What is it?
Louder-ESP32-mini is a compact version of the Louder-ESP32, which would replace the standard speaker terminal on your old speakers, turning them into a hi-fi audio solution for your smart home.
It comes in two sizes that are most common among off-the-shelf speakers: 42x42mm (small speakers typically) and 52x52mm (for larger models).
Louder-ESP32-mini is equipped with a high-quality TAS5805M DAC with powerful DSP features, allowing audio tuning to turn small speakers into high-quality audio streamers. Onboard ESP32-S3 with 8MB PSRAM is there to ensure enough horsepower for solid streaming capabilities.
It is designed to be as affordable as it can be, so more speakers can avoid landfills and be an integral part of smart homes instead. It uses minimal (if any) extra peripherals, and it requires no soldering to operate. The part choice was carefully done to make it production-friendly and affordable for everyone
Use cases
The main use case for the Louder-ESP32-mini is Home Assistant and Music Assistant integration via ESPHome, although it is there to fit your own needs and implement your ideas.
- Multi-Room Audio with Snapclient
Use Louder-ESP32-mini 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 technical education. Louder-ESP32-mini can be used to teach embedded systems, digital audio, networking, and open-source software. - 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, Louder-ESP32-mini is a base for custom audio devices — whether you’re building a personal DIY project, a small production run, or a community-driven product.
Features
| Louder-ESP32-mini (42x42mm) | Louder-ESP32-mini (52x52mm) | Louder-ESP32 | |
| MCU | ESP32-S3-WROOM-N8R8 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-N8R8 | ESP32-WROVER-N8R8 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-N8R8 |
| DAC | Stereo I2S DAC (TAS5805M) with built-in D-Class amp | Stereo I2S DAC (TAS5805M) with built-in D-Class amp | Stereo I2S DAC (TAS5805M) with built-in D-Class amp |
| Output (4Ω, 1% THD+N) | – | – | 2x 32W |
| Output (8Ω, 1% THD+N) | – | – | 2x 23W |
| Output (Bridge, 4Ω, 1% THD+N) | 1x 3.5W | 1x15W | 1x 53W |
| Flash/PSRAM | 8MB/8MB | 8MB/8MB | 8MB/8MB |
| Connectivity | WiFi + BLE | WiFi + BLE | WiFi + BT4.2 + BLE + Ethernet |
| Power requirement | USB power adapter, 5V | USB-PD power adapter, 5..12V | Generic power adapter 5..28V |
⚠️Louder boards will connect to passive speakers; you can’t use headphones or an external amp
💡Need to connect an external amp? Check out HiFi-ESP32 and Amped-ESP32
💡Don’t need DSP capabilities? Check out Loud-ESP32
💡Looking for a more feature-packed version? Check out Louder Esparagus
Use with speakers
Louder-ESP32-mini boards are mechanically compatible with many speaker models, so that you can upgrade them to be a smart speaker with nothing but a screwdriver. You can use a standard phone charger to power the device, with quick-charge adapters supported on the larger model for higher power output
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 (work in progress), 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 (work in progress), as soon as you configure the WiFi board, it will discover the snapserver automatically. The less stable and more feature-rich version for those who cannot wait for new features to be released, can be installed via the edge version web-installer - Your own software
Use Arduino IDE or Platformio IDE and the provided software samples
Using with Home Assistant
Both Louder-ESP32-mini 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
- Sendspin media player – new experimental protocol for multi-room sync with media controls and extra features
- Standard and stable version of the media_player component for simple and robust media playback and TTS announcements with ducking effect
- An experimental snapclient component that allows near-perfect multi-room sync and seamless integration with Music Assistant
Configurations are being actively maintained and upgraded, new experimental components added for you to test and enjoy
Documentation
Both software and hardware are fully open-sourced and can be found 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
- Louder-ESP32-mini coming soon on Tindie, Lectronz, and Elecrow ($15 MRSP, $10 at volume)
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.
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