For some people, those that are really hard-core about it, the love of high quality sound can become a monetary black
hole, an obsession that sucks up every spare dollar. Each incremental improvement becoming more and more expensive. For
the majority of us, those gazillion dollar sound systems remain in the realm of daydreams. But who says budgetary
constraints should stop you from striving for perfection?
Engineering prowess often goes hand in hand with appreciation of high end audio. Perhaps you’ve built your first
amplifier in high school. Or maybe it’s simply your technically inclined mind that favors the precision of high fidelity
sound — the deep but tight bass lines, the crisp and clear high tones.
We’re not saying that RaspyPlay4 can compete with systems that cost north of a few thousand dollars, but it definitely
will blow a majority of similarly-priced components out of the water. For a simple reason.
RaspyPlay4 is “just” an add-on board for a Raspberry Pi B+. It sheds concerns regarding its looks and branding. It’s not
for everyone. But unless you randomly stumbled upon our website — it is for you.
Stripped to the bare essentials, the RaspyPlay4 focuses solely on delivering you the best audio experience you can have
on this budget ($39 dollars plus a cost of a Raspberry Pi B+, if you don’t have one laying around).
It’s not the same as hearing it, but we’ll let the audio specs speak for themselves:
- SNR: 112dB
- Dynamic Range: 112dB
- THD+N @ - 1dBFS: –93dB
- Full Scale Output 2.1VRMS (GND center)
- Sampling
- Frequency 8kHz to 384kHz
That’s not all. The devil is in the details. For example, the System clock (MCLK) is generated by PLL which is
integrated in the DAC chip, reducing high frequency electromagnetic interference, which further improves the audio
experience.
Then there’s the Ultra-low noise voltage regulator, the hardware volume control, the IR receiver for remote control. A
connector for an optional LCD display. Come to think of it, it’s not so bare-bones after all. It’s packed with features.
It’s biggest feature, once you get one for yourself, will be your music library. You can play your music on RaspyPlay4
from a USB flash, a USB hard drive, an SD Card, from a NAS server, or even stream it through AirPlay, or any other web
radio. Supported formats are FLAC, ALAC, mp3 and WMA.
Even if you have a superb sound system already in place — do you have one in your bedroom? in your office? Heck, you can
have some great sound right on your workbench where you solder and tinker with your electronics. Use the soldering iron
to conduct an imaginary orchestra if that’s your thing, or headbang to some heavy metal if you have long hair like our
friend Darko from the Support department.
The only catch, if any, is that RaspyPlay4 is a MikroElektronika and Eurogenyx collaboration. When, how much, and for
how long we’ll sell it is their decision as much as ours, plus our manufacturing schedule sometimes prioritises our
original products. So don’t risk missing out, order your RaspyPlay4 ASAP.
Yours sincerely,
MikroElektronika
