I'm trying to build a hardware speech synth out of a Raspberry Pi. I
rigged up a proof-of-concept with a Zero 2 W and a bluetooth speaker.
Now I'd like to add a sound card and speaker "HAT". This is for
synthesized speech only so audio quality does not need to be hi-fi. But
low latency and physical robustness are important. I am hoping to build
something other blind systems engineers can also build on their own so
a a compact, robust physical package for the HAT and case are needed.
And no soldering. Another requirement is that it must be compatible with
Raspberry PI OS, alsa, and espeak-ng. One suggestion I’ve received is
the Pimoroni Pirate Audio Speaker HAT, which has an onboard speaker and
seems to be fully assembled.
Before committing, I’d appreciate feedback from anyone with experience
using:
* Pirate Audio Speaker HAT specifically, or
* Similar Pi Zero–compatible I²S speaker HATs
Questions in particular:
1. Is the Pirate Audio Speaker HAT a reasonable choice for speech output
on a Pi Zero 2 W?
2. Any known latency or driver issues under current Raspberry Pi OS?
3. Are there simpler or more robust alternatives I should consider for
voice-only output?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
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Mike Ray, list creator, January 2013
I'm trying to build a hardware speech synth out of a Raspberry Pi. I
rigged up a proof-of-concept with a Zero 2 W and a bluetooth speaker.
Now I'd like to add a sound card and speaker "HAT". This is for
synthesized speech only so audio quality does not need to be hi-fi. But
low latency and physical robustness are important. I am hoping to build
something other blind systems engineers can also build on their own so
a a compact, robust physical package for the HAT and case are needed.
And no soldering. Another requirement is that it must be compatible with
Raspberry PI OS, alsa, and espeak-ng. One suggestion I’ve received is
the Pimoroni Pirate Audio Speaker HAT, which has an onboard speaker and
seems to be fully assembled.
Before committing, I’d appreciate feedback from anyone with experience
using:
* Pirate Audio Speaker HAT specifically, or
* Similar Pi Zero–compatible I²S speaker HATs
Questions in particular:
1. Is the Pirate Audio Speaker HAT a reasonable choice for speech output
on a Pi Zero 2 W?
2. Any known latency or driver issues under current Raspberry Pi OS?
3. Are there simpler or more robust alternatives I should consider for
voice-only output?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
===========================================================
The raspberry-vi mailing list
Archives: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www. ... ybHuyyf27n$
Administrative contact: <mike.ray@btinternet.com>
-----------------------------------------------------------
Raspberry Pi and the Raspberry Pi logo are trademarks of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
This list is not affiliated to the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the views and attitudes expressed by the subscribers to this list do not reflect those of the Foundation.
Mike Ray, list creator, January 2013
rigged up a proof-of-concept with a Zero 2 W and a bluetooth speaker.
Now I'd like to add a sound card and speaker "HAT". This is for
synthesized speech only so audio quality does not need to be hi-fi. But
low latency and physical robustness are important. I am hoping to build
something other blind systems engineers can also build on their own so
a a compact, robust physical package for the HAT and case are needed.
And no soldering. Another requirement is that it must be compatible with
Raspberry PI OS, alsa, and espeak-ng. One suggestion I’ve received is
the Pimoroni Pirate Audio Speaker HAT, which has an onboard speaker and
seems to be fully assembled.
Before committing, I’d appreciate feedback from anyone with experience
using:
* Pirate Audio Speaker HAT specifically, or
* Similar Pi Zero–compatible I²S speaker HATs
Questions in particular:
1. Is the Pirate Audio Speaker HAT a reasonable choice for speech output
on a Pi Zero 2 W?
2. Any known latency or driver issues under current Raspberry Pi OS?
3. Are there simpler or more robust alternatives I should consider for
voice-only output?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
===========================================================
The raspberry-vi mailing list
Archives: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www. ... ybHuyyf27n$
Administrative contact: <mike.ray@btinternet.com>
-----------------------------------------------------------
Raspberry Pi and the Raspberry Pi logo are trademarks of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
This list is not affiliated to the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the views and attitudes expressed by the subscribers to this list do not reflect those of the Foundation.
Mike Ray, list creator, January 2013
I'm trying to build a hardware speech synth out of a Raspberry Pi. I
rigged up a proof-of-concept with a Zero 2 W and a bluetooth speaker.
Now I'd like to add a sound card and speaker "HAT". This is for
synthesized speech only so audio quality does not need to be hi-fi. But
low latency and physical robustness are important. I am hoping to build
something other blind systems engineers can also build on their own so
a a compact, robust physical package for the HAT and case are needed.
And no soldering. Another requirement is that it must be compatible with
Raspberry PI OS, alsa, and espeak-ng. One suggestion I’ve received is
the Pimoroni Pirate Audio Speaker HAT, which has an onboard speaker and
seems to be fully assembled.
Before committing, I’d appreciate feedback from anyone with experience
using:
* Pirate Audio Speaker HAT specifically, or
* Similar Pi Zero–compatible I²S speaker HATs
Questions in particular:
1. Is the Pirate Audio Speaker HAT a reasonable choice for speech output
on a Pi Zero 2 W?
2. Any known latency or driver issues under current Raspberry Pi OS?
3. Are there simpler or more robust alternatives I should consider for
voice-only output?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
===========================================================
The raspberry-vi mailing list
Archives: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www. ... ybHuyyf27n$
Administrative contact: <mike.ray@btinternet.com>
-----------------------------------------------------------
Raspberry Pi and the Raspberry Pi logo are trademarks of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
This list is not affiliated to the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the views and attitudes expressed by the subscribers to this list do not reflect those of the Foundation.
Mike Ray, list creator, January 2013
Statistics: Posted by JHEIM — Thu Jan 01, 2026 11:11 pm