Lossless Bluetooth receivers - Connected Car

Long story short I had a Note 4 (that took a dump and died) where I played music on VLC via the HDMI out into one of those eBay Chinese HDMI to Optical converters, from there into my car processor (Alpine PXA-H800). Worked like a charm, very clean sound.
To replace the dead Note 4 I got an S8, but this thing does not want to play nice (or I am being stupid). Will not work with an MHL cable (same as the cable I was using with the Note 4 but USB Type-C instead). From what I understand these phone do not play well with MHL cables (please correct me if I am wrong as this is the route I would like to go). I hear the SlimPort may work, but then I saw this Bluetooth Receiver that claims lossless data transfer (lossless is the ultimate goal). Also, since my processor has an optical input that will also be a requirement (optical output).
Has anyone has any experience with these devices and the connectivity that I am trying to achieve? Has anyone has been successful doing what I am trying to do? I have been without music in my car since my Note 4 died and it is getting old.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi, we are basically in the same situation. Sadly I think you are going to find it is rare for someone to have answers to any of this, as very few people are familiar with the systems/protocols we are trying to use and there is a lot of confusion or bad information out there.
I am currently using an Alpine PXA-H701 DSP/5.1 decoder and have experimented with various things trying to accomplish the same thing as you.
First, the Bluetooth receiver you mentioned is a LIE - that is false advertising. It doesn't even support APT-X, which my Sony Z Ultra phone and the Bose Bluetooth Receiver I recently installed do. Bluetooth simply cannot even support full-resolution stereo data, so it certainly cannot support 5.1 or lossless. Right now, the only wireless way to do that is (supposedly) Chromecast Audio or DLNA.
APT-X is the best sounding Bluetooth protocol currently offered, however it is not lossless - there is a penalty on frequency response, and I believe the upper frequencies are band-limited to around 16KHz if I read correctly somewhere. It sounds nice but still isn't CD quality. I can tell the difference vs. lossless when I tested my Chromecast.
Very much like you, I have used a Monoprice HDMI audio extractor and MHL cable successfully to pass through lossless bit-perfect audio including 5.1 (which is not lossless, but demonstrates passthrough ability, not downscaling or transcoding) via Kodi for Android. I would have liked to use MX Player but at the time they had removed AAC/5.1 audio decoding so there was no sound, but I now have the codex for it and will re-test.
Kodi can play music, videos, etc but the interface is not simple like VLC or MX Player.
Also, lossless FLAC files can be used wirelessly with the Chromecast Audio but you'll need a player that supports casting or BubbleUPnP, which now can transmit lossless FLAC to the Chromecast. However, it's a work-around for sending audio and when trying to play videos or YouTube; the lag is tremendous so it's not good for playing video on the device while casting audio. I currently do not have a media player that can cast so I used the BubbleUPnP module within Xposed Framework (had to root my phone) for music.
USB-DAC (w/ optical output) adapters would be ideal, too, but USB OTG in Android does not currently support charging while using an external USB-DAC/Optical adapter, so it will drain your battery down. So that's unfortunately not an option in current Android OS to the best of my knowledge.
To make matters worse, very few phones as you know support MHL/HDMI output, and even fewer APT-X. But to get real lossless via optical you can use any phone you want that has a hotspot feature if you use the Chromecast Audio and FLAC audio files, or WAV if they're lossless too. Otherwise we're stuck with phones/tablets that support MHL only since USB audio can't support charging.
Then another potential problem is that of discharging your phone's battery when using an MHL cable/adapter. I read here that when an MHL standard device is attached, the phone will charge. I haven't verified this.
So, from what I've found it comes down to this:
For WIRED lossless digital audio, will have to be MHL/HDMI, limited to very few phones/tablets with the feature. This assumes the device will be able to charge - so that's still an important question to answer. In this case video could also be support & synced pretty well to audio
For WIRELESS lossless digital audio, any Android device w/ hotspot ability can connect to a Chromecast Audio and BubbleUPnP will allow casting FLAC files from a media player like VLC or MX Player. You can also use Spotify and other supporting apps to cast digital audio to the Chromecast. Video will not be synced to audio, so that's out, unless you use Bluetooth for audio when playing videos on the device.
USB-out on Android is not currently the end-all solution until charging in host mode is supported
No lossless audio possible on Bluetooth (it's compressed by nature); any claims otherwise are false advertising
So, I'll have to try MHL w/ my HDMI extractor and some way to try to see if my Sony can charge while doing so. Otherwise, I'll have to use both Bluetooth (at the cost of reduced quality) for video files [due to sync issues] and cast to Chromecast Audio for lossless audio. I tested a tablet like the Nvidia Shield w/ separate HDMI out, and that's all I needed - the HDMI audio extractor only.
Your Samsung may need a better/different MHL cable, because I'm not familar with the S8 but I have seen that not all MHL cable work well as the OEM and also they're often not interchangeable.
Hope this helps!

Thanks a lot for the elaborate reply. I used to have the PXA-H701 and I loved it. When I had my Note 4 I was able to charge while playing, the charge was slow but it kept the phone from discharging while playing music but it would still discharge while using the GPS. I am going to give the MHL cable I listed above a try and see if it works, it does list the S8 after all. Worst case I'll return the cable and get me a used Note 4 as a music player and be done with this. Thanks again.

That's cool, as long as you have a way to do it that's great. I'll try my Z Ultra again tonight, but I have a simple cable and not a real MHL adapter. I think mine will drain therefore.
I'm trying to have an all-in-one media player with bit-perfect optical output using a phone and not installing a dedicated tablet, if possible.
It is ridiculous to have so many catch-22s and hassles in this day and age to just do this one basic function!
Glad I could contribute.

Fyi, my note 4 worked with the cable , not the adapter.

Update: well, you are lucky if your Samsung can charge with the cable and not a MHL device connected - the Sony Xperias apparently cannot, and similar for other brands of phone & tablets, it turns out.
After some research, it turns out that most devices with an MHL port will drain the battery because when not connected to an MHL-compliant device like a TV with the option (Example: Sony Bravia TV, MHL charge option) the charge/supply is limited and not sufficient - it's not full charge mode.
My work around I've found is what someone else described - using my MHL cable while also using my magnetic charge port & magnetic charge cable attached. Tested while playing a video in Kodi 16.1 - phone is now charging, no battery draining pop-up.
(I'm posting this in case someone else finds this thread and has similar problems)
I'll also try an MHL adapter "box" and see if that is compliant and can charge the phone.
Sound quality is great via HDMI/Toslink!

Related

S3 as "HTPC"

I'm trying to hook my S3 to my TV setup and am not having much fun with it. With the MHL I am getting stuttering and lagging. I have:
Samsung MHL adapter (from Infuse)
Samsung 11-to-5 pin converter
Samsung 1080p HDTV
BT keyboard & mouse, charger, HDMI, etc.
Stock ROM
The image quality is good for web and photo use but it lags and stutters. For games it makes some games nearly unplayable. I can see the phone's screen and everything is smooth but looking at HDTV I can see a lag maybe 0.5 seconds and much slower update rate, very obvious when you move the mouse. The TV shows [email protected], so it's not 1080p. I've done a LOT of searching online so maybe there's not anything new to say but I guess some people have been able to get [email protected] I guess one thing I didn't find, does ANYONE have smooth/lag-free 1080p with S3 MHL with any adapter?
I wonder if 1080i video plays at true 1080 resolution because I noticed when I play back 1080i videos I've taken with the phone itself the image quality and speed are much better. Maybe that's why Samsung decided on 1080i output rather than 720p? I came across a kernel for HTC One S (which is also a Qualcomm S4) that supposedly forces 720p... is there one for the S3?
Another issue is that audio only comes out HDMI, I want it to come out of headset to plug into AV system. I've seen a lot of people with the problem posting but no solutions? Probably isn't possible...
My third problem I actually found an issue to. That is removing the onscreen keyboard when using bluetooth keyboard and mouse. For that I used the app Null Keyboard: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wparam.nullkeyboard&hl=en
gillius said:
...Another issue is that audio only comes out HDMI, I want it to come out of headset to plug into AV system. I've seen a lot of people with the problem posting but no solutions? Probably isn't possible...
...
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Thought I'd pipe in. I am also trying to figure out if this MHL adapter allows 1080p video as I want to use it for watching movies on a 60" 1080p plasma TV, as I don't want to purchase it if it doesn't and the forums are very confusing on whether it does or doesn't.
I wanted to say about your second problem. If you want to pipe the audio to a stereo/surround sound system, all you have to do is plug the TV audio output into the sound system's audio input. This is how I have my laptop to TV setup currently: laptop HDMI-> TV; TV audio out -> sound system.
Just be aware, some TV"s or sound systems might not have compatible audio connections. For example, in order to hook up my Vizio sound bar to my Panasonic Plasma, I had to use the fiber optic cable.... didn't have audio RCA audio out on my Panasonic.
Thought I would amend my previous statement. I was assuming that you wanted the sound that goes with the TV only... However, if you are just looking to have music on without turning on your TV, you can get a cheap miniplug-to-RCA adapter from Radioshack or the like. Should probably cost around $10 on any given day. I've been doing this with my sound system and portable phone/players for years.
buy a dual/quad core HDMI "thumbstick" for $100.
It'll be better then what you are trying to accomplish

usb dac

I need help getting a usb dac working with my note 8. Usb audio player works but its not a good option for me since it will be a in car install. Anyone with any expirence in this please chime in. Im willing to do whatever it takes. My note 2 had native support so does the note 3. I think it has to do with services.jar. I am not sure exacly what files need to be added but I used basmali on my n7 to input a few lines to the services jar file and it worked great. Thanks for any help. I have a syba dac works fine with android.
b3ltazar said:
I need help getting a usb dac working with my note 8. Usb audio player works but its not a good option for me since it will be a in car install. Anyone with any expirence in this please chime in. Im willing to do whatever it takes. My note 2 had native support so does the note 3. I think it has to do with services.jar. I am not sure exacly what files need to be added but I used basmali on my n7 to input a few lines to the services jar file and it worked great. Thanks for any help. I have a syba dac works fine with android.
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I am not sure what you are doing or meaning.
This is a Note 8.0... so if you are side loading an app from a Note 2, things may not work.
I play mp3 files just fine from SD or OTG USB, and don't need an app for playback.
As for pulling mp3 files from tablet... I use Xposed with download to SD for xposed.
I copied all the important folders from the system over to SD and redirected the system paths in the Xposed module to point to the corresponding folders on SD.
Maybe having SD and system folders simultaneously available is causing issues with your cars media player.
Ford Sync works fine and one of my apps has a fix for Sync, but many diff issues with Honda on 9th gen Accords and using media android or not.
GT-N5110 & GT-N5120 - 64GB 633x on board, Status Official on SafeRooted OEM ROMs with Wanam Xposed and RootCloak. The only way to fly 8+ hours!
This badboy don't play with Play & Triangle away!
gooberdude said:
I am not sure what you are doing or meaning.
This is a Note 8.0... so if you are side loading an app from a Note 2, things may not work.
I play mp3 files just fine from SD or OTG USB, and don't need an app for playback.
As for pulling mp3 files from tablet... I use Xposed with download to SD for xposed.
I copied all the important folders from the system over to SD and redirected the system paths in the Xposed module to point to the corresponding folders on SD.
Maybe having SD and system folders simultaneously available is causing issues with your cars media player.
Ford Sync works fine and one of my apps has a fix for Sync, but many diff issues with Honda on 9th gen Accords and using media android or not.
GT-N5110 & GT-N5120 - 64GB 633x on board, Status Official on SafeRooted OEM ROMs with Wanam Xposed and RootCloak. The only way to fly 8+ hours!
This badboy don't play with Play & Triangle away!
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Click to collapse
A dac isnt a app its a piece of hardware that when connected gives you alot cleaner output for a extenal amplifier. It connects to the usb host then routs the audio signal to the dac the dac amplifies it and send a better signal to your headphones or amplifier. Its very common with car audio guys like myself and will work nativly with many phones and tablets. It seems the note 8 is missing some drivers or libs ect... for this to work. I need a dev to help out. Thanks for the reply.
b3ltazar said:
A dac isnt a app its a piece of hardware that when connected gives you alot cleaner output for a extenal amplifier. It connects to the usb host then routs the audio signal to the dac the dac amplifies it and send a better signal to your headphones or amplifier. Its very common with car audio guys like myself and will work nativly with many phones and tablets. It seems the note 8 is missing some drivers or libs ect... for this to work. I need a dev to help out. Thanks for the reply.
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Click to collapse
I am familiar with DAC and processing, just most have app issues not hardware connectivity issues.
The Note 8.0 DAC is very capable of outputting and converting digital, you just need to enable surround and use an HML adapter to HDMI... then you have your pure digital out for processing. Most portable processors are HDMI now whether they are for cars or theatre use. If going from HDMI to multi channel, if your DAC does not have HDMI in, you can get an HDMI converter for connecting TOSLink, Coax, or Balanced audio output.
Do that all the time a home on my Yamaha.
You also have the ability to use Viper4Android HIFI it has advanced CPU processing to clean up MP3 format files for the best analog listening experience since it does the clean up natively, MHL HDMI output will also be cleaned up as well. Highly recommended as it has an Audiophile processing power without all the gizmos and colorization of other types of clean up apps or processors.
Here is the google play store link, though I get the one from the developers site... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vipercn.viper4android233.xhifi
gooberdude said:
I am familiar with DAC and processing, just most have app issues not hardware connectivity issues.
The Note 8.0 DAC is very capable of outputting and converting digital, you just need to enable surround and use an HML adapter to HDMI... then you have your pure digital out for processing. Most portable processors are HDMI now whether they are for cars or theatre use. If going from HDMI to multi channel, if your DAC does not have HDMI in, you can get an HDMI converter for connecting TOSLink, Coax, or Balanced audio output.
Do that all the time a home on my Yamaha.
You also have the ability to use Viper4Android HIFI it has advanced CPU processing to clean up MP3 format files for the best analog listening experience since it does the clean up natively, MHL HDMI output will also be cleaned up as well. Highly recommended as it has an Audiophile processing power without all the gizmos and colorization of other types of clean up apps or processors.
Here is the google play store link, though I get the one from the developers site... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vipercn.viper4android233.xhifi
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Im very familiar with v4a but i have a arc audio ps8 for processing so i want my signal as original as possible . V4a is a awsome app i use it but not for my needs for this install.Hdmi out is not a aption for me i need optical. An example of a dac i want to use is fiio e17, nuforce udac. I see a few hdmi to optical converters but the are pricey. Thanks for the reply its appreciated.
b3ltazar said:
Im very familiar with v4a but i have a arc audio ps8 for processing so i want my signal as original as possible . V4a is a awsome app i use it but not for my needs for this install.Hdmi out is not a aption for me i need optical. An example of a dac i want to use is fiio e17, nuforce udac. I see a few hdmi to optical converters but the are pricey. Thanks for the reply its appreciated.
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Well Toslink has its issues and would be my last option in getting pure data. Though I do not see $40 to $75 being pricey for a converter. If anything I would replace the PS8 for a Lexicon processor, Though a DC-1 being over 10 years old would be too pricey for you as well, so going to a Meridian would be pointless.
gooberdude said:
Well Toslink has its issues and would be my last option in getting pure data. Though I do not see $40 to $75 being pricey for a converter. If anything I would replace the PS8 for a Lexicon processor, Though a DC-1 being over 10 years old would be too pricey for you as well, so going to a Meridian would be pointless.
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I spent wayyy to much money as it is.I got a 30$ behringer dac uca202 with optical and it works great with the note8 and the ps8. Optical is by far the best signal i had so far,clean powerful. I couldnt be happier. It has a burrbrown dac built in for the analog outputs but after comparing them optical has more output.as fas as the processors you recommended i need a 8 channel and it has to be small. The ps8 is perfect for my needs it has a 31 band eq for each channnel independent crossovers for each channel, time alignment, a mixer and phase control for blending channels 8 volt out the list goes on. I tried helix dsp and a few others but the output on the ps8 is killer...thanks for the recomendations.
b3ltazar said:
I spent wayyy to much money as it is.I got a 30$ behringer dac uca202 with optical and it works great with the note8 and the ps8. Optical is by far the best signal i had so far,clean powerful. I couldnt be happier. It has a burrbrown dac built in for the analog outputs but after comparing them optical has more output.as fas as the processors you recommended i need a 8 channel and it has to be small. The ps8 is perfect for my needs it has a 31 band eq for each channel independent crossovers for each channel, time alignment, a mixer and phase control for blending channels 8 volt out the list goes on. I tried helix dsp and a few others but the output on the ps8 is killer...thanks for the recomendations.
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8 channels ... Both types have 9.1 channels for Theater experience and are THX - EX certified. In fact they are tops in professional equipment.
Rule of thumb car audio is second rate over professional studio equipment. The only time I use fiber optics is through our backbone links. Car and Home Toslink connex are filled with judder. Professionals use hard wired connex, HDMI, Coax, Scart, or balanced analog line cables.
I just find this thread funny to hear you have spent a lot of money on equipment and tablet, and want to use toslink and above all use USB, which IMO cannot pass the bandwidth for true 7.1 sound without judder. Plus you are doing multiple downstream conversions when HDMI allows pure digital to connect, so using a MHL HDMI adapter allows untouched data to be available to your processor. I would not spend top dollar and not have HDMI digital in capabilities or attempt at limiting myself with Toslink. It is not that I am telling you your doing it wrong, as it seems that you expect the processor connection that you chose to be clean, when it is not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK
http://www.allaboutadapters.com/hddodtsdihdo.html
Enough said about this, you wanted to know how to connect your tablet and make the processor work. I gave all that I can to make it work for you. Its up to you to figure out how you are going to utilize it.
gooberdude said:
8 channels ... Both types have 9.1 channels for Theater experience and are THX - EX certified. In fact they are tops in professional equipment.
Rule of thumb car audio is second rate over professional studio equipment. The only time I use fiber optics is through our backbone links. Car and Home Toslink connex are filled with judder. Professionals use hard wired connex, HDMI, Coax, Scart, or balanced analog line cables.
I just find this thread funny to hear you have spent a lot of money on equipment and tablet, and want to use toslink and above all use USB, which IMO cannot pass the bandwidth for true 7.1 sound without judder. Plus you are doing multiple downstream conversions when HDMI allows pure digital to connect, so using a MHL HDMI adapter allows untouched data to be available to your processor. I would not spend top dollar and not have HDMI digital in capabilities or attempt at limiting myself with Toslink. It is not that I am telling you your doing it wrong, as it seems that you expect the processor connection that you chose to be clean, when it is not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK
http://www.allaboutadapters.com/hddodtsdihdo.html
Enough said about this, you wanted to know how to connect your tablet and make the processor work. I gave all that I can to make it work for you. Its up to you to figure out how you are going to utilize it.
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Click to collapse
I understand what ur saying but i am not looking for 7.1 just a clean signal for the ps8 its just that thae tablets dont have enough signalvoltage out maybe .5 volt at max . I have to make my install ps8 based because i have one already and i sell them at my shop and want to make a tablet installs a option for customers. Im not saying its the best solution but its what i needed ..Eveything you said is correct and when i am ready to step it up ill come to u for some suggestions.
No luck myself
I haven't been able to get my dac to work with my s8+.
Really miss the sound quality.

[Q] Developing a NFC, Wireless charging dock

Hi to the fantastic team of minds on XDA! I'm currently working through building a wireless charging/streaming dock with NFC for my Nexus 5, although the plan is to extend support to any device that supports Wireless Charging & NFC.
Basic concept is for use in a car, but could also be adapted for other situations easily. Basic operation is drop phone in charging area/cradle, NFC tag is read by phone and either launches the music player OR for me in my case, runs tasker to set volume max, play library on shuffle, launch GPS tracking for work/private mileage etc and the phone would stream audio to a receiver wired into the cars headunit.
NFC/Wireless charging.. piece of cake. Audio streaming... not so fun.
I would really like decent audio quality, not quite audiophile level but certainly at least as good as the 3.5mm line out from the headphone jack. Initially I disliked the idea of bluetooth due to quality however looking around I found some Bluetooth 4 APT-X enabled boards that seemed to fit the bill fairly well as apparently APT-X sounds much better in comparison to A2DP (haven't tried out for myself though). Only problem is the Nexus as well as a lot of other devices don't support APT-X. Other than bluetooth I'm really struggling to find a good quality wireless streaming standard that is fairly plug and play. I found a WiFi option via DTS using DLNA but the details on the receiving hardware are sketchy, it also doesn't seem very transparent (requires input from 3rd party apps etc).
I also found a few posts relating to Chromecast enabled media servers that will allow Play music to cast music to them, but again, can't really find any pre made WiFi enabled DLNA "dumb" servers designed to simply capture an audio stream. Again, not very transparent. Ideally it would work natively and without much 3rd party input.. although this may not be entirely possible so I'm open to all options.
So, what are my options? Also, why with Bluetooth 4 with the max bitrate of 20+mbps do we not have a high bit rate audio streaming profile/protocol?
I did consider the idea of a wired DAC, but the major plus on the cable free design is being able to just drop the phone in and grab it out without fiddling for cables. Also the Nexus 5 doesn't support USB DAC OOTB. I also had difficulty sourcing a DAC that would output acceptable audio (at least as good as the headphone jack) for a good price. Everything I found was either expensively high end or nasty & cheap. All I need is a bare board that gets stuffed into a cable box and works! I bought a cheap $5 DAC off ebay ages ago for testing. Worst mistake ever!!! Horrible sound, but hey it was $5
Thanks for any input!
- Auzeras
If bluetooth sound qualitiy is too bad for you (for me its ok with my JVC radio) i think the aux cable is the only option. But if you have to plug in the cable the "just drop your phone"-concept is gone. I suggest trying to use the USB port for audio out (because aux input isnt a big deal for most of the cars) und charging at the same time. For the dock i think using the brodit docks is ok although these docks are expensive. Alternativly you could try to use a cheaper dock.
For USB audio out i think a cheap DAC like this should be fine, but you need the usb audio recorder pro app (see this thread). Next thing is charging at the same time. Maybe its possible to do it like this with an powered usb hub but you'll have to try that. Overall its more the developing of an USB aux output with the ability of charging but i think its the only option to get the audio qualitiy you want.

5.1 audio for projector/amp setup

I have the 2nd gen 4K Fire TV. It is rooted and all works more or less as I expect. HOWEVER, because the 2nd gen version doesn't have a digital audio link to connect directly to my amp (which is connected to a 5.1 speaker setup), I have been forced to use a USB to SPDIF adapter (Fanmusic FM-6011, but there are many alternatives available). It is a very solid adapter and works without issue whenever my projector is off. When I fire up the projector, however, the audio signal is sent directly to the projector's built-in speakers via HDMI and I lose the SPDIF connection to my amp.
I have tried all the available audio configurations in the Fire TV settings, but none of them make any difference. Given that the audio works when the projector is off, this surely indicates that the problem is not with the USB connection or the SPDIF adapter. Is there any setting or program or workaround that will allow me to send the HDMI signal to my projector and the corresponding audio via the USB adapter to my amp?
If not, is there a cheap gizmo that I may be able to source on eBay which will allow me to split the HDMI audio signal from the HDMI video signal? Such a shame that they decided to drop the audio port on the 2nd gen.
I'd be very grateful for any pointers from anyone who has any experience with a similar setup.
pfhastie said:
I have the 2nd gen 4K Fire TV. It is rooted and all works more or less as I expect. HOWEVER, because the 2nd gen version doesn't have a digital audio link to connect directly to my amp (which is connected to a 5.1 speaker setup), I have been forced to use a USB to SPDIF adapter (Fanmusic FM-6011, but there are many alternatives available). It is a very solid adapter and works without issue whenever my projector is off. When I fire up the projector, however, the audio signal is sent directly to the projector's built-in speakers via HDMI and I lose the SPDIF connection to my amp.
I have tried all the available audio configurations in the Fire TV settings, but none of them make any difference. Given that the audio works when the projector is off, this surely indicates that the problem is not with the USB connection or the SPDIF adapter. Is there any setting or program or workaround that will allow me to send the HDMI signal to my projector and the corresponding audio via the USB adapter to my amp?
If not, is there a cheap gizmo that I may be able to source on eBay which will allow me to split the HDMI audio signal from the HDMI video signal? Such a shame that they decided to drop the audio port on the 2nd gen.
I'd be very grateful for any pointers from anyone who has any experience with a similar setup.
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I had similar issues myself with my aftv2, wanting to have digital audio sent to my pioneer av system.
My pioneer av system is hdmi but unfortunately the hdmi part no longer works.
I stumbled upon a thread which advised of a certain gizmo what was exactly what I needed,
Here is the exact device I bought :
Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250970565434
The only drawback I had with this is its only 1080p, where as the aftv2 is 4k, so your limited to 1080p.
Not too bad as I cant tell much difference.
sconnyuk said:
I had similar issues myself with my aftv2, wanting to have digital audio sent to my pioneer av system.
My pioneer av system is hdmi but unfortunately the hdmi part no longer works.
I stumbled upon a thread which advised of a certain gizmo what was exactly what I needed,
Here is the exact device I bought :
Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250970565434
The only drawback I had with this is its only 1080p, where as the aftv2 is 4k, so your limited to 1080p.
Not too bad as I cant tell much difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, ye gads! Thank you so much. Yes, it was madness losing the digital audio on this version, but as long as there's a workaround, I can happily live with 1080p for now (it'll be a while before I can afford a decent 4K projector). A great help.

Question What dongle DAC for high-res music?

Since Google apparently fixed USB DAC problems in June, what dongle DACs have ppl successfully used to play music 24bit/96kHz and up? Also has anyone used the Qobuz app (not UAPP) to play hi-res? TIA
I have a Samsung dongle and it can output 24bit/96kHz with my Pixel.
I use a moshi usb-c dac
USB-C Digital Audio Adapter with Charging (Universal)
Newly updated for maximum compatibility across all USB-C devices, including the iPad Pro (USB-C). Listen to pristine, high-resolution audio using regular 3.5 mm headphones. A USB-C pass-through port lets you charge your device at the same time.
us.moshi.com
You guys streaming with something like Tidal/Qobuz or playing local media files?
I use two regularly, an IFI Hip Dac, and a Topping NX4. As for the music, when I'm streaming, I use Apple Music which will give you the option to play the songs in hi res if you have a DAC connected. I used Amazon Music HD for years before that, and have always been a life long Android fan, so never even considered Apple Music. So as much as I don't really care for Apple or their products, I have it to hand it to them on the music front. They do something with their mastering of some of the albums (called Apple Masters or something), that, to my ears, just sound better than on Amazon.
That being said, I also have a qobuz subscription, but don't use their app. Instead, I use a script from GitHub called Qobuz-dl, which allows me to download the hi res music in FLAC form. All the music I download goes to my NAS, and from there, I connect it to apps like USB Audio Player Pro, Jellyfin, Plex, etc, and listen to it that way.
@mattprice86 Did you have compatibility problems with your DACs before Google released the USB update in June? On P6Pro I'm also using Apple Music and surprised how good it is. Using
the Apple USB-C DAC, too, which works fine but is limited to 16bit/44-48kHz on Android AFAIK. So I'm looking for a dongle that does high-res streaming and better sound quality. Something like the Hidizs S3 Pro but I'm hesitating to drop the cash because of the USB issues the P6 has had
q1nt said:
@mattprice86 Did you have compatibility problems with your DACs before Google released the USB update in June? On P6Pro I'm also using Apple Music and surprised how good it is. Using
the Apple USB-C DAC, too, which works fine but is limited to 16bit/44-48kHz on Android AFAIK. So I'm looking for a dongle that does high-res streaming and better sound quality. Something like the Hidizs S3 Pro but I'm hesitating to drop the cash because of the USB issues the P6 has had
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Yea I did. It was unusable for me prior to the update in June. I can't remember exactly what they did every time I tried to play music, but it was something like the sound would keep cutting out, or it'd start to play a noise over the music. I just remember having to turn it off right away. I ended up switching over to my LG V40 for my music until the patch came out. I actually still use the V40 frequently now, because it has Viper4Android, and I like to load autoeq profiles for my IEMs with the convolver.
I never really used dongle DACs, tbh. I forgot to mention this in my last post, but I also have a Fiio BTR5, which would be the closest thing, size wise, to a dongle DAC, that I use with my phones, and it works really well too.
That S3 pro looks like it'd be ok too. It's using an ESS9281C DAC chip. I haven't heard that particular chip, but ESS sabre chips are in my Fiio and my Topping NX4, and I like them. They have a brighter sound than something like a Burr Brown chip, that are used in Hip DACs.
@mattprice86 Thx that's super helpful--think I'll give the S3 a try. We've got similar tastes--I have a bricked V20 I used for years and still hoping to resurrect when I get a chance
I'm on Fiio KA-3, never had any compatibility issues with it, oddly an app hiby I think caused issues detecting it but otherwise it's been great.
Just Spotify high quality and download lots of flac to throw in media server
mattprice86 said:
Yea I did. It was unusable for me prior to the update in June. I can't remember exactly what they did every time I tried to play music, but it was something like the sound would keep cutting out, or it'd start to play a noise over the music. I just remember having to turn it off right away. I ended up switching over to my LG V40 for my music until the patch came out. I actually still use the V40 frequently now, because it has Viper4Android, and I like to load autoeq profiles for my IEMs with the convolver.
I never really used dongle DACs, tbh. I forgot to mention this in my last post, but I also have a Fiio BTR5, which would be the closest thing, size wise, to a dongle DAC, that I use with my phones, and it works really well too.
That S3 pro looks like it'd be ok too. It's using an ESS9281C DAC chip. I haven't heard that particular chip, but ESS sabre chips are in my Fiio and my Topping NX4, and I like them. They have a brighter sound than something like a Burr Brown chip, that are used in Hip DACs.
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How's the btr5 is it '21 edition? I'm aiming for the older one. I don't need to be thattt bleeding edge. I kind of shifted from iems over to my home audio which was a mistake because there is so many more in variables than headphones
@7h the KA-3 looks good to me. Have you had any issues playing hi res flacs on it?
Another vote for btr5 from fiio. It's excellent. I also have the btr3 but the 5 is much better in every way for both wired and wireless playback.
Reporting back... I pulled the trigger and bought a Hidizs S3 Pro. Works and sounds great. Blue LED lights up for streaming 96kHz tracks directly through the Qobuz app. I'm not using UAPP so apparently Qobuz app can stream in USB exclusive mode. P6 Pro with GrapheneOS

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