[cedou97yon]

Good news I tried the hrt microstreamer with my xperia Z in a shop.
So it worked perfectly with usb audio recorder pro up to 24 BITE 96khz files.
And was limited to 48khz i think with the walkman player.
I can't comment the sound quality because i had only a few minutes but it was Good with fidelio x1 and myst nail2v2

 

[nanoevil]

Quote:

I borrowed the Fiio E17 again...just downloading a 24bit/96khz flac file to test. I'll post pics after the test

 
since the default music player is not able to play higher bitrates (the default player was able to play 16bit/48khz flac and wav) I had to download USB Audio Recorder Pro. It was able to play 24bit/96khz with the Fiio E17
 

 

 

[nicks9]

Quote:

I borrowed the Fiio E17 again...just downloading a 24bit/96khz flac file to test. I'll post pics after the test

 
What player(s) will you be using?
I can confirm that it doesn't work with Poweramp. Unless of course there's something wrong with my E17.

 

[Bojamijams]

Just to update those curious
 
The HiFimeDIY Sabre mini works just great with the i9505 Samsung S4.  Tested it only with Poweramp but at least it doesn't require USB Recorder software.
 
Not sure if the Sabre mini has some kind of a pre-amp built in or if the Android can't do true Line-Out but the volume control works to raise the volume with the Sabre Mini.  True line-out shouldn't have that. Not sure what the deal is

 

[nicks9]

Is the USB audio out being amplified by the S4? I didn't even think of that, but I'm pretty sure the volume still worked with the E17 too.

 

[Bojamijams]

it shouldn't be amplified.. it should be true line-out (2Vrms)
 
I'm hoping that the Sabre Tiny has a kind of pre-amp built in that's doing this (though it doesn't mention it on their site anywhere)
 
Would be great if someone could chime in on this

 

[jasonb]

I never knew digital audio was measured in volts....

 

[cresny]

Quote:

it shouldn't be amplified.. it should be true line-out (2Vrms)
 
I'm hoping that the Sabre Tiny has a kind of pre-amp built in that's doing this (though it doesn't mention it on their site anywhere)
 
Would be great if someone could chime in on this

 
I also got the mini to use with my S4. I was waiting until I could dig up my 1/4" patch cable to try it with an amp. Check out this conversation I had with an awesome Amazon reviewer (the review was for the regular Sabre USB, but keep reading). Hopefully you will also find it enlightening.
 
http://www.amazon.com/review/RIXL3WSR02G6/ref=cm_cr_rev_detup_redir?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B00AOH5JTQ&cdForum=FxD45RJ0TWH835&cdPage=1&cdThread=Tx29PL3HSW82ODO&newContentID=Mx2X9AZJGIIITWU&store=musical-instruments#Mx2X9AZJGIIITWU

 

[rckyosho]

Quote:

 
Not sure if the Sabre mini has some kind of a pre-amp built in or if the Android can't do true Line-Out but the volume control works to raise the volume with the Sabre Mini.  True line-out shouldn't have that. Not sure what the deal is

That's just how volume in a host works(digitally), same like your PC or Mac. Just set it at 100% and you should be fine in that no [size=small]resolution and dynamic range is lost for 16 bit.[/size]

 

[nicks9]

Quote:

That's just how volume in a host works(digitally), same like your PC or Mac. Just set it at 100% and you should be fine in that no [size=small]resolution and dynamic range is lost for 16 bit.[/size]

 
Huh? That's not how it works with my PC.
I use an ASIO driver and it bypasses the PC volume control completely.
Wouldn't source volume + external amp volume = clipping and distortion?
 
When I had an iPod and I used line out > amp it was the same, no volume control.

 

[rckyosho]

Quote:

 
Huh? That's not how it works with my PC.
I use an ASIO driver and it bypasses the PC volume control completely.
Wouldn't source volume + external amp volume = clipping and distortion?
 
When I had an iPod and I used line out > amp it was the same, no volume control.

LOL...you're right, thanks for pointing that out. Sorry, I must have been in dreamland when I posted that.
Unfortunately for android(mobile devices) it still goes through the mixer and does not bypass the internal volume control,
but like I said just set it to 100% and your good to go.I've tried comparing my ODAC with my PC and Phone(S3 I9305)
as source with my O2 and K701 and could not detect any differences at least to my ears(hopefully still in good condition

).

 

[jasonb]

I can confirm that otg to an E17 works flawlessly with the S4. Its simply plug and play. 
 
And the money shots! USB audio out to an E17 to a modded T50rp.

 

 

 

 
The cable is the iBasso OTG micro to mini USB cable. The only thing that could make this setup better would be right angles on both ends of both the otg and the headphone cable. 

 

[Benny-x]

Quote:

 
Sorry, I did see your question but I didn't have time to answer it right away and promptly forgot about it
 
In terms of sound they are all great. My personal preference as far as that goes from most to least favoured is Pico-->Apex-->Intruder, I find the Pico and Apex quite forward which is good for my listening habits on the go and I think the Pico is just slightly warmer. Having said that there isn't a great deal in it in all honesty.
 
In terms of other pros and cons: the Apex has the best form factor for use with slab-style touchscreen phones being slim, it also has the ability to bypass USB charging when connected to the host device (which is a major bonus when you're running it from a phone), overall with these in mind I would rate it the best for using with Android phones. Worth bearing in mind that it does not work with the Galaxy S4, although every other Android capable of USB audio seems fine with it. Obviously the Intruder being fully balanced may be a relevant pro in its favour if you need that, but if you don't need fully balanced output I don't think it is worth the extra expense compared to the other two. Fit and finish for all three is beyond reproach really.

Thanks a lot for getting back to me about that, techfreak. You really helped me out. In the end I took a shot at the new iBasso D42 dac/amp after reading your little review and comparing with some others around. The crunch is on, so I really had to pull the trigger or I wouldn't have been able to have anything shipped before I move.
 
The D42 has dual WM8470 DAC chips, 230mW->32ohm output, doesn't need USB-ARP with my GS3, does 24/96, comes in cheaper than all the rest, and has a solid build quality. I absolutely would like to have the form factor of either the Apex Glacier or the V-Moda Vamp Verza, but I'm going to test the waters with this first and see how I take to the scene. The price tag on those other two is too high for a portable rig for me, I'd rather put it into my home setup after I move. The D42 also has rollable op-amps, so that's another plus side and something I'll get to test out. 

 

[Benny-x]

Quote:

I can confirm that otg to an E17 works flawlessly with the S4. Its simply plug and play. 
.

 
 
The cable is the iBasso OTG micro to mini USB cable. The only thing that could make this setup better would be right angles on both ends of both the otg and the headphone cable. 

 
I don't get this, I thought the S4 was a no-go with the USB-dac mode? Like there have been 4 or 5 people confirming it didn't work. Does this mean as long as we've got an iBasso OTG and one of the many usb dac/amps that we'll be good? This didn't require USB-ARP, right?

 

[nicks9]

Quote:

LOL...you're right, thanks for pointing that out. Sorry, I must have been in dreamland when I posted that.
Unfortunately for android(mobile devices) it still goes through the mixer and does not bypass the internal volume control,
but like I said just set it to 100% and your good to go.I've tried comparing my ODAC with my PC and Phone(S3 I9305)
as source with my O2 and K701 and could not detect any differences at least to my ears(hopefully still in good condition

).

 
Yeah, that's what I figured. I'm just not too thrilled about amping the signal twice.
Audio from my PC sounds noticeably better when I bypass the mixer.
Of course that doesn't necessarily mean it will make a real difference with the S4. I hope that's the case.