HiFi-ESP32 and HiFi-ESP32S3

What is it?

HiFi-ESP32 is a handy low-cost media device that will upgrade your legacy audio system with cutting-edge internet streaming capabilities and enhance your audio experience. It exposes line-level output that you can plug into a stereo amplifier. It uses the legendary PCM5100 series DAC with supreme audio quality.

Motivation

Over the past few years, I dedicated my time to developing various solutions using ESP devices. It all began with the ESP8266, which had limited CPU power, restricting it to basic tasks like simple sound alerts. However, with the arrival of the ESP32, everything changed. This new model brought two significantly more capable cores, simultaneously providing a powerhouse for handling communication and real-time decoding. Furthermore, the inclusion of 4MB of PSRAM proved to be crucial, enabling effective buffering for streamed content.

I developed a diverse selection of ESP32 docks that allow for rapid prototyping across the entire spectrum of ESP32 chips. These docks cater to various needs, ranging from small, compact devices resembling toys to large, full-sized speakers. The HiFi-ESP32 is a high-end Hi-Fi DAC offering top-of-the-line audio quality and lowest noise levels.

Features

HiFi ESP (discontinued)HiFi-ESP32HiFi-ESP32S3
Docks withESP32 Mini ModuleESP32-WROVER-N16R8 onboardESP32-S3-WROOM-N16R8 onboard
DACPCM5100A 32bit Stereo DAC
-100 dB typical noise level
PCM5100A 32bit Stereo DAC
-100 dB typical noise level
PCM5100A 32bit Stereo DAC
-100 dB typical noise level
OutputNon-amplified stereo output, 2.1V RMSNon-amplified stereo output, 2.1V RMSNon-amplified stereo output, 2.1V RMS
PSRAM8MB (4MB usable)8MB over SPI (4MB usable)8MB over QSPI (all usable)
ConnectivityWiFi + BT4.2 + BLE
Ethernet
WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE
W5500 Ethernet (optional)
WiFi + BLE
W5500 Ethernet (optional)

Onboard PSRAM

Audio streaming requires proper buffering to work, even with ESP32 500K of RAM it is a challenging task. For that reason, all Louder-ESP32 board versions have 8 MB PSRAM chip onboard, connected via a high-speed interface.

Case

HiFi-ESP32(S3) is mechanically compatible with Raspberry Pi 3/4 cases, tested with transparent ones.

Optional SPI Ethernet module

Every board has a header that allows soldering in the W5500 SPI Ethernet module that is very easy to find. The only downside is that with the module installed board will not fit the case unless it is cut to accommodate extra height.


Firmware samples

In the software section, two firmware examples are provided. But the editor’s favorite is the squeezelite-esp32 firmware that you can flash directly from your browser using web-installer

Documentation

Both software and hardware documentation can be found on the project’s Github. You can follow project progress at Hackaday

Where to buy

You may support our work by ordering this product at Tindie and Elecrow