Raspberry Pi: Transform the popular single-board computer into a music server with a VU meter
A fairly simple project has shown the capabilities of using the Raspberry Pi as a music server. The project has been published on Reddit by u/plazman30 and is based around the Raspberry Pi 3B+, but a newer model could be used. The project also calls for a DAC and a VU meter, although the latter is more for show than necessity.
Specifically, u/plazman30 used this VU meter, which retails for US$52.99, along with a JDS Labs OL DAC. The latter retails for US$99, bringing the total cost of the project close to US$200. The DAC connects to the Raspberry Pi via USB, and the DAC to the VU meter via RCA.
The project runs on Raspbian with RompЯ installed and works with either network-attached or local storage. Additionally, u/plazman30 used Rigelian to control the server from their phone. Rigelian is only available on iOS, for reference. Overall, this seems like a fairly simple project to set up, but there are music servers based on the Raspberry Pi, such as the NanoSound ONE.