# Driverless USB to optical adapter?



## TwistdInfinity

I am after a USB to optical adapter that can handle 24 bit / 96khz without drivers needed (class 1 usb audio device). 

It's to go from a tablet into a processor that only accepts optical input.

I've found heaps on eBay that include a DAC but I don't need a DAC, and space will be limited. Surely there must be one out there?! 

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## broo0d

Maybe this could help.

HiFimeDIY Sabre U2 Asynchronous USB DAC


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## TwistdInfinity

Hi broo0d, that would work. I can't help but feel I am paying much more for the DAC capability though. 

Surely someone has released a pure usb to optical converter? 

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## pcpete

I'm planning to get one of these for my android tablet...
SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical Converter DSD IIS Digital Audio Interface black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UX5LGAA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Bj24vbQKRHTAQ

It's XMOS based usb receiver.

I'm planning to feed a helix dsp pro via spdif coax upto 192/24...i believe that the helix will downsample to 96/24 ..and do the processing at that rate☺

It also has an led display so you can really see what bitrate is going through..


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## TwistdInfinity

Pcpete, I was hoping for a really cheap solution, but that one you linked could actually be useful in another project I'm planning with the I2S output port. 

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## pcpete

Yeah...it's a little pricey..seems all the xmos based stuff is...its the only thing i could find with 192 coax out and a display...I'll give a little feedback once i get it in...

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## pcpete

Ah...maybe this is more up your alley...

http://www.minidsp.com/products/usb-audio-interface/ministreamer


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## pcpete

Bummer...no optical though..always something

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## TwistdInfinity

Haha yeah I've got a miniDSP at home, that's why I was thinking the one with I2S could come in handy in the future, seeing as it also has the optical out. Otherwise I'll be getting the mini streamer. But yeah that's a different project! 

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## TwistdInfinity

http://m.aliexpress.com/item/2028680576.html?tracelog=storedetail2mobilesitedetail

I've found this little sucker bit can't tell what bit rate and sampling rate it supports anywhere. I'm guessing since they aren't advertising it, it's not 24/96 

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## broo0d

HifiMeDiy is the only (good) cheap option i can think of right now. It has an optical output (toslink). also you can add a usb isolator if you wish.


The sound quality will depend on your optical sender.

look for devices that have USB Asynchronous transfer mode... this and the clock matters. go to head-fi forum to find out more.


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## TwistdInfinity

Yeah, I forgot that jitter would be a factor too, and jitter from a really El cheapo optical adapter would probably be crap. Maybe I'll just bite and get the hifime device, it's gonna set me back about 90 Australian Dollars unfortunately, but I can always repurpose it to a laptop DAC if I find something else to use in the future 

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## TwistdInfinity

Any idea how something like this works?

Wi-Fi Audio Receiver with Toslink and Stereo Output | Speakers | MP3/iPod Accessories | Sight & Sound Personal | PRODUCTS | AA2110 | Jaycar Electronics


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## Babs

Interesting how rather difficult to find USB-toslink adapters these days. Heck, Doug at Soundman shows off a Cables2Go adapter in a vid he did a couple years ago which is a simple USB to optical.. That little item also seems to be MIA now.


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## Babs

TwistdInfinity said:


> Any idea how something like this works?
> 
> Wi-Fi Audio Receiver with Toslink and Stereo Output | Speakers | MP3/iPod Accessories | Sight & Sound Personal | PRODUCTS | AA2110 | Jaycar Electronics


That's interesting.. And already has a direct 5V DC input for power. Could effectively power this sucker right off a lighter USB adapter or a USB Buddy switched somehow. Zero info on it's internals though. Might be absolute crap for components, might be decent. Dunno.


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## Babs

Turtle Beach Micro II maybe?


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## Skippman

If you use one of these USB to Optical adapters will you retain full 5.1 output or will the Android OS automatically downmix to 2 channel stereo?


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## TwistdInfinity

Babs said:


> Turtle Beach Micro II maybe?


Only 16 bit 

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## TwistdInfinity

Skippman said:


> If you use one of these USB to Optical adapters will you retain full 5.1 output or will the Android OS automatically downmix to 2 channel stereo?


I have a feeling these only do 5.1 pass through on pc if you install extra drivers. In android I think it'll only be 2 channel 

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## TwistdInfinity

In first place for my choices right now we have: hifime diy sabre U2 shipped for just under $100 Australian. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=131264331364&alt=web

Second place is possibly this though I need more info on it's bit rate and sampling rate. I've asked the seller, waiting on response. The wosong usb to spdif adapter: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121437065610&alt=web

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## TwistdInfinity

I've got a list of others that I have to look into. I've given up trying to write up the list with links etc from my phone, too much effort haha. I'll post them up tonight when home 

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## TwistdInfinity

Here's a basic DIY style board for $36 Aus that could be worth a shot. I've found some other DACs that use this same usb receiver and work on Android. 
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=111286939452&alt=web

Thoughts? 



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## TwistdInfinity

So I definitely dug down into a rabbit hole with this one. Started researching USB receivers and different chip pro's and con's etc etc, I have no idea why...it was pretty interesting I guess.

In the end I had to just slap myself out of it and go for something that had good reviews and sounded like a pretty plug n play solution, even though it was more than I was hoping to spend.

Got the HiFiMeDIY Sabre U2! Now to sort that USB hub out...


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## broo0d

TwistdInfinity said:


> So I definitely dug down into a rabbit hole with this one. Started researching USB receivers and different chip pro's and con's etc etc, I have no idea why...it was pretty interesting I guess.
> 
> In the end I had to just slap myself out of it and go for something that had good reviews and sounded like a pretty plug n play solution, even though it was more than I was hoping to spend.
> 
> Got the HiFiMeDIY Sabre U2! Now to sort that USB hub out...


Well, i was in the same situation, In the end i get tired and get back to where i started.


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## Skippman

broo0d said:


> Well, i was in the same situation, In the end i get tired and get back to where i started.


Count me on walkabout with this too. I started out wanting to replace the head unit in my Jeep with an Android based one. That turned into concerns about audio quality with the built in DAC and only having 2V pre-amps. That turned into looking at USB DACs which in turn turned into looking at USB to SPDIF adapters which lead to looking at adding separate processor like the MS8 or PPI's DSP-88R. A whole lot of feature creep. :laugh:

This all got started because I was trying to SAVE money by not having to pay for annual map updates on a factory head unit. I think all things being equal I'm going to just simplify and go back to just planning to use the 2V pre-amps off the back of the head unit. Anything else I do is just adding potential points of failure and complicating the controls. For example, if I did use the DSP-88R how would I control the fade? I'd probably have to use the processors controller for it.


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## TwistdInfinity

Oh man I've been all over the place with what I want to do. I was thinking full replacement of head unit for Windows tablet connected to mini usb streamer into mini dsp 2x8, but then I figured I'd keep head unit in as it already does CD/DVD, radio and reverse camera, and add tablet to it. That led me to researching the ai - net protocol to try and get a dummy signal to use the spare optical inputs my h701 processor, that was a few days of wasted rabbit holeing before it got thrown in the too hard basket. Now I'm going to use an optical switcher into the DSP and swap between tablet and HU that way (just have to leave HU on CD mode to leave optical input open on DSP). Now I'm researching the best optical switchers and if I can create a control switch that simulates the signal received from the IR receiver to swap optical inputs by a button near my HU. Then I was like oh crap, I need a usb to optical adapter for my tablet. So now I'm an expert on the differences between the cmedia, Xmos, tenor etc usb receiver chips, oscillators, jitter etc. 

My girlfriend has not been happy lately! Very attention deprived haha

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## bbfoto

Optical Switcher: Audio Authority #1177A Toslink & Coaxial Digital 4-Input/1-Output Switcher from Cable Solutions...

http://www.audioauthority.com/product_details/1177A

There are cheaper boxes that are smaller and similar on eBay for about $50 which also have a IR Remote to switch the source, but most don't have the Coaxial Digital in/out connections, just Toslink Optical....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250789195898


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## TwistdInfinity

Hi bbfoto, thanks for that link. It seems a little bit much for what I need (I'm actually only after optical, not coaxial). The auto select won't feature wouldn't work for me, because both my head unit and tablet would be transmitting the audio carrier wave at all times so it wouldn't be able to select the right one. To have the optical port on the DSP open my HU needs to have the CD source selected which will also turn it's own optical output on, but I'll be using the switch to have the optical from my tablet coming in. 

I am thinking about tying one of these: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=252069834263&alt=web

3 in 1 out with IR remote. USB powered. I want to try and make a button that when pressed simulates the electrical signal of the IR receiver when the button is pressed on the remote, so I can have a push button selector near my HU rather than a remote to control inputs 

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## bbfoto

pcpete said:


> I'm planning to get one of these for my android tablet...
> SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical Converter DSD IIS Digital Audio Interface black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UX5LGAA/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Bj24vbQKRHTAQ
> 
> It's XMOS based usb receiver.
> 
> I'm planning to feed a helix dsp pro via spdif coax upto 192/24...i believe that the helix will downsample to 96/24 ..and do the processing at that rate☺
> 
> It also has an led display so you can really see what bitrate is going through...


Pete, I am currently using that "SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical Converter DSD IIS Digital Audio Interface". It is tiny.

I can confirm that it works perfectly to output a Digital signal over both the Toslink Optical and Coaxial RCA when using the International versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Note 4, Note 8, and my buddy's AT&T Samsung Galaxy Alpha. I did not need to use a USB Hub or OTG+Power "Y" cable for this to work on all of the above devices...it worked fine with a simple OTG cable with power supplied over USB by the device itself (though the battery will drain quickly this way so I do suggest using an OTG Y-cable or powered USB hub).

I only use the "USB Audio Player Pro" App from the Google Play store. One plus is that it supports Gapless Playback, and it also has good ID3 Tag and Album Art support. Both the "UAPP" App and the SMSL simultaneously display the proper Bitrate for each file that is being played. I've tried files with bit depths & sample rates from 16/44, 24/88, 24/96, and 24/192, and both the app and the SMSL display the proper sample rate.

I tested the SMSL X-USB by connecting the Optical Toslink output and then via Digital Coaxial RCA output into my Oppo HA-1's respective inputs. The Oppo also displays and confirms the incoming bit depth and sample rate properly.

The SMSL X-USB works perfectly when fed into the Helix DSP PRO as well. I have not tried it yet with my RF 360.3 or Sony XDP-4000X processors, but see no reason why it wouldn't work with those as well (but Hi-Res files above 16/48 will be down-sampled by the processor).

The SMSL X-USB will not play any DSD files using your Car Audio Processor that has Toslink or Coaxial inputs, because the SMSL only outputs the DSD signal through its I2S mini-HDMI type-C port, and not through Toslink or Coaxial.

All-in-all, the SMSL X-USB is a great little unit and will not take up much space in your install, and the SQ is fantastic.

Hope this helps.




TwistdInfinity said:


> Hi bbfoto, thanks for that link. It seems a little bit much for what I need (I'm actually only after optical, not coaxial). The auto select won't feature wouldn't work for me, because both my head unit and tablet would be transmitting the audio carrier wave at all times so it wouldn't be able to select the right one. To have the optical port on the DSP open my HU needs to have the CD source selected which will also turn it's own optical output on, but I'll be using the switch to have the optical from my tablet coming in.
> 
> I am thinking about tying one of these: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=252069834263&alt=web
> 
> 3 in 1 out with IR remote. USB powered. I want to try and make a button that when pressed simulates the electrical signal of the IR receiver when the button is pressed on the remote, so I can have a push button selector near my HU rather than a remote to control inputs
> 
> Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk


Hey Twistd, that 3-input Optical Switch looks decent. You can probably open up that unit and solder on some extension wires to the front-panel Input Selector Switch so you can place that switch in a remote location in your dash or console. This is what I have done with the Audio Authority 1177A, along with extending the input indication LEDs.

FYI, just for reference (and others that may be interested), the Audio Authority Toslink/Coaxial switch and the other less expensive 4-Port Toslink Optical switch that I linked to earlier Both have a front-panel Push Button to Manually Select each Input, which will over-ride the Auto-switching.  But yes, both are more expensive than that 3-input switch that you found, so Good On Ya!


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## TwistdInfinity

Thanks for your feedback bbfoto! Very detailed and informative, thumbs up! 

I'm going to try the cheap options first and see how they perform. Hopefully I'll be satisfied with the results. Good idea on just extending the input selection switch that is already there though, would be much easier than designing a mini board to emulate the ir receiver signals.

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## pcpete

bbfoto said:


> Pete, I am currently using that "SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical Converter DSD IIS Digital Audio Interface". It is tiny.
> 
> I can confirm that it works perfectly to output a Digital signal over both the Toslink Optical and Coaxial RCA when using the International versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Note 4, Note 8, and my buddy's AT&T Samsung Galaxy Alpha. I did not need to use a USB Hub or OTG+Power "Y" cable for this to work on all of the above devices...it worked fine with a simple OTG cable with power supplied over USB by the device itself (though the battery will drain quickly this way so I do suggest using an OTG Y-cable or powered USB hub).
> 
> I only use the "USB Audio Player Pro" App from the Google Play store. One plus is that it supports Gapless Playback, and it also has good ID3 Tag and Album Art support. Both the "UAPP" App and the SMSL simultaneously display the proper Bitrate for each file that is being played. I've tried files with bit depths & sample rates from 16/44, 24/88, 24/96, and 24/192, and both the app and the SMSL display the proper sample rate.
> 
> I tested the SMSL X-USB by connecting the Optical Toslink output and then via Digital Coaxial RCA output into my Oppo HA-1's respective inputs. The Oppo also displays and confirms the incoming bit depth and sample rate properly.
> 
> The SMSL X-USB works perfectly when fed into the Helix DSP PRO as well. I have not tried it yet with my RF 360.3 or Sony XDP-4000X processors, but see no reason why it wouldn't work with those as well (but Hi-Res files above 16/48 will be down-sampled by the processor).
> 
> The SMSL X-USB will not play any DSD files using your Car Audio Processor that has Toslink or Coaxial inputs, because the SMSL only outputs the DSD signal through its I2S mini-HDMI type-C port, and not through Toslink or Coaxial.
> 
> All-in-all, the SMSL X-USB is a great little unit and will not take up much space in your install, and the SQ is fantastic.
> 
> Hope this helps.



WOW! That's some awesome feedback on the SMSL X-USB bbfoto!

I'm planning on ordering mine next week. I need to pick your brain on a couple of more things regarding it.

Just an FYI, and for others looking for a digital out android car tablet solution, I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 going through a Behringer UCA202 USB DAC. What makes using this tablet or almost any other Samsung tablet feasible is this:

Lava STS-3U : http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...-usb-hub-samsung-galaxy-tablets-charging.html

This little gem allows for powering the tablet and provides 3 USB ports at the same time. I'm running my DAC (and other stuff) off a powered USB hub connected to it, and my tablet is pegged at 100% charge with full brightness, dac palying, wifi streaming etc...

I'm going optical out to a Precision Power PPI DSP-88R. Everything works rock solid...no turn off/on pops...excelent s/n ratio...quite happy ...for now 

Looking to upgrade my processor to a Helix DSP Pro in the next couple of months. I understand that the Helix Pro does it 's processing at 96KHz...bbfoto, why do you mention that the Helix Pro down samples to 16/48? All the documentation seems to state that it processes at 96KHz.

I would like to feed the Helix through the SMSL with hi-res up-to 192/24 files...which I have a collection of in FLAC. Not planning on doing DSD, but there are android players (HibyMusic) that do convert dsd on the fly, I believe. 

I understand the Helix optical takes 96KHz and the COAX 192kHz. I'm assuming and hoping the helix will down-sample my 192/24 files to 96/24 and process them at that rate.

bbfoto, one concern I have is how the SMSL reacts to the android volume control. When streaming audio through RDIO, Spotify etc, will the SMSL respond to the android volume buttons. I do have UAPP installed and will be using this for my critical listening of hi-res files, does the UAPP volume control the SMSL volume on a hardware level? If so, do you know if there would be any loss in SQ by using the UAPP volume? My current DSP, as well as the Helix do provide for remote volume control, so worst case I could use that, but it would be nice to be able to use the native android volume controls.

Once again, thanks for all your feedback!


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## TwistdInfinity

Hi Pete, one thing to mention, I think Android can only handle 24/96 output on USB. Usually USB DAC's (and USB to optical adapter in our case) require additional drivers to enable 192khz output. 

I believe that behringer one you currently have only does 16/48? I am still awaiting my hifime DIY sabre U2 to arrive, but when I tested my optical out from my laptop into my H701 processor i could control volume direct from laptop and also from head unit (which controls the processor volume). 

I've heard most devices on 4.4 can't do optical volume control but 5.0 can. My note 10.1 is running 4.4 and my z3c is on 5.0 so once my usb optical adapter is in I can try and confirm for you. 

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## pcpete

TwistdInfinity said:


> Hi Pete, one thing to mention, I think Android can only handle 24/96 output on USB. Usually USB DAC's (and USB to optical adapter in our case) require additional drivers to enable 192khz output.
> 
> I believe that behringer one you currently have only does 16/48? I am still awaiting my hifime DIY sabre U2 to arrive, but when I tested my optical out from my laptop into my H701 processor i could control volume direct from laptop and also from head unit (which controls the processor volume).
> 
> I've heard most devices on 4.4 can't do optical volume control but 5.0 can. My note 10.1 is running 4.4 and my z3c is on 5.0 so once my usb optical adapter is in I can try and confirm for you.
> 
> Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk


Thanks for the info TwistdInfinity...yeah, I know android has limitations on bitrate/sample, and I even think 5 (lollipop) is still 16/48 limited on stock aosp. Some vendors ie Samsung, LG etc, have modified the audio support to handle higher bit-rates, I think.

The UAPP player has its own driver that can send 24/192 to most dacs, including the hifime and XMOS based dacs.

Looking forward to your feedback with the hifime....


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## TwistdInfinity

Oh I didn't realise the UAPP had its own drivers for 192khz, that's really cool. I don't think I have any music in 192 so it probably won't be an issue for me haha. 

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## broo0d

Did you receive hifime ?


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## TwistdInfinity

Nah still waiting! I'm in Aus so taking a bit longer to get over here 

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## TwistdInfinity

Ok so I received my sabre U2 today, it's so small! Pictured next to my Fiio E10:


Plugged it direct into my Sony Z3 compact running lollipop via OTG and worked straight away. Played some stuff through spotify using headphones first. For anyone interested, the DAC is a step up from the phone DAC, but then I compared it to the E10 and it's just missing some detail and is a bit heavy on the bass compared to the E10, but still nice enough.

I tried connecting it to my Samsung Note 10.1 (2012 model running 4.4.4) and it didn't work. Power cycled a few times, made sure I had it plugged into a y cable connected to USB charger etc. It didn't give any errors, just no sound played. The E10 for reference works but I have to restart the tablet each time I disconnect and reconnect it.

Downloaded USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) and it recognised it straight away and played for a bit but then gave some strange errors and stopped working. UAPP intermittently plays through it, giving various errors when it stops.

Went back to using my phone, and connected it to my home audio system via optical with the 3.5mm optical adapter. My receiver picks it up as 96Khz, so I think it upsamples everything as I was just playing a 320Kbit Spotify stream...


Sound through the optical into my home system was very nice, couldn't pick up anything noticeable in my 5 mins of listening.

Next will be to put custom ROM onto my tablet and start using it in my car for a bit just sat on the passenger seat, or maybe just use my phone and play some FLAC playlists and see how I like the setup before committing to making a dash mount for a new tablet.


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## quickaudi07

This is what I have been using for my car / tablet pc with windows 8.1

Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202 USB-Audio Interface | Guitar Center

Hope it helps, it worked great for me!.


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## Skippman

I'm really interested in that Sabre DAC unit from HiFiMeDIY. It looks like it would be a good mate to the Audison Prima 8.9 amp I'm planning to use as the sampling rates are identical. But I'm a little concerned that it might not work with my Android based head unit. I'm REALLY trying to work around the units 2v Preamp outputs and using optical would be fantastic!


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## TwistdInfinity

Hi quick audio, i skipped the behringer because it only does 16/48 not 24/96. 

Skippman, I take it the head unit doesn't run lollipop? You could email hifimediy and ask what their return policy is? Or just on sell it if it doesn't work, I'm sure there will be a few people in here interested in one 

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## TwistdInfinity

Oh man guess what...my H701 processor doesn't like 24/96! It's scratchy and missing all sub-bass. I confirmed it from my laptop as well.

Using the Sabre U2 out from my phone, I played some spotify and it sounds terrible. Played same song from spotify on laptop at 24/48 and it was great, changed it to 24/96 and terrible again.

Using USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP), it detects what sampling rate the song is at and controls the output of the DAC to make it the same, so I can play any song on my phone using UAPP that's 44 or 48KHz, but using other apps the Sabre U2 upsamples everything to 96khz.

What are the chances it's the optical cable? Or is the H701 just not designed to receive 24/96?

Hmm maybe I'll have to go with the UCA202 or the turtle beach audio advantage micro ii and just be happy with 16/48 as it'll likely still be acceptable?


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## pcpete

Or you could get a Helix Pro 

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## Skippman

TwistdInfinity said:


> Hi quick audio, i skipped the behringer because it only does 16/48 not 24/96.
> 
> Skippman, I take it the head unit doesn't run lollipop? You could email hifimediy and ask what their return policy is? Or just on sell it if it doesn't work, I'm sure there will be a few people in here interested in one
> 
> Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk



It's running 4.4.4 Kit-Kat and I'm not sure that it's supported.


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## TwistdInfinity

Yeah my tablet running 4.4.4 works with my e10 but not my sabre u2, so some devices are hit and miss. The sabre may work on yours no problem, but it's hard to say without trying it  

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## TwistdInfinity

pcpete said:


> Or you could get a Helix Pro
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


Haha the idea was to have this as a nice cheap and easy upgrade for now. 
I love my Alpine head unit / dsp combo, the ability to tune from the touch screen in real time is awesome 

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## TwistdInfinity

I loaded my phone up with a bunch of music. 320 mp3 and Flac ripped from CD's and some lower quality mp3's downloaded from YouTube and SoundCloud. 

Using UAPP so that the sabre u2 wasn't out putting at 96kh (as I've found my receiver doesn't like it so much), I played them in the car on the way to work today. 

First up were the FLAC files. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I thought it sounded better than when playing the CD through the head unit (which also utilises optical). 

Next the 320 mp3's. Usually I played these off my iPod connected through the head unit (bypasses the iPod internal DAC, but uses the HU DAC and transmits over ai net to processor). These sounded WAY better via phone/optical compared to iPod/HU/ai net. Like, way better. 

But perhaps the biggest difference I heard was when playing the lower quality 128 mp3's. Over phone/optical they sounded better than the 320 files through iPod did, I couldn't believe it. Usually I avoided playing anything like that off the iPod as there was always harshness and they lacked dynamics, but somehow that was not the case using the phone/optical route. Sure it didn't sound as good as the Flac but it wasn't far off the 320 files. 

I might be tempted to download more free SoundCloud music now! There's lots of nice free stuff on SoundCloud but it's usually low bit rate so I avoided it. 

I'm going to try a new optical cable and hope that's what is causing the issues at 96khz, if not I'll buy a uca202 or turtle beach audio advantage micro ii and see if I miss the 24 bit compared to 16 bit. Although nothing I've played so far was originally in 24 bit (CD is 16/44) I do have a bunch of high res albums in 24/96 that I was hoping to be able to play 
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## bbfoto

TwistdInfinity said:


> Oh man guess what...my H701 processor doesn't like 24/96! It's scratchy and missing all sub-bass. I confirmed it from my laptop as well.
> 
> Using the Sabre U2 out from my phone, I played some spotify and it sounds terrible. Played same song from spotify on laptop at 24/48 and it was great, changed it to 24/96 and terrible again.
> 
> Using USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP), it detects what sampling rate the song is at and controls the output of the DAC to make it the same, so I can play any song on my phone using UAPP that's 44 or 48KHz, but using other apps the Sabre U2 upsamples everything to 96khz.
> 
> What are the chances it's the optical cable? *Or is the H701 just not designed to receive 24/96?*
> 
> Hmm maybe I'll have to go with the UCA202 or the turtle beach audio advantage micro ii and just be happy with 16/48 as it'll likely still be acceptable?


No, the H701 is definitely not designed to receive or process/downsample anything higher than 16/48 via S/PDIF. You wouldn't hear the difference when using 24/88, 24/96, 24/192 files anyway, especially when you are using an H701. It's a great processor, but you have to consider at what time it was designed and manufactured. Digital audio electronics & technology have improved exponentially since the H701 was released.

A high-quality Toslink POF cable using Mitsubishi's ESKA Fiber is always best, especially for longer runs. Actual Glass Fiber is better, but just too fragile for car audio use IMO. Contrary to popular belief, the quality, design, and construction of a Fiber Optic cable and its termination can make a difference.

It seems like you keep buying/trying all of these different little bits & pieces to get things to work right or as you'd like them to (yeah, sometimes it's the only way to know for sure), but this will add up to big $ in the end, when you could bite the bullet and step up to proven technology. 

However, I do agree that being able to tune/adjust on-the-fly with the RUX is nice. I liked that as well when I was using the H701, and it's the same reason that I like the P9 combo that I'm still using in one of my vehicles.


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## TwistdInfinity

Hey bbfoto. Sound words. I agree, chasing my tail here is going to cost more money in the long run, but I guess I don't mind right now as it's all part of a learning experience, that I hope others can learn from my mistakes. 

I'm going to stick with the Alpine head unit and processor for now, as I'm looking to get a new car next year and I'll likely leave this combo in the car and start fresh in the next one. 

That's why I'm going to use head unit and tablet at the same time, to see how usable a tablet will be in car environment (I know lots of people are doing it but haven't heard much about how easy it is to actually use).

This way I'll hopefully have it worked out in my mind which way to go with the next install. I really wish minidsp would make an android app to control their dsp's though! 

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk


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## TwistdInfinity

I can't believe I didn't even check to see what the h701 could receive haha. Lesson learnt 

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk


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## Skippman

Well I'm definitely learning from you Twisted. Ever since I installed my HuiFei head unit and it bypassed my factory amp I've had a fire under me to get my system sorted. Right now my biggest debate is between using optical out or using the head units 2V outputs.

If I use the 2V outputs I can easily add a nice, compact class D amp like the Alpine PDX-V9 or one of the Rockford options. I'm not looking for true audiophile grade anymore. Just clear, clean, and with enough fidelity to be appreciative.

If I use an optical output adapter I don't have to worry about how the head unit might be mangling the sound or the low power 2V outputs. This is the direction I'm leaning towards but this seems to come with it's own host of issues. 
- Which USB DSP to use?
- Is it compatible with my head unit/android version?
- Which amp/DSP do I use?
- How much of a pain will it be to tune?

If I go with the optical route that kind of limits my options as I don't really have room for a separate processor in my Jeep. There's the Gladen D2 80.6 by Mosconi, the Prima 8.9 by Audison, and the Helix P Six. 
- The Prima requires a separate sub amp and only delivers 8x35w @4 ohms per channel.
- The Mosconi can pump out 4 x 70w + 1 x 215w sub channel.
- The Helix P Six pumps out an impressive 6 x 120w @4 ohms but seems to be the most expensive of the three.


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## Babs

Skippman said:


> - The Helix P Six pumps out an impressive 6 x 120w @4 ohms but seems to be the most expensive of the three.


Play with the Helix v3 software for a while in P Six DSP demo mode and you'll see why we're a bunch of Helix fanboy's in here. Audiotec-Fischer has consistently improved the tool over and over. Now with input EQ even. They get my personal vote before I'd buy anything Audison.


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## Skippman

Diggin up old threads and hoping to "get the band back together."

I've finally got all my kit installed and I have to do SOMETHING stat. I'm getting a bad background hiss from the internal DAC on the head unit and the subwoofer channel seems to work intermittently. My installer and I ended up having to completely disconnect it and use the Alpine PDX's internal crossover to generate the sub channel because it kept popping the subwoofer every time we'd switch sources. 


So, back to the DSP/USB DAC option. Pete, you were running a PPI DAC last time I heard from you. How did you like that? I'm thinking right now my best course is to try either the Behringer or the HiFiMeDIY to a PPI DSP-88R. I've also considered the miniDAC C-DSP 6x8 but that only accepts coax in.

Any advice/help would be appreciated!


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## TwistdInfinity

Hey Skippman, I just read somewhere that these chinese Android head unit's, when they do get a USB DAC to work, the DAC is only used for playing files from apps in the device.

When using radio and CD, it bypasses that part of the head unit. Just something you might want to look into!

My car has been in a prang, and I actually hope it's been a write-off as it will allow me to start from scratch and stop messing about with my old alpine stuff.

As I said over in the C-DSP thread, I am now tossing up which OS of tablet I will use.

I would love to use Android as there are so many awesome apps and front-ends that will be easy to use in a car environment, but most of the DSP's need a windows program to tune them.

If I went a windows tablet it would allow me to configure a C-DSP for instance straight from the head unit. I could run REW on it and have my USB Mic plugged in to save the hassle of an added laptop for tuning. But man, windows programs/apps aren't made to be easy to use in a car environment!

Windows tablet would be easy to have an external USB dvd/cd player plugged in and kept in the centre console too.

Decisions decisions. If miniDSP would just hurry up and make an android app to configure their DSP's...


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