DIY guide to convert an inexpensive passive bookshelf speaker into a Home Assistant / Music Assistant multi-room speaker using a Sonocotta LOUDER PLUS ESP32 and open-source ESPHome + SendSpin firmware (also Snapcast, Squeezelite, AirPlay 2). No coding, no cloud, no subscriptions. ~$125, under an hour.
Music Assistant is a free, opensource Media library manager that connects to your streaming services and a wide range of connected speakers. The server is the beating heart, the core of Music Assistant and must run on an always-on device like a Raspberry Pi, a NAS or an Intel NUC or alike.