Raspberry Pi devices are very popular solutions for those looking for media storage, as you can easily stuff them with some of your favorite films, retro video games, and music, or even access various streaming services like Netflix or Spotify!
But a key part of enjoying this media to the fullest is having access to sound. But do Raspberry Pi computers actually have any kind of speaker built into them? Want to find out if you can play audio directly from your Raspberry Pi?
If so, you have come to the right place. Today, we have set out to find out once and for all whether the Raspberry Pi has a speaker, and whether you can use it to play digital audio files.
Read on down below to find out now!
Does The Raspberry Pi Have A Speaker?
Unfortunately, no, Raspberry Pi computers do not come with built-in speakers to allow you to listen to digital audio out loud. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to listen to audio through your Raspberry Pi.
If you wish to play audio from your Raspberry Pi computer, there are a number of options that you can turn to! Let’s take a look at these options now!
HDMI Output
Most Raspberry Pi computers have HDMI ports built into them, which allow you to directly hook up the tiny computer to an appropriate HD monitor.
The best thing about HDMI output is that one HDMI cable can not only carry visual information but also high-quality audio information, allowing you to play sound from the display that you hook it up to.
If your chosen monitor does not have built-in sound options, you can simply hook up some external speakers to the monitor, such as through an audio jack.
This is a great option for anyone not only wanting to display audio but also accompanying video, such as watching movies or television shows.
Headphones/Speakers
Luckily, though Raspberry Pi motherboards do not have speakers built into them, they do provide you with access to an audio jack, which allows you to easily hook up a pair of speakers or headphones, which you can easily play music or other audio from.
As well as this, hooking up speakers and headphones to the audio jack of a Raspberry Pi is incredibly simple. Simply grab the audio pin of your chosen device, and insert it firmly into the audio jack.
However, you will need to make sure that your chosen audio device is of the 3.5mm variety, as there is no option for larger or smaller pins!
Bluetooth
If you want to take advantage of Raspberry Pi’s portable and untethered nature, you can easily connect the device to Bluetooth, to allow you to connect to Bluetooth-enabled headphones or speakers.
In order to do this, you will want to make sure that your Raspberry Pi is connected to a monitor so that you can access the correct options to enable Bluetooth.
Simply head to the main desktop screen, and look towards the top right of the screen, where you will find the “Bluetooth” icon.
Click on the icon, and you will be given the option to “Add device”. Click on this option, and then find your Bluetooth speaker or headphones in the new menu that pops up.
You will need to make sure that your Bluetooth device is activated, and that you have enabled Bluetooth on it. You may even need to manually put the device into “Pairing” mode.
Simply click on your device on the Raspberry Pi interface, and the pairing process will begin.
USB
This is another simple option if you have an audio playback device that connects via USB. Raspberry Pi motherboards come with USB ports attached as standard, so you will be able to simply plug the speaker directly in.
USB speakers are particularly useful as not only can they carry audio information via the USB connection, but they can also be powered by the USB connection, which helps to minimize the connections necessary to power the speakers.
Unfortunately, much like all other models of Raspberry Pi computers, the Raspberry Pi 3 does not have a speaker directly attached to it. This means that you cannot play audio directly from the device.
Instead, you will need to hook up an external sound system via one of the many options like the audio jack port, USB port, or via Bluetooth!
Does The Pi 4 Have A Microphone?
Unfortunately not. The Raspberry Pi 4 cannot record sound that is input into it, and there is no way to hook up a microphone to the device!
The reason for this is that there is very limited space on the motherboard itself, which means that there is no room to hook up an extra additional microphone input jack!
Can Raspberry Pi 4 Netflix?
Yes. The Raspberry Pi 4 can successfully run Netflix and is very often used as a popular option for many streaming fans, thanks to its easy portability.
However, in order to access Netflix via the browser on the Raspberry Pi 4, you will need to ensure that you have installed the very latest DRM package.
The DRM package refers to “Digital Rights Management”, and is what gives you the right to stream copyrighted content via the internet.
To Wrap Up
Though the Raspberry Pi may not have a built-in speaker across any of its models, it is incredibly easy to hook up your own audio playback system to the motherboard using some of the many inputs.
Try out some of these yourself to see which one provides you with the best playback!
As a tech enthusiast from a young age, it was inevitable that I'd find my way to the humble, yet brilliant Raspberry Pi. With this site - I aim to build out a knowledge base that will give you everything you need for your own Raspberry Pi journey!
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