[rlw6534]

If the Hiby R5 is playing everything at "source" bitrate then its bit-perfect so that is excellent.

On my Cayin N6ii the Amazon music is up-sampling every track to 192Khz, which is not ideal but better than forcing everything to 48Khz I suppose.

Now I understand, my Hiby R5 is also apparently upsampling everything to 192Khz (based on the status bar). I haven't checked the Fiio M11 Pro but I suspect it is the same. Does upsampling change the sound? A quick Google search seems to indicate it doesn't, but I'm not convinced. I'm pretty sure bit-padding to 24 bit is transparent.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Now I understand, my Hiby R5 is also apparently upsampling everything to 192Khz (based on the status bar). I haven't checked the Fiio M11 Pro but I suspect it is the same. Does upsampling change the sound? A quick Google search seems to indicate it doesn't, but I'm not convinced. I'm pretty sure bit-padding to 24 bit is transparent.

I would think as long as it is upsampling to a multiple of the original freq you’re fine. It’s when there’s extrapolation that you get in trouble (44.1 to 48 is more destructive than 44.1 to 176.4).

 

[nwake]

Amazon music is good value I agree but with no app (Windows, Apple or Android) that supports bit perfect its a non-starter for m

As an igonoramus can you explain more about this? I read an interesting article/blog (maybe posted by someone here?) about Mamazon music not having an app that supported the bit-perfect feature. So in essence does this mean that Amazon Music are lying and that actually compression is happening and that it is lossy as opposed to lossless?

Amazon themselves specifically state that they are streaming lossless so what does the "bit-perfect" feature part matter? I would love to understand this thanks!

 

[monsieurfromag3]

As an igonoramus can you explain more about this? I read an interesting article/blog (maybe posted by someone here?) about Mamazon music not having an app that supported the bit-perfect feature. So in essence does this mean that Amazon Music are lying and that actually compression is happening and that it is lossy as opposed to lossless?

Amazon themselves specifically state that they are streaming lossless so what does the "bit-perfect" feature part matter? I would love to understand this thanks!

Amazon are not lying - but their statement doesn’t paint the whole picture.
They do offer lossless content, in the sense that it is full-fledged, uncompressed FLAC files or an equivalent, instead of compressed mp3 as you find on Spotify.
But those files the app provides then go through the Android mixer, which upsamples the 44.1kHz content to 48 kHz on the fly, and does it badly because it’s designed to be cheap resource-wise. It spends the entire playback time making wrong guesses and molesting your music.
UAPP keeps the Android mixer out of the picture, and transmits the original content untouched. The name is misleading because the issue with Android not being “bit-perfect” is not so much the bit depth (16/24/32 bit), it’s the sample rate (44.1/48 etc.). And it’s far more damaging to audio than efficient, well-optimized mp3 compression or wireless coding/decoding with a decent codec, as far as my ears are concerned.

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[nwake]

Amazon are not lying - but their statement doesn’t paint the whole picture.

Thanks for the great reply! I have one more question which relates to a blog that I found the other day which starts with an eye-catching headline that Amazon Music HD is still lossy! So with what you said about Amazon HD Music in your last post and this blog (link below) are you both saying the same thing? I'm just curious because that blog post headline that shouts Amazon is still lossy has confused me somewhat, but maybe you are both saying the same thing though and I cant work it out...?

Amazon Music HD Is Still Lossy - Bits and Bytes - Audiophile Style

 

[superuser1]

Would it be too ridiculous to want podcast support on UAPP? That would make UAPP a perfect solution for me on a streaming DAP.

 

[xenithon]

I have UAPP in my Hiby R8. Works perfectly and now even works with network folders via Samba v2/3 (couldn’t get that to work previously on my R6 Pro).

Quick question on this. Whether I play normal or high res material via the network it always shows 44.1 - is this a limitation on playback from network folders?

 

[rlw6534]

Upsampling has to do with changing the sample rate, not the bit depth, you are conflating two different things.

Understood. I was trying to refer to both the bit depth and sample rate which are changed by Amazon Music, i.e. 16/44.1 upsampled to 24/192 on my Hiby DAP.

 

[rlw6534]

I have UAPP in my Hiby R8. Works perfectly and now even works with network folders via Samba v2/3 (couldn’t get that to work previously on my R6 Pro).

Quick question on this. Whether I play normal or high res material via the network it always shows 44.1 - is this a limitation on playback from network folders?

On my R5, I get both high-res and MQA from DLNA and SMB connections using UAPP (streaming from my Synology NAS). I just tested to confirm. Same with the Hiby app as well.

 

[stersa]

I have UAPP in my Hiby R8. Works perfectly and now even works with network folders via Samba v2/3 (couldn’t get that to work previously on my R6 Pro).

Quick question on this. Whether I play normal or high res material via the network it always shows 44.1 - is this a limitation on playback from network folders?

No problem in my Fiio M15 by Samba v2-3 with my iMac.It shows correctly correct bitrate

Best

Sisco

 

[runssical]

So what's the best smartphone available for analogue output?

I'm assuming a Quad DAC Sabre chip equipped LG phone still holds sway with audiophiles but I'm wondering if any other manufacturer has come out with something compelling.

 

[RishiGuru]

So what's the best smartphone available for analogue output?

I'm assuming a Quad DAC Sabre chip equipped LG phone still holds sway with audiophiles but I'm wondering if any other manufacturer has come out with something compelling.

Vivo is one such brand that run neck-to-neck with LG flagships when it comes to analogue audio quality on smartphones. I own quite a few of their smartphones which were made available in my region by the company itself. These are all Google Mobile Services(GMS) certified devices with Google PlayStore preinstalled.

1) Vivo X5Max

HiFi Mode: ESS ES9018K2M + (ESS ES9601K + Texas Instruments OPA1612) op-amps
Standard Mode: Qualcomm generic audio codec
Audio Review: https://soundreview.org/tech/portable/vivo-x5-max-audio-review/

2) Vivo NEX (Vivo NEX S in China)

HiFi Mode: Cirrus Logic CS43199 + (3 X Analog Devices SSM6322) op-amps
Standard Mode: Qualcomm Aqstic WCD9340
Native DSD Playack Support: Yes
Audio Review: http://eng.soomal.com/edoc/10100000237.htm

3) Vivo V5Plus (Vivo X9 in China)

HiFi Mode: AKM AK4376
Standard Mode: Qualcomm generic audio codec

To me X5Max set a standard when it came to audio quality in smartphone and nothing came close to it until the LG V30. I love X5Max's tonality and sound signature. But the phone that set a bar for me was NEX S. This phone is very special to me, I actually own two of them coz I don't no if Vivo will ever make gems like these. DSD64 sound awesome, PCM sound awesome, very different Cirrus Logic sound signature when compared to typical ESS based implementations we see in LGs.

The biggest issue now is TWS becoming a very lucrative alternative for smartphone manufactures. Its no secret TWS is a multi billion dollar industry and every manufacturer wants a pie of it. Vivo have shunned the 3.5mm audio jack in their latest flagships (Vivo X50 Pro+) and this trend is not going to stop anytime soon. LG also seems to jump the ship with their latest LG Wing having no audio jack.

 

[runssical]

The Vivo phones look interesting yet dated. They seem to follow a split D/A and amplification topology that was similar to LG's V10. LG's AIO Quad DAC chip implemention seems superior for performance and battery drain.

 

[RishiGuru]

The Vivo phones look interesting yet dated. They seem to follow a split D/A and amplification topology that was similar to LG's V10. LG's AIO Quad DAC chip implemention seems superior for performance and battery drain.

Well X5Max belongs to 2015 and NEX S is a 2018 model.

It is no doubt ESS (LG's QuadDAC) all-in-one chip is a more power efficient option but does not guarantee better sound quality. Aside from smartphones, the best DACs in the world all have discrete design topology.

Even though NEX S had a DAC & three op-amps, they were all put in a single IC for space saving. They had to do this as NEX S is the first smartphone in the world with pop up selfie camera. And the mechanical mechanism required a lot of space inside the phone.

NEX S have also aged beautifully, currently running on Android 10. Android 11 is on cards by Q2, 2021. Snadragon 845 & 8 gigs of RAM makes it plenty powerful as well. I do not miss anything in NEX S in terms of performance and battery life when compared to my LG G8X.