Last month I reviewed the RaspTouch Raspberry
Pi based player with touch screen.
It was running PiCorePlayer to emulate a Squeezebox
Touch.
I recently came across Roon Bridge software
for the Pi that can use the touch screen to
display what’s playing and even offer play,
pause and skip from the screen.
A 
proper working RoonBridge image for the Pi
can be obtained from HiFiBerry and it will
only work with HiFIBerry or compatible products.
RoonLabs offers Roon Bridge software for Linux
on an ARM7 processor, but then you have to
install it all yourself.
The fun of RoPiee is that it installs an configures
itself.
It even supports the Raspberry Pi 7 inch colour
touchscreen.
I used the nice Rasptouch hardware, but you
could use any housing that can hold the Raspberry
Pi and the Raspberry Pi 7 inch touch screen.
Once that is set up you need to prepare a
microSD card with the Ropieee image.
This can be downloaded from RoPieee.org, the
link is in the show notes.
You just follow the instructions on the ‘Getting
Started’ page to load the image to the microSD.
Then the microSD card is inserted in the Raspberry
Pi - in the case of the RaspTouch the microSD
slot on the rear is used.
The software is written so that it analyses
the hardware and automatically adjusts to
it.
The site warns you to be patient, I would
urge you to be very patient for it does take
a long time.
If you have the screen connected, you more
than once are invited to log in.
DON’T. Wait until the player screen becomes
visible.
Now open an internet browser on your computer
or tablet and type ropeeee.local.
The web interface of RoPieee becomes visible.
Here you can set the Hostname which is only
handy if you intend to use more than one RoPieee
players in your network.
Below that you select what sound card you
want to use - if you want to use one.
You could instead tick the Audio USB box and
use a USB DAC.
Leave the rest on the page as it is and click
‘Commit Changes’, followed by Save Changes’
and ‘reboot’.
Confirm you want to reboot and wait for it
to restart.
You might have to refresh the screen after
the reboot.
If you don’t use a screen, you’re set.
If you do use a screen, goto the Display tab
where you can change the orientation of the
screen if it is upside down.
Below that you give the Ropeee player a name.
I used RaspTouch but any name will do.
Now go to the Roon interface on your computer,
open settings and select Extensions.
Under Discovered Roon Extentions you will
see RoPieee mentioned.
Click on Enable and the display on the Raspberry
Pi will show what is playing from then on.
If you want you can set further preferences
for the network and the automatic update.
For once you have installed Ropiee, you need
not be concerned about updates.
If you’re adventurous you can set the update
engine to go for the beta versions.
Currently two user interface screens are available:
one standard screen and a screen that lets
you also select the radio, random and repeat
functions.
Simply tap on the cover art to switch between
the two.
The play/pauze and skip foreward and backward
functions speak for themselves.
And no, you can not browse through your music
and/or select other music.
Touching the lower right corner lets you set
the screen brightness, the time format, scrolling
texts and blank screen on time-out.
The sound quality will be determined by the
hardware used.
Use the USB output and the quality will be
limited.
Use a good quality HAT board and the sound
improves.
I hear no difference between Volumio, piCorePlayer
and RoPieee on the same RaspTouch hardware.
As said, you are free to choose any housing,
if any, and use it with or without screen.
You could also order the RaspTouch housing
I used, install no HAT board DAC or SPDIF
output and use it purely as a display and
simple remote by activating the Spockfish
extension.
I used the RaspTouch parallel to the SOtM
sMS-200 Ultra networked audio interface so
I could enjoy the very high quality of the
SOtM and the display the RoPieee software
offered.
But in my set 3 the AudioPhonics ES9028 internal
DAC does a great job.
HAT boards by Allo, HiFiBerry, iQaudiO, Justboom
and the standard I2S boards are supported,
meaning that almost anything will play.
The ES9028 worked fine with the standard I2S
setting.
DoP is supported, as is native DSD streaming
on a large number of DAC’s.
See the Audio Hardware page on ropieee.org
for an up to date list.
Almost finished with this review I discovered
that RoPieee was initiated and developed by
Harry ten Berge, who is a viewer of this channel
but also a fellow Dutchman, IT specialist
and hifi enthusiast.
I contacted him and he told me he wanted the
installation of RoPieee to be easy for people
with limited or no knowledge of computers
and software and only Roon will be supported.
I asked him for future plans: Wi-fi will be
implemented although he doesn’t advise using
it - and I agree.
More screens might be added, more advanced
zone selection and perhaps infrared control.
But, actually, that is only window dressing.
RoPieee indeed is very easy to install, even
for the IT challenged.
Only the impatient might disturb the lengthy
automated installation and configuration process.
Harry might consider adding an indicator that
work still is done and the login message is
to be ignored.
But now that you know, it won’t bother you.
If significant improvements are implemented,
I’ll let you know.
So subscribe to this channel or follow me
on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.
See the show notes for the links.
If you have a question, post it below this
video but please don’t ask me for buying
advise.
See my About Questions video to find out why.
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I am Hans Beekhuyzen, thank you for watching
and see you in the next show or on theHBproject.com.
And whatever you do, enjoy the music.
