[Neweymatt]

I appreciate that, but I feel it’s a bit of a loophole workaround to get the SR25 to do what it is already capable of doing (allegedly)… DAC mode is supposed to be able to be toggled on or off in the SR25’s settings, not the player program on the connected device. Moreover, I’m on Amazon Music HD and Apple Lossless these days, so this fix wouldn’t work for me, sadly. Thanks for the response though, and I’m glad it worked for you! Although if I am inferring correctly, somewhat shakily, ha ha? Hence the desktop rig?

Haven’t used Amazon or Apple this way, but with Tidal its not a bad solution.

Battery angst, actually, is what prompted me to look at desktop gear, didn’t feel right in my head to be using this pocketable device on my desktop while stuck at home all the time. But then it became more about the better DAC/amp combo to drive planar headphones and dynamic driver IEMs.

 

[Earbones]

If anybody has had success finding “USB DAC Mode” on their SR25 please let me know, and tell me where you found it…

I’m not referring to USB Mode, that is a different thing which has to do with using the SR25 as a music server for an external DAC (Like using it with a Chord Dave or other home system), not for using the SR25 as an external DAC for a computer, which is what I am trying to do…

After a deep dive into the guts of my SR25, it’s becoming clear to me why it won’t work as a USB DAC… It simply doesn’t have the drivers for USB DAC mode. They were never installed. And there is no way to install them, because before you do that, you must “Set the device to USB DAC mode” before connecting to the computer. From what I can see, my device literally doesn’t have this mode… I have looked all over, and it simply ain’t there. It’s not in settings, playback, nowhere…

 

[tbrobison]

If anybody has had success finding “USB DAC Mode” on their SR25 please let me know, and tell me where you found it…

I’m not referring to USB Mode, that is a different thing which has to do with using the SR25 as a music server for an external DAC (Like using it with a Chord Dave or other home system), not for using the SR25 as an external DAC for a computer, which is what I am trying to do…

After a deep dive into the guts of my SR25, it’s becoming clear to me why it won’t work as a USB DAC… It simply doesn’t have the drivers for USB DAC mode. They were never installed. And there is no way to install them, because before you do that, you must “Set the device to USB DAC mode” before connecting to the computer. From what I can see, my device literally doesn’t have this mode… I have looked all over, and it simply ain’t there. It’s not in settings, playback, nowhere…

Don't know if this is of any help for you, but doesn't the owner's manual on pages 36 & 37 cover what you're looking for? Other than that, I haven't ventured into the area you're interested in,.....yet.

 

[Earbones]

Don't know if this is of any help for you, but doesn't the owner's manual on pages 36 & 37 cover what you're looking for? Other than that, I haven't ventured into the area you're interested in,.....yet.

Very, very familiar with pages 36 and 37, ha ha…

You would think the info on them would help, but it doesn’t. If you read below, it’s the last line that’s the rub… “Before installing the driver, set device to USB DAC mode and connect to the computer.”

As I said in my previous post, I can’t find this mode on my player, and I have looked just about everywhere. I mean, I went through every menu and every setting, even looking in places where I knew it wouldn’t be, just to dot my i’s and cross my t’s… like “Album” or “LR Balance”. It’s simply nowhere.

I can’t imagine I overlooked it, but hey, I’ve done dumb things before. Figured I’d check here to see if anybody can find USB DAC Mode on their SR25…


Page 36 below (page 37 actually has to do with using the SR25 as a music server for external DACs):


“USB DAC Installation

The USB DAC function allows the device to be recognized as a sound card on a computer. Music from the computer is played through the device’s headphone port for an enhanced listening experience.

USB DAC Specifications

- Supported OS
Windows 7(32bit/64bit) / Windows 8(32bit/64bit) / Windows 10(32/64bit)
MAC OS 10.7(Lion) or later

-USB DAC Support Specifications
Supported Formats: PCM [8~384kHz(8/16/24bit)]
DSD [2.8/5.6/11.2MHz]

-Control the volume with the AK device’s volume wheel.

! Playback is unavailable when settings exceed the supported formats. The Previous, Play, and Next buttons are unavailable when connected as a USB DAC.
Playback may stutter when computer performance is slow or the USB connection is experiencing heavy usage.
There may be issues with audio-to-video synchronization during video playback depending on the sound quality and operating environment. Volume cannot be adjusted via the Windows volume control. The volume wheel on the device or volume control on the appropriate program must be used to adjust the volume.
Install a dedicated driver to use the AK device as a USB DAC.
The driver file is located in SR25\Internal_Storage\SR25_ Contents\Driver. Before installing the driver, set device to USB DAC mode and connect to the computer.”

 

[Neweymatt]

Very, very familiar with pages 36 and 37, ha ha…

You would think the info on them would help, but it doesn’t. If you read below, it’s the last line that’s the rub… “Before installing the driver, set device to USB DAC mode and connect to the computer.”

As I said in my previous post, I can’t find this mode on my player, and I have looked just about everywhere. I mean, I went through every menu and every setting, even looking in places where I knew it wouldn’t be, just to dot my i’s and cross my t’s… like “Album” or “LR Balance”. It’s simply nowhere.

I can’t imagine I overlooked it, but hey, I’ve done dumb things before. Figured I’d check here to see if anybody can find USB DAC Mode on their SR25…


Page 36 below (page 37 actually has to do with using the SR25 as a music server for external DACs):


“USB DAC Installation

The USB DAC function allows the device to be recognized as a sound card on a computer. Music from the computer is played through the device’s headphone port for an enhanced listening experience.

USB DAC Specifications

- Supported OS
Windows 7(32bit/64bit) / Windows 8(32bit/64bit) / Windows 10(32/64bit)
MAC OS 10.7(Lion) or later

-USB DAC Support Specifications
Supported Formats: PCM [8~384kHz(8/16/24bit)]
DSD [2.8/5.6/11.2MHz]

-Control the volume with the AK device’s volume wheel.

! Playback is unavailable when settings exceed the supported formats. The Previous, Play, and Next buttons are unavailable when connected as a USB DAC.
Playback may stutter when computer performance is slow or the USB connection is experiencing heavy usage.
There may be issues with audio-to-video synchronization during video playback depending on the sound quality and operating environment. Volume cannot be adjusted via the Windows volume control. The volume wheel on the device or volume control on the appropriate program must be used to adjust the volume.
Install a dedicated driver to use the AK device as a USB DAC.
The driver file is located in SR25\Internal_Storage\SR25_ Contents\Driver. Before installing the driver, set device to USB DAC mode and connect to the computer.”

So you've got a Mac, right? If so, there are no drivers to install at all.

Just plug in the USB cable to your Mac, and then "USB Mode" in the pull-down menu lets you change it to USB DAC mode. After that, the SR25 should show up as an audio device, like the Tidal screen shots I shared yesterday.

 

[tbrobison]

Very, very familiar with pages 36 and 37, ha ha…

You would think the info on them would help, but it doesn’t. If you read below, it’s the last line that’s the rub… “Before installing the driver, set device to USB DAC mode and connect to the computer.”

As I said in my previous post, I can’t find this mode on my player, and I have looked just about everywhere. I mean, I went through every menu and every setting, even looking in places where I knew it wouldn’t be, just to dot my i’s and cross my t’s… like “Album” or “LR Balance”. It’s simply nowhere.

I can’t imagine I overlooked it, but hey, I’ve done dumb things before. Figured I’d check here to see if anybody can find USB DAC Mode on their SR25…


Page 36 below (page 37 actually has to do with using the SR25 as a music server for external DACs):


“USB DAC Installation

The USB DAC function allows the device to be recognized as a sound card on a computer. Music from the computer is played through the device’s headphone port for an enhanced listening

Oh well, sorry about that. I too am a mac user. Hopefully Neweymatt's suggestion/help will get you going in the right direction. Good luck!

 

[Earbones]

So you've got a Mac, right? If so, there are no drivers to install at all.

Just plug in the USB cable to your Mac, and then "USB Mode" in the pull-down menu lets you change it to USB DAC mode. After that, the SR25 should show up as an audio device, like the Tidal screen shots I shared yesterday.

That’s the thing:

“…and then USB Mode in the pull-down menu lets you change to USB DAC mode…”

My pull down menu doesn’t display USB DAC mode. It’s just… absent. And there’s no moving forward without it.

 

[Neweymatt]

That’s the thing:

“…and then USB Mode in the pull-down menu lets you change to USB DAC mode…”

My pull down menu doesn’t display USB DAC mode. It’s just… absent. And there’s no moving forward without it.

That... doesn't seem right. Wonder if that "USB Mode" is disabled in your Settings->Notification Panel?

Here's what I've got

Anything not in the highlighted box will not show up in the pull down menu. So for me, I cannot access "AK Connect" atm.

 

[emorrison33]

If anybody has had success finding “USB DAC Mode” on their SR25 please let me know, and tell me where you found it…

I’m not referring to USB Mode, that is a different thing which has to do with using the SR25 as a music server for an external DAC (Like using it with a Chord Dave or other home system), not for using the SR25 as an external DAC for a computer, which is what I am trying to do…

After a deep dive into the guts of my SR25, it’s becoming clear to me why it won’t work as a USB DAC… It simply doesn’t have the drivers for USB DAC mode. They were never installed. And there is no way to install them, because before you do that, you must “Set the device to USB DAC mode” before connecting to the computer. From what I can see, my device literally doesn’t have this mode… I have looked all over, and it simply ain’t there. It’s not in settings, playback, nowhere…

SR25 USB DAC Driver
https://www.astellnkern.com/eng/con...w.asp?search=&word=&idx=1000156&page=5&no=112

Quote from the link above:
[Notes]
1. This is an integrated USB Audio driver for AK Devices.
The previous USB DAC driver will need to be deleted from the AK Device prior to installing the new driver.
To delete the previous driver, connect the AK Device to the computer and the previous Driver can be located in the "Contents" folder.
2. This driver is for Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (32/64bit).
For MAC OS, the driver is automatically recognized without needing to be manually installed.

 

[emorrison33]

I'm using the SR25 as a streamer, sending it out over USB to a Schiit Bifrost2. If I am using the Tidal app, does the SR25 still completely unfold MQA before sending the signal off to the externalDAC? Or does it just do the first unfold? The Bifrost2 doesn't have MQA support so I'm wondering if I'm getting the "full" MQA experience with the SR25 this way.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I'm using the SR25 as a streamer, sending it out over USB to a Schiit Bifrost2. If I am using the Tidal app, does the SR25 still completely unfold MQA before sending the signal off to the externalDAC? Or does it just do the first unfold? The Bifrost2 doesn't have MQA support so I'm wondering if I'm getting the "full" MQA experience with the SR25 this way.

If it's acting as a transport, I don't think it handles any decoding, so wouldn't presume it handles anything beyond the first fold. As a general caveat, though, I'm finding that a lot of the content on Tidal that's marked as MQA only fully "unfolds" to 24/44 or 24/48. Might not need to worry about what the SR25 is doing as much as what Tidal is offering.

 

[emorrison33]

If it's acting as a transport, I don't think it handles any decoding, so wouldn't presume it handles anything beyond the first fold. As a general caveat, though, I'm finding that a lot of the content on Tidal that's marked as MQA only fully "unfolds" to 24/44 or 24/48. Might not need to worry about what the SR25 is doing as much as what Tidal is offering.

Thanks! I've been using Qobuz mostly. Can't get rid of Tidal because the wife likes and listens to it on the family plan

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Thanks! I've been using Qobuz mostly. Can't get rid of Tidal because the wife likes and listens to it on the family plan

Sounds like why we still have Spotify lol. Has the Qobuz UX gotten any better? I was having a beast of a time getting offline downloads to work a while ago.

 

[emorrison33]

Sounds like why we still have Spotify lol. Has the Qobuz UX gotten any better? I was having a beast of a time getting offline downloads to work a while ago.

No, it's not much better. The issue I'm having now is with the 192kHz files. The download isn't quick enough over wi-fi, so it stops and stutters during playback. Never had any issues with wi-fi before (although the signal showing on the SR25 is never full bars). There hasn't been a firmware update recently, so I'm pretty sure it's the Qobuz app doing something. I just haven't gone back to a previous APK to test my theory.
EDIT: Haven't ever tried offline downloads...streaming only. Been using my Fiio M11 for the Bifrost, no issues with that and Qobuz. Or I use my Surface Pro 5 connected to the Birfrost2.

 

[Earbones]

SR25 USB DAC Driver
https://www.astellnkern.com/eng/con...w.asp?search=&word=&idx=1000156&page=5&no=112

Quote from the link above:
[Notes]
1. This is an integrated USB Audio driver for AK Devices.
The previous USB DAC driver will need to be deleted from the AK Device prior to installing the new driver.
To delete the previous driver, connect the AK Device to the computer and the previous Driver can be located in the "Contents" folder.
2. This driver is for Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (32/64bit).
For MAC OS, the driver is automatically recognized without needing to be manually installed.

Thanks. I appreciate you digging that up- I found it too… But that is an info article/download portal for drivers for a PC. I am saying I literally don’t have the base drivers on the SR25 device. I am actually missing options in my OS. It’s very weird… Perhaps a device built during COVID, somebody forgot to load it completely?..