The Raspberry Pi is a capable audio platform. However, the circuitry is pretty noisy and the on-board 3.5mm analog sound output just doesn't cut it. A USB-based sound device might improve the quality a little bit but still not an ideal solution because the bus can be quite congested when more than one USB devices are used plus the USB and Ethernet are sharing the same controller.
For an audiophile or a music lover, a better alternative is to use an external Inter-IC Sound (I2S) Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) board. I2S is a communication protocol specifically designed to carry digital audio signal. Getting audio directly from the Pi via I2S means the signal path is shorter without having to go through USB. In theory, this could give you a better sound quality.
This board is driven by a powerful PCM5122 DAC chip. It is of the same size as a HAT board, with a 40-pin header and plugs right on top of the Pi. It provides a dual RCA output which is convenient to connect to most amplifiers. Alternatively, it also has a 3.5mm line out jack.
As a bonus, the board has an Infrared receiver connected to GPIO26 that you can use for remote control application. With lirc, you can teach the Pi to rocognize your remote control and assign keys for certain functions for your music player. Remote controller is not included but you can get one in our store if you need it.
With this board, you can enjoy a HiFi quality audio playback for internet radio or your local audio files.
*Raspberry Pi board is not included
Features:
PCM5122 DAC chip - a dedicated DAC chip from Burr-Brown/TI capable of delivering high quality sound (up to 32-bit/384kHz)
High quality audio - supports 24-bit/192kHz playback
Input - I2S on GPIO connector
Output - Stereo phono/RCA jack, 3.5mm line out jack. Gold plated for better conductivity. Designed for power amplifier and not for headphone
Uses digital audio from the Pi's I2S interface - lesser CPU load. No bottleneck compared to USB-based DAC
Software compatibility - compatible with many Linux distributions including major Audiophile Linux distros (using HifiBerry DAC+ I2S driver):
Raspbian
Volumio
RuneAudio
Archphile
... and many more
Infrared (IR) receiver - linked to GPIO26. It can be used for remote control with additional software support (lirc)
Pi 2B/B+/A+ compatible, HAT sized - uses 40-pin header and can be plugged right on top. Same dimension as a HAT board (not HAT compatible though because there's no EEPROM)
Fully assembled - no soldering required. Mounting screws, nuts and standoffs are included
No external power required - the DAC board is powered by the Raspberry Pi
High quality components - audiophile grade resistors, capacitors and gold plated RCA and 3.5mm jack
2 LED indicators:
Red - power indicator. Always ON when the board is powered
Green - operational indicator. ON when the DAC is working
