Android phones and USB DACs

[StanD]

 
sweet. I will grab one for my Geek Out and Note 4! I'm buying this purely out of curiosity.
I wonder how it will increase sound quality.

It will improve the SQ, only if you really want it to. 

 The plain answer is no. You would probably save plenty if you bought a reasonably priced cable + a spare cable for a backup.

 

[AvroArrow]

  I have a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact that I'm using for my music.
How would you go about connecting a Fiio E12A (amplifier only) to it?
 
From what I've read, the Z3 seems to be one of the few smartphones that has an audio driver that natively supports HD decoding (source). Is there a way to make use of this? or do I really need a separate DAC?

 
I also have a Z3c (D5803) and the only way to connect it is via the headphone jack to the Fiio E12A is to use a short M-M 3.5mm cable that is probably included with the E12A, not sure, I don't have an E12A but my E07K and E17 both included a short M-M 3.5mm cable.  You will be double-amping in this case but the headphone output will be outputting proper 24/96 (if that is what you are playing) audio ONLY if you use the stock Walkman App/Player or something like UAPP or HibyMusic player.  Using any other music playing app (e.g. PowerAmp, Neutron, Google Music Player) will result in the music being up- or down-sampled to 16/48.
 
If you don't want to double-amp then an external DAC/Amp combo (Fiio E07K, E17, or E18) would also work but the same limitations apply.  If you want true 24/96 or 24/192 playback that is not up/down-sampled to 16/48 then you have to use the Walkman App/UAPP/Hiby players.  The only caveat is that the awkward location of the microUSB port on the Z3c (and Z2/Z3) requires you to use a 90 degree/right angled USB OTG cable to wire up a DAC/Amp, but even then it's a bit of a messy cable bundle compared to every other phone that has the microUSB port on the bottom center.  That's why I just gave up and bought a Fiio X1 and use that for my music when I'm taking public transit to work. 

 

[zolom]

  Yeah.
It costs nearly 90 dollars including EMS delivery.
It's too expansive considering that Geek Out is 299 dollars.
I might do this later on when I get some serious amount of cash.

I am waiting for the Forza OTG Micro USB Silver cable
http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=55
 
Pair with: LG G3, Headstage Arrow 5P (amp/dac) with the Shure 486

 

[seeteeyou]

Maybe Sony Xperia could work just a tiny bit better like this? Retractable cable plus an angled OTG adapter could be less messy than a short USB cable plus a short OTG cable
 

 

 

 

 
Another flavor
 

 

 

[robob]

IT's time to try this one :
Hifime 9018 dac, by Hifimediy. Sabre ES9018K2M chip and MAX97220A headphone chip that can drive headphones down to 16 ohm, 384khz, DSD file, work with Android 5.0,... 90$.

 

[DanBa]

Thanks!
 
Another details:
http://hifimediy.com/9018-dac
http://hifi.me/otg-adaptor
http://hifimediy.com/news/announcing-new-dacs-hifime-9018-series.html
 
Android 5.0 Lollipop-powered Google Nexus 6 > native USB audio out >> HiFime microUSB OTG adaptor >> HiFime 9018 asynchronous USB DAC/amp >> headphones
 
 

 

 
                     

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

  Maybe Sony Xperia could work just a tiny bit better like this? Retractable cable plus an angled OTG adapter could be less messy than a short USB cable plus a short OTG cable
 
 

 

 
 

 
Have used these ultra short OTG on my Xperia Z and Note 3.....THEY WIGGLE! 
 
Never used them sinced...

 

[ckhkel]

I connect my Samsung Note 4 to the Teac HA-P50 using a OTG USB cable through the USB DAC "B". 
The problem I had was the DAC is drawing power from the Note 4, i.e. the phone is charging the DAC.
Please could you recommend a solution to stop the phone from charging the DAC? Please help.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

I have this Delock Data / Power split cable.
 

 
- Red (Power) to batterypack
- Black (Data) to OTG and tape the 5v pin to be sure (see red tape on pic below).
- Black (female) to DAC/Amp.
 

 

[vman]

   
I also have a Z3c (D5803) and the only way to connect it is via the headphone jack to the Fiio E12A is to use a short M-M 3.5mm cable that is probably included with the E12A, not sure, I don't have an E12A but my E07K and E17 both included a short M-M 3.5mm cable.  You will be double-amping in this case but the headphone output will be outputting proper 24/96 (if that is what you are playing) audio ONLY if you use the stock Walkman App/Player or something like UAPP or HibyMusic player.  Using any other music playing app (e.g. PowerAmp, Neutron, Google Music Player) will result in the music being up- or down-sampled to 16/48.
 
If you don't want to double-amp then an external DAC/Amp combo (Fiio E07K, E17, or E18) would also work but the same limitations apply.  If you want true 24/96 or 24/192 playback that is not up/down-sampled to 16/48 then you have to use the Walkman App/UAPP/Hiby players.  The only caveat is that the awkward location of the microUSB port on the Z3c (and Z2/Z3) requires you to use a 90 degree/right angled USB OTG cable to wire up a DAC/Amp, but even then it's a bit of a messy cable bundle compared to every other phone that has the microUSB port on the bottom center.  That's why I just gave up and bought a Fiio X1 and use that for my music when I'm taking public transit to work. 

Thanks a lot for the informative post!
Yeah I agree that the microUSB port location sucks.
I'm actually using 320 kbps MP3 files and some FLAC files for now, but I just wanted to make sure that my setup would be future-proof that's all.
 
BTW, how bad is double-amping? and do you recommend a cheap DAC for my setup?
 
Cheers

 

[DanBa]

  I have this Delock Data / Power split cable.
 
- Red (Power) to batterypack
- Black (Data) to OTG and tape the 5v pin to be sure (see red tape on pic below).
- Black (female) to DAC/Amp.
 

 
What are your impressions about the sound quality without the 5V from the phone?
 
Thanks.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

What is strikingly evident was:
- Blacker background
- More separation, definition

 

[BradleyP]

How fast does the D1 drain your phone battery?  I want to do the same thing with my Samsung S5 and my Audioengine D1.

 

[DanBa]

  Has anyone successfully run an Audioengine D1 dac/headamp off of a Samsung Galaxy S5 phone?  If so, what cables and adapters work?  
 

 
FAQ:
http://goo.gl/A4dCnP
 
A list of USB OTG cables:
http://goo.gl/4JyOe5
 
A list of stock Android-powered devices reportedly interworking with compatible USB DAC:
stock Android device > digital USB audio out >> USB DAC >> amp >> headphones
http://goo.gl/ksoF0d
 
A list of USB Audio Player PRO resources (compatible USB DAC, compatible Android devices, ...):
http://www.extreamsd.com/USBAudioRecorderPRO/
http://www.head-fi.org/t/595071/android-phones-and-usb-dacs/6210#post_11264569
 
 
According to the USB Audio Player PRO (UAPP) web site, the Audioengine D1 is a working audio device and the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a working Android device.
 
Galaxy S5 using UAPP >> Ugreen microUSB OTG cable adapter + regular cable provided in the Audioengine D1 box >> Audioengine D1 USB DAC/amp >> headphones
 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LN3AXWI/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_gRWLub161MR7J?tag=amazonsearchshop-20
 
 
Quote:

  How fast does the D1 drain your phone battery?  I want to do the same thing with my Samsung S5 and my Audioengine D1.

 

  I have this Delock Data / Power split cable.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

 
- Red (Power) to batterypack
- Black (Data) to OTG and tape the 5v pin to be sure (see red tape on pic below).
- Black (female) to DAC/Amp.
 

 
m-i-c-k-e-y's solution: The battery pack powers the Audioengine D1.
 
Galaxy S5 using UAPP >> Ugreen microUSB OTG cable adapter + Delock Data / Power split cable ("and tape the 5v pin") powered by a 5V battery pack + regular cable provided in the Audioengine D1 box >> Audioengine D1 USB DAC/amp >> headphones
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001BHVMIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422969747&tag=amazonsearchshop-20
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dmobile&field-keywords=5V+battery+pack

 

[BradleyP]

Thanks so much!  I look forward to trying this out.  My concern is excessive battery drainage, but I'll see how it goes.  I'm probably worrying needlessly.