I'm looking to create a portable stereo audio device. This system i exactly what I am looking for:
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However the evaluation and development tools are thousands of dollar which puts it out of reach. Can someone put me on the right path to similar solution where there are gcc tools available? Thank you.
You should look how to get the thousands of dollars first. If you are not worth thousand of dollars, you obviously not capable of developing a portable audio device.
Don't be discouraged by some folks' negative remarks.
If you first need to learn how to work with DSPs, then where you lack financial resources you will have to compensate with intelligence, careful research, and prudence. You will still need at least several hundred dollars to buy a typical evaluation kit, possibly nearing and exceeding $1000 to get some additional support items if needed like some cheap electronic test equipment (check into the use of PC sound cards though for spectrum analysis, etc.)
Start researching the DSP product offerings, evaluation kits, tools, 3rd party tools, and developer communities surrounding TI and Analog Devices DSPs. Get onto comp.arch.dsp . Also, look at Danville Signal and other vendors, who might have something to get you started in the sub-$1000 range. Carefully research what is available, and which product both will suit your intended application AND has available free or low cost tools that will allow you to bypass the need to purchase the manufacturer's full-blown development tools. This might force you to have to write assembly language at worst (although for ADI DSPs, might be rather easy-going), or to use gcc/gdb which isn't so bad (but still more painful than I can tolerate, but I can afford at least a few $1000s, even for hobby purposes.)
My DSP interest is in servo control, laser shows, and other fast real-time control stuff, so the TI TMS320F2812 and similar DSPs/tools have afforded me the ability to play with >100MIPS for well less than $1000.
This is different from actually producing a "portable audio product" in which case you need to create something manufacturable and cost effective. Then you will indeed need many $1000s.
Also consider if you can do what you want with something simpler than a DSP, like a cheaper ARM SBC, for ex.
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