Raspberry Pi Audio Hat powered by TI's TAS5825M DAC
Designed by Sonocotta in Poland
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What is it? The Louder Raspberry Hat Plus is a cost-effective, high-performance audio add-on for the Raspberry Pi. It pairs the Pi’s processing power with the Hi-Fi audio quality of TI’s TAS5825M DAC…
Read More…The Louder Raspberry Hat Plus is a cost-effective, high-performance audio add-on for the Raspberry Pi. It pairs the Pi’s processing power with the Hi-Fi audio quality of TI’s TAS5825M DAC and an efficient Class-D output stage.
The Hat accepts an external power supply of up to 28 V and includes an onboard step-down converter to provide 5 V to the Raspberry Pi, allowing the entire system to run from a single power source. It uses highly capable DAC delivering clean, powerful audio suitable for driving large speakers—or pushing small ones to their limits.
| 1X | 2X |
|---|---|
A recent addition to the family is a 2X Louder Raspberry Pi Hat that utilizes two TAS5825M DACs connected in series to deliver a flexible speaker configuration with a dedicated subwoofer driver.
Compared to the original Raspberry Pi Hat Plus model introduces much more efficient DAC from the same family. It allows to push extra power from the speaker for longer, with less heating issues. IAlso it has much more capable DSP inside, but at this point software support is a work in progress and features list is closely matching the original Hat.
Louder Raspberry Hat Plus is a flexible, open-source audio platform designed to fit into both smart homes and custom audio projects.
| Louder Raspberry Hat | Louder Raspberry Hat Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Image (Hat) | ||
| Image (Hat, 2X) | ||
| Compatible with | Every Pi | Every Pi |
| DAC | (1X) Stereo I2S DAC TAS5825M with built in D-Class amp(2X) Dual (2.1) I2S DAC TAS5825M with built in D-Class amp | (1X) Stereo I2S DAC TAS5825M with built in D-Class amp(2X) Dual (2.1) I2S DAC TAS5825M with built in D-Class amp |
| Output | [1X] 2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N); 2x 32W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V 1x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V [2X]: 2x 22W (8Ω, 1% THD+N) + 1x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) | [1X] 2x 32W (8Ω, 1% THD+N); 2x 45W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V 1x 53W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) at 20V [2X]: 2x 32W (8Ω, 1% THD+N) + 1x 53W (4Ω, 1% THD+N) |
| IR input | yes | 1X model |
| Power requirement | 65W USB-C PD power adapter [NOPD] Up to 26V from external PSU[Hat] 7..26V from external sourcepowering host (up to 3A cont.) | 7..26V from external sourcepowering host (up to 3A cont.) |
| Mechanical dimensions (WxHxD), Hat | 65mm x 56mm x 20mm | 65mm x 56mm x 20mm |
| I2C CLK | I2C DATA | DAC PWDN | IR INPUT | I2S CLK | I2S DATA | I2S WS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Hat 1X | 3 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
| Raspberry Pi Hat 2X | 3 | 2 | 4, 5 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
You can use any distribution you like. To enable the IR reader, you need to add 1 line to the /boot/config.txt
dtoverlay=gpio-ir,gpio_pin=17
TAS5825M DAC is not supported by default Raspbian distribution, therefore, some work needs to be done to enable it. Linked repo contains code and instructions on how to configure it. It will take you 5 minutes and one reboot.
The project repository provides a few examples with build instructions, including Volumio setup instructions, among others.
Please visit the hardware section of the project repo for board schematics and PCB designs. Note that PCBs are shared as multi-layer PDFs as well as Gerber archives.
Please follow this guide to configure an IR reader
Both TAS5805M and TAS5825M DACs feature sophisticated DSPs inside. The unified driver automatically detects which chip is connected based on I2C address and provides extensive control over DSP features through ALSA, eliminating the need for the $250+ evaluation board for most use cases.
Chip Detection: - TAS5805M: I2C addresses 0x2c - 0x2f (automatically detected) - TAS5825M: I2C addresses 0x4c - 0x4f (automatically detected)
Currently Implemented:
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ti,eq-mode)Below are the power requirements for different Pi models
| Model | Power requirement |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Zero W | 260 mA (1.3 W) |
| Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W | 500 mA (2.5 W) |
| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B | 1.34 A (6.7 W) |
| Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ | 1.21 A (6.05 W) |
| Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ | 0.75 A (3.75 W) |
| Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB RAM variants) | 3.0 A (15 W) |
| Raspberry Pi 5 | Approximately 3.5 A |
Consider expected audio output to be a part of the power budget and buy a reasonable power source capable of delivering the sum of Pi and audio requirements with a reasonable margin of 15%+
In the extreme scenario, using 2 channels with 4 Ohms load with Pi5, you'd need (15W [Pi] + 60W [audio]) * 1.2 = 90W, round up to 100W.
New restock batches are regularly ordered from the factory, and I plan to keep all versions available at least until the next board revision is released. For current availability, you can also check the official reseller Elecrow.
Due to the new tariffs introduced by the Trump administration, standard shipments are temporarily on hold. However, shipping to the US has now resumed via UPS, though rates are currently quite high. I’ll fully resume regular shipping as soon as the restrictions are lifted.
If you’re working on an open-source project, an educational initiative, or any pro-bono/volunteer effort, feel free to reach out for sponsorship details. I’ll do my best to provide discounts or even free boards.
If you’re interested in a custom design based on, or inspired by, my boards, I also offer contract design work and consultation when needed.
Buy with confidence.
Our Tindie Guarantee protects your purchase from fraud. Learn More
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