[PROBLEM] BlueTooth Output Very Low

[Crackerjb]

Hi

I have a Pi 4B 4GB running Moode 8.1.1 (64 bit version) and a HifBerry DAC+ Pro and its working great on both the headphone jack and of course the DAC to a Bose Companion 50 speaker system and sounds great. I want to try and stream this Moode system now to a Bose Flex Bluetooth speaker which I am having issues with.

I set up the BT via the BlueZ config and can pair and connect the speaker but the BT output to the speaker is extremely low ( in fact you can only hear it very faintly if you place the speaker to your ear.) There is also a lot of back ground noise and hiss but I guess this is because the Moode output volume is set to 100 and the speaker volume set to max. I have tried all sorts of changes including removing the DAC completely and configuring just the PI 4B but still no joy. I have checked the Alsamixer and its only has the DAC output listed which I would expect and this is all good. I also tried various other BT devices ( apple Airpods, Jabras BT headset ) and still the same issue.
Has anyone else had issues with BT on the Moode 8.1.1 ?

[citro]

A little offtopic, but if you have time, please answer this: where is your music library located and how is connected to your Pi ? Is is on local (USB) storage? Is is on network storage (NAS)? Also, your Pi is connected to network via WiFi or ethernet ?

[Crackerjb]

Hi - I am not using a music library for these tests - I am using the built in radio streams and have tried several stations with the same results, so its not a network problem. As I said they all work fine with the DAC and headphone jack - output is perfect, its only the BT I have issues with.

[citro]

You are using WiFi or Ethernet to connect your Pi to your network ?

[Crackerjb]

I use WiFi but could test with ethernet over the weekend if you think it will help ?

[citro]

I also have a Bluetooth related problem (choppy sound), but with a different setup (it involves a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W). Also, I found some reports indicating issues with Raspberry Pi, WiFi and Bluetooth + BT speakers.

I'm also looking for a solution. I don't think it is Moode related, but I came here for help.

[TheOldPresbyope]

@Crackerjb

It's inconvenient to replicate your configuration with a Pi4B at the moment but I do have two Pi3As online, one running 32-bit 8.1.1 and the other 64-bit 8.1.1. (I don't expect a material difference but ya never know.) I use WiFi for connection of all my devices (except the NASes) to my LAN.

Using a JBL Flip2 Bluetooth speaker for my test, I get what sounds to be roughly equal and quite acceptable output levels from either player via their onboard Bluetooth transceivers.

Not sure where to start diagnosing your issue, but as always posting the system info output is a good start. 

As an aside, for all Pis with onboard WiF/Bluetooth it's good to keep them as much in the open as possible given other constraints. Burying them in a metallic case and/or in a rat's nest of cables is a recipe for frustration.

And, since I just saw some other posts from this morning, of course there can be mutual interference between the WiFi and Bluetooth subsystems on these SBCs; they're just radios. As the saying goes, though, the devil in the details.

Regards,
Kent

[Crackerjb]

       

@Crackerjb

It's inconvenient to replicate your configuration with a Pi4B at the moment but I do have two Pi3As online, one running 32-bit 8.1.1 and the other 64-bit 8.1.1. (I don't expect a material difference but ya never know.) I use WiFi for connection of all my devices (except the NASes) to my LAN.

Using a JBL Flip2 Bluetooth speaker for my test, I get what sounds to be roughly equal and quite acceptable output levels from either player via their onboard Bluetooth transceivers.

Not sure where to start diagnosing your issue, but as always posting the system info output is a good start. 

As an aside, for all Pis with onboard WiF/Bluetooth it's good to keep them as much in the open as possible given other constraints. Burying them in a metallic case and/or in a rat's nest of cables is a recipe for frustration.

And, since I just saw some other posts from this morning, of course there can be mutual interference between the WiFi and Bluetooth subsystems on these SBCs; they're just radios. As the saying goes, though, the devil in the details.

Regards,
Kent

[Crackerjb]

I have posted the system config here - I tried using the Ethernet ( Disable WiFi ) and BT and the output to the Bose speaker is louder but still not as loud as it should be so investigation continues

[Tim Curtis]

Hi

I have a Pi 4B 4GB running Moode 8.1.1 (64 bit version) and a HifBerry DAC+ Pro and its working great on both the headphone jack and of course the DAC to a Bose Companion 50 speaker system and sounds great. I want to try and stream this Moode system now to a Bose Flex Bluetooth speaker which I am having issues with.

I set up the BT via the BlueZ config and can pair and connect the speaker but the BT output to the speaker is extremely low ( in fact you can only hear it very faintly if you place the speaker to your ear.) There is also a lot of back ground noise and hiss but I guess this is because the Moode output volume is set to 100 and the speaker volume set to max. I have tried all sorts of changes including removing the DAC completely and configuring just the PI 4B but still no joy. I have checked the Alsamixer and its only has the DAC output listed which I would expect and this is all good. I also tried various other BT devices ( apple Airpods, Jabras BT headset ) and still the same issue.
Has anyone else had issues with BT on the Moode 8.1.1 ?

I just ran a quick test with an Anker Soundcore BT speaker and no issues with volume however when changing from MPD audio output -> Bluetooth back to -> Local the BlueZ Config screen crashes :-0

This is due to a bug involving a missing library and is fixed in upcoming moOde 8.1.2 (soon).

For renderer issues where the UI is broken run one of the commands below to restart and reset the renderer.

Code:

moodeutl -R --renderer_name
moodeutl --btreset

pi@kef:~ $ moodeutl --help
Usage: moodeutl [OPTION]
Moode utility programs

With no OPTION print the help text and exit.

-a             Print features availability
-A [add|rm N]  Update features availability
-c             Detect highest CIFS protocol version [host or ip address]
-C             Detect CIFS shares [host or ip address]
-d             Dump session file (requires sudo)
-D [var name]  Delete session variable (requires sudo)
-e [filename]  Export settings to [filename] or ./moodecfg-<timestamp>.ini
-i             Import /boot/moodecfg.ini
-f             Print supported audio formats
-F             Print full alsacap info
-l             Print moode log
-m             Run system monitor
-n             Detect NBT (Samba) hosts
-o             List audio overlays
-p             Import playlists
-q             Query sql database
-r             Restart servers
-R             Restart renderer [--bluetooth | --airplay | --spotify | --squeezelite | --roonbridge]
-s             Print system info
-t             Print last 10 lines of moode log and wait
-u             Check radio station urls for playability
-U             Check station urls, list only unplayable
--btreset      Reset Bluetooth to off
--mpdlog       Print MPD log
--mooderel     Print moOde release
--revision     Print the hardware revision
--version      Print the program version
--help         Print this help text