha YAS-209 for about 3 months and haven't had any issues, but I'm certain my wife and kids don't pause TV for that long.

Wouldn’t be the Pioneer Andrew Jones soundbar would it?