[techfreakazoid]

The Nexus has been announced and November is just around the corner before shipments and impressions filter in.  From the Webcast, there was talk about the visual elements i.e., screen, UI, but little said about the audio component, which is near and dear to this community.  Haven't seen any specs on the DAC, but hoping Samsung went back to the Wolfson or a better DAC along with shielding and implementation.  From the presentation, there was a slide on the contoured back which reminds me of the S9.  Another slide shows the Nexus in a media dock with a "POGO pin" so perhaps there's a clean line out to respond to Apple's connector ecosystem.  The lack of an expansion slot to load up on audio and video files is disappointing, but Samsung doesn't want to cannibalize S2 sales.  Looking to consolidate devices, battery life remains a question mark, especially for those markets with LTE radios.  On the plus side...HD Super AMOLED, NFC, barometer sensor, ICS, and my fave, a notification LED!

 

[aFo]

According to Engadget, the audio chip in the Galaxy Nexus is a Texas Instruments TWL6040. Not sure how that stacks up against the iPhone's Cirrus Logic or Wolfson chips.

 

[charpi]

According this this:
 
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/20/behind-the-glass-a-detailed-tour-inside-the-samsung-galaxy-nexu/
 
Source:
"Main input/output type supported: Headphone, Speaker, Microphone, Bluetooth, Voice, FM, S/PDIF over HDMI; USB Audio DAC (digital-to-audio converter with USB input and stereo outputs) should also be supported"
 
 
YES!

 

[techfreakazoid]

This is very good news.  The TI silicon looks interesting and appears to support 24-bit playback up to 192 kHz.

 

[DrTone]

Quote:

According this this:
 
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/20/behind-the-glass-a-detailed-tour-inside-the-samsung-galaxy-nexu/
 
Source:
"Main input/output type supported: Headphone, Speaker, Microphone, Bluetooth, Voice, FM, S/PDIF over HDMI; USB Audio DAC (digital-to-audio converter with USB input and stereo outputs) should also be supported"
 
 
YES!

Well it comes with ice cream sandwich, so USB Audio DAC is a function of the OS not the phone.
 

 

[azncookiecutter]

This bit's interesting:
 
 
Quote:

Audio codec: Texas Instruments TWL6040

 
Any existing players using this specific chip?

 

[keanex]

I don't care how this sounds, I want it regardless!

 

[nnotis]

Supporting USB devices is a game changer.  Forget about spending 800 bucks on a Fostex unit that only works with portable Apple devices.  Dust off your favorite portable dac/amp and plug in.
 
I've been waiting 3 years to use my Pico's DAC with a phone.
 
And I assume that all Android devices will get this functionality once they get ICS upgraded.

 

[techfreakazoid]

According to this teardown, the BlackBerry PlayBook is using the TWL6030 for power management and Wolfson WM8994E audio codec, though this site indicates it's using the TWL6040 for power management.  The OMAP bulletin contains some info:
 
Quote:

Two companion devices to the OMAP 4 platform, the TWL6030 and TWL6040 power management/audio management, maximize battery life and boost system performance in mobile phones and MID products. The highly integrated TWL6030 and TWL6040 combine SmartReflex 2 technology-compliant voltage regulators and converters, high-fidelity audio/voice codecs, class-AB/D audio amplifiers, battery charger circuitry and more onto two chips – increasing flexibility, reducing board space and system cost while managing power consumption efficiently.
 
The Audio Back-End (ABE) processor acts as a virtual audio chip within the OMAP 4 applications processor. This small, always-on power island is used during audio playback to provide system-level optimization delivering over 140 hours of music playback time.

 
While SQ with our IEMs remains a mystery to consider the Nexus an audiophile DAP replacement, the dpi and screen size is making this device more compelling as an ebook reader.  Also, I'm looking forward to the GPS performance gains and apps the developers incorporate with the barometric sensor.  The Nexus as a GPS rangefinder may even be a supplement / replacement for my Bushnell Pinseeker on the golf course.  Gotta love convergence!

 

[Anaxilus]

Can't wait to hear someone plug this into a DAC.  I've been waiting and waiting for this.  The potential for the GSII running 4.0 also is intriguing.  I was puzzled by the claim of the GSII offering geotagging but not the Nexus.

 

[DanBa]

Quote:

Can't wait to hear someone plug this into a DAC.  I've been waiting and waiting for this.  

+ 1

 

[stacey]

Personally I'm looking forward to the Motorola RAZR. The Nexus is nice and all, but it's ugly, lacks microSD support, and has only 16 GB of storage.  How the hell am I supposed to store a decent amount of lossless tracks with that amount of space? And on top of that, adding music directly to the phone isn't exactly a drag/drop affair. 

Either way, looking forward to sound impressions on both the RAZR and the Galaxy Nexus. 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Personally I'm looking forward to the Motorola RAZR. The Nexus is nice and all, but it's ugly, lacks microSD support, and has only 16 GB of storage.  How the hell am I supposed to store a decent amount of lossless tracks with that amount of space? And on top of that, adding music directly to the phone isn't exactly a drag/drop affair. 
Either way, looking forward to sound impressions on both the RAZR and the Galaxy Nexus. 

 
 
Can I use the RAZR as a digital transport to an external DAC?  The Nexus goes up to 32GB btw but yes I would never buy a phone w/o uSD card support usually.  Still haven't yet. =P
 

 

[killmurer]

Quote:

Supporting USB devices is a game changer.  Forget about spending 800 bucks on a Fostex unit that only works with portable Apple devices.  Dust off your favorite portable dac/amp and plug in.
 
I've been waiting 3 years to use my Pico's DAC with a phone.
 
And I assume that all Android devices will get this functionality once they get ICS upgraded.

 

Quote:

According this this:
 
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/20/behind-the-glass-a-detailed-tour-inside-the-samsung-galaxy-nexu/
 
Source:
"Main input/output type supported: Headphone, Speaker, Microphone, Bluetooth, Voice, FM, S/PDIF over HDMI; USB Audio DAC (digital-to-audio converter with USB input and stereo outputs) should also be supported"
 
 
YES!

So that means you can only use the Nexus as a USB DAC? Not that you can use USB DACs with it, right?
 

 

[scrypt]

"Lacks MicroSD support"?  The Galaxy S2 does so have a moo-hanking MicroSD slot (I've pried open my friend's and peeped).  Photos of the Galaxy Nexus version with cover removed seemed to show that it did as well.
 
The justification for the omission seems to be that Google/Samsung feel most of your music will be stored in the "google cloud."  Assuming you even like the idea of a hovering intangible feeding you your own library, the cloud's not going to do you a lot of good when you're standing in a DMV office with a single bar on your phone, no bar in front of you and thirty people ahead of you.
 
Google's obsession with diminished onboard storage as a feature really has to stop.  Chrome notebooks haven't exactly caught on and I suspect that's a big part of why as spelled by a race of gorgon people with a 4,821-character alphabet.
 
On the nether hind, Nexus fetishists will have the option of choosing 16 + 32GB internal storage, will they not? You seem not to have that with the RAZR according to this chart, which suggests it will offer a stock 16 + 16. 
 
There's also the factor of instant Google upgrades with the Nexus, which I find a wee Hank tempting.
 
Quote:

Personally I'm looking forward to the Motorola RAZR. The Nexus is nice and all, but it's ugly, lacks microSD support, and has only 16 GB of storage.  How the hell am I supposed to store a decent amount of lossless tracks with that amount of space? And on top of that, adding music directly to the phone isn't exactly a drag/drop affair. 

Either way, looking forward to sound impressions on both the RAZR and the Galaxy Nexus.