[DanBa]

Android USB audio
 
Information search:
1. Click on the following link
https://www.google.fr/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22XY%22+site:http:%2F%2Fwww.head-fi.org%2Ft%2F595071%2Fandroid-phones-and-usb-dacs
2. Replace XY by your search keyword(s).
 
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/
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the native USB audio of Android 5.x Lollipop:
stock Google Nexus X running on Android 5.x Lollipop > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >> headphones
http://goo.gl/x3loEQ
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the Android-powered smartphone Samsung Galaxy S3 having a microSD card slot:
stock Samsung Galaxy S3 > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >>headphones
http://goo.gl/yBKivk
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the Android-powered smartphone Samsung Galaxy Note2 having a microSD card slot:
stock Galaxy Note2 > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >>headphones
http://goo.gl/Ga1jYw
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the Android-powered smartphone Samung Galaxy S4 having a microSD card slot:
stock Samsung Galaxy S4 > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >>headphones
http://goo.gl/dIwrqp
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the Android-powered smartphone Samsung Galaxy Note3 having a microSD card slot:
stock Samsung Galaxy Note3 > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >> headphones
http://goo.gl/7Bvkhz
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the Android-powered smartphone Samung Galaxy S5 having a microSD card slot:
stock Samsung Galaxy S5 > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >>headphones
http://goo.gl/zUjud0
 
A list of standard USB DAC reportedly interworking with the Android-powered smartphone Samsung Galaxy Note4 having a microSD card slot:
stock Samsung Galaxy Note4 > digital USB audio out >> USB OTG cable (ID pin grounded) >> USB DAC >> amp >> headphones
http://goo.gl/gnmvuf
 
USB DAC descriptors:
http://goo.gl/pYJbTu
 
The basics:
http://goo.gl/MCFY2x

 

[NZtechfreak]

I've been meaning to do it for a VERY long time now, but have updated the first post to point to DanBa's fantastic resource, so hopefully newcomers can get to grips with things a bit more easily. As always, many thanks to DanBa.

 

[bixby]

I am searching for a budget android phone to use with OTG and my Microstreamer.  Passed my 2014 Moto G to my daughter and need a phone to act solely as a player.  Samsung S4 comes to mind
 
Will any version do?
 
I am on T-mobile with my phone but the audio sucks and it does not support OTG.  As a phone the Lumia 640  is fantastic. 
 
Will most Galaxy S4s I find used have kit kat or is that not necessay to support OTG?  Also any word on the S4 active and whether it will support OTG?
 
thanks

 

[god-bluff]

Wondered if anyone could answer this could an Android phone (xperia z3C Android 5.1.1) work with a desktop dac such as the Musical Fidelity V-can II? It has a USB type B connection.

 

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

Android phone with a desktop DAC? YES
 
Here is my Geek Pulse Infinity (Usb Type B), powered by a battery pack attached to my Note 3, running Onkyo HF.
 
Its playing an 16/44 .ape file upsampling to DSD128.
 

 

[asymcon]

Hi,
could someone recommend me a portable DAC for my Android phone?
It would be great if it could fall into these requirements:
 - headphone amplifier with at least 3V RMS @ 600Ohm
 - bus powered, with consumption max. 2W
 - balanced outs - either two 1/4 or 1/8 TRS or 4-pin miniXLR (for studio monitors/balanced headphones)
 - flat studio sound (no "vintage" or "bright")
 - with at least DSD64 support
 - not based on ES9018K2M (no "slow start" - to start stream immediately without delays)
 - for maximum $600
 
Thanks!
 
Picks so far
 
HifiMe 9018D
 + 384/32 support
 + powerful amp
 + digital volume control
 - bright
 - slow-start
 - no balanced outs
 
iFi micro iDSD
 - no balanced outs
* didn't have that one, so can't really say

 

[Ra97oR]

Hi,
could someone recommend me a portable DAC for my Android phone?
It would be great if it could fall into these requirements:
 - headphone amplifier with at least 3V RMS @ 600Ohm
 - bus powered, with consumption max. 2W
 - balanced outs - either two 1/4 or 1/8 TRS or 4-pin miniXLR (for studio monitors/balanced headphones)
 - flat studio sound (no "vintage" or "bright")
 - with at least DSD64 support
 - not based on ES9018K2M (no "slow start" - to start stream immediately without delays)
 - for maximum $600

Thanks!

Picks so far

HifiMe 9018D
 + 384/32 support
 + powerful amp
 + digital volume control
 - bright
 - slow-start
 - no balanced outs

iFi micro iDSD
 - no balanced outs
* didn't have that one, so can't really say

What are you going to pair it with?

 

[asymcon]

I dunno how could that matter but OK,
Phone: Xiaomi Redmi 2
Headphones:
AKG K240 Sextett Mid-Production (600 Ohm @ 94dB/mW)
AKG K240 Monitor (600 Ohm @ 88dB/mW)
AKG K240 DF (600 Ohm @ 88dB/mW)
AKG K240 MK2 (55 Ohm @ 91dB/mW)
AKG K601 (120 Ohm @ 91dB/mW)
AKG K701 (62 Ohm @ 91dB/mW)
 
Speakers:
Eris E5
Eris E8
 
All headphones are balanced with single TA4FX (4pin miniXLR female)

 

[Ra97oR]

I dunno how could that matter but OK,

Phone: Xiaomi Redmi 2

Headphones:
AKG K240 Sextett Mid-Production (600 Ohm @ 94dB/mW)

AKG K240 Monitor (600 Ohm @ 88dB/mW)

AKG K240 DF (600 Ohm @ 88dB/mW)

AKG K240 MK2 (55 Ohm @ 91dB/mW)

AKG K601 (120 Ohm @ 91dB/mW)

AKG K701 (62 Ohm @ 91dB/mW)

Speakers:
Eris E5
Eris E8

All headphones are balanced with single TA4FX (4pin miniXLR female)

It does, seeing that you clearly you are not driving anything easy there. Ever though of getting a larger USB DAC? Sourced powered ones are not very ideal for the ones you listed.

 

[asymcon]

9018D provide 3.67V RMS to null load, that's more than enough for all those headphones. iDSD has 4.0V with Normal preset. Both are bus-powered (5V)
There are way less efficient cans on the market.
 
So it appears it is possible to make bus-powered amp with enough voltage.

 

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

If you're willing to wait there is LH Labs Geek Out V2 and V2+. Probably December...
 
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/geek-out-v2-the-world-s-most-powerful-compact-amp#/story

 

[Ra97oR]

9018D provide 3.67V RMS to null load, that's more than enough for all those headphones. iDSD has 4.0V with Normal preset. Both are bus-powered (5V)
There are way less efficient cans on the market.

So it appears it is possible to make bus-powered amp with enough voltage.

Coming from specs alone, a headphone amp IC chip like the those TPA61XX around would be all you ever need for any headphones out there. But they simply all sounds horrible.

Speaking from my personal experience with my ears not from my engineering background, that is. I would recommend you buy with your ears not with numbers, they don't mean much in the personal audio world. Try them if possible, if not buy second hands until you found what you are happy with.

 

[asymcon]

  If you're willing to wait there is LH Labs Geek Out V2 and V2+. Probably December...
 
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/geek-out-v2-the-world-s-most-powerful-compact-amp#/story

It does look very interesting indeed, I don't mind waiting till December.

 
Offtopic - Are there any companies that makes good quality TRRS plugs? I've checked Switchcraft, REAN and Neutrik - none of them seem to offer anything.
 

Coming from specs alone, a headphone amp IC chip like the those TPA61XX around would be all you ever need for any headphones out there. But they simply all sounds horrible. Speaking from my personal experience with my ears not from my engineering background, that is. I would recommend you buy with your ears not with numbers, they don't mean much in the personal audio world. Try them if possible, if not buy second hands until you found what you are happy with.

Exactly, unfortunately there's often no room to try before purchase.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

  If you're willing to wait there is LH Labs Geek Out V2 and V2+. Probably December...
 
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/geek-out-v2-the-world-s-most-powerful-compact-amp#/story

 

Problem - If you're a high resolution music lover, a majority of audio devices can't play any higher resolution than standard CD (16/44.1). That sucks!

1. It's a digital to analog converter (DAC). Our ears can't hear anything that's digital; digital signals have to be converted into analog form before we can hear them. DACs are everywhere: in your phone, in your TV, in your laptop or any other audio playing device. The problem with those DACs is this: they suck. Geek Out V2+'s DAC doesn't suck.

 

 CD Quality sucks??

......reaaaaally?
 
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

  Science Prevails Over Emotion
There's a lot of science behind what we're discussing here. Nyquist's theorem has been proven by others many times over (hence the reason that many others' names are often attached to it). If this article instills in you the need to reconfirm all of this on your own (and you'd be in the good company of this author and several recording-industry professionals if it does) the only way to do it is to utilize a tool that allows you to perform your own double-blind testing (ABXtester, available for free for both iOS and Mac, works great). Without double-blind testing you (and I!) are quite subject to confirmation bias. Our minds are not objective when we have too much information.
There's also a ton of pseudoscience here. Earlier this month at CES I had Bruce Botnick, the producer of The Doors' LA Woman, tell me that after listening to a 24-bit album he feels better than he does after listening to the same album at 16-bit. That's great for him, folks, but doesn't mean much to rest of us. Also, Bruce is busy working with Neil Young to convince us all to buy their 24-bit Pono player, and I'm sure Bruce feels better after each Pono pre-order, too.
The truth is there is the potential to store more data in a 24-bit/192kHz file than in a 16-bit/44.1kHz file. You can see it if you just compare the two – the former will be many times larger than the latter. If you were playing this to a dog, for example, that creature might well be able to tell the difference (because dogs can typically hear higher frequencies than humans, so it makes sense to use a higher sample rate for music targeted towards audiophile dogs). If you're like me and will be playing your music for humans, though, we haven't yet evolved our ears where anything above 16-bit/44.1kHz matters upon playback. That's why it was standardized for compact discs at the beginning of the digital audio era, and that's why it still works today.
Music is Emotional, and That's a Good Thing
Music isn't just a listening experience. Music is also very much an emotional experience. If you believe your speakers are better than your friend's speakers, you're going to be happier listening to music at home. There's nothing wrong with that. I might like the band Weather Report (I do); my wife might hate them (she does). It's simply personal preference and we're both right.
Similarly, if you've convinced yourself that 24-bit or 192kHz (or both) sound better you are quite likely to believe you hear a difference when listening to music in that format. There's nothing inherently wrong with doing something solely because it makes you happy to do it. Just don't confuse that for science; and please don't try to convince others with pseudoscience. That's the last thing we, as a people, need.

 
 

 
The $649.00 price tag on that geek out could be considered another thing that as they say....s_cks. You could buy an entire X7 from FiiO when it comes out for that price. I got a device that plays 24/192 and it's battery dead.
 
 
 
 
As it relates to the Android (Which i love more than my X5 by a mile) ...you might be fighting a re-sampling to 48 before it passes out to the external dac.
 
HifiMe 9018D <<<<<That costs 1/6th the price and looks cool...and it can play music at a range your dog can enjoy too

 
 
I actually might get it because of the cool display and power and small foot print.

 

[asymcon]

  HifiMe 9018D <<<<<That costs 1/6th the price and looks cool...and it can play music at a range your dog can enjoy too

 
 
I actually might get it because of the cool display and power and small foot print.

I cannot recommend getting 9018D due to multitude of reasons - poor quality soldering and QC overall - I happened to break microUSB socket with just 10 cycles.
There are still many things to be fixed, like the slow-start which is quite critical issue. 9018K2M does have fast-start mode, but it's incorrectly implemented and it's still not sample-accurate start (about 100ms is lost, with slow start 2000ms)
 

  CD Quality sucks??

......reaaaaally?

I don't think you read that properly. What sucks is inability to play back more than 44/16, not the CD quality itself.