janui wrote:Hi demonboy,
You can use Pi B+ for a fully functional RuneAudio player. You have a choice of images, the official one here: http://www.runeaudio.com/download/#raspberry-pi and an unofficial upgraded version here: raspberry-pi-zero-support-in-0-4-t3711-80.html#p23506
The only important thing missing on the B+ image is the WiFi Access Point functionality.
The B+ UI performance if fine, but as you would expect it is a little slower than 2B and 3B models.
WiFi seems an interesting option, but it can be a problem when streaming (Spotify, webradios, AirPlay or UPnP/DLNA), it really depends on your situation but wired ethernet always works better.
The onboard Pi 3B WiFi is poor, an external dongle is better. So, you could buy one of these for experimenting with your B+.
For audio, the HDMI output of the B+ and the 3B are the same (video resolution is different).
All add-on (hat) soundcards for a 3B will also work on a B+.
There is a lot of choice these days for add-on soundcards, some need a recent kernel to work (that’s one of the main reasons for the upgraded image). Most of these are excellent and good value for money, it is a very competitive marketplace where you generally get what you pay for. My personal favourites are: "HifiberryDac+ 3.5mm jack model" - excellent quality, relatively low price and fits into most standard cases after drilling a small hole and the "HifiberryDac+ Pro" - see here http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2016/10/me ... berry.html for review/measurements, this needs a special case.
But there are many other products which can be simpler, have added features, etc., etc.. Be careful of buying Chinese sound cards on e-bay, these cards work and are cheap but can have disappointing sound quality (expect to get what you pay for).
janui
Thanks for the link, Janui. Yep, there are more and more DACs appearing every day and it gets a bit overwhelming! Unsure which one to go for. I emailed the top three manufacturers and only JustBoom came back to me. In fact they've been really good in answering my noob questions without pushing for a sale, so I'm tempted to run with these guys.