What is it?

The Louder Raspberry Media Center is a compact and neatly designed hardware project that combines the power of the Raspberry Pi Zero board and the Hi-Fi audio capabilities of the TI’s TAS5805M DAC with a highly efficient D-Class output stage. This versatile media center provides a customizable and fully open-source hardware platform for home entertainment.

Louder Raspberry Pi	Louder Raspberry Pi NOPD

Key features

• TAS5805M DAC with integrated DSP and built-in amplifier
• Digital volume control (avoids loss of resolution compared to software volume)
• Gain digital control
• Parametric EQ (15xBQ per channel), 128-tap FIR, 3-band DRC, AGL

Why did I build it

I did a few audio projects in the past, some using ESP32, some using larger Orange Pi and Raspberry Pi devices. Each has its pros and cons, and with each iteration, I'm trying to focus on the details that were working best for me while actually using them.

What is special about the Raspberry ecosystem is, of course, its community support. Being a not-so-strong software developer, I often have to rely on the work that other people did and baked into the base Raspbian image. Enabling the Ethernet and IR reader is as simple as adding 2 lines into config.txt file. Adding DAC is a 5-minute job (with attached code). All the device tree definitions, kernel drivers, and dependency packages are already in place, believe it or not.

Sure, compared to the ESP32 platform, it is not as lightweight. It requires more power, it takes some time to boot. But when it comes to rapid development, there is nothing like the Raspberry Pi.

Louder Raspberry Media Center is a top-of-the-range model that uses a modern, highly capable TAS5805M DAC and is aimed to be paired with medium-to-large speaker systems. With 25W per channel stereo output, it packs a punch and can easily enliven living quarters or dorm rooms. It is highly efficient but much more demanding for power when cranked, therefore, it uses USB-C Power Delivery to pull up to 65W from the wall power adapter. It can be used both with Wi-Fi and Ethernet (to make sure bad Wi-Fi would not interrupt the stream)

Use cases

Louder Raspberry Media Center is a flexible, open-source audio platform designed to fit into both smart homes and custom audio projects.

• Smart Home Audio, TTS & Automation Node Integrates with Home Assistant and Music Assistant for high-quality playback, text-to-speech, and event-driven announcements. Functions as both an audio endpoint and a networked automation node for sensors, triggers, and smart home workflows.
• Multi-Room Audio Infrastructure Use Louder Raspberry Media Center as a Snapclient server and endpoint for perfectly synchronized distributed audio. Ideal for open, vendor-neutral whole-home or commercial audio systems.
• Standalone Network Player & Streaming Hub Run LMS/Squeezelite for a self-contained streaming device supporting Spotify Connect, AirPlay, and Logitech Media Server — no external computer required.
• Embedded Audio Processing & DSP Platform Execute real-time digital signal processing, filtering, effects, or audio analysis directly on-device. Suitable for smart speakers, alert systems, acoustic sensing, and custom audio interfaces.
• Networked Sensor & Interface Controller Combine audio output with GPIO control, sensors, buttons, displays, or actuators. Ideal for interactive installations, smart appliances, voice feedback devices, or industrial status systems.
• Educational Platform for Systems & Networking A practical teaching platform for embedded Linux-style workflows without full SBC overhead — covering networking, streaming protocols, real-time processing, IoT architectures, and open-source audio systems.
• Rapid Prototyping for Connected Products Designed for fast iteration of networked hardware products — from smart audio devices and notification systems to interactive kiosks and connected consumer electronics.
• Open Platform for Custom Products & DIY Builds With fully open firmware and tooling, Louder Raspberry Media Center provides a flexible foundation for personal projects, research platforms, or commercial device development.

Features

	Louder Raspberry Hat	Louder Raspberry Hat Plus	Louder Raspberry Media Center
Image (2.0 model)
Image (2.1 model)			n/a
Compatible with	Every Pi	Every Pi	Raspberry Pi Zero (W), Raspberry Pi Zero2 W
DAC	(1X) Stereo I2S DAC TAS5805M with built in D-Class amp (2X) Dual (2.1) I2S DAC TAS5805M with built in D-Class amp	(1X) Stereo I2S DAC TAS5825M with built in D-Class amp (2X) Dual (2.1) I2S DAC TAS5825M with built in D-Class amp	Stereo I2S DAC TAS5805M with built in D-Class amp
Output	[1X] 2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N); 2x 32W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V 1x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V [2X]: 2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N) + 1x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N)	[1X] 2x 32W (8Ω, 1% THD+N); 2x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V 1x 53W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V [2X]: 2x 32W (8Ω, 1% THD+N) + 1x 53W (4Ω, 1% THD+N)	2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N); 2x 32W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V 1x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V
IR input	✅	1X model	✅
Power requirement	7..26V from external source powering host (up to 3A cont.)	7..26V from external source powering host (up to 3A cont.)	65W USB-C PD power adapter or 7..26V from external PSU
Mechanical dimensions (WxHxD), Hat	65mm x 56mm x 20mm	65mm x 56mm x 20mm	88mm x 38mm x 100mm

⚠️ 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 Raspberry Hat and HiFi Raspberry Media Center

💡 Don't need DSP capabilities? Check out Loud Raspberry Hat and Loud Raspberry Media Center

Board Pinout

Audio

Peripheral

Peripheral (Louder)

How to use

You can use any distribution you like. To enable IR reader and Ethernet, you need to add 2 lines to the /boot/config.txt

dtoverlay=gpio-ir,gpio_pin=23 dtoverlay=w5500

TAS5805M DAC is not supported by default Raspbian distribution, therefore, some work needs to be done to enable it. Linked repo contains code and instructions on how to configure it. It will take you 5 minutes and one reboot.

Hardware

Front	Back	Back (NOPD)	PCB

Please visit the hardware section of the project repo for board schematics and PCB designs. Note that PCBs are shared as multi-layer PDFs as well as Gerber archives.

Louder Raspberry power considerations

The Louder Raspberry can be quite a power-hungry device; simply using 5V over the USB-C is clearly not an option. You'd need a PD-enabled power adapter to run the board. Ideally, you should supply a 20V 3.25 Amp capable power source, common for modern laptops (Dell, HP, and Lenovo all tested and work perfectly). However, pretty much any 9V/12V/20V PD-enabled power adapter will work, most typically phone chargers with a quick charge option. The smallest of the family is a 25W model, which is plenty enough for both Raspberry Pi and DAC.

The interesting part was that all the phone and laptop chargers I used for the test (around five different makes of each) sounded great, with no hissing and no popping. (Apart from the Apple ones, they didn’t work. Likely they have Apple-specific PD protocol.) This is probably because modern devices have become so noise-sensitive that manufacturers have been forced to do good work on noise levels.

Tested and perfectly working models are (others may be available)

Model	Image
65W USB-C Lenovo ThinkPad Laptop Charger Replacement Power Adapter
65W 45W 20V 3.25A Type-C PD Laptop Charger
120W Gan Type-C PD Charger

Because USB-PD is a bit of a Wild West in terms of standards, sometimes, not everything goes as designed. Some people have run into this with power adapters that aren’t fully PD-standard compliant. In most cases, the worst that happens is the PD chip doesn’t trigger the 20V mode, so the Raspberry Pi goes into the boot loop, not getting enough voltage on the 5V bus.

Louder Raspberry NOPD

The “hammer-style” solution I came up with is a new NOPD version of the Louder Raspberry that lets you use a barrel power jack to supply raw voltage directly. The catch? Standard 2mm pins can’t handle high currents, so I’ve gone with a 2.5mm pin instead — it’s a bit unusual, but still common enough in the laptop world.

With this setup, you can supply more than the 20V limit of PD, giving you a bit more power for the speakers. You probably won’t hear much difference (thanks to the way human hearing works), but it could help larger speakers that need a bit more to really “open up." Other than that, the NOPD version works just like the PD version — no software changes are needed.

External voltage selection

The power adapter specs depend on the speaker you're planning to use. DAC efficiency is close to 100%, so just take the power rating of your speaker (say 2x10w) and impedance (say 8 ohms), and you'd need at least 9 volts rated at 1.2 amps per channel, round up to 3 total amps. Consider Pi itself drawing 5-10W of power when busy.

It is not recommended to go beyond the voltage your speakers can take, otherwise, the amp will blow your speakers in no time.

The absolute maximum voltage for the TAS5805M DAC is 30V, but it is not guaranteed to be thermally stable in this condition.

Restocking & Availability

New restock batches are regularly ordered from the factory, and I plan to keep all versions available at least until the next board revision is released.

USA shipping Update

Due to the new tariffs introduced by the Trump administration, standard shipments are temporarily on hold. However, shipping to the US has now resumed via UPS, though rates are currently quite high. I’ll fully resume regular shipping as soon as the restrictions are lifted.

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.

Most orders are shipped the next business day morning. All shipments are tracked. Delivery time in the EU is 3-7 days, outside 2-3 weeks, depending on the distance. After 30 days, the package is considered lost - reach out for a refund or replacement.