Use your HiFiBerry sound card with your Mac or PC
Use your HiFiBerry sound card with your Mac or PC
While most HiFiBerry users just stream music over the network, we have heard from several users that they want to have the HiFiBerry audio quality also on the PC or Mac. As the HiFiBerry sound cards are specifically designed for the Raspberry Pi, this wasn’t possible – until now! With the new USB interface board, you can use many HiFiBerry sound cards without the Raspberry Pi.
What you need:
- A HiFiBerry DAC+, Amp2 or Beocreate board
- The USB2I2S interface board
- A standard Micro-USB cable
- An external power supply if you want to use the Amp2 or Beocreate 4 channel amplifier
First, you plug your HiFiBerry board on top of the USB interface just as you would do it with the Raspberry Pi:
You might also put these components into a case. While our universal case doesn’t fit perfectly, it does the job. The steel case will also work.
Now, just connect this system to your PC or Mac using a standard Micro-USB cable.
That’s it already! Your PC or Mac will detect the HiFiBerry sound card as a normal USB sound card. All modern operating systems already come with the necessary drivers. You don’t have to install additional software.
As all HiFiBerry sound cards are able to play back not just CD quality sound, but also High-Res 192kHz/24bit, this also works with the USB interface.
BTW: The external power supply for the Amp2 is missing in this picture. You need it for the Amp2 as the USB port can’t power the Amp2. If you use with with a DAC+, you don’t need an additional power supply.
Note that the HiFiBerry USB2I2S interface is compatible with all HiFiBerry DAC+ sound cards, the Amp2 and the Beocreate 4 channel amplifier. It is not compatible with the Digi+.