I appreciate your Hermes-swift reply!
As a maker of portable amp/DACs that you hope will satisfy the widest array of users possible, I'm sure you must have puzzled over the differences between DACs that can render audio from any Android device and those that are limited only to USB Audio Player Pro. Is it the versatility of its driver? Is it the implementation of the amp? So far, the one DAC that seems to work with every Android phone is the HiFiMeDIY Sabre Android DAC, which is really just an OTG cable soldered to a PCM2706 and a Sabre ES9023.
Surely you must have investigated or at least wondered why certain DACs like the Fiio E18 will work with every audio application, while otherwise excellent choices like the CEntrance DACmini and your iDSD nano are limited to UAPP.
I also have to wonder whether DAC manufacturers like yourself have tried to work with Davy Wetzler (creator of UAPP) to create a utility or universal driver to allow other Android apps to recognize your products, or whether that outcome would even be possible.
The idea might be for Wetzler to license a version of his USB driver either to every major creator of Android music software or as a built-in driver to be incorporated into stock Android.
Hi,
To answer:
> I appreciate your Hermes-swift reply!
- We dont use Hermes....a bit hit 'n miss! (read: no pickup sometimes. No joke.)
UPS throws things around but all the others are as safe as couriers can be.
> As a maker of portable amp/DACs that you hope will satisfy the widest array of users possible, I'm sure you must have puzzled over the differences between DACs that can render audio from any Android device and those that are limited only to USB Audio Player Pro. Is it the versatility of its driver? Is it the implementation of the amp? So far, the one DAC that seems to work with every Android phone is the HiFiMeDIY Sabre Android DAC, which is really just an OTG cable soldered to a PCM2706 and a Sabre ES9023.
Sorry to be a pain but not correct:
http://hifimediy.com/android-dac
Not working:
- Galaxy S4 Mini (doesn't support USB OTG)
- LG Nexus 4 (doesn't support USB OTG)
Also, the HiFimeDIY DAC is USB Audio Class 1 and limited to 48kHz/16Bit, basically 1980's CD standard Digital audio. So not to be confused with USB Audio Class 2.0.
So all this goes back to the UAPP website for list of compatible devices with USB Host Mode.
Scroll down:
http://www.extreamsd.com/USBAudioRecorderPRO/
This is the most comprehensive list of compatible and non-compatible devices bar non.
> Surely you must have investigated or at least wondered why certain DACs like the Fiio E18 will work with every audio application, while otherwise excellent choices like the CEntrance DACmini and your iDSD nano are limited to UAPP.
No need to wonder, we know.
The Device you mention is USB Audio Class 1 and does not support full HD Audio. USB Audio Class (UAC) 1.0 and 2.0 are different levels. They should not be confused with one another.
Currently there is no UAC 2.0 support in Android, despite Android being essentially Linux, which does have UAC 2.0 support. Strange yes. True, yes.
In essence the choice is to make a DAC crippled by UAC 1.0, which still does not work with all Android Devices and to have neither DSD or 192kHz support REGARDLESS of the Host (e.g. also nothing above 96k on Windows, OSX and iOS) or to use UAC 2.0 and to support DSD and DXD and to accept that on some Android devices there is no audio and on others that UAPP is required.
The micro iDSD works with ALL Andorids that handle USB Host Mode which means it can output a digital signal to feed a downstream DAC. It is UAC 2.0 compatible. This is really, the only tech spec to look for.
From UAPP website which is a neat summary:
Supported Android devices
In theory, all Android devices that meet the following requirements should work:
- Android 3.1 or higher (no root required!!)
- Device supports USB host mode
> I also have to wonder whether DAC manufacturers like yourself have tried to work with Davy Wetzler (creator of UAPP) to create a utility or universal driver to allow other Android apps to recognize your products, or whether that outcome would even be possible.
- We have discussed this with Davy. There is a fundamental issue here, that the UAC 2.0 support must exist either in Android itself (Android Kernel, Sony Xperia Z2 series and later do that) or in the application, as it does in UAPP.
> The idea might be for Wetzler to license a version of his USB driver either to every major creator of Android music software or as a built-in driver to be incorporated into stock Android.
- This surely is something for the creators of Android Devices and/or Android Software (e.g. Spotify or Tidal) to take up with Mr. Wetzler, not for a DAC manufacturer. Sorry but this is not our beeswax!
In case someone asks about Tidal and Spotify with the micro iDSD....
Having said all this, this is why we only recommend Sony (on the Android platform). They have an interest in audio (obviously) and they have the Hi-Res Walkman app and of course UAPP. Sony can pipe system audio through a DAC because they have done so in the kernel.
Apps have no system rights and cannot access system audio, so unfortunately that's not possible (otherwise UAPP would have done it a long time ago). This is WHY Spotify/Tidal is patchy - it does not work on some droids and works flawlessly on the Sonys and other droids. Again, this is not something the micro iDSD (or any other DAC for that matter) can effect.
By the way, the Z2 and Z3 are bang up to date and run the newer 4.4 which is higher than 4.2 on the ZX2.
For Android information, it is best if a support ticket is opened so we can email through the pdf.
http://support.ifi-audio.com/index.php
And there are FAQs there too...