Connecting B2 to my hi-fi system over a LAN

[Peter Howarth]

Good morning,

I have purchased a B2 and am in the process of ripping my ccd's. At the moment I'm using the B2 amplifier, but I want to be able to play tracks through the hi-fi systems (which don't support bluetooth) in other rooms.   

I already have a decent D/A converter between my CD transport and amplifier, so I think what I need is a computer with a good sound card that will output an optical digital signal (essentially replacing the cd transport with the B2).  This is what I had in mind:

https://shop.max2play.com/en/hifiberry-digi-bundle-inkl-raspberry-pi.html

If it was on my LAN I'm assuming I could set it up to talk to the B2 so that it had all of the B2 functionality (including playing internet radio) which would make it a superior system to the Sonos system, and with better sound quality if the hi fi system is decent.

Has anyone done this? (Anyone got a better suggestion?)

Peter

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Peter,

I have not done exactly what you seem to be wanting but I have done this (with the Max2play using a copy of my Brennan's music)

Fred 

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi again Peter,

However, looking at what you want to achieve, using Sonos the Brennan B2 achieves this for you directly (with the most recent feature).....but... you may not have Sonos.

Fred

[Peter Howarth]

Hi Fred, I realise that Sonos would do this, but why buy something containing an amplifier and speaker when I already have a better quality amplifier and speakers in my hi fi system?  

I've looked at Max2Play, and this does what I require:

https://www.instructables.com/Raspberry-Multiroom-Audio-Project-With-Max2Play/

Is this what you have done? 

Would there be a market for Brennan to produce such a device - all ready to linkup with a B2?

Cheers,  Peter

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Peter, 

No not exactly, I did not go multiroom, I have just built (several) stand alone Raspberry Pi/Max2Play stand alone systems for friends. I have only one amplifier (a Quad 606 based system)

Max2Play works well!!

I think for what you want to achieve you would not need the equivalent of HiFiBerry hats that deliver optical outputs for your amplifiers.

It is great fun to do and the systems are serious solutions!

I am happy to share whatever I have learned (and also interested in what you are trying to achieve)

Don't go for Pi 4's they run too hot and need a fan 

Fred

[Peter Howarth]

Hi Fred,

I too have a Quad system - a pair of valve amplifiers that my father bought in the sixties, and matching electrostatic speakers that I bought twenty or so years ago.  Also, when I renovated my cottage I put (wired) ceiling speakers into the kitchen and bathroom, and also put ethernet cables to various rooms. 

What I'd like, ideally, is a 'slave' device, with an optical output, that I can control from my 'phone and which will mirror the functionality of the B2, using the B2 storage. 
There's no urgency, but I'm hoping that others will have had the same requirements and will be able to advise me in due course.

Actually, what I'm really hoping for is for Brennan to produce what I'm after, which will save me having to do it!

:)

 Cheers,  Peter

[Daniel Taylor]

I wonder if the Sonos Port would allow you to receive signals from the B2 and route them to your Quad system in the other room.  The information I found on the Sono site was not very clear to me.

[Peter Howarth]

Hi Daniel, I'm not sure what you mean by the 'Sonos port'.  I'd understood from the Brennan website that the Sonos controls the B2, and my current understanding is that the B2 essentially acts as a music store.  I'm assuming that the Sonos speaker talks to the B2 via wi fi, the B2 doesn't have a dedicated output for a Sonos.

The website does give instructions on how to link a pc and also a tablet or phone to the B2, and I'm pretty sure that if I were to use my laptop this way I could play music through my hi fi.  I haven't tried that yet, but I have succeeded (apart from bandwidth/buffeting issues) in playing music via my mobile phone which then casts to the tv. 

Thanks for the reply.  Peter

[Peter Howarth]

Actually, Daniel, I've just realised that I'd missed the fact that in a recent upgrade Martin has provided a means for the B2 to control the Sonos.  I wonder if this is what you mean by the 'Sonos port'.   Does anyone know if the software that controls the Sonos can also control anything else in a LAN?  Could I set up a Raspberry pi to mimic a Sonos speaker?  Peter

[Daniel Taylor]

The Port is a device that Sonos sells.  It's not a speaker, but if I understand correctly, it can receive music the same way a speaker does, but instead of making the sound, it passes the music signal on to your audio system.  I could have that wrong.  As I said, the information about it on the Sonos website is not clear to me.

Yamaha sells something similar to allow you to add your MusicCast system onto your existing audio system.  I don't know if that would work with the B2's DLNA feature.  I'd be interested to know if it does.

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Peter 

HAve you also seen this feature that Martin has added to the Brennan.

https://www.brennan.co.uk/itemcontent.php/content/Spotify

I believe (cant quite remember 48% sure) that there is something in Max2Play that links here.

Fred

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Peter

In this multiroom, I can see he talks about having his music on a NAS but I cant see were he connected the Squeezebox server to it (the critical bit for what you plan - with the B2 as the NAS).

On Monday, 7 December 2020 at 12:12:42 UTC peterala...@gmail.com wrote:

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

There is more on this project on the MAx2Play site

see https://www.max2play.com/en/2019/01/step-by-step-multiroom-audio-setup-with-max2play/

but I still can see the source of his music.

fred

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

OOPs no!

I think it is discussed in the "kitchen" department.   In which case by turning the B2 into a NAS, I think you could indeed use this sort of solution.

Fred

[Peter Howarth]

Daniel, the Sonos Port does what I want (plus a lot of what I don't want) and it's only £399!

Somehow I think I'll be buying a Raspberry pi.

Fred, the system you've mentioned uses Max2Play as an operating system (with a license you need to pay for) and I suspect a this stage that, again,I would be paying for a lot of functionality that I don't need as I want the device to be dedicated to the one function - playing music stored on the B2.

Cheers,  Peter

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Peter,

Yes and No ,  Max2Play is just a Web interface (like the Brennan UI) which is designed to allow you to change the detail of the underlying Raspberry PI Operating system underneath it, (which can be Odroid U2/U3, Odroid C1, Odroid XU3/XU4 or Raspberry Pi). it is NOT itself a Linux distro. Using it means yu do not have to delve into the guts of Linux yourself and you can trust that when you install a service using it, it will work (because the Max2Play people have tested it first).

I cant remember how much it was (actually my licence is coming to an end next year I think) but it was not exactly expensive, I have just looked at the current prices (I went for just the licence and did my own setup).

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

There is this one too

https://github.com/balenalabs/balena-sound

On Tuesday, 8 December 2020 at 11:28:01 UTC peterala...@gmail.com wrote: