[Technological]

I just don't think it becomes a more failproof connection: An adapter, for a dongle, for a dongle. Believe me: If using this as a portable solution every single day while travelling you need back ups because they break when looking at them while you can't get them replaced easily. I'm probably better off simply accepting the crap sound quality of my phone and call it a day.

drftr

Fair enough. Thanks for sharing your perspective on it.

I use this set up but only when I need to charge and not that often in general. So can't really talk to use every day.

But I would also like to see a better solution on the market to fill this need. For now I just consider if it's worth building my own custom adapter.

 

[musicday]

I wonder if other companies will release R2R dongles in the future.

 

[H T T]

I honestly can't tell whether a MIDI connection would be similar enough or not. I was lead to believe it works the way we would intend to use it because of this comment:

"Works as described, can use it to my Hugo DAC, send audio to it and keep my iPhone or iPad 2 charged. Appears high quality!"

But if he is somehow wrong, I am too!

Although I don't think we can expect such a thing from Cayin, I do think not having access to a more professional solution severely limits the use of a portable DAC, simply because it isn't really. I for one would hope in the near future products like these will either have a way to connect it to a battery or include a high quality cable that enables charging and playback at the same time. There's 2 choices really: Either you go for top sound quality and you end up with a desktop setup without compromise, or you go for portability without a compromise on portability. But the RU6 seems to be right in between, which obviously is great from a marketing point of view: Very good sound quality and a portable-ish solution for people who want to stop listening to music every few hours to recharge their phone.

I'll most likely hold off on embracing this as my solution of choice. Not because of the sound quality in which I have great faith, but because I don't want to depend on $3 splitter solutions in a multi kilobuck setup or stopping for an hour just to charge my phone. I'm sure there will be a top manifacturer soon enough to improve this now weakest link. Hopefully someone like @iFi audio can jump in and create a better connection solution for all of us.

drftr

A MIDI cable is designed to transmit MIDI. A USB cable can transmit MIDI and a whole slew of other uses. Am I missing a detail as it makes little to no sense to use a dedicated MIDI cable for portable audio?

 

[keenears]

A MIDI cable is designed to transmit MIDI. A USB cable can transmit MIDI and a whole slew of other uses. Am I missing a detail as it makes little to no sense to use a dedicated MIDI cable for portable audio?

MIDI over USB has been a standard for a decade or two now. It’s how you connect a keyboard to a computer for something like Garageband, for example

 

[Technological]

USB A on one side would be fine for my NW-A100TPS Walkman when I connect to a desktop DAC, but they haven’t yet worked. The charging takes over and data drops when you connect the charger. But for this RU6 it gets absurd to add their USBC to A adapter between their cable and the adapter which then converts it back to USB C for the Walkman. Visual I guess is one way to put it, but there is also a practical quality to minimal adapters and solders.

I was under the impression MIDI connections are just USB data. That’s what the RU6 needs.

Ah yeah anytime you use one of these splitters be it the dual usb c or the ones with usb a on one side you should connect up the power first then the DAC. Otherwise it won't work.

But yeah I'm with you guys on minimizing connection points and extra points of failure. Unfortunately we don't have a solution like that on the market yet.

As for usb data, that's a very broad category. MIDI is usb data but it requires a higher data transfer rate. Usb audio needs much less and the dual usb c adapters don't allow full usb 2.0 data transfer rates.

 

[drftr]

Am I missing a detail

The detail is that I mentioned it for the sole reason that someone had invalidated the splitter because he couldn't use it with MIDI and I had no clue whether that would be a valid disqualifiaction.

drftr

 

[keenears]

Another option is wireless charging while using the RU6. I do it on my iPhone. On my iPad I have a multiport hub that it can power with usb c data and usb c PD but the hub doesn’t work with the Walkman.

The Walkman has NFC. Apparently, spring 2020 NFC was figured out to have the capacity for 1-3w charging. And yes, I had to dig, but with the existing NFC hardware (the new standard they developed for charging was for the new chargers). It’s not as strong as Qi but the hardware is so small that it’s practical for something with low power like my Walkman. That’s what they say, but an Apple Watch is pretty small and wirelessly charges.

However, I can’t find an NFC charger. I just sent a message to the NFC people asking if they even exist.

 

[Paramekshu]

Another option is wireless charging while using the RU6. I do it on my iPhone. On my iPad I have a multiport hub that it can power with usb c data and usb c PD but the hub doesn’t work with the Walkman.

The Walkman has NFC. Apparently, spring 2020 NFC was figured out to have the capacity for 1-3w charging. And yes, I had to dig, but with the existing NFC hardware (the new standard they developed for charging was for the new chargers). It’s not as strong as Qi but the hardware is so small that it’s practical for something with low power like my Walkman. That’s what they say, but an Apple Watch is pretty small and wirelessly charges.

However, I can’t find an NFC charger. I just sent a message to the NFC people asking if they even exist.

The back of the phone heats up when you use wireless charging. Aren't you concerned about degrading the battery over time?

 

[keenears]

The back of the phone heats up when you use wireless charging. Aren't you concerned about degrading the battery over time?

No I am not.

1) Microwaves heat everything up and a cellphone is nothing but a microwave transmitter / receiver

2) My iPhone allows me to monitor the health of the battery and wireless charging has never depleted battery life for me differently than wired charging (the worst thing you can do is just leave it always charging, which I learned on my macbook)

3) I have AppleCare if the battery fails

4) if I wanted to Apple or other shops enable me to replace the battery even without applecare for a very small cost.

 

[Paramekshu]

No I am not.

1) Microwaves heat everything up and a cellphone is nothing but a microwave transmitter / receiver

2) My iPhone allows me to monitor the health of the battery and wireless charging has never depleted battery life for me differently than wired charging (the worst thing you can do is just leave it always plugged in, which I learned on my macbook)

3) I have AppleCare if the battery fails

4) if I wanted to Apple or other shops enable me to replace the battery even without applecare for a very small cost.

Good to know. I was nervous about wireless charging my Note 20 while using a dongle dac to my IEMs for long periods. Thanks again.

 

[H T T]

MIDI over USB has been the standard for a decade or two now. It’s how you connect a keyboard to a computer for something like Garageband, for example

I am an electronic musician. I use said cables nearly everyday. I also use MIDI to MIDI cables for my vintage gear. I used the MIDI to MIDI cable as a figure to highlight the incompatibility of a MIDI connection/cable with a phone and a dongle. I was not understanding and don’t see why someone would use MIDI for a dongle to/from phone interface. Again, maybe my reading comprehension skills/ADHD need work and I am misunderstanding the complete context.

The detail is that I mentioned it for the sole reason that someone had invalidated the splitter because he couldn't use it with MIDI and I had no clue whether that would be a valid disqualifiaction.

drftr

Got it, thanks.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

RU6 is my favorite DAC/AMP dongle. I love the natural sound, the deep subbass and transparent treble response. I like it so much, I sold my R6 2020 and I just put in an order for an Hiby RS6 and I intend to pair it with my C9. I am really hoping this DAP has that R2R natural sound and scales nicely with the C9.

 

[Goofyboy84]

A little bird told me that DDHifi will release a new version of their awesome TC28i with usb c and two female ports, effectively becoming the most compact, solid, well-made usb c splitter that exists. Unfortunately I don’t have any other details It will be perfect for the RU6, my Walkman, my iPad Pro…

This birdy sounds awesome!!!! This music to my ears… since I also have an iPad Pro.

 

[keenears]

I am an electronic musician. I use said cables nearly everyday. I also use MIDI to MIDI cables for my vintage gear. I used the MIDI to MIDI cable as a figure to highlight the incompatibility of a MIDI connection/cable with a phone and a dongle. I was not understanding and don’t see why someone would use MIDI for a dongle to/from phone interface. Again, maybe my reading comprehension skills/ADHD need work and I am misunderstanding the complete context.



Got it, thanks.

Yes this seems to be becoming confused.

The question is what is going on inside this splitter. What is this splitter actually doing and not doing, since it has its own DAC between the source and the RU6.

The splitter in question has its own DAC for the side you don’t charge through. Is the data arriving at the RU6 from that side 1) a FLAC / DSD / et. al made into PCM by the splitter’s DAC before being sent to the RU6 2) a FLAC / DSD / et al. file that has bypassed the splitter’s DAC because, as drftr said, he believes the splitter doesn’t utilize its own DAC if it recognizes a DAC attached to it (or something to that effect) or 3) another possibility is that the source recognized that the splitter’s DAC could not handle a certain filetype and so it sent the audio as PCM to the RU6 involving or bypassing its own DAC before moving onward into the RU6. This final process is what my Walkman does, send PCM, when it recognizes that the external DAC does not work with the raw files, such as with my Modi Multibit.

The only usefulness of Amazon reviewers highlighting the splitter’s inability to send MIDI over USB is not because we are trying to connect instruments to the phone / device, but rather, because it’s a lowest-common-denominator as USB data which won’t pass through the side of an “audio-only” USB-C splitter. MIDI over USB can’t be processed by the splitter’s DAC. Therefore, because the Amazon reviewer with the odd name said MIDI through the splitter doesn’t work, it suggests that #2 above is perhaps implausible because, if it were true, the splitter would bypass its DAC when moving MIDI data. MIDI data can move over a basic USB data connection, so the only reason it wouldn’t here is if the splitter’s DAC is processing everything.

I haven’t heard back from those who have the splitter whether a format like DSD is identified on the RU6 while using the splitter. That would eliminate one of the possibilities

 

[elindil]

RU6 or IFI Gryphon (both 4.4 output)? Purely from a Sound Quality perspective? Any insights?