[Ynot1]

My guesstimate is this, TI probably recommended the system design considering their chips are the most important.
So the dac handles the output or headphone jack could be line out and the adc handles the input or line in.
The other devices are gateway spdif, usb, bluetooth.
Therefore only the dac or the adc works at anyone one time.
When the dac works the headphone jack can receive bluetooth, usb, or spdif input.
When the adc works the line in can send to bluetooth, usb, or spdif output.
I'm guessing the presence or absence of headphone jack plugged in determines which it is using dac or adc.

Don't you just hate it when the spell checker develops a personality.
In another words my ipad mini is being hacked, when Apple professed ios does not need a firewall.
Maybe it's a wireless back door. I don't know but somebody's bothering me.

 

[wormsdriver]

Just got this little amp from Brookstone since it was sold out on Amazon. First impression was that it felt cheap because it is very light weight. Other than that, build is great imo.

I bought this thing because of the combination of it having both bluetooth and spdif out.

I had a couple of uses in mind for this device so I immediately went to try them out.
First was to use this with my tv which i remembered had Bluetooth capabilities. I went to the menu, then settings, sounds... aha! there it was, Bluetooth audio. Cool!
I had no problems connecting the amp with the tv, plugged in my cans, boom, it works no problems. $25 well spent!

Next, the real test, connect the Big blue to the mojo via spdif out.

I used the same cable that I use to connect a Fiio X5 (1st generation) to the Mojo... Bam! It works! This is pretty damn cool if you ask me. Why? Well for one, I can connect my phone to the Big Blue via Bluetooth > Mojo > Ragnarok > speakers (or headphones ) on the cheap and it works great!

Like I said, $25 WELL SPENT!

 

[atx]

I used the same cable that I use to connect a Fiio X5 (1st generation) to the Mojo... Bam! It works! This is pretty damn cool if you ask me. Why? Well for one, I can connect my phone to the Big Blue via Bluetooth > Mojo > Ragnarok > speakers (or headphones ) on the cheap and it works great!
Like I said, $25 WELL SPENT!

You can also connect Big Blue to your phone via USB OTG cable. Works for Android anyway, so you don't lose any quality.

 

[MVDude]

This might help with getting the high resolution audio (32bit/384khz) working on Windows 10 over the USB connection. I have not received my Big Blue Bluetooth Amplifier yet, but I've been doing some research to get ready. My primary use will be USB connection from Windows 10 PC. I have not tried these instructions yet.

(Also, I apologize if this is common technical knowledge for anyone here. I'm just passing on results of 60 minutes worth of research for myself. It's directly relevant to the Big Blue Bluetooth Amplifier.)

Windows has supported USB Audio Class 1 (UAC1) since 1998 for external USB audio devices. It goes up to 24bit/96kHz. USB Audio Class 2 (UAC2) supports the higher 32bit/384khz resolution of the Big Blue device, but it was not added to Windows 10 until the Creators Update. This means an OEM driver would have been required for the higher resolution audio over Windows USB until very recently. (The Big Blue has no driver that I can find.) Creators Update was officially released on April 11, 2017 but has been rolling out in waves. (For instance, I only receive my Windows 10 Creators Update 3 days ago!)

Source:
This Just In: Microsoft Launches Native Class 2 USB Audio Support. Wait, What?

If you have the Win 10 Creators Update, here is a guide on how to make sure your USB audio device is actually using the new UAC2 driver. This would also allow you toggle between an OEM driver (for other devices) and the native Windows driver.
Installing the Microsoft class driver(s) for USB Audio devices

Do you have the Creators Update yet?
How to check the Windows 10 Creators Update is installed on your PC

Making Creators Update Happen Now
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

 

[MVDude]

This device supposedly supports the aptX bluetooth audio codec.

Here's a general introduction to aptX:
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-aptx-3134709

Here's a guide on adding aptX bluetooth support to your phone if you don't already have it (maybe):
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/201...our-oneplus-xiaomi-pixel-or-nexus-smartphone/

(I realize this information may be old news and on head-fi elsewhere, but this is directly relevant to the Big Blue Bluetooth Amplifier device. Just doing research for myself and sharing.)

 

[atx]

Here's a guide on adding aptX bluetooth support to your phone if you don't already have it (maybe):
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/201...our-oneplus-xiaomi-pixel-or-nexus-smartphone/
(I realize this information may be old news and on head-fi elsewhere, but this is directly relevant to the Big Blue Bluetooth Amplifier device. Just doing research for myself and sharing.)

The amp supports Bluetooth 5 and aptX HD ( https://www.aptx.com/aptx-hd ) but I didn't realize some phones came with aptX disabled and you have to root to enable it. Wow, that's just lame. No wonder some people weren't impressed with the bluetooth on this amp. I'm using LG V10 and it supports aptX AAC (whereas most adapters and maybe phones use aptX LBC), and I can barely tell the difference between bluetooth and wired connection.

 

[MVDude]

I received my Big Blue Headphone Amplifier a couple days ago. Below are my notes. (I'm a technically-minded person, but a casual audio enthusiast and not a trained listener so take this with a grain of salt.)

1. On the whole, it was worth it for the clearance price given the functionality and sound quality improvement on PC / USB.
   
   
2. Sound from PC over USB is highly detailed, with wide sound stage and great sound localization. It's overall tighter, crisper, and cleaner sounding than my PC's on-board dac. It doesn't strike me as trickery with coloring the audio either. The output from the Big Blue just seems a lot less clumsy than the output from the dac on my motherboard. It's a modest but very noticeable improvement for me. I like it and will use it this way.
   
   
3. Bluetooth connection sounds good to me. I didn't A/B like I did on PC with USB, but I'm familiar with the Bluetooth audio quality from my phone, and this is a bit tighter and richer I think. It may even go a little too far vs. how it sounds on PC. Perhaps a bit too sharp. I tried to find system information about driver and codec, but could not on my phone. (Is there something like Foobar but for mobile devices?)
   
   
4. The instructions for switching to the USB Audio 2 driver didn't work exactly as described in the Microsoft article. I had to navigate into the Windows INF folder to find the driver. It didn't work.
   
   
5. In device manager, the Big Blue appears as an Audio Endpoint. None of my other devices appear this way. I've never seen this before.
   
   
6. When I first connected over USB, I didn't think it was working. I adjusted the volume knob and then it suddenly came on and nearly blew my eardrums out! Be careful.
   
   
7. Windows does some wonky things with the volume level display. When I adjust the volume on the Big Blue it works as it should, but the volume level display shown on Windows will only go up, up, up, and not down, from the Big Blue volume knob. Odd.
   
   
8. The volume on the Big Blue resets when you turn it off / on with the mode knob or you unplug (but not when it sleeps). When you reconnect, the audio can kick in suddenly and be too loud. Be careful.
   
   
9. I didn't have the audio muting problem some have reported. Rather, if the Big Blue fell asleep, or when I first plugged in, it wouldn't play at all until I tweaked the volume knob. This causes it to wake up and start working. Otherwise, it would just sit and do nothing.
   
   
10. Using Foobar, WASAPI and testing different bit rates in exclusive mode worked just fine on my PC which has a hi-resolution capable on-board dac. However, switching the playback device to the Big Blue (using Foobar), changing nothing else, and trying different bit rates only worked on 16bit for the Big Blue.
    
    
11. I was looking to try the SPDIF connection and see if the Big Blue would take higher bit rates than it will on USB. I wasn't sure if the SPDIF was coaxial or optical. Well, it's right in the manual, but only mentioned once and not in the specs: it's coaxial. My PC only has the optical out variety and I'm not going to buy an optical-to-coax converter for this project.
    
    
12. In terms of build, the gray middle part of the housing does feel plastic and cheap. It's glossy, which was a surprise when I opened the box. The knob action feels quite nice and solid. The ports feel solid and not loose. I think the knobs are metal and parts of the housing are metal, but this isn't going to win any design awards.

Here are photos of the unit:

Here are photos of the box:

 

[BFromCal]

Thanks! This thread was/is very informative. I really appreciate it!

 

[MVDude]

Someone over on SlickDeals contacted Vence directly. The reply from Vence indicates that this device supports high resolution audio input only over the coax SPDIF connection. They also confirm that USB support is limited to 16 bit/48khz input. However, it seems the device does up-sample everything to 32 bit/384khz before output. I haven't seen that anyone has tested or measured the coax SPDIF in/out yet. (I'm not set up to do it.)

 

[OldDude04]

Someone over on SlickDeals contacted Vence directly. The reply from Vence indicates that this device supports high resolution audio input only over the coax SPDIF connection. They also confirm that USB support is limited to 16 bit/48khz input. However, it seems the device does up-sample everything to 32 bit/384khz before output. I haven't seen that anyone has tested or measured the coax SPDIF in/out yet. (I'm not set up to do it.)

I tried the amp over SPDIF and was unable to get any sound at all. The same source and cable worked with my Sound Blaster E5 when I had it. It is the only function of the amp that hasn't worked, otherwise it's been a steal for $20.

 

[MVDude]

I tried the amp over SPDIF and was unable to get any sound at all. The same source and cable worked with my Sound Blaster E5 when I had it. It is the only function of the amp that hasn't worked, otherwise it's been a steal for $20.

Creative E5 looks like it's optical SPDIF. The Big Blue is coaxial SPDIF. (It's buried in the manual, only mentioned once.)

 

[OldDude04]

Creative E5 looks like it's optical SPDIF. The Big Blue is coaxial SPDIF. (It's buried in the manual, only mentioned once.)

Ah, I did not see that. I'll have to test it with my iDSD then after I get the needed cable.

 

[labrat]

Del

 

[threebeers]

I've been messing with this thing for a while. Notes and a question:

--A couple of phones (Moto G and Moto E 2nd gen) I previously confirmed output to AptX, to an AptX speaker, using Wireshark to analyze the phone's data dump log. Using this device from either phone, it shows default SBC bluetooth protocol in Wireshark going out to the Big Blue. Can anyone confirm (using Wireshark or similar program) AptX (or even AAC) bluetooth reception, and if so by what setup?

--The two phones above also have OTG. Both were able to connect to the Big Blue with an OTG cable. Sometimes sound came through, sometimes not--it seems volume on the phone had to be up with the app running, before connecting, for it to work. Big Blue volume knob works in this configuration. Worked with Tunein and with a player app running FLAC files, sounds outstanding.

--What coax cable do I need for SPDIF in? Just RCA to mono 1/8? I can get an RCA/mono 1/8 adopter for a few bucks. The alternative, late model FIIO cables with multiple rings on the 1/8 side, are expensive.

Thanks!

 

[Humblepie]

Been using this little guy at work for awhile now. Myself and few other coworkers I pointed the deal out to. We've all enjoyed it and it certainly was a steal at $25 shipped. My notes about the unit are as follow:

First for sound quality. It sounds pretty darn decent through USB/bluetooth, and great through SPIDIF. There is a little bit of coloration to the sound. It is certainly warmer and a tad more bass than my Schiit stack. Through bluetooth it seems even warmer than through usb or spidif.

It is light and easy to carry. The battery lasts throughout the day easily even with continuous play.

The gripes I have are as follows. The bluetooth range is pretty bad. I get 30ft and that is it. I compared them to the Symphonized Wraith 2.0 bluetooth headphones which easily go twice the distance before cutting out. Still if you are in the same room as the source audio, it will work fine distance wise. Just don't expect to walk around your entire house with it away from the source.

The auto sleep mode. If you have no sound being pumped through the device for about 60 seconds it will go into sleep mode. It doesn't turn back on either unless you move one of the knobs. Go long enough with the sleep mode and it won't turn back on unless you see the source knob to off first. It is mildly annoying to say the least. It does this to help conserve battery power, but does it even when plugged into USB regardless. The print around the knobs are also very hard to read. Black text on very dark grey plastic isn't the easiest to read and in the dark you might as well not even try.

The volume knob has no stops. So it will spin in either direction infinitely. As noted by others, turning the volume knob up adjusts the volume of the unit AND the volume in windows through the USB if plugged in. However, turning the volume knob down only adjust the volume of the unit down and doesn't turn the windows volume output down. So basically be careful if you have the device plugged into your computer when you turn it up if your windows output volume isn't already maxed out. You may blast your ears out by the double volume increase.

Pretty sure I would never have paid the original $200+ asking cost. At $25 it was an excellent deal though. Most places are sold out, but you can still get one fairly cheap off Amazon and Ebay. Not $25 cheap, but $50 or less. Still a good deal at that price.