KABU User Guide

USER MANUAL · ENGLISH
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KABU Whole-Home Music Base — User Manual

Firmware: v1.9.9 (also covers v1.9.8 / v1.9.7)　Document version: 3.0　Updated: October 18, 2026

This manual is written for first-time KABU owners and assumes no prior experience with similar products or home networking. For first-time setup, read from Chapter 1 straight through — you will hear your first song within 10 minutes. For a specific problem, jump straight to Chapter 16, "Troubleshooting". Prefer a quicker path? See the illustrated quick-start guide. This manual is also available in 简体中文 and 繁體中文 — use the language bar at the top of the page.

Quick start: hear your first song in 10 minutes

Step 1: Connect the hardware

  1. Connect KABU's audio output to your amplifier, powered speakers or hi-fi system (see Chapter 4 for cable selection).
  2. Turn the volume on your amplifier or speakers down first, so the first playback isn't too loud.
  3. Power KABU with your own USB-C power supply (5V 1A recommended). The device starts up automatically.

Step 2: Connect KABU to your home Wi-Fi

  1. On first start-up, KABU creates a temporary hotspot named KABU-XXXX, where XXXX is the last four digits of the device's Wi-Fi address and differs from unit to unit.
  2. Connect your phone or computer to this hotspot. It has no password by default; if your phone warns "this network has no internet access", choose to stay connected anyway.
  3. The setup page usually opens by itself. If it doesn't, open http://192.168.4.1 in a browser.
  4. Tap "Change Wi-Fi Network" and then "Scan", pick your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, enter the password and tap "Connect". A mistyped password is no problem — the page tells you right away, and the hotspot stays up for you to retry.
  5. Your phone will disconnect from the KABU hotspot — that's normal. Reconnect your phone to your home Wi-Fi and give KABU a moment to get online.

Step 3: Double-tap to pick a mode, then play

Check the standby light to see the current mode: white for AirPlay, amber for Internet radio, cyan for DLNA. Want a different one? Double-tap the button to switch to the next mode — it takes a few seconds and never reboots the device.

AirPlay is the easiest way to play:

  1. Make sure KABU is in AirPlay mode — a slow-breathing white standby light.
  2. On your iPhone or iPad, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
  3. Tap the AirPlay icon on the playback card and pick KABU-XXXXXXXX or the name you set.
  4. Start from a low volume and raise it gradually once sound is confirmed.

On Android or Windows, double-tap until KABU is in DLNA mode (cyan), then use a DLNA/UPnP player app to select KABU.

Step 4: Two settings worth doing right away

  1. Find KABU in your router's client list and open http://<device IP> in a browser. Set a "fixed lease / address reservation" for it while you're there.
  2. In the "Device" section, rename it to something easy to recognize, such as "Living Room KABU" or "Study KABU". With several units, always use different names.
  3. Under "System Info", confirm the firmware version is 1.9.9.

Contents

1. A few terms first (beginner's glossary)

This page explains the words that come up throughout the manual. Skip it if they're already familiar.

KABU makes no sound by itself. It's a "Wi-Fi music receiver": music arrives from your phone, computer or the internet, and KABU hands it to your amplifier or powered speakers over an audio cable. So you need two things to use KABU — a sound system that can play, and home Wi-Fi.

AirPlay: the casting feature built into Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac). One tap in Control Center sends whatever you're listening to KABU. No app to install.

DLNA: an open "push to device" standard supported by Android phones, Windows PCs, NAS devices and many player apps. A DLNA-capable player app "pushes" music to KABU.

Internet radio: KABU tunes in to radio stations over the internet by itself, like a traditional radio whose stations come from the network. Your phone doesn't need to keep streaming.

Firmware: the "system software" running inside the device. Updating it brings new features and fixes, much like updating a phone.

IP address: the device's "house number" on your home network, looking like 192.168.1.67. Type it into a browser to open KABU's management page.

2. Product overview and what's new in v1.9.9

KABU is a whole-home music base that receives audio over Wi-Fi. It plays AirPlay audio from Apple devices, internet radio, and DLNA pushes.

2.1 Main features

Note: the official KABU product does not support Bluetooth audio. Finding a Bluetooth entry on your phone does not mean KABU accepts Bluetooth audio — please use AirPlay, DLNA or Internet radio.

2.2 What's new in v1.9.9

v1.9.9 focuses on the issues people actually ran into before; everyday use is noticeably smoother:

3. Before you start and safety notes

3.1 Check the box first

The box contains the KABU unit only — no power adapter and no audio cables. You'll need to provide:

3.2 Safety notes

3.3 Network requirements

4. Getting to know the device

4.1 Parts and ports

PartPurpose
Power portConnect your own USB-C power adapter (5V 1A recommended)
Audio outputConnect an amplifier, powered speakers or hi-fi system; the connector's exact look varies by model
Multi-function buttonSingle-tap, double-tap and long-press do different things — see Chapter 6
RGB status lightShows start-up, networking, mode, playback, button and fault states

Choosing the audio cable

KABU's 3.5mm output is an analog audio signal. Pick the cable by what you're connecting to:

Downstream deviceCable needed
Amplifier / passive speakers3.5mm → RCA stereo cable (3.5mm end into KABU; red/white plugs into the amp's AUX/RCA input, red to red, white to white)
Powered speakers3.5mm → 3.5mm cable (both ends 3.5mm; one end into KABU, the other into the speakers' AUX IN)
A common pitfall: if your amplifier only has digital inputs (optical/coaxial), KABU can't plug into it directly — you need a set of analog inputs (AUX/RCA) on the amplifier.

4.2 Recommended power-on order

  1. Connect the audio cable first.
  2. Turn the amplifier or speaker volume down.
  3. Power KABU.
  4. Wait for it to join the network and reach standby.
  5. Start playback, then raise the volume gradually.

4.3 Recommended power-off order

  1. Stop the music on your phone or player app first.
  2. Turn the amplifier or speaker volume down.
  3. Then power off KABU or the audio system.

5. First-time network setup and changing Wi-Fi

5.1 First start-up

When the device has no saved Wi-Fi, it starts a setup hotspot automatically.

  1. Wait for the LED to finish its start-up animation and begin a slow purple breath.
  2. Open your phone's "Settings → Wi-Fi".
  3. Connect to KABU-XXXX. XXXX is the last four digits of the device's Wi-Fi address, so it differs per unit.
  4. If the phone says "no internet connection", choose "Keep connecting" or "Use this network anyway".
  5. The setup page usually appears on its own; if not, open http://192.168.4.1 manually.
  6. Tap "Change Wi-Fi Network", then "Scan".
  7. Pick your home 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, enter the password and tap "Connect".
  8. If the password is wrong, the page says so — retype it and retry; the hotspot stays up for you. The device won't "disappear".
  9. Once it connects, the page says settings are saved and the device restarts. Wait about 20–30 seconds and let your phone rejoin your home Wi-Fi.

Success looks like: KABU's light first breathes orange (joining your home Wi-Fi), then within a minute settles into a slow breath of white, amber or cyan — that's its standby light, and it means the device is online.

5.2 Finding the device's management address

Once online, KABU gets an IP address from your router. To find it:

  1. Open your router's admin page or router app.
  2. Go to "Connected devices", "Client management" or similar.
  3. Find the device named KABU-XXXXXXXX (or the name you set) and note its IP, e.g. 192.168.1.67.
  4. Enter http://192.168.1.67 in a browser.

Names and local-domain handling vary by router, so prefer the IP the router shows.

We recommend setting a "fixed lease / address reservation" for each KABU in the router so the IP stays put. The site's Find Device page can also locate KABU on your network.

5.3 Changing the router or Wi-Fi password

If the old Wi-Fi still works:

  1. Open KABU's management home page.
  2. In the "Wi-Fi Network" section, tap "Change Wi-Fi Network".
  3. Scan, pick the new network and enter the new password.
  4. Tap "Connect" and wait for the device to restart.

If the old Wi-Fi is gone:

  1. Press and hold the button for about 2 seconds to start the setup hotspot.
  2. Wait for the purple setup light.
  3. Connect to the KABU-XXXX hotspot.
  4. Open http://192.168.4.1 and set up the network again.

5.4 The setup hotspot closes itself

The long-press hotspot is temporary. With nothing connected it closes after about 10 minutes; long-press again for about 2 seconds to reopen and reset the timer. Closing the hotspot never deletes your saved home Wi-Fi.

If the device can't reach Wi-Fi no matter what and even the hotspot won't come back, connect it to a computer with a USB cable and open the Wake & Clear Network Settings page on this site — it clears the bad network configuration and returns the device to setup mode.

6. Button controls

KABU has one button that recognizes three gestures. After each press, the LED blinks to confirm. Double-tapping switches modes — the action you'll use most.

GestureHowWhat it does
Single-tapQuick, oncePlay control in AirPlay, next station in radio, quality toggle in DLNA
Double-tapTwo quick taps (within half a second)Cycles between AirPlay, Internet radio and DLNA
Long-pressHold about 2 secondsStarts the temporary setup hotspot; closes itself after ~10 min unused

6.1 What single-tap does in each mode

Current modeSingle-tap action
AirPlayTries play/pause; if the app refuses remote control, operate from the phone
Internet radioJumps to the next station and plays
DLNAToggles standard/high-quality output; if playing, announces and replays the current track

6.2 Double-tap to switch modes

Double-tapping cycles in this order:

AirPlay → Internet radio → DLNA → AirPlay

Switching between the three is a hot switch: it usually completes within seconds and never reboots the device. The light color confirms success.

The two taps must be quick — within half a second. Two white blinks confirm the switch. Overshot it? Double-tap again and it keeps cycling around; you can't break anything.

6.3 Long-press to start the setup hotspot

While you hold the button an amber hint appears. Release after about 2 seconds and the KABU-XXXX hotspot starts; if it's already up, another long-press resets the 10-minute timer. A long-press never closes the hotspot and never deletes saved Wi-Fi. Since v1.9.9, a long-press reliably brings the hotspot up even when the device is stuck in a "can't reach Wi-Fi" state.

7. LED light guide

7.1 Mode colors

ModeColor
AirPlayWhite
Internet radioAmber
DLNACyan

7.2 Status lights

LED behaviorMeaningWhat to do
White start-up fadeBootingWait for start-up to finish
Orange breathingJoining home Wi-FiWait; if it persists, check the Wi-Fi
Slow purple breathingSetup hotspot is onJoin KABU-XXXX and open 192.168.4.1
Mode color breathingOnline, standing byReady to cast
Mode color dim and steadySource connected, pausedResume from the app or the device
KABU Aura ambiencePlayingNormal
VU light dancing with musicPlaying with "Music VU" selectedNormal
Orange triple-blink every ~3 sNetwork congestion or rising packet lossMove closer to the router, reduce interference or change the Wi-Fi channel
Red blinkingThe device detected an errorReboot once; if it persists, check the logs or contact support

While playing, the KABU Aura uses your chosen ambience palette and may not show the mode color. Standby and paused states show the mode color most clearly.

7.3 Button feedback

7.4 Adjusting the lights

On the management home page, in the "Device" section:

Settings are saved and survive reboots.

8. Choosing between the three playback modes

Your device or goalRecommended modeWhy
Everyday listening from iPhone, iPad, MacAirPlayNative support, simplest to use
Fixed internet broadcastsInternet radioPlays without a phone streaming along
Android, Windows, NAS or generic playersDLNABroad compatibility, built for "push to device"
Several AirPlay speakers at onceAirPlay 2 groupingGrouped and controlled from the Apple device

8.1 Modes are exclusive

One KABU runs one playback mode at a time. In AirPlay mode it's an AirPlay speaker; switch to DLNA and it appears only as a DLNA renderer — never both at once.

8.2 Power-on recovery

The device returns to the last mode it entered successfully. If a mode fails to start repeatedly, the device falls back safely into AirPlay instead of getting stuck.

9. Using AirPlay

9.1 iPhone or iPad

You can also tap the AirPlay icon inside Apple Music, Podcasts or any AirPlay-capable app.

9.2 Mac

9.3 AirPlay 2 multi-room

The device adopts the playback delay negotiated by the AirPlay 2 sender automatically — nothing to configure. Mixed grouping with HomePod and Apple TV is verified by long-term real-device testing: three KABU units and a HomePod played as one group for a full hour with no perceptible offset.

Volume safety note: a unit newly added to an AirPlay 2 group may briefly use its previously saved volume before the group volume arrives. Turn each room's volume down before grouping, then raise it for everyone.

9.4 When AirPlay can't find the device

Occasionally the cast list in the Mac Music app wedges entirely (tapping a device does nothing, devices are missing) — usually a temporary state of the Mac's media services. Restart the Mac first; in rare persistent cases contact support for the Mac-side service reset steps.

10. Using Internet radio

10.1 Entering radio mode

From AirPlay mode, one double-tap: the device announces "radio mode", the light turns amber, and it resumes the last station you listened to; with no history it plays the first available station.

10.2 Listening with the button

10.3 Opening the radio page

Open http://<device IP>/radio in a browser.

Top to bottom the page shows: current station, program/audio info, connection status, previous/stop/next/retry, volume, the station list, and the add-station form.

10.4 Playing and switching

10.5 Built-in stations

The factory list includes these 6 stations:

Station streams are provided by third parties and may stop working due to operator changes, regional restrictions or maintenance. That doesn't mean KABU is faulty.

10.6 Adding your own stations

Common MP3, AAC and compatible HLS live streams work. Plain web pages, pages that require login, RTMP, RTSP, encrypted HLS, fMP4 HLS or non-audio links generally won't play.

10.7 Deleting and capacity

10.8 Radio volume

The radio page volume slider runs 0%–100%. The device remembers the radio volume and reuses it after a reboot or when you return to radio mode.

11. Using DLNA

DLNA suits Android, Windows, NAS, Home Assistant and any UPnP/DLNA player. KABU appears as a "digital media renderer"; the player app sends it the audio.

11.1 Android phones

  1. Double-tap until the device is in DLNA mode — the light turns cyan.
  2. Open a player app that supports DLNA/UPnP rendering, e.g. BubbleUPnP.
  3. In the app, open "Play to", "Renderer" or "Cast".
  4. Pick KABU-XXXXXXXX or the name you set.
  5. Choose music and play.

Menu names differ across apps, but the flow is always: pick KABU as the playback device first, then pick the music.

11.2 Windows PCs

Use a player that supports "cast to device" or UPnP rendering:

  1. Make sure the PC and KABU are on the same local network.
  2. Put KABU into DLNA mode.
  3. In the player, find "Cast to device", "Play to", "Renderer" or a similar menu.
  4. Pick KABU-XXXXXXXX or your chosen name and play.

11.3 Common supported audio

The DLNA path plays common MP3, AAC, FLAC and WAV/PCM audio, including two-channel 24-bit FLAC passthrough in high-quality mode. What plays still depends on the media address, container, sampling parameters and network access.

11.4 Playback control and volume

11.5 Standard vs high-quality mode

11.6 Progress bar and seeking

12. The web management pages in full

12.1 Addresses

The management home page is at http://<device IP>.

Common sub-pages:

PageAddressPurpose
Settings home/Network, MQTT, device, lighting, sleep, OTA, system info
Pro equalizer/eq15-band graphic EQ, 8-band parametric EQ and presets
Internet radio/radioPlay, add and delete stations; volume
System log/logsLive log viewer for troubleshooting
Wi-Fi speed test/speedtestLAN latency and throughput between your browser and KABU

12.2 Wi-Fi network

Single-router homes keep the default; roaming never triggers with one node. Mesh users should also read Section 13.5.

12.3 Feature entries

The "Features" area of the home page links to the equalizer, radio, system log and Wi-Fi speed test. The equalizer entry appears only when the firmware supports it.

12.4 MQTT / smart home

Enable MQTT and fill in the broker address, username and password. The broker address must start with mqtt://, e.g. mqtt://192.168.1.10:1883.

12.5 Device

Editable items:

After saving a new name, the web page updates immediately; the DLNA name updates once player apps rediscover the device; the AirPlay name updates when AirPlay mode is re-entered or after a reboot. Chinese device names now work reliably with AirPlay.

12.6 Firmware update

Shows the current firmware version and running slot, and accepts a firmware file to install. Updates are refused while music is playing — stop it first.

12.7 System info

Shows IP, MAC, device name, firmware version, Wi-Fi name, signal strength, channel and PHY info. "Restart device" at the bottom asks for confirmation. On Mesh networks, http://<device IP>/api/wifi/status shows the current node, signal, channel, roaming state and discovery status.

12.8 Language

The pages support Chinese and English. The choice is stored in your browser and doesn't change the device's voice prompts.

12.9 Reading the Wi-Fi speed test correctly

The speed test measures the LAN path between your phone/computer browser and KABU — not your internet line. Use it to judge whether KABU's spot has stable Wi-Fi latency, jitter and throughput.

13. EQ, lighting, sleep timer and roaming

13.1 Adjusting the EQ for normal users

  1. Open http://<device IP>/eq.
  2. Make sure "Enable equalizer" is on.
  3. For a first pass, choose "15-band graphic".
  4. Pick the preset closest to your taste from "Warm", "Bass Boost", "Small Volume Loudness", "Clarity", "Light V", "Vocal" and so on (names follow the page).
  5. Adjust one band at a time by 0.5–2 dB and listen.
  6. Tap "Safe apply".

The graphic EQ has 15 bands from -15 dB to +15 dB. The page computes the combined peak and keeps a safety margin automatically.

13.2 Who the parametric EQ is for

The "8-band parametric" suits users familiar with frequency, gain and Q. Filter types include peaking, low/high shelf, high-pass and low-pass. Regular users should stick to the graphic EQ and conservative presets, and avoid boosting several adjacent bands heavily.

When several bands are boosted hard, a soft limiter smoothly absorbs the excess to prevent hard clipping; loudness may settle slightly lower — that's protection, not a fault.

13.3 Preamp and distortion

The manual preamp only attenuates. The auto preamp compensates at most -3 dB; anything beyond is absorbed by the soft limiter. The system lowering overall gain to avoid digital clipping is by design, not a volume fault.

13.4 Sleep timer

The management home page offers: Off, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes.

When it fires, radio and DLNA pause; AirPlay asks the source to pause, and if the source refuses, KABU silences itself locally.

13.5 Seamless roaming

Seamless roaming is for networks where one SSID is served by several Mesh nodes or APs. It looks for a better node without interrupting playback.

Recommendations:

13.6 Mesh networks

KABU is built for home Mesh/multi-AP networks that share one network name. AirPlay, DLNA, radio, the web pages, OTA updates and MQTT all work as usual.

Recommended settings:

  1. Keep "Seamless roaming" on — it ships enabled and never triggers on a single-router setup.
  2. Keep the phone or source on the same home network as KABU; all Mesh nodes should share one network name and password.
  3. If the router offers "multicast optimization" or "IGMP snooping", avoid settings that block local device discovery.

In use:

To debug a Mesh network, open http://<device IP>/api/wifi/status. It shows the current node, signal, channel, roaming state, recent node switches and AirPlay/DLNA discovery status.

14. Home Assistant and smart home

This chapter is advanced. If you only use AirPlay, radio or plain DLNA, skip it.

14.1 Joining Home Assistant over MQTT

Prerequisites:

Steps:

After discovery you'll typically get entities for status, source, Wi-Fi signal, volume, mute, mode, play/pause, previous/next track, station name, media info and network health.

14.2 Playing through Home Assistant's DLNA integration

If Home Assistant runs in Docker and plays but pause/volume states don't update, make sure its Internal URL uses the host's LAN IP and the DLNA GENA callback port is published.

14.3 About Music Assistant

Music Assistant can cast to KABU directly as an ordinary AirPlay or DLNA player — no extra setup on the KABU side. Just keep KABU in the matching mode (white AirPlay or cyan DLNA) on the same network as Music Assistant.

15. Firmware updates, restarts and routine care

15.1 Before updating

15.2 Web OTA update steps

If it says "update blocked: playback in progress", stop playback from the phone, the DLNA app or the radio page — stopping, not just pausing — then retry.

15.3 Dual slots and rollback protection

The device has two firmware slots. A new image goes to the inactive slot first and takes over only after a successful reboot; if the new version fails to boot repeatedly, the system rolls back to a working version, so a failed update shouldn't brick the device.

15.4 Restarting

Use "Restart device" in the "System Info" section of the home page. A restart keeps Wi-Fi, the name, EQ, lighting and volume settings.

15.5 Factory reset

For a full reset (e.g. reselling the device), use the site's Device Reset tool: plug in the USB cable, and the page diagnoses the device first. After confirmation it wipes all user data (Wi-Fi, name, volume, EQ and the user data area) — the device returns to a fresh, unprovisioned factory state and re-enters setup mode. Erased data cannot be recovered; firmware, bootloader and the partition table stay untouched.

15.6 Routine care

16. Troubleshooting

16.1 The general order

When there's "no sound" or you're unsure where the problem is, use the two-step locator first to separate audio-chain problems from network problems — every KABU can run both tests with no tools:

Step one: double-tap the button and listen for the announcement.

Switching modes makes the device announce the new mode's name by voice, and that voice goes straight from the device down the audio cable to your speakers:

Step two: double-tap into radio mode (amber) and listen for the station.

Internet radio pulls its stream straight from the internet, so a playing station proves the device is on your Wi-Fi and the internet works:

After the two steps, keep going in this order:

16.2 Can't find the KABU-XXXX hotspot

16.3 Connected to the hotspot but the setup page won't pop up

16.4 Can't join the home Wi-Fi

16.5 The management page suddenly won't open

16.6 KABU missing from the AirPlay list

16.7 DLNA app can't find KABU

16.8 Casting succeeded but there's no sound

16.9 Stuttering playback or the orange triple-blink

16.10 Radio stations won't play

16.11 OTA says playback is in progress

16.12 Home Assistant plays but states don't update

16.13 The management page is slow or won't open during playback

16.14 The red light keeps blinking

17. Specifications and quick reference

17.1 Specifications

ItemSpec
Product typeWi-Fi whole-home music base
SoCESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8, dual-core
Flash / PSRAM16 MB Flash / 8 MB PSRAM
Wireless2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, 802.11 b/g/n; single router and same-SSID Mesh/multi-AP networks
Wired networkNone
Playback modesAirPlay, Internet radio, DLNA
Bluetooth audioNot supported
Audio DACPCM5102A I2S DAC (production hardware)
System output rate48 kHz in standard mode; DLNA high-quality mode outputs at compatible source rates of 44.1–192 kHz
DLNA formatsMP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV/PCM; 24-bit FLAC passthrough limited to stereo
Internet radioMP3, AAC, compatible HLS; up to 200 stations
Equalizer15-band graphic EQ + 8-band parametric EQ with presets
Lighting2× RGB LED, KABU Aura / VU modes
Smart homeMQTT / Home Assistant discovery
ManagementBilingual (Chinese/English) web portal
Firmware updatesWeb OTA and USB flashing, dual slots with rollback protection

17.2 Button quick reference

GestureAction
Single-tapAirPlay play control; radio next station; DLNA standard/high-quality toggle
Double-tapCycle AirPlay → radio → DLNA
Long-press 2 sStart the setup hotspot (closes after ~10 min unused)

17.3 Address quick reference

PurposeAddress
Illustrated quick start/docs/quick-start.html
First-time setuphttp://192.168.4.1
Settings homehttp://<device IP>/
Equalizerhttp://<device IP>/eq
Internet radiohttp://<device IP>/radio
System loghttp://<device IP>/logs
Wi-Fi speed testhttp://<device IP>/speedtest
Home Assistant DLNA descriptionhttp://<device IP>:49152/rootDesc.xml

17.4 Mode quick reference

ModeColorBest for
AirPlayWhiteiPhone, iPad, Mac
Internet radioAmberBroadcast listening without a phone
DLNACyanAndroid, Windows, NAS, Home Assistant

KABU Whole-Home Music Base — let music flow naturally through every room.

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