This post is part of a series.

The acquisition

From the previous post, it was decided that a humble Raspberry Pi would be the heart of a vintage but also modern Audiophile system.

However, it is 2021, and between a global pandemic and a global chips shortage, we can’t have everything we want. Raspberry Pis are still pretty much out-of-stock everywhere I looked.

There is an alternative, the ROCK Pi E, designed by the company Radxa based out of Shenzhen [1]. There isn’t a lot about the history of the ROCK Pi, and whether it was born out of philosophical, technical or cosmetic differences with its berry cousins. Nevertheless, the price-point for the ROCK Pi E is very good (USD$35 + shipping), and there is actually an online store that stocks them, sells them, and even ships them to your home [2]. In these strange times, this is double-plus-good.

So I got one.