Balena Sound vs Volumio

Struggling to choose between Balena Sound and Volumio? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Balena Sound is a Audio & Music solution with tags like opensource, wireless, streaming, music, audio.

It boasts features such as Turns old speakers/audio equipment into wireless streaming devices, Works with computers and mobile devices over WiFi, Supports audio formats like MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, Open-source software, Web-based UI for setup and management, Multi-room audio streaming, Compatible with Raspberry Pi and other SBCs and pros including Revives old/unused speakers, Wireless streaming capability, Free and open source, Easy setup, Web UI for management, Multi-room audio support.

On the other hand, Volumio is a Audio & Music product tagged with open-source, audiophile, raspberry-pi, linux.

Its standout features include Web-based UI for browsing music library and playback control, Supports a wide range of audio formats including FLAC, WAV, MP3, AAC, Plugins allow integration with streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Multi-room audio streaming to synchronize playback across devices, Supports a variety of audio output options like USB DACs, HDMI, I2S, Open source software based on Linux, and it shines with pros like Intuitive and easy to use interface, Great sound quality with support for hi-res audio, Active development community adding new features, Works on low-cost platforms like Raspberry Pi, Completely free and open source.

Feature	Balena Sound	Volumio
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Audio & Music	Audio & Music

Product Overview

Balena Sound

Description: Balena Sound is an open-source software that allows you to turn any old speakers or Hi-Fi into a network-connected wireless streaming device. It works with computers and mobile devices to stream music over WiFi.

Volumio

Description: Volumio is an open source audiophile music player that runs on Linux hardware platforms including Raspberry Pi, PCs, and mini PCs. It has a user-friendly web UI for library browsing and playback control.

Key Features Comparison

Balena Sound Features

• Turns old speakers/audio equipment into wireless streaming devices
• Works with computers and mobile devices over WiFi
• Supports audio formats like MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV
• Open-source software
• Web-based UI for setup and management
• Multi-room audio streaming
• Compatible with Raspberry Pi and other SBCs

Volumio Features

• Web-based UI for browsing music library and playback control
• Supports a wide range of audio formats including FLAC, WAV, MP3, AAC
• Plugins allow integration with streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz
• Multi-room audio streaming to synchronize playback across devices
• Supports a variety of audio output options like USB DACs, HDMI, I2S
• Open source software based on Linux

Pros & Cons Analysis

Balena Sound

Pros

• Revives old/unused speakers
• Wireless streaming capability
• Free and open source
• Easy setup
• Web UI for management
• Multi-room audio support

Cons

• Requires compatible hardware like Raspberry Pi
• Setup can be tricky for non-technical users
• Limited to audio streaming only
• No native mobile apps
• Dependency on Balena Cloud

Volumio

Pros

• Intuitive and easy to use interface
• Great sound quality with support for hi-res audio
• Active development community adding new features
• Works on low-cost platforms like Raspberry Pi
• Completely free and open source

Cons

• Setup can be tricky for non-technical users
• Limited native support for some music services
• No built-in touchscreen interface
• Requires external DAC for best audio quality

Pricing Comparison

Balena Sound

• Open Source

Volumio

• Open Source