SparkFun's Latest Development Kit Gives You a Head Start for ESP32-Powered Bluetooth Audio Projects

SparkFun has announced the launch of a new kit for audio enthusiasts, and this one does away with the wires — offering easy experimentation with wireless speakers from an Espressif ESP32-based IoT RedBoard development board.

"This kit combines several of our newest and most up-to-date audio boards with our new SparkFun IoT RedBoard (which utilizes the ESP32)," explains SparkFun's Chris McCarty of the new bundle launch, "to provide you with the means of creating your very own wireless speaker, no soldering required!"

The heart of the bundle is the SparkFun IoT RedBoard, a development board based on Espressif's ESP32-WROOM-32 module and aimed, as the name implies, at Internet of Things (IoT) projects. Using the board's solderless Qwiic connector, the bundle adds an audio codec breakout based on the Cirrus Logic WM8960 chip — offering high-quality audio with an on-chip headphone driver, communicating with the development board over I2S.

A "hamburger" mini speaker connects completes the bundle, linking to the rest of the hardware via a tip-ring-ring-sleeve (TRRS) 3.5mm jack connected to a solderless breadboard and board holder.

So far, though, everything's connected with wires — but it's the ESP32 module which turns the bundle into a wireless development kit. The module's Bluetooth radio is used as an audio sink, providing a way to connect compatible audio sources without wires — delivering on the bundle's promise.

"This kit is great for building your own wireless audio BT adapter," claims McCarty, "[a] portable digital player, sound-reducing ear muffs, or mixing audio to an output!"

The bundle is now available to buy on the SparkFun website at $74.95; for those who already have Qwiic- or I2S-capable development board, the audio codec breakout is available separately for $18.50 — both before volume discounts.