Hi guys I was wondering if it was possible to get the transformer to output music through the USB ports. I have a set of portable Creative speakers which have great sound and would love to use them with the transformer. They are powered and receive audio from USB
It is very possible, but you'd ave to add the device modules (drivers for the device) to the kernel yourself because it isn't native. I've been trying to get USB headphones working for a while.. :/
Thing O Doom said:
It is very possible, but you'd ave to add the device modules (drivers for the device) to the kernel yourself because it isn't native. I've been trying to get USB headphones working for a while.. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got work usb audio on tf101 with CM10. Just kernel modules for usb audio are not enough to get sound from apps to be routed through the DAC. It's also needed to patch vertana audio driver.
I know it's been a long time but I just got around to rooting my TF101 and actually enjoying it. Has anyone done anything similar with speakers or headphones
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
Lollipop - Any Improvements?
Has anyone been able to get USB Audio working in a Lollipop ROM given the improvements to USB host?
So far, no luck for me:
KatKiss Lollipop 5.1 #21 ROM
JBL Pebbles USB Speakers connected to the dock
My tablet recognizes there is a USB audio device as the audio stops after connecting.
Also, disabling auto routing of audio to USB audio devices does what it supposed to do - so detection works.
Connecting the headphones out to the aux in of the USB speaker didn't work. Tablet speakers shut off but no sound in the USB speakers.
I could get it to work is powering the speakers from an AC charger and using the tablet headphone out to it.
Also, USB Audio Tester app works in that it can detect the USB device and it was able to play audio out of it (tested via connecting int mic to ext speaker mode and raising the volume bars).
To my understanding from the developer's description, that app uses non-standard interface to output USB audio.
The speakers work fine on Windows and Chrome OS without drivers so I was hoping it was plug and play.
Update:
I did note that I had to raise the in-app playback control volume bars first though to work in USB Audio Tester app.
Also, when connected to a computer and using the Aux In of the speakers, my phones and tablet can play audio.
Based on power draw of a USB charger I connected, the speakers use 0.6W idle and about 1W max.
Therefore, I'm thinking maybe it fails the USB enumeration in Android and the default 100mA is not enough.
Anyone know how to check the USB host enumeration settings?
phioschaos said:
Has anyone been able to get USB Audio working in a Lollipop ROM given the improvements to USB host?
So far, no luck for me:
KatKiss Lollipop 5.1 #21 ROM
JBL Pebbles USB Speakers...
...Also, USB Audio Tester app works in that it can detect the USB device and it was able to play audio out of it (tested via connecting int mic to ext speaker mode and raising the volume bars).
To my understanding from the developer's description, that app uses non-standard interface to output USB audio...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since we are talking about USB HOST, maybe it's important to use USB OTG cable, I reckon, as not all USB cables are equal. This has just recently struck me, because I used USB cable that came with my soundcard the other day. Its of great quality, sure, but I'm almost positive it's not OTG. My audiocard is externally powered, so on the other hand it might be just unimportant in my case...
USB Speakers of all sorts have generic DACs in them that require no special drivers and have to work out of the box on any system as long as USB connection and standard USB functionality are intact. Success stories of USB Audio working under Lollipop are rather abundant.
If USB Audio Tester works for you then USB Audio Player PRO should too, those are made by the same guys AFAICT. UAPP is no free app though, costs a sum, and sadly its proprietary driver(yeah, those devs apps use "non-standard interface") only works inside the program, one cannot watch Youtube or MX Player by using that... Compatibility list is on the devs site. My card, E-MU 0404 USB is listed as compatible for only RECORDING, not playback. Heck, I'm absolutely certain, I saw someone on some forum claiming they got same card totally working under UAPP and that wasn't even on Lollipop! Anyway, my trial and error continues...
I don't have a USB OTG cable for the TF101.
Instead, I'm using the keyboard dock that provides two USB ports.
It should be the same thing.
It is very good to hear that USB audio is working for a lot of people on Lollipop.
I've tried testing my speakers on more Android devices - my Nexus 5 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S.
Like the TF101, the speakers are detected as the OS switches over (no more audio out of built in speakers) but no sound out of the speakers themselves.
I'm leaning towards these speakers are not compatible with Android yet.
Sigh - non-standard standards.
This is actually incredible. Before upgrading to Lollipop on Galaxy S5 I was able to plug my DAC (a Dragonfly 1.2) via USB OTG cable into my Galaxy S5 and enjoy pristine usb audio without a single hint of a problem - all apps working - MX Player, Inbuilt Music App, Poweramp etc - all working perfectly.
Then I upgrade to Lollipop, which is supposed to be great for USB Audio, and it doesn't work any more. At all. I am now back to using an app called USB Audio Player Pro, which allows you to use DAC audio devices to connect to headphones and (thank god!) this still works awesomely, but I was really enjoying all my apps making use of my USB audio device and now that has just been screwed over by the update.
There was so much pleasure in just plugging in a usb audio device into the phone via an OTG cable and everything working great, but now I just fall on my knees and shake my fists in the air bellowing "WWWHHHHYYYYYYY??!!!!"
Has this affected anyone else ? I've restarted, factory reset since the update and googled the crap outta this and all I can find are people saying "Yay! USB Audio functionality has been added with Lollipop".
From my perspective, this appears to be balls.
I'll happily downgrade back to the older android OS if its possible just to get this one happy function back.
Hi I think you should ask your question here instead. There are lots of active people in that forum that will give you some answers and hopefully a solution.
thank you and good luck
Hi there,
Anyone tried with USB DAC?
I tried, I can manage my Soundblaster E5 settings, but no sound. Same with USB audio player Pro and Deezer etc.
USB option (in developer options) enables the USB sound.
Any idea?
Second issue:
Soundblaster E5 has BT/NFC connect possibility. With my old phone (Asus Zenfone 2) was able to wake up the DAC with NFC, after I touched the phone to the DAC. Huawei Mate 9 isn't able to do it.
Hi, I'm having the exact same issue with another usb dac. Did you find a solution?
Swordhun said:
Hi there,
Anyone tried with USB DAC?
I tried, I can manage my Soundblaster E5 settings, but no sound. Same with USB audio player Pro and Deezer etc.
USB option (in developer options) enables the USB sound.
Any idea?
Second issue:
Soundblaster E5 has BT/NFC connect possibility. With my old phone (Asus Zenfone 2) was able to wake up the DAC with NFC, after I touched the phone to the DAC. Huawei Mate 9 isn't able to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a sound Blaster E3 and dac work as it should. USB otg must be at phone side. If you use provided otg cable on dac. It will not work. I used a small micro USB to USB C head to connect the micro USB otg cable to mate 9.
bibiner said:
I have a sound Blaster E3 and dac work as it should. USB otg must be at phone side. If you use provided otg cable on dac. It will not work. I used a small micro USB to USB C head to connect the micro USB otg cable to mate 9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you set up for USB CONNECT MODE? MTP, just charge etc?
Any settings in developer settings or so?
I tried with USB male - USB C OTG cable, with SB original cable + Huawei converter micro to usb c, not worked
snannart said:
Hi, I'm having the exact same issue with another usb dac. Did you find a solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet.
Anyone got a USB dac working? Which amp and which type c adapter/cable?
I have a Dragonfly Black and it worked perfectly with an Amazon USB-C OTG. I didn't change the setting for the connection type, it automatically identified it as a device that was a slave and supplied power to the DAC.
Mines a bone stock US model fwiw
My Mojo works fine using the USB-C to Micro adapter that came in the box of my Mate 9 Pro.
My Fiio e17 not work via otg cable
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk
Swordhun said:
What did you set up for USB CONNECT MODE? MTP, just charge etc?
Any settings in developer settings or so?
I tried with USB male - USB C OTG cable, with SB original cable + Huawei converter micro to usb c, not worked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ops. Seem like my notification not working. Sorry for some late reply. Mine do not appear any option. It certainly do if I plug it the other way around which make the dac not working but prompt the mtp and charge option.
My Fiio E17K works flawlessly with an OTG cable I found on Amazon.
---------- Post added at 03:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:23 PM ----------
cbassohai said:
My Fiio E17K works flawlessly with an OTG cable I found on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't link but it's a:
Meenova
4.6 out of 5 stars 17 Reviews
USB Type-C-to-MicroUSB OTG Cable for connecting Camera/DAC/Media Player/Game Controller/Portable Hard drive/MIDI to Smartphone/Tablet/Computers
$7.99 USD
So I played around a bit with my S.M.S.L. idol+ today and found the following:
Neutron Music Player (Eval) works fine
USB Audio Player Pro produces loud noise, none of the USB Tweaks work, neither does Bit Perfect turned on and changing the buffer size results in the Player failing to play the songs. It doesn't make a difference if I try to play 64kb/s MP3 or 24bit FLAC..
Poweramp recognizes the DAC and seems to play but the headphones stay silent. Strange enough one time after trying some things with USB Audio Player Pro, Poweramp suddenly worked fine. I couldn't reproduce that though.
So of course I could use Neutron Player but I don't really like the interface and since I already bought USB Audio Player Pro and Poweramp and it seems to be a configuration issue, I would prefer using one of these.
So if anyone has an idea what else I could try, I would really appreciate any help
One of the disappointing trends for me with new phones is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jacks. However, given the popularity of wireless headphones and the large market share of Apple devices I expect the trend to continue and headphone jacks to be found on fewer and fewer phones in the future.
I imagine that I'm in the minority of users who use neither streaming services or Bluetooth headphones. My music is usually high bit rate FLAC, ACC or MP3 depending on when I ripped it. My initial listening on the included 3.5mm DAC was not promising. A lack of dynamic range and low volume even on efficient in ear monitors (IEMs) made me think about finding a replacement.
The problem is there aren't at lot of options for small passive DACs. And my bet is that most of the current phones with no 3.5mm jack use the same chipset that Essential uses - the Conexant CX20985 for their headphone adapters. (For more info - see the AnandTech article - Conexant Introduces USB-C Digital Audio Compliant Chips.)
So that lead me to see if perhaps there was something that could be done in software. Based on my limited research it would appear that Android above version 5.0 has a built in USB to DAC driver. It also appears that this is what Essential uses to access the USB adapter. However, this driver is quite limited. Consistent with what I heard, the driver resamples everything to 16-bit 48kHz and limits the dynamic range. (For more info see extreamsd.com and their USB audio driver page.)
Good news! There are several music player applications on GooglePlay that are capable of natively recognizing the Essential DAC over USB. The difference in sound quality, volume and dynamic range is like night and day. The most polished one I've used is the paid application Onkyo HF Player. However, the free application HibyMusic also works, but has few rough edges. The Onkyo application sounds good enough for me to make finding a better DAC no longer necessary.
One WARNING on both programs and the Essential DAC - when the DAC is recognized by the programs they frequently turn the initial volume level to 100%. If you do this while you've started music playing and have the headphones on you will be in for a very rude surprise. Trust me I learned this the hard way - plug everything in with no music playing and be sure to lower the volume first.
Update from comments - Apps that support the Essential DAC directly:
1. Onkyo HF Player
2. HibyMusic
3. USB Audio Player Pro
4. Neutron Music Player
USB Audio Player Pro has a custom driver that supports bit-perfect on android. I use it with external DACs such as the Meridian Explorer 2 (MQA works perfectly) and the AudioQuest Dragonfly Red - hardware volume control works.
TimboC2000 said:
One of the disappointing trends for me with new phones is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jacks. However, given the popularity of wireless headphones and the large market share of Apple devices I expect the trend to continue and headphone jacks to be found on fewer and fewer phones in the future.
I imagine that I'm in the minority of users who use neither streaming services or Bluetooth headphones. My music is usually high bit rate FLAC, ACC or MP3 depending on when I ripped it. My initial listening on the included 3.5mm DAC was not promising. A lack of dynamic range and low volume even on efficient in ear monitors (IEMs) made me think about finding a replacement.
The problem is there aren't at lot of options for small passive DACs. And my bet is that most of the current phones with no 3.5mm jack use the same chipset that Essential uses - the Conexant CX20985 for their headphone adapters. (For more info - see the AnandTech article - Conexant Introduces USB-C Digital Audio Compliant Chips.)
So that lead me to see if perhaps there was something that could be done in software. Based on my limited research it would appear that Android above version 5.0 has a built in USB to DAC driver. It also appears that this is what Essential uses to access the USB adapter. However, this driver is quite limited. Consistent with what I heard, the driver resamples everything to 16-bit 48kHz and limits the dynamic range. (For more info see extreamsd.com and their USB audio driver page.)
Good news! There are several music player applications on GooglePlay that are capable of natively recognizing the Essential DAC over USB. The difference in sound quality, volume and dynamic range is like night and day. The most polished one I've used is the paid application Onkyo HF Player. However, the free application HibyMusic also works, but has few rough edges. The Onkyo application sounds good enough for me to make finding a better DAC no longer necessary.
One WARNING on both programs and the Essential DAC - when the DAC is recognized by the programs they frequently turn the initial volume level to 100%. If you do this while you've started music playing and have the headphones on you will be in for a very rude surprise. Trust me I learned this the hard way - plug everything in with no music playing and be sure to lower the volume first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this, I was searching just today for something that would be compatible with the USB-C output and I didn't want to waste money on anything that won't work on the Essential. And I have an Onkyo receiver for my living room to boot. I wonder how the Iron Maiden flavored version of the app works? I am a Maiden fan as well. Maybe I'll try that version and report back on this thread.
A quick update. For $9.00 I figured I’d give the Google Pixel DAC a try. It only samples at 48kHz. It also provides no identifying information as to manufacturer. So it works, but the Essential DAC is superior.
For a small compact passive DAC the new Razer Phone DAC at $20 would be the one to try. It is 24bit and THX certified, but as yet untested on the Essential Phone. So it may only work on the Razer.
How do you know if the app has native support?
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
avd said:
How do you know if the app has native support?
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Onkyo program will identify the DAC and tell you the sampling modes. Both programs bring up a dialog box noting a USB device when it is plugged in.
But you have to rely on the program author and description to see if they support DACs natively.
Personally I have been using Neutron Music Player on the Play Store, and it has been working great.
I picked it up years ago on sale and downloaded it on my PH-1 to see if it added a setting to support USB DACs, and it turns out it did
However, it did not use the external DAC by default, you have to enable it in the settings. The setting was specifically under Audio Hardware, as 'Direct USB Driver' to allow direct access to the USB device. I am on Nougat and after closing and reopening the app, the background hiss/static I could hear while using the default output is now gone and my Essential USB-C DAC has been working great.
oken735 said:
Personally I have been using Neutron Music Player on the Play Store, and it has been working great.
I picked it up years ago on sale and downloaded it on my PH-1 to see if it added a setting to support USB DACs, and it turns out it did
However, it did not use the external DAC by default, you have to enable it in the settings. The setting was specifically under Audio Hardware, as 'Direct USB Driver' to allow direct access to the USB device. I am on Nougat and after closing and reopening the app, the background hiss/static I could hear while using the default output is now gone and my Essential USB-C DAC has been working great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And this has a trial version, perfect. I will give it a try. After I get some files on my PH-1. Had to order a cable to connect to my PC since Essential doesn't include one! I am guessing that none of these apps work with Tidal,Spotify,Pandora etc?
chiadrum said:
And this has a trial version, perfect. I will give it a try. After I get some files on my PH-1. Had to order a cable to connect to my PC since Essential doesn't include one! I am guessing that none of these apps work with Tidal,Spotify,Pandora etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes a "regular" USB to USB C. Monotone had it on sale this week.
Out you can use software like synching.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
chiadrum said:
And this has a trial version, perfect. I will give it a try. After I get some files on my PH-1. Had to order a cable to connect to my PC since Essential doesn't include one! I am guessing that none of these apps work with Tidal,Spotify,Pandora etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use a UPnP source, or ftp/webdav, but yea, no option to use any of those natively, without downloading the songs to local storage as far as I know
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Initially was very disappointed with the supplied dac. I can hear static n audio breaking up. Then i realised that the issue only appear when I'm on low volume with equalizer turned on. Bumping up the volume fixed the static n breaking up issue. So my current setup is supplied dac + portable amp. The amp is to control the volume as connecting directly to the dac is too loud for my preference. It is the best sounding setup i have thus far. Sounds better than pairing my old mp3 player with the same amp. I'm using poweramp to play my songs.
oken735 said:
Personally I have been using Neutron Music Player on the Play Store, and it has been working great.
I picked it up years ago on sale and downloaded it on my PH-1 to see if it added a setting to support USB DACs, and it turns out it did
However, it did not use the external DAC by default, you have to enable it in the settings. The setting was specifically under Audio Hardware, as 'Direct USB Driver' to allow direct access to the USB device. I am on Nougat and after closing and reopening the app, the background hiss/static I could hear while using the default output is now gone and my Essential USB-C DAC has been working great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using Neutron Trial version (which is a full version limited to 5 days) and I don't see much of a difference between its direct USB driver vs generic driver. Could you please check in the settings Audio Hardware, what is the bitrate listed? For me when I enable "Direct USB Driver" its fixing the bitrate to 48kHz, is it the same for you as well?
Has anyone tried the Essential DAC with PowerAMP? I know it supports USB DACS pretty well.
mvadu said:
I am using Neutron Trial version (which is a full version limited to 5 days) and I don't see much of a difference between its direct USB driver vs generic driver. Could you please check in the settings Audio Hardware, what is the bitrate listed? For me when I enable "Direct USB Driver" its fixing the bitrate to 48kHz, is it the same for you as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The direct USB driver, to my knowledge, is the setting that enables direct DAC driver. The generic driver is a setting that says to use a less specific version of the direct DAC driver that should work with more USB DACs. Each of these settings have submenus that you can play with that should allow you to change the format, frequency, mode, and other settings you might want.
When I have both direct USB driver and generic driver selected, my driver shows up as conexant USB audio, and my bits show up as 32, and frequency 44100. I haven't tryied to tweak the bitrate/frequency as I am happy with the sound from the stock settings with some small EQing for my headphones.
cgprats said:
Has anyone tried the Essential DAC with PowerAMP? I know it supports USB DACS pretty well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used PowerAmp for a while sound was OK, but it did not appear to be loud enough some times. also tweaking the settings, EQ, etc. seem to make it worse for me.
I had paid for Power amp back with my nexus 4 and loved the app, but it just does not sound right for me know.
Also I'm definitely not an audiophile just want to hear my music.
I have been testing Vinyl Music Player and it seems to sound better to me. This is from the Fdroid repository.
Free, No adds and no extra permissions, but no extra settings also.
oken735 said:
The direct USB driver, to my knowledge, is the setting that enables direct DAC driver. The generic driver is a setting that says to use a less specific version of the direct DAC driver that should work with more USB DACs. Each of these settings have submenus that you can play with that should allow you to change the format, frequency, mode, and other settings you might want.
When I have both direct USB driver and generic driver selected, my driver shows up as conexant USB audio, and my bits show up as 32, and frequency 44100. I haven't tryied to tweak the bitrate/frequency as I am happy with the sound from the stock settings with some small EQing for my headphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Makes sense.. Have you been able to use the headset to receive to calls while you are listening to music? I can't hear the incoming calls, and if I make a call, it goes to device speaker. Both cases it stops the music though.
mvadu said:
Makes sense.. Have you been able to use the headset to receive to calls while you are listening to music? I can't hear the incoming calls, and if I make a call, it goes to device speaker. Both cases it stops the music though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it depends on the Rom you are running. When I was on nougat, receiving phone calls while music was playing was a crapshoot.
On Lineage OS, the few times I have received or made a call with the headphones plugged in, it worked fine, I could hear them and it came through the headphones, and it even switched to earpiece when I unplugged the adapter. :good:
I'm not sure how it is on the current official Oreo 8.1 release as I haven't used it for enough time where I would have ran into a situation where I was making or taking a call with headphones in.
cgprats said:
Has anyone tried the Essential DAC with PowerAMP? I know it supports USB DACS pretty well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I wrote this originally I tried the paid version of PowerAMP and its beta version. Neither was able to natively recognize the Essential DAC. I'd used PowerAMP for years.
I haven't bothered to try it since I switched to Onkyo HF
Maybe you want to add BlackPlayer EX to the list. I proved with the Onkyo HF Player, HibyMusic and USB Audio Player Pro and I can hardly find any significant difference.
Also I tried with the LeEco LeMax 2 headphones (the only one with usb- c port I have) and the ubs-c to 3.5mm adapter. The LeEco headphone are way much better. Better bass, better clarity, greater sharpness. Even at louder music. So, if you want to recomend a cheap but great usb-c headphones, the LeEco option is wonderful.
So glad I found this thread. we just got two essentials in the house and I am interested in some of the add-ons but really just wanted the USB to mini adapter to work a bit better.
I'd forgotten about USB audio pro, which I bought some time back for a tablet and outboard DAC.
works great with the usb-c to mini, and it lets you browse Tidal and, iirc, upnp libraries.
For those interested, just now essential is offering 3 months of Tidal for free.