[flightlessbird]

I'm relatively new to the world of IEMs but have built a small selection of sub £50 IEMs and cables that I'm enjoying. I mainly listen via Radio Paradise FLAC stream (via their App) and Qobuz - via their app.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, I've decided to keep running as it has a headphone jack. Whilst I have a Chord Mojo and like it a lot, I mainly just plug my IEMS directly into my phone as they're reasonably efficient so the phone can drive them.

It looks from some reading that Android automatically resamples audio so I may not be getting the quality I thought I was from my phone. I'm guessing buying USB Audio Player Pro should increase the quality of my phone listening? Is this correct?

It's not a lot of money (£6.99) but is it worth spending?

Thanks for any thoughts

 

[tomb]

JMHO, but I prefer Poweramp. It's slightly cheaper, too. Your sub-50 GBP IEMs may benefit from an outstanding equalizer and sound enhancements that are available in Poweramp. I've used it for years and with FLAC files exclusively when I was running. It's tough to get full bandwidth sound when you're running and bouncing around, but with the equalizer and sound enhancements in Poweramp, I could get close. It also seems to have no issue with high-resolution FLAC files, while some media players do.

 

[flightlessbird]

Thanks @tomb, appreciate your thoughts. I only stream - I don't use local FLAC files - can Poweramp help me with streaming via Qobuz/Tidal and Radio Paradise?

 

[tomb]

Thanks @tomb, appreciate your thoughts. I only stream - I don't use local FLAC files - can Poweramp help me with streaming via Qobuz/Tidal and Radio Paradise?

I apologize, but I'm not sure how streaming is going to work outside of the streaming app itself. For that matter, that would include USB Audio Pro. I don't see how you can use that app for a streaming service. Maybe I'm missing something, but if the media player app is looking for all sort of file formats, unless your streaming service allows access to the files themselves through file-sharing or downloads, the media player is not going to work.

If your streaming service allows access to the file formats and/or downloads, then any media player should work, including USB Audio Pro and/or Poweramp.

 

[flightlessbird]

I apologize, but I'm not sure how streaming is going to work outside of the streaming app itself. For that matter, that would include USB Audio Pro. I don't see how you can use that app for a streaming service. Maybe I'm missing something, but if the media player app is looking for all sort of file formats, unless your streaming service allows access to the files themselves through file-sharing or downloads, the media player is not going to work.

If your streaming service allows access to the file formats and/or downloads, then any media player should work, including USB Audio Pro and/or Poweramp.

My understanding is that USB Audio Player Pro allows you to play your Qobuz or Tidal streaming apps via the USB Audio player, which then by passes Android's audio processing to send bit perfect signals out of your phone.

 

[earmonger]

+1 on the Samsung S10 (I have the 5G) . Not giving up my headphone jack!

From the USB Audio Player Pro page, it does look like it's claiming to decode MQA from Tidal. But most people can't really distinguish 320 kbps mp3 from lossless, and you're using budget IEMs, so it's hard to say whether you'd hear any discernible difference.

So try it for free first! And if you hear a difference, go for it.
https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/uapp-trial

Also, if you're downloading from Tidal or Qobuz, the USB Audio Player Pro review page suggests that USB APP can't play those offline -- only Tidal or Qobuz apps have the access to their own downloads.

 

[Rattle]

Yes

 

[jmwant]

I have used Hiby player, UAPP and Fiio music player and heard no audible difference.