[DanBa]

Upcoming Celsus Companion One: "very affordable" DSD / PCM384 USB DAC
http://www.head-fi.org/t/736452/review-encore-mdac-portable-headphone-dac-amp-with-24bit-96khz-usb-input-for-mac-pc-iphone-with-camera-connection-kit-and-android-2-thumbs-up/15#post_10954355
 
"If you want a portable DAC that can do everything, I mean DSD128 native, PCM384, USB cable connection to PC Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices, plus wireless streaming via Airplay and DLNA at 24/192 (fastest wifi streaming on the market), wait for the high-end portable DAC from a new brand that I am launching in late November.
Curved frame machined from a single block of aluminum, gorilla glass top and bottom, exceptional build quality unlike anything on the market.  Price? Very affordable."
 

 

 

[rhadorn]

The people at JRiver,  the best known media center under Windows, have managed to write a WDM driver, which redirects the sound from any application to the JRiver program, so all sources on the Windows PC benefit from the sound qualities and the sound revamping capabilities of the program. Data from Spotify for example are played by JRiver. The result is excellent.
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=92593.0
 
If would be fun if the developers of UAPP could take a similar step for Android, redirecting all sound to their app and USB driver. Perhaps this is already in their pipe line?
 
Reto

 

[h1f1add1cted]

Motorola Moto G 4G LTE with Android 4.4.4 + selfmade USB OTG cable + UAPP + iFi nano iDSD = works like charm
 
 
My current (ugly) solution without solder, for a short microUSB OTG with USB type B plug:
 

 

 

 

 

 

[SV_huMMer]

  Motorola Moto G 4G LTE with Android 4.4.4 + selfmade USB OTG cable + UAPP + iFi nano iDSD = works like charm
 

OMG!!! That's one BIG SANDWICH!!! )
 
What are the two devices connected to your Moto G? I gather one is IFI Nano iDSD, what about the other one?

 

[DreamOperator]

  I just found out that the hi-res audio support on my Android 4.4.2-powered Galaxy Note 3 has been removed. The generic music players can only output 48kHz PCM streams toward hi-res capable USB DAC.
 
It's not an issue for me personally, because I am used to use UAPP, the best sound quality music player to my ears for the time being .

What carrier are you on?  I have a Tmo Note3 and with the NF9 version of Android, I got full native USB audio.  While I'm using a custom rom, I confirmed the developer did not do anything to the audio. 
 
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-tmobile/help/usb-audio-usb-audio-player-pro-t2807427

 

[DanBa]

I am living in France. Some French carriers are offering very cheap plans for customers without subsidies.
So the 4.4.2 Android update is coming OTA directly from Samsung.
 
My ODAC and my XMOS USB 384K/32bit DAC are compatible with the native USB audio of the non-rooted 4.4.2 Android-powered Galaxy Note 3, but I prefer using UAPP for its natural and clean sound.

 

[h1f1add1cted]

  OMG!!! That's one BIG SANDWICH!!! )
 
What are the two devices connected to your Moto G? I gather one is IFI Nano iDSD, what about the other one?

First yes the DAC is the nano iDSD and as AMP I'm using the nano iCAN, both connect via the iBasso CB06 mini to mini interconnect. There is no double amping, if you turn the nano iDSD volume knob to max, the nano iDSD will only act as a buffer and the nano iCAN will do the real AMP part. Love this combination of analog sound signature from the DAC and the awesome 3D sound (best crossfeed I've ever heard) from the AMP. I you want this two devices in one (larger one, more expensive one), with some addational feautures/power go directly for the micro iDSD.

 

[bixby]

I would like to ask for some help by some experienced OTG users.  I recently made the switch from an Apple based portable setup to my Moto X Android system for music.  While I am out walking and trying new players, I have noticed that my music would cut off at random times several minutes or longer into a walk.  I tried changing display sleep setting going to 30 minutes and that did not help.  My OTG cable and USB to  Mini for the HRT work fine on my Android tablet, but then again they are not moving around in my pocket.
 
I normally use the setup as shown and simply let the cables and dac go behind the phone and into my pants pocket.  Worked fine like that with my idevice but having issues with Poweramp, Onkyo player and UAPP (trial is expired).  My question is has anyone experience this cutout (starts playing again when I hit play and does not have the issue if I am going straight into headphone out on the phone) and is there a more reliable cabling method that would go OTG micro to USB mini male for the HRT?
 

 
 
Or should I just buy another OTG cable and USB to Mini cable  and try to narrow down the fault that way?  Any favorites on Amazon for reliable cables?
 
Thoughts from the experienced folks?
 
 
 
Also when paying back a 24/88 file on UAPP got ticks like vinyl pops on many tracks on that album.  Is there a specific setting I could change on UAPP to eliminate this?  Seems to be fine on 16/44.
 
thanks in advance for any help.

 

[DanBa]

  I would like to ask for some help by some experienced OTG users.  I recently made the switch from an Apple based portable setup to my Moto X Android system for music.  While I am out walking and trying new players, I have noticed that my music would cut off at random times several minutes or longer into a walk.  I tried changing display sleep setting going to 30 minutes and that did not help.  My OTG cable and USB to  Mini for the HRT work fine on my Android tablet, but then again they are not moving around in my pocket.
 
I normally use the setup as shown and simply let the cables and dac go behind the phone and into my pants pocket.  Worked fine like that with my idevice but having issues with Poweramp, Onkyo player and UAPP (trial is expired).  My question is has anyone experience this cutout (starts playing again when I hit play and does not have the issue if I am going straight into headphone out on the phone) and is there a more reliable cabling method that would go OTG micro to USB mini male for the HRT?
 

 
I never had that problem with a Galaxy Note3 and an ODAC  while gardening.
I think you should perform some troubleshooting to determine what is causing the problem by testing your setup for example in different use cases (stationary on a table ...).
 
 

  Also when paying back a 24/88 file on UAPP got ticks like vinyl pops on many tracks on that album.  Is there a specific setting I could change on UAPP to eliminate this?  Seems to be fine on 16/44.
 

 
The HRT microStreamer had some problem with UARP/UAPP, but it was fixed.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/3255#post_9882474
 
I don't know if the trial version is the same than the paid version.
Anyway, there are a lot of UAPP settings:
 

 

 

[cedou97yon]

   
Or should I just buy another OTG cable and USB to Mini cable  and try to narrow down the fault that way?  Any favorites on Amazon for reliable cables?
 
Thoughts from the experienced folks?
 
 
 
Also when paying back a 24/88 file on UAPP got ticks like vinyl pops on many tracks on that album.  Is there a specific setting I could change on UAPP to eliminate this?  Seems to be fine on 16/44.
 
thanks in advance for any help.

 
Did you try with the original usb cable ?

 

[bixby]

Thanks for the ideas.  I will try another usb cable on todays walk even though it will be quite a bit longer.  I did order another OTG cable to use and see if I can rule that out.  And it will be good to have another one for my tablet anyway, if they both turn out to be good.

 

[DanBa]

  The people at JRiver,  the best known media center under Windows, have managed to write a WDM driver, which redirects the sound from any application to the JRiver program, so all sources on the Windows PC benefit from the sound qualities and the sound revamping capabilities of the program. Data from Spotify for example are played by JRiver. The result is excellent.
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=92593.0
 
If would be fun if the developers of UAPP could take a similar step for Android, redirecting all sound to their app and USB driver. Perhaps this is already in their pipe line?
 
Reto

 
There was such an attempt, but it was unsuccessful.
eXtream Software Development (i.e. UAPP software house) has developed a USB audio service that other music players can use to stream their decoded audio to USB DAC, but the other developers have not finally followed up.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/2820#post_9684752
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/2655#post_9632632
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/2655#post_9634800
 
 
I am wondering if a new attempt should be launched using the Sony approach:
"Sony Mobile presented two new products yesterday, the Xperia Z2 phone and T2 tablet, which offers high-res audio over USB, through what we call "Direct mode". Basically we completely bypass the audio framework and send the decoded audio data directly to the USB driver without any processing or any mix-in of notifications, ring signals, etc."
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/4185#post_10306631
 

 

 
Sony has modified Android, more precisely the Android media player framework; so that other music players can keep using the same interface, likely MusicPlayer API, with the Android media player framework.
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media/mediaplayer.html
 
As far as I understand, Sony has introduced a deviation flag "Hi-res Audio via USB" at the entry of the Android media player framework, likely at the MediaPlayer component.
If this flag is not set, the legacy Android media player framework is used.
If this flag is set, the new Sony's "Direct mode" framework is used.
 

 

 
If the proposal "Third-party USB audio framework" makes sense, the next steps could be:
 
. Convince the Android Audio team to include it in a future Android source code.
https://code.google.com/p/high-performance-audio/
 
or / and
 
. Convince eXtream Software Development to implement it on an Android device in association with the CyanogenMod team, or with a device maker's development team, or with a (XDA) Android modder by:
.. implementing the Third-party USB audio framework
.. modifying the MediaPlayer class of the Android media player framework to take account of the deviation towards the Third-party USB audio framework: hopefully this modification in open source code should be included in any future (modded) Android.
 
The Android media player framework has to meet a lot of different requirements: mixer, Android Open Accessory 2.0, ....
The Third-party USB audio framework should be more oriented audiophile: it should have to focus only on sound quality. 

 

[SV_huMMer]

 
First yes the DAC is the nano iDSD and as AMP I'm using the nano iCAN, both connect via the iBasso CB06 mini to mini interconnect. There is no double amping, if you turn the nano iDSD volume knob to max, the nano iDSD will only act as a buffer and the nano iCAN will do the real AMP part. Love this combination of analog sound signature from the DAC and the awesome 3D sound (best crossfeed I've ever heard) from the AMP. I you want this two devices in one (larger one, more expensive one), with some addational feautures/power go directly for the micro iDSD.

 
So is the SQ improvement over using just the iDSD worth the extra bulk and weight, in your view? 

 

[rhadorn]

DanBa:
There was such an attempt, but it was unsuccessful.
eXtream Software Development (i.e. UAPP software house) has developed a USB audio service that other music players can use to stream their decoded audio to USB DAC, but the other developers have not finally followed up.
 
Read the full post here, it is very well documented: http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/5565#post_10985943
 
 
Thank you Dan for the update about the attempt of eXtream to offer their services to other audio players... Obviously Windows offers a framework the, which makes it possible for the JRiver developers to pick up sound data from all applications before they go through Windows own sound system. According to your post, Android does not offer such a possibility, or we have to wait for the little genius capable of making a breakthrough like Gordon Rankin at Wavelength for USB or JRiver with their WDM driver.
 
The special JRiver driver works because it just hijacks the data, without asking anybody. A development, which supposes that the applications the data are hijacked from do their part, cannot work on a broad scale: such a step would devaluate their own product.
 
High quality audio will always to be fought for...
 
So we have to wait for the Android team or some brand specific additions, as you sketch it.

 

[DanBa]

HiSonus UFO-DSD USB DAC/amp:
http://positive-feedback.com/Issue74/ufo_dsd.htm
http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=ds1dta&logNo=20201105400
 
Samsung Galaxy S4 >> USB OTG cable >> HiSonus UFO-DSD >> headphones
 

 

 
 
Samsung Galaxy S4 >> USB OTG-Y cable powered by a 5V power bank >> HiSonus UFO-DSD >> headphones