A few people showed interest in my earlier post about battery management when the N3Pro is used as a USB DAC/amp - both for the DAP itself and the host device. The setup above was inspired by E1DA’s “red wire” mod, in which you use a Y-splitter to feed the PowerDAC with data from a phone and current from an external battery, and cut the charge (red) wire from the end that goes into the phone so the splitter is forced to draw power from the battery.
In spite of its undeniable Cold War spy movie chic, I wasn’t so keen on this mod, especially the part where both the current and the data transit between high-quality devices through a crappy $2 generic splitter with presumably high manufacturing tolerances and no particular concern for audio - which on top of that you’ve pried open then sealed back shut.
The device above allows the same fundamental setup but it’s a reliable little hub with an aluminum enclosure, more substantial but still small and lightweight, that doubles as an SD, MicroSD and TF card reader (cool of you dabble into photography too). The phone has to be plugged into the white USB-C cable that sticks out from the hub itself, and the battery then charges both the DAP at a reasonable rate and the phone, lightly (in my case it’s keeping the battery reading stable).
This is the page on amazon.de, (it’s a German brand), I found mine on amazon FR, if you search for “kwmobile hub” you’ll find it easily.
I’m happy this way, but it doesn’t address the fact that charging can’t be switched off at all on the N3Pro.
@Andykong dismissed my concern and wrote it had been discussed before, but I remember that part of the thread and it wasn’t about that exact issue. I still fail to understand why I can toggle the charging on or off on my Qudelix-5K and not on the N3Pro when both have their own battery.
I also encounter little pops and artefacts on LDAC receiver mode that I don’t understand. It doesn’t seem to be tube-related because I get them in SS mode too. Nor interference, which I get when sticking the DAP and my phone together but is otherwise well managed. Anyone else experience this?
@Stuff Jones do you still get those pops in USB mode or did firmware updates take care of them?