Amp—FAQ

 

Amp—FAQ

Availablility

Q: When will it be available?
A: It is available now.

Functionality

Q: Is there anything I need in addition to the Amp?
A: For a complete stereo audio system you need the following components:

  • HiFiBerry Amp
  • Raspberry Pi
  • an external 12-18V 60-100W power supply
  • a pair of loudspeakers

Q: Can I combine it with the Digi or DAC?
A: Unfortunately this is not possible.

Q: Does it work with 4Ohm/8 Ohm speakers?
A: The HiFiBerry Amp works well with speakers of 4-8 Ohm impedance.

Q: Can I control the volume by software?
A: Yes.

Performance

Q: Why does it only support up to 48kHz sample rates?
A: For many use cases, 44.1kHz (CD) and 48kHz  (DVD) are enough. To keep the footprint small, we had to make some compromises.

Soldering/Mounting

Q: Does it work with all Raspberry Pis?
A: It works only with Raspberry Pi hardware release 2. However, all Raspberry Pi’s sold in 2013 and even most sold in 2012 are release-2 devices. To make sure, you have to identify the P5 header on the Raspberry Pi board. Look at this page for how to find this connector.

Q: Do I really have to solder something onto my Raspberry Pi?
A: Unfortunately, the pins needed for the sound connection are not populated. However, soldering is not very difficult, even for beginners. Check out our page on soldering the connector.

Software support

Q: Does it work with my Linux distribution?
A: Yes, it works with any Linux distribution that uses the standard Raspberry Pi Linux kernel.