Android phones and USB DACs

[Lifted Andreas]

Thanks for replied, but It is usb-c for my v30+, I don't think Audio Technica supply usb-c to usb-b with OTG function.

No no, I meant this one:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/301517673073

It's been confirmed not to drain battery from your phone while connected to the Q1ii.

 

[pk3lee]

Thanks I have ordered it.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

Thanks I have ordered it.

No problem.

 

[senzen]

I have USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) used with a circa 2014 Tegra Note 7 tablet attached to a Meridian Explorer2 DAC via a USB OTG cable. It is able to stream MQA and HiFi files from Tidal. The setting in UAPP is simply to allow a Bitperfect stream from the tablet into the DAC. My Tegra is Android 4.3.

So no need for an external battery? Just an otg cable from the Tegra to your Explorer 2? I have an Explorer 1 and would love to use it with my phone; no MQA of course.

 

[BobSmith8901]

So no need for an external battery? Just an otg cable from the Tegra to your Explorer 2? I have an Explorer 1 and would love to use it with my phone; no MQA of course.

yep, it works fine with the Tegra, just the OTG cable to the DAC, no extra power needed in my case. Runs great. Tried it with the new 4.x version of USB Audio Player Pro (OTG to ME2 DAC mode) tonight, streaming TIDAL MQA--they've really improved UAPP!

 

[senzen]

yep, it works fine with the Tegra, just the OTG cable to the DAC, no extra power needed in my case. Runs great. Tried it with the new 4.x version of USB Audio Player Pro (OTG to ME2 DAC mode) tonight, streaming TIDAL MQA--they've really improved UAPP!

Thank you! Might just try it, any specific cable you're using?

 

[BobSmith8901]

Thank you! Might just try it, any specific cable you're using?

There's about a million of them (!) but I chose a Tripp-Lite Model U052-06N-RA Micro USB/USB OTG Adapter Cable. It's got the right angle USB Micro-B male to USB A female. It seems high quality. Got it on Amazon. So far it's working fine and that right angle really helps what is kind of an awkward stack; you can kind of hang on to the tablet and ME2 with one hand and the cables/connections don't get pulled on too badly.

 

[senzen]

There's about a million of them (!) but I chose a Tripp-Lite Model U052-06N-RA Micro USB/USB OTG Adapter Cable. It's got the right angle USB Micro-B male to USB A female. It seems high quality. Got it on Amazon. So far it's working fine and that right angle really helps what is kind of an awkward stack; you can kind of hang on to the tablet and ME2 with one hand and the cables/connections don't get pulled on too badly.

Awesome! Thank you! You saved me a head ache, as you say, there are a gazillon cables, I was looking for a mini to micro cable but will get this one.

 

[BobSmith8901]

Awesome! Thank you! You saved me a head ache, as you say, there are a gazillon cables, I was looking for a mini to micro cable but will get this one.

Yeah it's a good cable, just make sure it will be the right one (the USB Micro-B male end being the critical part) to fit your phone!

 

[almarti]

yep, it works fine with the Tegra, just the OTG cable to the DAC, no extra power needed in my case. Runs great. Tried it with the new 4.x version of USB Audio Player Pro (OTG to ME2 DAC mode) tonight, streaming TIDAL MQA--they've really improved UAPP!

Is Tidal in Android enabled with MQA?
I understood only in Tidal desktop PC.

 

[doctorjazz]

I've actually never been able to find the MQA, just listen to the regular files on TIDAL.

 

[good sound]

Is Tidal in Android enabled with MQA?
I understood only in Tidal desktop PC.

As of now only on limited devices. The LG V30 being one if not the only such device.

 

[BobSmith8901]

Is Tidal in Android enabled with MQA?
I understood only in Tidal desktop PC.

Many Android phones and tablets can do Tidal MQA using USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) with an MQA-capable DAC such as the Meridian Explorer2. There are other ways too, with a phone alone. In fact, the latest LG V30 can do MQA right in UAPP--UAPP is touting this as an integration of UAPP and the LG V30 as part of their new UAPP 4.xx Android software.

As far as I know, for now, the regular Tidal Android app doesn't do MQA in Android but I don't know what the LG V30 can do visa-vis the Tidal app alone; I think even it would need UAPP to give a full Tidal MQA decode. I think a lot of people wish Tidal would enable MQA in their Android app but they haven't done it yet. I'm sure that makes the folks at UAPP happy, then again they're paying for the MQA license I would assume.

In my case I have a Tegra tablet hooked up to a Meridian Explorer2 DAC via OTG cable. In UAPP I get a full decode of Tidal MQA files (blue or green lights light up when streaming MQA). The UAPP 4.xx iteration even shows in their software player under the album art the bitrate and the fact that you are streaming an MQA file. The key thing in the UAPP settings is that you have to enable bit perfect to the DAC. There is at least one you tube video where a guy demonstrates with his regular Android smart phone hooked up to his ME2 that he's decoding an MQA file and it's outputting out of the headphone out in his ME2. That's where I discovered it.

 

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

Yeah, big props to Davy, developer of UAPP.

 

[TadMorose]

Many Android phones and tablets can do Tidal MQA using USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) with an MQA-capable DAC such as the Meridian Explorer2. There are other ways too, with a phone alone. In fact, the latest LG V30 can do MQA right in UAPP--UAPP is touting this as an integration of UAPP and the LG V30 as part of their new UAPP 4.xx Android software.

As far as I know, for now, the regular Tidal Android app doesn't do MQA in Android but I don't know what the LG V30 can do visa-vis the Tidal app alone; I think even it would need UAPP to give a full Tidal MQA decode. I think a lot of people wish Tidal would enable MQA in their Android app but they haven't done it yet. I'm sure that makes the folks at UAPP happy, then again they're paying for the MQA license I would assume.

In my case I have a Tegra tablet hooked up to a Meridian Explorer2 DAC via OTG cable. In UAPP I get a full decode of Tidal MQA files (blue or green lights light up when streaming MQA). The UAPP 4.xx iteration even shows in their software player under the album art the bitrate and the fact that you are streaming an MQA file. The key thing in the UAPP settings is that you have to enable bit perfect to the DAC. There is at least one you tube video where a guy demonstrates with his regular Android smart phone hooked up to his ME2 that he's decoding an MQA file and it's outputting out of the headphone out in his ME2. That's where I discovered it.

LG V30 has internal DAC that supports MQA. Without it, you would need an external DAC, like Meridian Explorer 2 to fully utilize MQA.