Hello guys,
I hoping for some Dac help... I rebuild solid state components (Marantz, McIntosh). and do a lot of critical listening. I use an un rooted HTC M8 running android 5.0.1 for digital music using Flac files and streaming through Spotify Premium. I thought this phones internal Dac would be great considering the reviews and 24bit support. Not so much. I recently bought a cheap USB Dac from ebay that uses sa9027 and es9023 chips. The difference is painfully obvious. The sound stage, separation, and lower mid range were dramatically improved. Here is my problem. The Dac doesn't always communicate with my M8. I'm using the OTG cable but I have to press play on my phone first, then plug in the cable to get output. I repeat this 6 or 7 times before it works. If i try to skip to the next song I have to repeat the process. The phone goes into host mode each time, but doesn't output until I It feels I have plugged the cable in enough times. Very frustrating. I went as far as to make my own OTG cable and separate power cable supplying 5v, but I get the same result. I'v used Neutron, Jet Pro, the stock player, and Spotify, all with the same result. USB audio player Pro doesn't work all.
I apologize for all the info, but I want to be thorough. Now that I have exposed my phone incompetent Dac, I cant go back. Is there an easy solution to fix this problem? or is it just a matter of getting a reputable Dac?
Sal