Does the Raspberry Pi Have a Speaker? (Audio Configuration)

The Raspberry Pi is an incredible machine if you know how to use it, with a long list of different capabilities. One of its features is the ability to output sound, but it’s not immediately obvious how to do that out of the box. In this post, I’ll show you how.

The Raspberry Pi does not have a built-in speaker, but it has several audio output modes that allow for a speaker to be connected. Physical ports for audio exist in the form of USB, HDMI, and an audio jack, and speakers can also be linked wirelessly through Bluetooth.

While the Raspberry Pi doesn’t come with a speaker, hooking up your own speaker is quite easy. Let’s cover the different ways, and I’ll even throw in some recommendations on apps you can use to start blasting music on your Raspberry Pi!

If you’re feeling lost in all the Raspberry Pi jargon, I’ve got something to help you out. I’ve created a free glossary that explains all the essential terms and abbreviations in a way that’s easy to understand. It’s a great resource to have by your side. Get your free copy here.

How to Connect a Raspberry Pi to a Speaker

You can physically connect a speaker to your Raspberry Pi through the use of USB, audio jack, HDMI, or other devices. Let me go over each method briefly.

USB Speakers

The Raspberry Pi has multiple USB ports, so you can plug in any speaker that has USB capabilities. For example, you should be able to use USB headsets (like this one from Logitech) or a USB computer speaker (like this one).

Be careful if you’re buying a completely new speaker or headset to use with the Raspberry Pi, as there are some potential incompatibilities issues with Linux. It probably works directly most of the time, but there’s a small chance some hardware might not be recognized by your system.

In any case, if you already have some USB audio devices laying around, you can try them on your Raspberry Pi. Hopefully, it should work.

Audio Jack Port

If you don’t have a speaker with USB capabilities, you can plug in traditional speakers using the audio jack port available on most Raspberry Pi models.

Note: The Raspberry Pi 4 and older models has an audio jack, but the newer Raspberry Pi 5 doesn’t have this port anymore.

The good news with using an audio jack is that the Raspberry Pi will intuitively recognize your plug-in speakers as an audio device, so no additional configuration is needed.

Simply plug your favorite pair of headphones or earbuds into the board. If you have speakers that also have a jack port, use an aux cord to connect the speaker to the Raspberry Pi and audio will output through the speaker.

To connect the speaker this way, you need to select the correct output so that the audio will go through your speakers instead of trying to output through your monitor.

HDMI Audio

Although the two methods above may be ideal, you have a third option to fall back on if they don’t work for your situation. Most Raspberry Pi models have HDMI ports that can be used to play audio too.

If you connect a monitor with built-in speakers, this might be the easiest way to make this work. HDMI is selected by default in your sound configuration, so it should work directly.

It won’t be the best audio quality in general, but it might be enough for your needs.

RasPad

Another option is to use a case with a built-in speaker, like the RasPad 3. I tested it recently and it works fine. It has a basic speaker that won’t compete with your 5.1 Bose system, but for basic usage, it’s great.

There are also many other advantages to using a device like this, as explained in my in-depth review of the RasPad 3.

Can I Use Bluetooth Speakers With Raspberry Pi?

Yes, you definitely can use Bluetooth speakers with Raspberry Pi. This is an essential feature, especially because many speakers and earbuds these days are wireless. It can also be a fun weekend project to convert an old speaker into a Bluetooth one.

The Raspberry Pi has Bluetooth capabilities that make it super easy and simple to set up wireless speakers. Connecting a Bluetooth speaker to Raspberry Pi is the same process as connecting any other device to Bluetooth.

Follow the steps below to set up your Bluetooth connection:

• Turn your speaker on, and make sure it’s in pairing mode.
• Click the Bluetooth icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
• Select Add Device… and look for your speaker.
  If your speaker doesn’t have a recognizable name, you might have to identify it through its MAC address, which is a six-octet, hexadecimal code. This code is usually located on the device itself and can be identified there.
  
• Select your speaker from the list, and click Pair.
  You should receive a notification that the pairing was successful.
• The Raspberry Pi should now be connected to the speaker, but to get it to output to audio, you need to click on the volume control applet and then choose the device from there.
• When your device is connected, a pop-up will display to confirm that it’s connected, and then audio will be able to play from the device.

If you need more help, check out our full guide: How to Use Bluetooth on Raspberry Pi.

While the process to connect a Bluetooth speaker is a bit more involved than just plugging into the jack port, you only have to take the time to link your speaker once. After that, you shouldn’t have to go through the pairing process again, although you may have to reconnect to the speaker after restarting your Raspberry Pi.

Playing Music on the Raspberry Pi

Now that you know different ways to connect a speaker to your Raspberry Pi, it might be helpful to know a few ways to play your favorite tunes. Some of the best apps to play music through Raspberry Pi are Kodi and VLC.

Kodi

Kodi is a free media player app available for all models of Raspberry Pi. Kodi is easy to install, and it allows the user to perform other tasks on the Raspberry Pi while it’s playing, a luxury not all other audio players have.

Kodi can be installed like any other app on Raspberry Pi OS (by following this procedure), but you can also use a lightweight OS made just for this, like LibreElec or OSMC.

I have a few tutorials about it on this website, feel free to check them if you are interested:

• The Ultimate Guide to Install Kodi on Raspberry Pi (OSMC)
• OSMC vs LibreElec: What’s the Best Media Center System?
• The 3 Best Ways to Use Spotify on Your Raspberry Pi
• How to Use YouTube API Keys with the Kodi add-on?

VLC

VLC is one of the best open-source media players. It can be installed on the Raspberry Pi with ease. As long as you have an up-to-date Raspberry Pi, VLC will run well and can play music through the connected speaker.

VLC is pre-installed by default on newer versions of Raspberry Pi OS Desktop, but if it’s not there for some reason, you can add it easily by using the “Recommend Software” app (or with your package manager if you’re using another distribution on your Raspberry Pi).

Plex

Plex is a multi-media streaming server that’s easy to navigate and contains a variety of different capabilities. This program is compatible with Raspberry Pi and takes a little bit of work to install and set up.

To get Plex on your Raspberry Pi, you can follow our full guide: Getting Started With Plex Media Server On Raspberry Pi.

Once you have all the preliminary capabilities, you can install the Plex services to stream and play music, movies, games, and other media to other devices in your home using the Plex app.

Other Options

Other great options to play music on a Raspberry Pi include solutions like Volumio or MoOde. I have linked my tutorials about them, so feel free to check them to find the perfect solution for you.

That completes our roundup of getting audio to play from your Raspberry Pi. Until next time, jam on!

Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:

Test Your Raspberry Pi Level (Free): Not sure why everything takes so long on your Raspberry Pi? Take this free 3-minute assessment and see what’s causing the problems.

The RaspberryTips Community: Need help or want to discuss your Raspberry Pi projects with others who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct help.

Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.

Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.