Confirmed List of USB DAC's for the Galaxy S3 (international &US) or Note 2
Jul 2, 2013 at 2:33 PM Post #16 of 31
Are most of these actual improvements over listening straight out of the S3 or Note 2?  D-zero is pretty budget.   My SE215s straight out sound as good as I can expect.   Have some W4R's on the way that will push that further, I suppose.
 
Jul 4, 2013 at 6:31 AM Post #17 of 31
The benefit of using external DAC and AMP is that it bypass S3's ones.
If you enjoy music straight out of S3 then you don't need a DAC.
For your earphones I would suggest you to get standard external amp such as Fiio E5 or something similar. That is because S3's output impedance is 3.5ohm which is suitable for 28ohm headphones or more. Your IEMs are 20 ohm. Go and have a read about it on nwavguy's blog, he did explaing it in detail there.
 
Jul 4, 2013 at 12:06 PM Post #18 of 31
The benefit of using external DAC and AMP is that it bypass S3's ones.
If you enjoy music straight out of S3 then you don't need a DAC.
For your earphones I would suggest you to get standard external amp such as Fiio E5 or something similar. That is because S3's output impedance is 3.5ohm which is suitable for 28ohm headphones or more. Your IEMs are 20 ohm. Go and have a read about it on nwavguy's blog, he did explaing it in detail there.


I understand the technicalities and why someone would want to. I'm more curious about the point at which people have noticed an actual audible improvement in sound. It's about collecting data points to help understand the tipping point where the sound quality improves enough to justify the added inconvenience and cost of using an external device.
 
Jul 5, 2013 at 12:26 PM Post #19 of 31
Quote:
I understand the technicalities and why someone would want to. I'm more curious about the point at which people have noticed an actual audible improvement in sound. It's about collecting data points to help understand the tipping point where the sound quality improves enough to justify the added inconvenience and cost of using an external device.

 
Inconvenience? I don't understand - I see nothing but convenience in switching the amp on, taking a shower, then sit down on my chair and just slot the S3 (with a 64gb SDcard) into the dock. I don't have to flip through hundreds of CD's and I have a touchscreen interface. Even the ACase Superleggera makes taking off the case easier when I have to use it on the dock or swap out memory cards (I have my other music on the older cards I've used with other stuff). When a call comes in, it interrupts the sound, and the microphone on the S3 still works. If it looks like it'll be a long conversation, I'd tell the other person to give me a few seconds, then I'd pull the phone out and use it normally so I don't wear out those earpads.
 
Oh, and the tipping point? 300ohms.
 

 
Jul 5, 2013 at 5:08 PM Post #20 of 31
Inconvenience? I don't understand - I see nothing but convenience in switching the amp on, taking a shower, then sit down on my chair and just slot the S3 (with a 64gb SDcard) into the dock. I don't have to flip through hundreds of CD's and I have a touchscreen interface. Even the ACase Superleggera makes taking off the case easier when I have to use it on the dock or swap out memory cards (I have my other music on the older cards I've used with other stuff). When a call comes in, it interrupts the sound, and the microphone on the S3 still works. If it looks like it'll be a long conversation, I'd tell the other person to give me a few seconds, then I'd pull the phone out and use it normally so I don't wear out those earpads.

Oh, and the tipping point? 300ohms.




Surely you understand what I'm talking about.
 
Jul 8, 2013 at 4:05 AM Post #23 of 31
FWIW I have not been able to get the E07K to work with my Note II...except for once until I unplugged it.  I've tried recreating the steps and nothing.  It shows the "USB connector connected" and it speeds the files up but does not output.  Playing around with "USB debugging" and mucking around in STweaks has not allowed me to do it again.
 
As jeffo9 noted above USB Audio Recorder will allow you to output to an 'unsupported' DAC but it's quite lacking for what I want.  Sounds good though.
 
For those interested, stock rom with 3.0.36-Perseus-alpha36 kernel.  I'm one of those weirdos who actually likes TouchWiz, and I've been working my way through all of Perseus's kernels without success in regards to USB audio.  I am also using a USB-OTG cable from Lindy.
 
Oct 11, 2013 at 2:58 PM Post #25 of 31
  ProtegeManiac - that is an incredible looking DAC - what make / model is it?

 
Meier Corda Cantate.2 - Shanling manufactures for them and this is one of the Meiers that got to use their nice CDP chassis. Look up the Shanling T100 and 200, it's the wider version of this chassis; there's a smaller version, and another one with an iPod dock, that I think is the same size as this.
 
It's actually an amp, primarily - the DAC is mostly an afterthought on this to make it possible to use a minimalist set-up with a computer (PCM2702 USB receiver-DAC). The DAC section is powered by the amp's PSU though at the cost of 0.2V off the peak voltage swing, which isn't audible. Also it sends 2v to the amp section, which in most cases sounds better than players and portable DACs I've tried with it that output much less than that and using the volume setting to compensate.
 
Nov 12, 2013 at 1:26 AM Post #26 of 31
Hi there,

I have a galaxy S3 Italian version (international) , successfully tested with an Emotiva XDA 1 and with a aura CDP , it works. Indeed I have had no success for test conducted with UD 110
 
Jul 28, 2014 at 10:42 AM Post #28 of 31
I know I'm late to this thread, but I have some basic questions that the experts here may be able to help me with, concerning USB vs. headphone audio on the Note 2. I love the phone, and I'm excited to hear about its advanced audio capabilities.
 
First, I understand the Note 2 has a great DAC built in. So, I could use just good headphones and enjoy quality audio, right? 
 
Second, I have two older headphone amp/DAC units - the Meier Corda 3Move, and the Nuforce ICON-UDAC2. Both of them work perfectly with my Xperia Tablet Z2, using USB audio and an OTG cable. Great sound. But I can't get any USB audio at all using either one of them with my Note 2. I guess they're not compatible. Or, could there be some kind of USB setting I need to adjust? I can't find one anywhere...any ideas? I have heard some units only work with a USB hub attached...I can try that.
 
And third, from what you know about the DAC in the Note 2, is it better than the units I'm trying to use? As in, would the phone's DAC provide superior audio? I know the other units would provide higher volume, but that's not really a concern for me. I just want the best sound possible from the Note 2.
 
Thanks very much.
 
Jul 28, 2014 at 12:59 PM Post #29 of 31
 
First, I understand the Note 2 has a great DAC built in. So, I could use just good headphones and enjoy quality audio, right? 
-----
And third, from what you know about the DAC in the Note 2, is it better than the units I'm trying to use? As in, would the phone's DAC provide superior audio? I know the other units would provide higher volume, but that's not really a concern for me. I just want the best sound possible from the Note 2.

 
If your IEMs can get loud enough with the 5mW-ish output of an integrated chip and doesn't need a lot of current, IMO any gains made from the added bulk won't be worth it. You don't actually need a DAC with such claims as the Note2's, especially with headphones (some speakers show a lot more benefits with the soundstage on better DACs), the problem is that the analog circuit after most DAC chips aren't up to snuff. In the case of a mobile phone you have the headphone driver chip built into the DAC chip (kind of like an AMD or Intel APU), and they're tuned for low power consumption (and hence low output) and also don't have the kind of power capacitors that real amps (even portable ones) have (which is kind of like when your APU needs to leech off the system RAM). Or when sending an analog signal to a DAC, such integrated chips just aren't designed with a specialized analog output circuit that real DACs/CDPs have.
 
If however you already own the DAC and will keep and use them when you're stationary, go right ahead and use them even with IEMs. Still, start with getting an IEM that works well enough even without the separate DAC-HPamp.
 
 
 
Second, I have two older headphone amp/DAC units - the Meier Corda 3Move, and the Nuforce ICON-UDAC2. Both of them work perfectly with my Xperia Tablet Z2, using USB audio and an OTG cable. Great sound. But I can't get any USB audio at all using either one of them with my Note 2. I guess they're not compatible. Or, could there be some kind of USB setting I need to adjust? I can't find one anywhere...any ideas? I have heard some units only work with a USB hub attached...I can try that.

 
I won't have much hope for the UDAC2 as that completely relies on the USB power. Send Dr.Meier an email about the 3Move though, as I am not familiar with how it powers the USB receiver chip, as well as the DAC chip. If even just the USB chip isn't running off the battery, then the problem is likely that the Note2 isn't sending enough power through USB OTG. If it works with a hub, then that confirms that basically that was the problem. Note that not all hubs worked though, so you might want to check what did with other DACs and Androids and use those.
 

 
Jul 28, 2014 at 1:50 PM Post #30 of 31
Thanks, ProtegeManiac
 
Based on your advice, I'll use the DAC/Amps I already have for other purposes. And I'll start shopping around for either some high-quality IEMs, or perhaps an updated DAC/Amp. This thread gives me lots of ideas of where to start.
 
I appreciate the help.
 

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