Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs. Though you can currently AirPlay to multiple devices from iTunes on your Mac, it's only possible with iTunes and doesn't combine AirPlay and Bluetooth speakers. Airfoil is incredibly universal, allowing you to use AirPlay and Bluetooth to stream music to as many devices as you want from any audio source you want on your Mac or PC. I’m wondering if it’s possible to airplay audio from my Mac to multiple airplay speakers (one HomePod and a bookshelf speaker that I’m connecting a airport express to). I’m not asking about airplaying iTunes music, as I know it’s possible to select multiple outputs there, but I’m asking about.

• Apple Airplay Speaker
• Airplay Speakers List
• Spotify Mac Airplay Multiple Speakers Wireless
• Wireless Speakers Airplay

If you’ve got an old Hi-Fi or sound system with an AUX input, this project is for you. Try balenaSound, a starter project to quickly and easily add Bluetooth, Airplay and Spotify Connect and multi-room capability to an old Hi-Fi, speakers, or any other audio device using only a Raspberry Pi!

Contents

Before you start

Tutorial

Using balenaSound

Before you start

Updates

We’re continually updating this post along with the project code, you can find a log of all our updates below.

• 6th October 2020: Updated instructions for balenaSound v3.0
• 7th July 2020: Added links to official app site for docs, troubleshooting, and more.
• 21st May 2020: This project now supports deploy to balena - code wrangling by hand is no longer required!
• 10th March 2020: This project now supports multi-room audio
• Updated 9th January 2020: You can now add multiple projects to the same device. Try combining balenaSound with another project -- oh the possibilities!
• Updated 14th October 2019: Now works with the Raspberry Pi 4B
• Updated 7th October 2019: Now supports Airplay and Spotify Connect alongside Bluetooth

Introduction

A lot of people have older and probably still great, high-quality audio systems that no longer get used, simply because they’re inconvenient. We’ve decided to address that with this very simple project we're calling balenaSound. We will show you how to build your own audio receiver which connects to the auxiliary(AUX) input of any audio device to give it modern streaming functionality. You’ll then be able to stream music to your audio setup from your phone, tablet, or laptop using Bluetooth, Airplay, or Spotify Connect.

All you need is a Raspberry Pi and a little bit of time. We’ve done all the hard work by configuring Bluetooth & the other services, and setting everything up in a repeatable format to get you up and running with minimal effort. It’s the perfect introduction if you’ve never tried a project like this before.

We’re going to guide you through setting up the Raspberry Pi, deploying the balenaSound project code onto it and then show you how to connect your audio system and get started with streaming.

Multi-room

Since version 2.0, balenaSound supports multiple, synchronized devices allowing you to build your own DIY Sonos or custom multi-room audio system. If you’ve only got one device, that still works great and as it did before. Now, you can simply flash another SD card with the same image and that device will play the same audio as your first device completely seamlessly.

As long as your devices are connected to the same WiFi network, they will automatically discover each other and synchronize audio output.

Hardware required

• Raspberry Pi 4B, 3A+, 3B, 3B+, Zero W device support matrix
• An SD Card (we always recommend SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards)
• Power supply
• 3.5mm audio cable to the input on your speakers/Hi-Fi (usually 3.5mm or RCA)
• An audio system to connect
• (optional) Digital-analogue-converter(DAC) HAT (e.g. Pimoroni pHAT DAC) for better audio quality. DAC support matrix

Note: the Raspberry Pi Zero cannot be used on it's own as it has no audio output. To use the Pi Zero you'll need a the optional DAC HAT to get the project working.

Software required

• Software to flash an SD card (balenaEtcher)
• A free balenaCloud account to setup and manage the Pi
• (optionally) balenaCLI if you want to hack on your devices, work locally, etc.

Tutorial

Setup the Raspberry Pi

Once you’ve found all the hardware, we’re going to start setting up the Raspberry Pi. This project uses the Deploy to balena feature, so you'll want to set up your free account ahead of time to get the most out of this convenient method.

Click this button

Then click Create and Deploy

This will create an application with all of the balenaSound code already deployed and all of the configuration settings preset. Remember to choose the correct device type here!

Tip: If you don’t already have a balenaCloud account, clicking the deploy button will take you to the signup page, where you can make a free one. If you have a Google or Github account, you can sign in with one of those.

Alternatively, you can clone the project repo and push it to your balenaCloud application using balenaCLI.

Once your application has been created, you can setup and add a device within that application by clicking the 'add device' button. When you add a device you specify your device type, which is important that it matches the device you’re using, and if you are connecting to a wireless network you can set your WiFI SSID and passphrase here too.

balenaOS 2.38 or higher is required for this project

Note: we've used a Raspberry Pi 3 in the image below but be sure to select the correct device type for the device you are using!

This process creates a customized image configured for your application and device type and includes your network settings if you specified them.

Note: When you're first getting started, a development image will be most useful, as it permits a number of testing and troubleshooting features. More details on the differences between development and production images can be found here. If you're confident you can go ahead and deploy the production image straight away.

Once the OS image has been downloaded, it’s time to flash your SD card. You can use balenaEtcher for this.

Once the flashing process has completed, insert your SD card into the Raspberry Pi and connect the power supply.

When the device boots for the first time, it connects to the balenaCloud dashboard, after which you’ll be able to see it listed as online and move onto the next step.

Troubleshooting: It should only take a few minutes for the new device to appear in your dashboard, If your device still hasn't shown up on your dashboard after a few minutes, something has gone wrong. There's an extensive troubleshooting guide in the documentation, with lots of information on why this could be, but if you still can't get your device online, come on over to the forums where we’ll be able to help out.

After the device appears online in the dashboard, it will start to download the balenaSound application; after a few minutes your device information screen in the dashboard should look something like this, showing the services running.

At this point you’re ready to move on, connect things up and give it a try!

Connect your speakers

Most Hi-Fi systems and powered speakers will include an auxiliary (AUX) input for connecting things such as your newly-created balenaSound device. To do this you’ll need to ensure you have the right cables. The audio output on the Raspberry Pi (and the PHAT DAC) is a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, and most AUX inputs are going to be either the same or perhaps more commonly a phono/RCA input, which are the individual red and white connectors. Therefore you’re going to need a cable to work with your setup. The AmazonBasics range is a good place to start looking, the cables are good quality without costing too much.

• 3.5mm to RCA cable (Amazon USA)
• 3.5mm to RCA cable (Amazon UK)

Using balenaSound

Give it a try

Once you’ve got your Pi powered up and your speakers connected, you’re ready to go! You've now got 3 options to use when connecting to your device from your phone, tablet or laptop: Bluetooth, Airplay and Spotify Connect.

Bluetooth

If you want to try Bluetooth, perform a scan for Bluetooth devices on your phone, tablet or laptop and you should see your balenaSound device ready to connect.

BalenaSound presents itself to your device as a Bluetooth audio receiver, so that once pairing is complete you can now send any audio output from your device to your old speakers!

AirPlay

BalenaSound supports Apple AirPlay (audio only). To give it a try, from a compatible device select the balenaSound device as an alternative audio output.

Spotify Connect

Last but not least, balenaSound also supports Spotify Connect. If you're a Spotify user (only premium accounts are supported), you should see the balenaSound device come up as an additional output option there too. Note that Spotify will also show compatible Bluetooth and Airplay devices so it's possible your device will show 3 times! Simply look for the icon to identify which streaming method is chosen.

Try Multi-room

As we mentioned earlier, since version 2, in addition to supporting single-device applications, balenaSound now supports multiple devices in a single application, which will seamlessly connect together to form a multi-room audio system!

To deploy a second (or third, fourth…) device, you simply need to flash the same OS image you downloaded for the first device to more SD cards, plug the devices in and power them up. That’s it! As long as you’re running the latest version there’s no need to push code again.

If you’ve lost or deleted the image you downloaded before, no problem! Go to the dashboard, find your application with your first device and go to ‘Add device’ in the same way as detailed above for your first device. Even if you’ve had to download the OS image again, there’s still no need to push code again; balenaCloud stores the most recent version of your code and applies it to any devices in the application.

You can read more about the release of multi-room here.

For those that don’t want to use this feature, you can disable it by adding an environment variable called SOUND_MODE to your app with a value of STANDALONE.

What next?

So, you’ve got the project running and are jammin’ to your old hi-fi system with a new lease of life! What now? Here are some ideas…

Customize your device name

What’s that? Don’t like the balenaSound xxxx name? We’ve got you covered! Simply add a device environment variable in the balenaCloud dashboard called SOUND_DEVICE_NAME and your device will reboot with a new name. This will apply to all services, not just Bluetooth.

Upgrade your audio with a DAC

The Raspberry Pi isn’t known for great audio quality (although in our experience it's more than good enough for a lot of applications!); fortunately this has been addressed with a lot of manufacturers producing DACs for the Raspberry Pi. One I have tested and like for both its small size and low price is the Pimoroni PHAT DAC.

To use this you’ll need to add an additional custom configuration variable called BALENA_HOST_CONFIG_dtoverlay with a value of hifiberry-dac. Depending on the DAC the value might be different, so be sure to check our documentation for the correct value.

This essentially enables the I2S sound interface on the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins, enabling the external DAC to receive and process the audio output.

Try the HDMI out

If you've got an amplifier or receiver that has an HDMI input, you can also use the HDMI output of the Raspberry Pi to transfer a digital audio signal.

Try building multiple projects on one device

If you’ve already built one of our projects and want to try this one too, good news! One of the great benefits of building with balena is that you can easily add more projects to the same device without needing to buy more hardware. This blog post that explains how to do just that: learn how to set up this project alongside what you’ve built already. Happy hacking!

Troubleshooting balenaSound

Did you know that balenaSound now has documentation, a troubleshooting guide, and an FAQ? Learn more about the project or find ways to contribute by visiting the official balenaSound app site.

Become a balena poweruser

Want to learn more about what makes balena work? Try one of our masterclasses. Each lesson is a self-contained, deep walkthrough on core skills to be successful with your next edge project.

Check them out at our docs. Also, reach out to us on the Forums if you need help.

Until next time...

Thanks for taking the time to check out our guide, we hope you had success with the project and added modern streaming functionality to some old speakers or a Hi-Fi. If you had trouble getting the project running or have any other feedback we’d love to hear it; everything helps to improve our projects and tutorials for next time.

You can always find us on the forums at https://forums.balena.io, on Twitter @balena_io, on Instagram @balena_io or on Facebook.

Acknowledgements

This project is made possible by the awesome work of various open source projects, including Shairport Sync for Airplay, Raspotify for Spotify Connect and Snapcast for multi-room audio sync.

Speakers can be a great companion, whether for your MacBook, iPhone, or iPad. And when it comes to buying, you’ll obviously prefer one that is compatible with most of your devices, if not all. Dedicated to every Apple ecosystem member, this handy list compiles the best AirPlay 2 speakers; so you can stream wireless music from any Apple device.

1. Apple HomePod

The most apparent and worthy pick amongst the best-sounding wireless speakers of its size! HomePod employs both hardware and software skills to bring out high-definition and powerful sound.

A total of seven beam-forming tweeters are arranged in a circle, alongside an upward-firing 102mm long-throw mid/bass driver. Thanks to which, you get deep bass and incredible 360-degree surround sound.

Further, it uses spatial awareness, a six-microphone array, and an internal bass-EQ mic to sense the room and auto-tweak settings for optimum audio quality.

HomePod also supports Siri commands and Bluetooth 5.0. And if you are already knee-deep into Apple’s ecosystem, there is no better option.

Pros

• Super-rich sound quality
• Auto adjusts audio according to room

Cons

• Only works with Apple Music
• Limited functionality with Android Devices

Price: $299.00

2. Sonos One (Gen 2) Voice Controlled Smart Speaker

One of the first companies to adopt smart voice technology and multi-room speaker systems. While it started with Amazon’s Alexa, Sonos now offer support to Siri and Google Assitant. So you’ll have all leading assistants at your beck and call.

An easy-to-use Sonos app gives you the liberty to customize and manage the audio as per your preference. And not just that, it also enables seamless support to a range of music streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc.

What’s great is its compact, attractive, humidity-resistant design that goes well with everything, whether you place it on your desk or in your bathroom.

Pros

• Brilliant Sound output
• Wider device and service compatibility
• Compact design

Cons

• No Hi-Res Audio support

Price: $199.00

3. Bose Home Speaker 500

Bose is the ‘boss’ when it comes to dynamic, high-definition audio output. And this voice-controlled home speaker is no different. With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Apple AirPlay 2 compatibility, stream whatever, whenever, wherever and however you want.

It sports eight custom-designed microphone array that offers superior voice pickup. Thanks to which, you can order it to do your bidding over loud music or even across the room.

There’s also a handy Bose Music App that brings all your music in one place. Seamlessly jump between stations, playlists, and services or set up six presets for a personalized experience.

Pros

• Voice, touch, and app control
• Superior voice pickup
• Bose’s signature sound

Cons

• The Initial set-up is a bit difficult
• The app is slightly glitchy

Price: $299.00

4. Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge

Bold looks and bolder sound, that’s how I will describe Bowers & Wilkins’ Formation Wedge. It certainly pushes boundaries in both the style and performance department.

The elliptical shape is not just for show; it houses a five-driver speaker array, two tweeters, two FST midrange drivers, and a central woofer. The audio is powerful, detailed, and carries some serious bass and great high-frequency clarity.

As for the vocals, they are textured and emotive. Overall, you will not be disappointed whether you are listening to death metal or country music.

Pros

• Luxurious Design
• High-resolution stereo sound
• Powerful bass depth

Cons

• The app is pretty basic
• Expensive

Price: $899

5. Sonos Beam Smart TV Sound Bar

Primarily designed to accompany TV, Beam is packed for performance. It sports five full-range drivers, three passive radiators, and a center-mounted tweeter.

At just 25.6 inches, it is compact enough to fit the entertainment area and powerful enough to fill the room. The speaker can be easily controlled via AirPlay, voice (Amazon Alexa), remote, and the Sonos app.

With handy features like speech enhancement & night mode, you can equally enjoy music, movies, podcasts, radio, audiobooks, or video games.

Pros

• Speech Enhancement
• Voice-controlled
• HDMI ARC compatible

Cons

• Dolby Atmos support is missing
• No Bluetooth or 3.5mm connector

Price: $299.00

6. JBL Bar 5.1 Soundbar with Surround Speakers

If you are looking for a panoramic surround sound experience, that’s precisely what the JBL Bar 5.1 offers. The set includes a single bar, two detachable battery-powered speakers, and a 10-inch wireless subwoofer.

Join the magnetic speakers to make a single unit or detach and place them apart for a truly wireless 5.1 surround sound system. With a 510W of total system power, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS support effectively amplify your movie, gaming, or music experience.

And though the sound palette isn’t as rich as some of its competitors, JBL’s transformability is quite remarkable and handy.

Pros

• Powerful bass depth and crisp, clear highs
• Detachable speakers
• Value for money

Cons

• Very few EQ controls or audio modes
• Mid-bass is quite dull

Price: $481.88

7. Libratone Zipp Wifi Bluetooth Smart Speaker

First and foremost, ‘Zipp’ in the name & design is not just a quirky element. You can unzip and replace the speaker cloth with a color of your choice. And don’t be fooled by its size; it boasts 100-watts of power, two 1″ tweeter, one 4″ subwoofer, two passive radiators, and a 360°cone.

So, you can expect a booming bass, accurate mid and clear high with zero distortion even at maximum volume. Further, Zipp incorporates a patented FullRoom technology that an turn your room into a full-on concert.

The long feature list also includes 10 hours of battery, broad compatibility, IFTTT support, and preset option to favorite up to 5 playlists or internet radio stations.

Pros

• Loud, clear, and balanced sound
• Fun, quirky, and portable design
• Compatible with Siri, Alexa, Spotify, etc.

Cons

• The smartphone app is buggy
• High-battery consumption during AirPlay

Price: $200

8. KEF LSX Wireless Music System

Loudspeaker specialist KEF managed to scale down their multi-award winning LS50 stereo system effectively. Sharing its sibling’s blueprint, each LSX speaker features KEF’s bespoke Uni-Q driver technology.

Wherein, the tweeter is placed at the center of the midrange and bass cone, radically improving the stereo imaging. So, you get astoundingly clear full-bodied sound, 200 watts of Class D power, and over 160 degrees of coverage.

And since the two speakers are not bound by cables or separate amps, you have the freedom to place them anywhere, anyhow you like. The all-in-one hi-fi system supports dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 4.2, 3.5 mm aux, RJ45 Ethernet.

Pros

• Bespoke Digital Signal Processing
• Punchy and refined output
• Available in five great finishes

Cons

• Pricey
• Set up is elaborate and difficult
• Slightly warm tuning

Price: $1,250

9. Naim Mu-so Qb Wireless Music System

Apple Airplay Speaker

A sassy-looking speaker cube that doesn’t occupy much space can still fill your room with boomy sound. The fabric grille on the side and the glass-like acrylic bottom makes it a great match with any interior setting.

Five-strong custom drivers are strategically placed at angles to widen the sound. The audio output is lively with excellent bass profile and soundstage separation. And despite the petite form factor, Qb manages to deliver a massive 300W of sound.

Further, not just an AirPlay speaker, this one also supports Bluetooth, USB direct playback, digital connector, and multi-room via Naim app.

Pros

• Full and vibrant sound
• Stylish looks
• Packed with features

Cons

• Needs more control in the midrange
• Too bassy at times
• Slightly expensive

Price: $649.00

10. Yamaha MusicCast 20 Wireless Speaker

Airplay Speakers List

Part of Yamaha’s MusicCast audio range, MusicCast 20, can be used as a standalone speaker or a more comprehensive setup. It houses a two-way active driver setup, a woofer, and tweeter on the front and large passive radiators on the sides.

The setup lends a surprisingly impressive bass to the cabinet volume. Though compact, it manages to pack quite a few controls on the top. There’s power, volume, playback controls, three buttons for favorite input, and even an alarm button.

It also incorporates a handy screw hole on the back for a wall mount. You can stream your favorite music through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, airplay, or Spotify connect.

Pros

• Friendly & smart control on the top plate
• Wall mountable

Cons

• No built-in voice assistant
• Vocals and mid-centric instruments are lacking

Price: $230

11. Denon Home 250 Wireless Speaker

Denon offers hi-res audio without the pre-requisite of a hi-fi system, thanks to the two dynamic 0.75″ tweeters, two 4″ bass drivers, a 5.25″ passive radiator & sound master tuning.

Spotify Mac Airplay Multiple Speakers Wireless

You get numerous options in playing audio, including Apple AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 4.2, and Denon’s proprietary HEOS app. Moreover, it integrates with most music streaming services in the likes of Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, etc

Wireless Speakers Airplay

As for the music, it gives you impressive tonality, with clear highs & deep lows. The sound stage generated is reasonably spacious and well defined.

Pros

• Wide sound dispersal
• Lots of lifestyle features
• Good looks

Cons

• Slightly disjointed bass

Price: $499.00

12. Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i

The Pulse Flex 2i definitely punches way above its size in terms of the audio output. With a direct digital amplifier and custom-tuned drivers, anything you play accompanies deep, detailed bass and no distortion.

Though ultra-compact, this one deceptively weighty at around 1.23kg. So, it might not be as travel-friendly as you would hope. Further, the comprehensive dual-band Wi-Fi ensures a reliable connection and uninterrupted AirPlay.

What’s great is a simple and straight forwards setup. All you need is the BluOS app, and once the devices start communicating, you can begin playing.

Pros

• Detailed and rich tones
• Ultra-compact yet powerful output
• Alexa and Siri compatibility

Cons

• Dynamics could be better
• No Bluetooth aptX HD

Price: $300

13. Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 4th Gen

It is pinchingly expensive, but look at it.. the Beoplay A9 is certainly the work of art your room deserves. But does it offer a sound that your ears deserve? Oh, yes! With seven effective drivers & 480 watts of power under its hood, it offers crisp, full-bodied, room-filling sound.

The speaker comes with a floor stand and wall mount option to perfectly tune into your interiors. It also sports a room adaptation technology to optimize the output perfectly.

And depending upon its placement, you can opt for modes, Free, Wall, or Corner. To stream music, you can either employ AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Bluetooth, or audio in.

Pros

• Great, sophisticated looks
• Excellent audio performance
• Room adaptation

Cons

• Expensive
• No Voice assist

Price: $3,000

Signing off

There you go… the AirPlay 2 compatible speakers that we feel are the best of the lot. If you want to check out the whole list, check out Apples’ dedicated list. Do let us know if you have used any of these. And share your reviews and feedback in the comment section below.

We’ll see you next time with another great accessory list; meanwhile, here are some articles you might like to refer:

Jignesh Padhiyar is the co-founder of iGeeksBlog.com who has a keen eye for news, rumors and all the unusual stuff that happens around Apple products. During his tight schedule, Jignesh finds some moments of respite to share side-splitting contents on social media.

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