I recently stumbled upon the Louder ESP32 while searching for an ESP32 amplifier that supports ESPHome firmware. This device immediately caught my attention due to its impressive specifications, including an external I2S DAC capable of driving two full-sized speakers and an external PSRAM chip. However, there was no existing ESPHome support, which was a bit of a hurdle.
With some assistance from the board’s developer and a dash of creativity (and a little help from ChatGPT), I managed to create a custom component to integrate this ‘high power’ DAC/AMP into my ESPHome setup. I also filed a feature request to officially support the TAS5805M chip in ESPHome.
The Louder ESP32 has exceeded my expectations in terms of sound quality. If you’re looking for a reliable ESPHome-compatible smart speaker solution, I highly recommend giving this board a try. Check out my GitHub repository for the configuration details or visit my blog for a more in-depth review.
For those interested in exploring multimedia capabilities, you could even run Squeezelite-ESP32, which supports SpotifyConnect and AirPlay, but honestly, the ESPHome setup is more than sufficient for my needs!
I hope this post helps others discover this fantastic device and encourages the community to explore more ESPHome-compatible hardware.