What is it?
Loud Esparagus is a handy, low-cost media streamer device that can be paired with small passive speakers. Loud Esparagus uses a dual MAX98357 Hi-Fi DAC that will output up to 5W per speaker, so it can be powered by a standard USB-C wall charger.
Loud Esparagus is a feature-packed version of the Loud-ESP32, with all you need to have to form a ready-to-use media center solution for a smart home
Our Crowd Supply campaign to back the manufacturing of the Esparagus series boards was successfully funded, thanks to everyone who made that possible.
Use cases
Loud Esparagus is a flexible, open-source audio platform designed to fit into both smart homes and custom audio projects.
- Smart Home Audio & TTS
Integrates with Home Assistant and Music Assistant for high-quality audio playback and text-to-speech announcements. Perfect for notifications, voice alerts, and whole-home audio driven by your smart home automations. - Multi-Room Audio with Snapclient
Use Loud Esparagus as a Snapclient endpoint to create perfectly synchronized multi-room audio systems. Ideal for distributed music playback without proprietary lock-in. - Standalone Player with Squeezelite-ESP32
Run Squeezelite-ESP32 for a self-contained network audio player supporting Spotify Connect, AirPlay, and Logitech Media Server (LMS) — no external computer required. - Educational Projects & Teaching Platforms
A powerful tool for schools, universities, and technical education. Loud Esparagus can be used to teach embedded systems, digital audio, networking, and open-source software, ranging from simple audio playback labs to advanced DSP, streaming, and real-time systems projects. - Research, Prototyping & Experimentation
Well-suited for rapid prototyping of audio devices, proofs-of-concept, and research projects involving DSP, low-latency streaming, wireless audio, or human-machine interaction. - A Foundation for Custom Products & DIY Builds
With all firmware and tooling fully open source, Loud Esparagus is an ideal base for custom audio devices — whether you’re building a personal DIY project, a small production run, or a community-driven product.
Features
| ESP Audio Duo (discontinued) | Loud Esparagus | Esparagus Echo Duo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCU | ESP32-Mini Module | ESP32-WROVER-N8R8 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-N8R8 |
| DAC | Dual I2S DAC (MAX98357) with built-in D-Class amp | Dual I2S DAC (MAX98357) with built-in D-Class amp | Dual I2S DAC (MAX98357) with built-in D-Class amp |
| Output (4Ω) | 2x 5W | 2x 5W | 2x 5W |
| Output (8Ω) | 2x 3W | 2x 3W | 2x 3W |
| IR reader | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| RGB LED | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| I2S Microphone | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Flash/PSRAM | 4MB/8MB | 8MB/8MB | 8MB/8MB |
| Connectivity | WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE | WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE + Ethernet | WiFi + BLE + Ethernet |
| Case | 80 x 50 x 20 mm Aluminum case | 70 x 24 x 88 mm Aluminum case | |
| Power requirement | 5V from USB-C | 5V from USB-C | 5V from USB-C |
⚠️Loud boards will connect to passive speakers; you can’t use headphones or an external amp
💡Need to connect an external amp? Check out HiFi Esparagus and Amped Esparagus
💡Need DSP capabilities? Check out Louder Esparagus
💡Looking for a more cost-efficient version? Check out Loud-ESP32
Onboard PSRAM
Audio streaming requires proper buffering to work, even with the ESP32’s 500K of RAM; it is a challenging task. For that reason, all Louder-ESP32 board versions have an 8 MB PSRAM chip onboard, connected via a high-speed interface.
Firmware
- Home Assistant
Start from the web-installer, as soon as you configure WiFi, the boards will be discovered by the ESPHome add-in automatically. Dedicated configs can be found in the documentation for simple and stable media-player, experimental sendspin protocol, and experimental snapclient component - Squeezelite-ESP32
Flash directly from your browser using the web-installer, configure WiFi using Hotspot (default password: squeezelite). Don’t forget to exit Recovery mode when configured. - Snapclient
Flash directly from your browser using the web-installer, as soon as you configure the WiFi board, it will discover the snapserver automatically - Snaplient (edge)
Developer’s version of the snapclient, less stable and more feature-rich for those who cannot wait for new features to be released. Installed via web-installer, similar to standard snapclient - Your own software
Use Arduino IDE or Platformio IDE and the provided software samples
Using with Home Assistant
Both HiFi Esparagus versions were created specifically to be used with Home Assistant via ESPHome integration. For both boards, rich configs were pre-created with hardware configuration for common use cases. These include
- media_player component for simple and robust media playback and TTS announcements (with ducking effect)
- Sendspin media player – new experimental protocol for multi-room sync with media controls and more
- An experimental snapclient component that allows near-perfect multi-room sync and seamless integration with Music Assistant
- Another snapclient fork with an implemented 15-band software equalizer and a rich set of EQ presets
- Voice assist config for S3-based boards, allowing local voice-controlled assist and automation
Configurations are being actively maintained and upgraded, new experimental components added for you to test and enjoy
Documentation
Both the software and the hardware are fully open-source and available on the project’s GitHub. You can follow the project updates at Hackaday
Where to buy
You may support our work by ordering this product at Tindie and Elecrow
- Loud Esparagus at Tindie and Elecrow ($45 MRSP, $40 at volume)
- Loud Esparagus at Crowd Supply ($45 MRSP)
Sponsorship & Community Support
If you’re working on an open-source project, an educational initiative, or any pro-bono/volunteer effort, feel free to reach out for sponsorship details. I’ll do my best to provide discounts or even free boards.
Custom Design & Consultation
If you’re interested in a custom design based on or inspired by my boards, I also offer contract design work and consultation when needed.
In the press
Sonocotta’s ESParagus “Media Center” is a series of ESP32-based, open-source audio streamers (Crowdfunding) – CNX Software
The Esparagus HiFi MediaLink Utilizes ESP32 to Modernize Your Classic Stereo – Electronics Lab
Crowdfunding Project—Esparagus Media Center – PCBWay
