Audioplayer Squeezelite, Shairport

Audioplayer Squeezelite, Shairport

Soundcard settings for audioplayers

Install your soundcard with Raspberry Pi Settings or with the custom HifiBerry / IQAudio / Justboom Max2Play editions. The custom Max2Play editions offer the easiest installer and setup of your audiocard. Make sure to first activate your soundcard and second set your audioplayer to use the soundcard.

Advanced Settings Squeezelite

Important Command Line Options for Squeezelite are:

  • „-v“ activates Visualizer for Jivelite (VU-Meter and Spectrum)
  • „-C 5“ automatically deactivates squeezelite after 5 seconds if no audio is played. Best used when having Kodi and Squeezelite on the same soundcard. Important: this option also mutes the soundcard when harware volume control is used (check command line options of Squeezelite).

Using Squeezelite and Shairport (Airplay) at the same time

When using the build-in audiocards with the DMIXER audiodevice (standard) both players can run at the same time. When using an external soundcard and direct sound output (higher sound quality) just one player must have exclusive access to the soundcard. For this setting there are two possible options:

  • Install Shairtunes for Squeezebox Server (easy installation on Squeezebox Server tab in Max2Play). With this setting all Squeezebox Clients will have Airplay support, but can’t run synchronized. That means you may just play sound via Airplay at one device at a time.
  • Setup Shairport on each Max2Play device and use advanced Settings in Shairport to automatically disable the Squeezelite player on the device once a stream is played via Airplay. This setting has the advantage of a dedicated Airplay Player on each device, that can be sychronized with iTunes to a multiroom setup.

Using Audioplayer and Kodi at the same time

Normal behavior of Max2Play: if Kodi is running, Audioplayers Squeezelite and Shairport are deactivated to give Kodi exclusive access to the soundcard. Once Kodi is closed, the Audioplayers are started automatically (if autostart is enabled).

If you want to override this setting, activate the „Use USB-Soundcard“-Option in advanced settings of Squeezelite. To use the audioplayers and Kodi at the same time you should assign different Audiooutputs to the players. E.g. an external soundcard for the audioplayers and HDMI for Kodi. You may also use the Command Line Option „-C 5“ for Squeezelite to share the same Audiooutput (only working when not using hardware volume control in Squeezelite, as this will mute the soundcard).

Some Cards like HifiBerry Digi may also be assigned to Squeezelite and Kodi at the same time and switch to the input source that offers a signal at runtime.

DLNA-Audioplayer with / without GMediarenderer

Squeezebox Server comes with DLNA-Support and every Squeezelite / Squeezeboxclient will be shown as a DLNA-Client in your local network. If you just want a DLNA-client without Squeezebox Server, GMediarenderer can be installed and used.

Equalizer Options

Equalizer should only be used with the build-in audiocard. Once activated you must set your audioplayer to use the equalizer output.

With Hi-Res sound and soundcards that benefit from direct Hardware Output (192Khz, 24bit) without software conversion, the equalizer should not be used as it downsamples to 44Khz (software conversions).

Lowpassfilter / Crossfeedfilter

Install and setup for build-In Audio to improve headphone sound quality.