My previous tutorial on the Raspberry Pi, Using a Raspberry Pi as an AirPlay Receiver, made use of the device’s built-in 3.5mm jack for audio output. This, however, produces sound that is mediocre at best and if you’re wanting to use the Raspberry Pi for any amount of audio listening, it’s going to have to produce a better quality of audio. We’re not going to squeeze much more out of the built-in components so, in this tutorial, I’ll explain how to set up and configure a cheap USB sound card as the Raspberry Pi’s default audio output device, providing a better quality, and volume, audio.
Before You Begin
This tutorial will follow on from my previous tutorial, Using a Raspberry Pi as an AirPlay Receiver. It will be expected that you have completed this tutorial and your Raspberry Pi is currently able to act as an AirPlay receiver, albeit with its built-in audio output.USB Audio Device
Back in the good old days, most audio devices needed their own set of drivers and software to work. This often proved very frustrating for end-users and developers alike.The reason for this is that many devices from different manufacturers actually use the same chipset, the physical components that make up the device. This is what the drivers and software are for and you’ll often find that a number of different audio devices from many manufacturers will use the exact same chipset, the only difference between them will usually just be the branding.
Nowadays, most modern operating systems and audio devices have no such requirements as most chipsets work to an accepted standard, and since most manufacturers will make use of the same small number of chipsets, providing widespread support is far easier. There are certainly a small number of more specialised audio devices that require additional software but any generic audio output device is usually just plug-and-play
