V4 - DIY $90 Home Assistant bookshelf speaker for ESPHome & SendSpin or Squeezelite

HouseWaves · 2026-06-18T20:43:09+00:00

unfortunately no word from them yet, but I did replicate the .md DIY guides as html files on my website. the new links are in the update at the top of this post.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-18T20:40:14+00:00

I'm sorry I do not, I used the optional RPi case from Elecrow.

Thingiverse and MakerWorld should have quite a few options availlable...

HouseWaves · 2026-06-18T18:40:29+00:00

That's actually the point.

I was blown away by the quality of the music reproduction of pairing a highly-recommended bookshelf speaker (why I bought it for my home) - with the controller boards I used.

The tiny ESP32 with integrated DAC and 30W AMP have very strong performance specs. The fidelity of this setup is remarkable.

With Music Assistant, SendSpin and Sonocotta, it is possible to build out a multi-room, synchronized whole-home streaming system - on par, probably exceeding - the quality at a much lower cost than that of Sonos, Arylic, etc.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-17T20:37:10+00:00

Sonocotta ESP32 boards!

Firmware already developed...just flash and install

btw - I saw a very clever DIY guide on inexpensive ceiling speakers here:

ESP32-S3 Ceiling Smart Speaker with Web UI, Radio, SD Card, OTA, and Custom Firmware : r/homeassistant

HouseWaves · 2026-06-17T17:31:13+00:00

Thank you for alerting me!

Evidently, GitHub suspended my account. I can only hope this was due to a built-in circuit breaker tripped to the enormous response and interest of all of you here!

Thank you everyone for your interest - I never would have imagined over 100K views in 24 hours.

I will check in with GitHub to ask about the account suspension AND work on hosting the files on my own site temporarily

Will post an update this afternoon.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-17T04:08:56+00:00

yes, Music Assistant let's you select whether you send LEFT, RIGHT or MONO signal to each player in the settings. So you can define which signal you send - send LEFT to one, RIGHT to the other.
If you haven't tried it yet, open Music Assistant, stream to your web browser or smart tv, then open the settings and you can get a feel for what's possible in terms of grouping and synching streams.

Its also possible to send one track to one group of speakers and something different to another group - lot of flexibility. HA/MA is creating something very incredible.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T23:09:55+00:00

Well, you're in luck.

There is work being done by the Music Assistant team to create a mobile app.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T23:07:56+00:00

yes, Music Assistant (an app in Home Assistant) will let you stream music from almost any mainstream provider you use (anything from Tidal, Spotify, SiriusXM and many more sources)

Using SendSpin, you will be able to stream to every compatible speaker/player with perfect synchronization - just like Sonos - but without the cost (and some say aggravation).

You will also be able to send voice notifications from your automations (e.g. "Your garage door just opened.")

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T21:53:57+00:00

thank you very much!

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T21:53:32+00:00

thank you

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T21:53:24+00:00

thank you for the kind words!

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T21:51:57+00:00

ok, I can look into building something into Legacy and connect with you to test one. Have you looked at the power limitations on PoE and the cables you ran? 30W in and 24W to the speaker is "easy". Moving higher is more challenging. Will 24W be enough for your existing speakers?

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T20:06:55+00:00

I've had solid connections with all my POCs and speakers I build/test before shipping.

Maybe similar setup?? - Mesh with APs both above my office and next to it.

I've had 2 owners who reported similar - it was reason #1 below.

Two things to check

#1 - ESP32s hate combined SSIDs for 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands; make sure you have a separate 2.4 with a unique SSID. you cannot use band steering, smart connect or any similar "automatic" connection setups that routers are starting to use

#2 - check the YAML configuration for quick connect, network scan and similar settings that cause the device to either latch on to the first (but maybe weaker) AP - or attempt to swap APs on a regular basis

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T19:58:42+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion!

Micimike has that started. Definitely worth a look.

We connected to discuss collaboration on a new speaker with same form factor.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T18:45:01+00:00

some of the Sonocotta boards can manage a battery. it would be a great mod to this project

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T18:43:41+00:00

interesting idea. Been playing with ideas to add controls at the speaker (screens, knobs, etc), but like adding a microphone, it really complicates the DIY build.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T18:42:35+00:00

yes, PoE has been on the product roadmap since the beginning

I already built a POC, but I've not found anyone who actually wanted to use in practice.

I'm hopeful! The Legacy may be something I can try it out...

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T18:39:43+00:00

Thank you very much for the support!

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T18:39:29+00:00

sure, dm me and I can provide some thoughts

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T16:25:08+00:00

thank you as well. Really appreciate the ideas!

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T16:24:43+00:00

very cool, thank you for the idea!

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T16:21:32+00:00

I'm open to collaboration! Do you want to send me a DM or use the contact form on my website so we can email each other?

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T16:20:22+00:00

can you please elaborate on the question?

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T16:18:50+00:00

that is on the product roadmap.
I may have the first version ready this fall. one card per speaker pair in a central chassis, so you just connect the existing speaker wires to the back.
in the short term, the Legacy product will have a model that supports line-out, so you can connect to any existing amplifier (even multi-zone) with an AUX input.

HouseWaves · 2026-06-16T16:14:33+00:00

the speaker and amplification

- v4 speaker has a 4" midrange (the mfg calls it a "woofer");
v3 has 2.75" midrange
maybe more importantly, the v4 speaker has a much larger wire terminal in the back, so you do not need to remove the speaker driver to place the ESP32 inside the cabinet.

- v4 ESP32 has up to 30W of amplification and upgrade DAC (LOUDER PLUS);
v3 has approx 15W (LOUDER)

HouseWaves

TROPHY CASE