LG's V40 & Apple's iPad as hi-res network streamers?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Camera: Olaf von Voss | Editor: John Darko
Streaming hi-res audio on an LG V40 smartphone is anything but straight forward, even when introducing a USB DAC. And the Apple iPad comes with its own gotchas. But we get there in the end!
Camera: Olaf von Voss | Editor: John Darko
LG V30 as a network streamer:
darko.audio/20...
LG V40:
www.lg.com/us/...
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt:
darko.audio/20...
darko.audio/20...
AudioQuest DragonFly Red:
darko.audio/20...
Roon:
• Roon: for connoisseurs...
USB Audio Player Pro:
www.extreamsd....
play.google.co...
Apple iPad:
www.apple.com/...
MQA:
darko.audio/20...
darko.audio/20...
#hiresaudio #ipad #lgv40
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**WARNING** There is a LOT of information in this video! Let's try something different with the comments: reply preference will be given to those who ADD to the conversation by sharing their own experience or observation.
Level of detail you provide is good - I think you’ve saved a few newbies several hours of effort. Good job
I just can not swallow price of Roon, $699.99 ...
@@tomastomasek1401 Exactly! Otherwise a perfect system, but the expensive Roon. Are there any good alternatives for that?
I have gone through the same experience trying to use a Fire TV with HDMI as my primary home network streamer. It has amazing support for Tidal, Plex, Spotify etc. a nice lean back remote control and it's $35 US! But, as you also experienced, I can't get bitperfect audio out of it no matter what i do. It resamples everything to 16/48 and sounds terrible doing it. Plugging it into my AVR to listen to music is just a disappointment. Would you consider doing an episode with using a streaming media device with an HDMI output as a network streamer for good sounding digital audio? If Roku does a better job they get my money!
Where can I get a remote control for my remote control?
Exactly, like pushing water up a hill with a rake.
Ey yo Dawg, I heard you like remote controls, so we put a remote control in your remote control, so you can remotely control your remote control while you remote control!!
If your smartphone is still used as a phone (still have an active sim card) you may, for sure, experienced interferences like I experienced using my Chord Mojo. These interferences disappeared in "flying mode"
In your opinion, what is the difference between using the iPad or buying a dedicated network audio player? They do the same function, or the audio player is superior in auditory quality.
I think the key in a Roon environment is, that you have to know what your attached devices are capable of. So if your DAC is supporting full MQA unfold, than you have to do the proper setup and configure Roon accordingly. It's a little bit geeky and not plug & play, but after this initial setup has been done, everything normally works rock solid.
It's been a while since that hasn't been true.. release 1.5 or release 1.4... I forget which, but since that release, Roon automatically configures playback settings including MQA when Roon Tested / Roon Ready DACs are connected to Mac/PC/Linux -- in this case, the Cobalt is indeed Roon Tested. Unfortunately, this doesn't work when the USB device is connected to iOS, due to restrictions on what iOS allows us to look at. This would be fine on your Mac/Windows/Linux (and soon, Android). This video really shows the how messy the world is when Roon can't do what it needs to do. When it's not restricted, this is simply plug and play to get the best settings automatically.
Lol. I like that you tried. You did well. This is the stuff that a lot of gearheads and audiophiles love. Many of us love switching things around, trying different permutations, even when we end up in the same place where we started and even when we get tired and utterly confuse ourselves. At least you got to a solution in the end.
Thankful Today yep!
This is very interesting. I’m close to spending £500 - £700 on a streamer. But i love the idea of using my iPad connected to a DAC then connected to my integrated amp. I need to know how you were controlling the music from your phone. That was kind of breezed over. Is that just by using Roon? So if I had a USB 3 adaptor, I could leave the iPad on charge and have the DAC connected, then connected to an integrated amp? Screen always on and control from my phone??? That would be sweet!
I cannot help but wonder the improvement of mqa when one needs to look at the colour of a light as opposed to hearing an improvement.
Just playing devil's advocate.
I like the idea of this system in general. Just wonder about the real world sound improvements of hires audio. It seems a lot more about being able to sell a entirely new class of audio equipment than about audible sound improvement.
Yeah, seems many are split on whether MQA is really an improvement at all compared to simply streaming FLAC in deeper bit depth and bit rates. Just another proprietary format that messes with the sound files that may or may not offer any real sonic improvements. Is it needed? IDK.
Hello everyone, I need your experience guys and opinion. I looking the way how to improve audio experience with my iphone 13 pro. I think the best way to go is a dragofly option. Apart of that I was thinking to buy LG V40 for music listening only. What would you suggest as better solution. So far I'm using Sony XM4s headphones. With LG I will have LDAC and Quad DAC when on cable, with dragonfly only cable remain. What about them in terms of sound ? Listening Tidal mainly.
I love your videos John and as a result of your previous videos now operate the following :
Outside the home system = Tidal via USB Pro app LG V30 with Cobalt and Campfire Comet
Inside the home system and = Tidal via IPadPro with either Cobalt or Mojo and Sennheiser ie80 or Campfire Comet
I am interested in incorporating some active speakers to my home set up but also like the look of the JohnBlue JB3 blue speakers which will require an amp
Would welcome your thoughts on any other improvements I can make at a reasonable small costs
Man once you went down the rabbit hole I was along for the ride man had to see the outcome lol.
So how does one control their Ipad with an Iphone? I'm using a Dragon Fly Black with Neil Young's Hi Res site. The ability to stay on my couch, change albums/songs to play by my Iphone would be great. Was there another video that showed how???
In an ideal world Apple Music would run 24/192 and my Apple TV would have an optical/spdif out. Too bad someone hasn’t created an easy solution outside of an expensive streamer
Oooo man.. This is what I’ve been waiting for. I never gonna understand how to play MQA. This is by far the easiest way to understand rather then just reading and diving into comments in forum and fb group (which can be more confusing in the end).
Really thankful for this.
And this is why MQA will never be mainstream in my view. Qobuz just tells you what it is, then pumps it out. None of this first unfold second unfold crap. If the light wasn't on the DAC you would be 100% sure.
Whisky Tango Foxtrot!!!!The whole point was low cost ease portability.The question is when will the SOFTWARE for other streamers be as easy as it is with Tidal?That's the attraction of the LG V series is the Sabre DACs and no need for a dongle,tail,dac etc.Grab and go!!!!In the States a V30 is $300.Double that for a Cobalt as well?For permanent home use I would go Bluesound Node 2I for $500 as a cheap means to do everything.Yes is one has a an old Ipad the larger display makes sense.Yes you can repurpose the old cell.But main thing is phono = portability.It seems like running a bit perfect usb program and DAC defeats the initial reason for this video which was "You have an old phone well you have a streamer" -the future of whether one will be able to stream in hi-rez with non-Tidal services wasn't even addressed????
Alas, I can't see into the future. I can only work in the here and now.
@@DarkoAudio Hah!!!Posh!!!Etc We all know that those CEO hacks at Harmon Intenrational.Huawei,Google hear "John Darko on line 3" and they S$#@ themselves thinking "If I just hide under my desk what will happen to our stock price?"Future plans?Proprietary technology?Yours for the asking.Etc.Just jokig of course.Yeah I am 55 and it's been Beta /VHS close to my whole life (many of you will have to ask your father about last reference).Yes we deal with the possible
Hi John, love your videos. I have been thinking along the same lines and currently have an iPad Air2 connected to a Chord Mojo. It sounds great and overall I'm pleased. The only downside is that I'm not using Roon or Spotify (using Glider to play local music and Apple music for streaming) so remote controlling the iPad is a problem. Any suggestions?
Hi Darko. I think with some beginners they might just use TIDAL HIFI/MQA without Roon. In such a case the new iPadPro which has USB-C and with Cobalt is a simple elegant solution. Please can you consider making such a video.
I’m interested in how using the USB C changes anything over the lightning in terms of sample rate - just wondering? Also I think the idea was to show that it could be remotely controlled - hence the Roon or Spotify Connect.
I’m with you guys
I think I found the best balance of high-quality content with ease-of-use, - after having tried all sorts of different set ups and hardware and software. I’m now using a fourth generation Apple TV, with an iPad as my interface/control device wirelessly streaming Qobuz Hi-Res via airplay to the Apple TV, which in turn is hardwired to a DAC/preamp, and then on to the amplifier. This also allows me to stream all my digital content off my home network iMac. I also use Apple Music to explore, as I believe it has one of the most extensive library‘s, great interface, and ties in with my years of content stored in iTunes.
AirPlay is limited to 16bit/44.1khz I believe, so technically it's not hi-res.
However, this is a nice and flexible solution, as you can play anything (any app) through it :)
Being fond of fiddling, I’ve tried a few different combinations including an iPad, iPhone and an old MacBook. If you’re using something like Tidal then it makes sense having the screen but if you can control Roon from another device then the second screen doesn’t really matter. For all the setups I have the device going through USB into a Cambridge Audio Dacmagic plus (not as elegant as the dragonfly), using Qobuz and local 44.1/16 files stores on a Mac mini (also Roon core). After experimenting, I have to say the MacBook sounds the best, but I have no idea why. It could be the better processor, or stronger WiFi, who knows? But the sound is sparkling enough that I don’t really feel motivated to get a dedicated network streamer. With so many configuration options, it can get complicated fast talking about this, so I thought this was a courageous video!
Old exynos phones by samsung has wolfson dac, its good like my note 4. Any other than apples 3.5 jack is shit, except lg tho.
We're only getting half of the MQA experience, where we can't physically hear ~50% of the audio, as opposed to full MQA where we can't hear ~80% of the audio :p
Hello John, and thank you so much for your incredible videos! I’m a regular guy, who until finding your TH-cam channel was about to dump a lot of money into a traditional turntable based 2
channel system. In the pursuit of convenience and quality, I have thrown that to the wind. I now have a Tidal subscription, and am loving the quality, just running through my iPad and a cheap pair of Grado SR60 headphones. After seeing this video, I’m going to add a cobalt to the mix, and am curious to find out about controlling my iPad from my iPhone. Is this possible?
I run an old iPad as digital transport to my preamp-amp system (the preamp has a decent DAC that I hope to replace shortly.) It works perfectly and I’m super happy it spares me one equipment purchase. Someday I’ll add a proper file server and Roon and I’ll be set
Mr.Darko this is an amazing and very informative video I own the Dragonfly Red and Cobalt I also use Tidal so I bought the USB pro app and the difference is fucking crazy it only cost me $7.99 and I'm finally listening to true MQA music thanks again for a really cool video keep up the good stuff also I only use android.
You can "remote control" USB audio player pro by simply feeding it a upnp stream from the mconnect app, which has tidal masters
Thanks John, I'm going to play some vinyl now...
Im a newbie and I admit it, this is confusing for me, so I have 2 questions:
Firstly is there a device or devices to give us the full MQA experience?
2ndly can I connect this dragonfly dac to my Sony Android TV and use Tidal and get MQA @ 24/192?
A bonus question: Can I connect the dragonfly on my computer and get MQA at maximum quality?
Thx in advance!
No idea if it solves any reote control functions but the LG V20 has an IR Blaster.
I miss that about my V20, V30 is great but don't know why they removed ir blaster, guess not enough people cared to use it. I used it for everything, even my LG air-conditioner..
Very cool Video!
With my solution I can load my phone wireless while connected to the DAC ;)
My old Samsung S8+ or my new Samsung S10 to (with OTG cable) ifi xDSD with USB Audio Player Pro running mqa Tidal Masters and get the full mqa unfold
the xDSD is connected to my THX AAA 789 headphone AMP
A remote function is on the way with my Tablet or Notebook for Tidal
For Apple there is the Camera Connection Kit 3 -
so you can use lightning out to the DAC, while loading at the same time ;)
It would be helpful if you showed how you are wiring in to your Dac from the Dragonfly. Is it 3.5mm to RCA? My BelCanto DAC also accepts USB mini but then I would probably need yet another adaptor?
I am pretty happy with the dac in my v30 and if I need to run hi res audio I just run the lg music app that is pre installed. That does output hi res to my headphones perfectly fine.
I find that my old Ipad Mini 2 is a better streamer for both my DF Red and Ifi Micro IDSD BL in terms of SQ than any cell phone I’ve tried.. I’m not sure why.
I repurposed an Apple iPad as my Roon bedroom endpoint. (I also have tidal loaded just in case). I have an AQ Dragonfly Red tethered to it via the USB 3 CCK to keep it charged, then into a Reta Brio-R. I freaking love it. Just absolutely love it. It’s simple, looks super slick and sounds fantastic.
*Rega (dammit)
Great video John! I am replicating this same setup with my iPhone & my iPad. iPhone serves as a relatively compact/transportable setup.
One suggestion regarding the dongle for the iPad setup, the camera dongle from Apple is better suited for your setup as you can keep listening to music & at the same time plugin the charger cable. It costs somewhere around 40CHF / 35USD.
Missed your playlist this time, always looking forward to them! Thanks for educating & entertaining with MQA quality videos ;)
Cheers
Agreed. The Apple USB 3 camera connector is recommended by Audioquest, doesn't 'pop', and allows charger to be permanently connected. I've used in car with Dragonfly/iPhone/Tidal just for a play and see...convinced me that Bluetooth is no match for cables even in a noisy driving environment.
which iPad would benefit from the Roon interface the best? I don't have Roon or an iPad yet but Im thinking about getting one as a Roon controller.
Indeed from Audioquest's website (and explaining how to resolve the "clicks and pops" issue): "In our tests, Apple's Lightning-to-USB 3 Camera Adapter (with charging port) sounds better and is more reliable than Apple’s less expensive Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter, while also providing the ability to charge during playback. Your mileage may vary. Some users prefer the size of the smaller adapter, while others prefer the performance of the larger adapter. We encourage experimentation.
When DragonFly (Black, Red, Cobalt) is connected to an iOS device using Apple’s older Lightning to USB Camera Connection Kit, I can hear clicks and pops in the background of the music. What should I do? In some rare instances, the combination of an iOS device in conjunction with the standard CCK and DragonFly Black, Red, or Cobalt causes a clicking in the background of the music.
Neither we nor Apple have been able to determine why this is, but, in circumstances where this occurs, we’ve found that using Apple’s Lightning-to-USB 3 Camera Adapter resolves the problem. In addition, this connector offers improved audio performance over the smaller unit and provides the ability to charge the attached iOS device while listening to music."
Hi - many thanks for this! Is there anyway of controlling the iPad (playing Tidal outside of Roon- ie, on native iOS app and acting as streamer in this setup) with another iPhone?
New fan... you have good useful information on your channel. I've always been a tinkerer so I love this kind of stuff! As a teen, I plugged my electric guitar into my grandpa's hifi reel to reel recorder's microphone jack and used that as an amp ( he was not happy about that... lol). Honestly, I never concerned myself with bitrates and kHz when it comes to music. I just enjoy what I'm hearing and call it day.
Because of watching PS Audio videos, your videos, etc I recently got the Schiit Modi 3. That plugs into my Emotiva integrated amplifier that powers my bookshelf ELACs. I connect the USB C output of my LG V35 to the DAC . Since Mike and Jason don't care about MQA, I am not getting Tidal 's full potential. Am I really missing out? My system is not revealing enough even to hear an improvement with the Schiit plugged in. I am happy with what I'm hearing so I guess that's really what matters.
Our music collections overlap SO much. Have you listened to any of the releases from the (defunct?) Sending Orbs label...Secede, Yagya, Kettel, etc.?
Mate we thank you, we love what you are doing, we are learning from you and actually you are solving many of our questions in our heads. You give us a lot of useful info so we know what and why to buy it. Thanks again.
Was it ever mentioned how the iPhone could remote control the iPad? Is that handled through the Spotify/ROON interface?
I wanted to try this exact setup, while utilizing Apple Music.
C. R. It is Roon remote on the phone to control roon on the ipad
does this mean: ... the headphone jack of the V30 (v40) outputs music at 16bit 48kHz .... so whatever the original files rate is of the streaming service provider (i.e. spotify at 44.1kHz ) the music coming out of the headphone jack! has undergone some conversion. (noticeable or not, thats a different discussion)
again: the ESS DAC in this phone would be fully capable of decoding whatever ... but LG "hardwired" the headphone jack output to 16/48...
This kind of kills the purpose of implementing a good DAC into a portable device for mobile usage of the offline capabilities of streaming service as spotify and tidal... if I have to use an external DAC/amp anyway, I can use any phone/tablet.. i.e. my old iphone 6s
I was thinking of getting the v30 / V40 only for using it as a mobile player/DAP ... kind of puts me of ... but maybe I got it all wrong??
There are two reasons for a hi-res capable DAC: 1) to decode hi-res formats; 2) to bring higher sound quality to all formats played through it. Tidal and UAPP apps aside, it appears we only get the second deliverable and not the first, most likely because of the Android OS.
@@DarkoAudio Hey John, thanks for the reply, greatly appreciated ... I did some digging. apart from apps used and android capabilities ( which of course bring along their own caveats) there seem to be some flaws the way the way LG implemented the ESS DAC in the V30. i.e. there is no native support of 44kHz 16bit files,and this is music industry standard for recording .. they get upsampled to 48/16 creating audible artefacts
Good media player apps like UAPP (that comes with Tidal streaming function) or Neutron bypass this by bit-padding to 44/24 which can then be natively suppoprted.....( quoting from i.e. www.head-fi.org/threads/music-apps-tips-and-tricks-for-the-lg-v30.868978/)
therefore a lot of different files/streaming apps will receive yet another conversion sampling with the V30 when you simply want to plugin headphones. And you very nicely made the case for the Tidal app and Roon... but you probably knew all that (and more) already
anyway, enough tech talk, it may well still serve my purpose as a decent sounding DAP for Spotify offline compared to other phones ( I did try DAPs i.e. FiiOs, but this buggy un-functionality vs the price tag.. ah well)... so lets test with a couple of headphones
love your channel and your humour makes me grin on a regular basis.. thumbs up
Yeah it’s f-ing complicated. I’ll just stick to my massive vinyl collection. 🙈🍸
Cool solutions but what about power? You have to disconnect and charge your iPad or phone prior to or after each use. Is there an option to charge and use the dragonfly at the same time?
iPhone Camera Adapter has both charging port and USB port.
This may work Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, White www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LXFKSNA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WFsODbA65Y8ZK
Coolesttech Apple has a different adapter that lets you plug in a USB device and also has a lightning port for power.
great great video helping us understanding how to get that mqa working properly
absolutely helpful !
if it is confusing for you, definitely confusing for us
just wondering that 3.5mm output from the cobalt is connected to your amp?
is it to RCA?
does the quality music degrade at all when you use RCA?
Use a Lightning to USB 3 adapter on the ipad setup and not worry about draining its battery.
Some of your other videos emphasize that from a sound quality standpoint a dedicated streamer is better than streaming over an attached computer because a computer introduces electrical noise into the DAC. Is the ipad, on battery, exempt from this problem, and perhaps comparable to a mid-priced streamer? Or is the setup you have here convenient, but compromised on SQ?
This is addressed in the video.
@@DarkoAudio Thanks for this very good video. I have the same question Paul has for Ipad. I've been through the video 3 times now and can't find where SQ is addressed. If we could have just a little idea of what to expect soundwise, or very high level idea of how it may compare to inferior or superior setup (with equivalent DAC processing) that would be very much appreciated :) thanks again!
Sorry chaps but this video is a "how to" and not a "how it sounds".
What app do you use to control the iPad ?
Hi John, thanks for another imformative video. I've been thinking
about using the same setup e.g iPad/Cobalt. using the Amazon Ultra HD service , and was wondering about the sound quality from this setup as you haven't mentioned this ??
2024 and you make a video starring, amongst others, the V40, the V30, USB Audio Player Pro, and an old iPad. Hats off!
Use an old IPad, get a lightning 2 in 1 splitter (charger & 3.5 jack for $10.99), attach Dragonfly Cobalt ($299), adjustable Ipad stand ($13.99). Now you have a beautiful, portable, big screen streamer with HD capable DAC for $325! Use your IPhone as the remote.
I'm trying a little different set up that is not working the way I want it to. I'm plugging my phone (HTC 10) into my AVR (Onkyo) using a "USB C to HDMI" adapter cable. My phone is sending several different resolutions but my AVR is signaling that ALL audio is 48kHz. I thought this video had the solution with the USB Audio Pro, but nope, still upsampling/downsampling everything to 48kHz.
I finally got the audio player pro app (with MQA plug-in). Was well worth it. If at the least get the Android junk out of the audio, even if it is 16-44.1, or higher. Surely, there's nothing wrong with Spotify (love it). Yes, I steam tidal and MQA; and went a smidge into the wormhole. But, have peeked back out of it; realizing, 16, 44.1, CD-level quality; is still really good. And, knowing, that more of a greater library selections, come from that level of quality. And one of my favorite sounding tracks, legitimately, is a 16, 44.1, track. Truly. So, may snag some MQA stuff when it's able; but not gonna make it a must, going forward, in my gear. Nice to have. Not a must for me, now. Great stuff, John.
This was a great video. As an Apple person this is very informative. But at home I use Apple TV to stream Tidal. Based on your general views, I hope you think it is an okay streamer even if it is AVR based.
Whats the reason to use a ess ship (dragonfly), then the lg V30 phone uses a ess chip ( es9218p,es9018)?, the problem witch the lg quad dac isthe activation impedance. "about 50 OHM" use a little adapter dongle for Jack " amazing 24bit up to 196hrz".
Love everything you do Johnny Boy. Especially enjoyed the fact that you're inquisitive and are looking at music so many different ways
So iOS plays bit perfect for USB DAC/Amps? But Android demands upsampling to 48khz unless you force a third party driver with USB Player Pro?
This is ridiculous.
John, I've really like your videos introducing your whole audio rig recently.
An idea / sharing:
People are re-discovering the joy of vinyl and maybe to a certain extend CD, but vinly especially. This enjoyment comes from slowing down, having a physical object, limitations that empower, bring focus.
I've experienced a similar nostalgia when I started shooting film (medium format). Everything was slower, more focused, I had to shoot right, there was a physical record of my work. I brought some of that process back to my digital shooting method ; making it a little bit analog and focused : slow down, shoot less, focus, use JPEGs (work in progress). A big one was also PRINT, PRINT, PRINT. Bringing the digital files to a physical, lasting reality than I can touch and enjoy. (oh and a way to double backup: I buy cheap micro SD cards on which I copy much more Hi Res files and RAW files in case I want to re-print existing pictures or view extra pictures that were not printed).
Back to music, I have been wondering. How do you bring some of the "vinyl experience" into digital audio? Could you "print your music"? Yes of course, some options
- Buy good quality digital music and burn your playlist. Play it through a CD player. => Not too bad, but the CD experience is so-so and the CD will be ugly. If there is artwork, it'd be small.
- The "best idea" I had so far would be to print Vinyl size artwork, stick a NFC tag in the back => have a stand/receiver to place this artwork on to start the playlist/album.
=> that way you remove the "I control my library with my mobile phone" (which is cool) and replace it with : I have some nice artwork to look at. I can physically go through my library of playlists and albums => swipe the NFC and it starts playing and I can take the artwork to my sofa.
A guy did something similar here:
www.instructables.com/id/Albums-With-NFC-Tags-to-Automatically-Play-Spotify/
John, I think it is good on your part to show us how to repurpose equipment like old phones and iPads to service a Hifi purpose. This is something that is valuable to everyone. The only thing that I think may have been limiting is the focus on having a streamer with a touch screen when you are controlling it with a portable touch screen anyway. Also I understand that through an update from AQ that the Cobalt itself is now a Roon endpoint. I am not sure how this would change the configuration of Roon on the iPad if the Cobalt is also a Roon endpoint. But you’ll be able to control your Cobalt endpoint with a portable touchscreen device with the Roon app on it. Thanks.
Maybe too much time has passed but, a few people have asked how do you use an android phone as a remote for an iPad/IOS? i.e. which app are you using? I have an old iPhone 6S, a Camera cable, and a Dragonfly Red, so a similar chain to yours. I'm running Amazon HD streaming and it sounds really good out of Kef Egg speakers. Just cant find an app for my Samsung S10 to remote control the iPhone. I'm actually wondering if the system requires to be run through Roon, perhaps with Tidal or Spotify, in order to link your iPad and your LG Android.
The latest ‘Android’ supports greater than 16/48 but not all smartphones support it. I had a Sony Z3 and Sony made a big thing of HD audio support before other manufacturers supported it, only the most recent Samsung phones have HD support. I don’t know about LG though?
Thank you
Thank you
Well done
More please
It sure would be nice to hear something about a software solution that’s cheaper than Roon. 🤷♂️ My speakers, ELAC 6.2s, cost less!
LMS works nice, and is free+opensource. I'm happily running that as my server. I was tempted to try roon, but then I saw the hardware requirements/recommendations and it cooled me down.
Audirvana is cheaper, but the focus is on wide compatibility and not on multi room, it worked better for me since I have many more upnp capable devices than I do roon PC's or Chromecast audio's
With the V30 and V40, remote control seems to be the big stumbling block. Just plugging my V30 into my amp and cueing up an album has been yielding decent results. Better sounding than my CCA. If I wanted to skip around and build a playlist on the fly, then I can always just plug my CCA back in and forego MQA. I usually only do that when listening with a friend or my wife.
I have a V40 and Tidal and the Audio Player Pro app and it works great for getting hires digital to an external dac. I just wish it could do it with the Tidal "downloads" I have on my phone because I often go to my camper, which is in a remote location with bad cell reception. Of course I still have 100s of gigs of owned music on my V40 so I guess not that big of a deal.
Curse you John ;-)
hmmmmm...... I'm a deep diver by nature, and have always enjoyed attempting to understand the fundamentals of what peaks my attention at a given moment (the moments seem to expand into weeks and even months/years depending on my attention span - Covid has provided waaaaay toooo much time). Fuck me! Audiophiles are an extreme ;-) - I do not have enough lifetimes to truly grasp the essence....
That said, I've actually been reasonably $ judicious this past month with my baby steps and have enjoyed most every moment (except those moments on my back/belly connecting in a tidy fashion all the subterranean cords, connections, and cables). My ears and my soul thank you! i've started another journey that has no end /\ ;-)
The main problem with using a dragonfly, or any other USB DAC, with a phone/tablet streaming solution, is that you can't use the USB port for charging any more.
So sure, you've got a streamer, but only for a day or so until the battery dies, then you have to start swapping cables and it's messy. You can use a wireless charging pad, but they can be finicky and sometimes add noise, and you wouldn't be able to use that fancy stand of yours..
I think the V30 sounds pretty darn good on its own. I don't think the USB DAC adds much and complicates the setup.
Nice video, but this is why MQA is not taking of. Too complicated for the mass, fidly for audiophiles. I use a Bluesound Node 2 steamer which supports high res and MQA and has a nice remote control app.Easy to use, but not mobile of course. Stil waiting for MQA files on Deezer though for more than a year after the announcement.
Marantz NA6006 is a much better solution if you are not interested in MQA...There's even your favorite Soundcloud :)
It's a shame that not all Android phones put out digital audio on the USB port because if one is getting a Dragonfly of some colour (probably Red or Cobalt) to ensure a decent DAC and remove the reliance on what's in the phone then there are a load of cheap (well under £100) Android phones on Amazon with pretty decent 6 inch or thereabouts screens that would seem to me to be a pretty cheap way to get a streamer from scratch to run a Roon client on but obviously it all goes horribly wrong if you end up getting a device that doesn't pass out the digital audio.
I'm looking for a cheap streaming device (Roon endpoint) that I can use at home when I'm sitting on my balcony so that I can stream music over my home WiFi from my Roon Core. It needs to be battery powered and doesn't actually need a screen because I can control it from my iPad. One choice (without screen) would be a Chord Mojo + Poly but in the UK that's about £800 (£700 when the Mojo is on offer) so I'm thinking that I can do better than that plus get a screen thrown in by going phone + Dragonfly Cobalt/Red. It's now a matter of choosing the phone (I prefer not to tie up my actual phone to do this) and what colour Dragonfly to get.
I did buy the V30 about a month ago for £150 in mint condition, to run amazon HD (this is my first time using a music streaming service, free for 3 months because I'm a tight arse) I'm only using it to Bluetooth to my van radio. But I must say it's no where near as good (to my ears) as my Ibasso Dx80. Does anyone use a raspberry pi with amazon music? Or is it possible to?
Some of the piano music sounds similar to Hania Rani's style of playing. Great video and very informative.
Using the i pad as a MQA player with the audioquest is genius.
Is Roon the only way to “remote control” it?
I don’t have Roon, would one just need a Roon subscription or purchase more hardware?
I do have a iPad Air and an LG v5 so with the purchase of a audio-quest dac could run this set up
What is your opinion? Dragon fly cobalt + smartphone ? Or Fiio m6 player ? I would go with dragon fly + phone becouse of phone's operating system. Thank you for the opinion
HighRes Audio seems to be a lot of trouble. Roon does a very good job of front ending Tidal. But chasing the purple light is probably a bit silly. How is the sound relative to AirPlay or Chromecast?
hi.Everyting is great but it is possible to install in windows 10 player similarly USB audio player pro supporting Tidal because I use it on the phone with Dragonfly red and I feel the sound on my phone is better than in Tidal on a PC
Hi John! I would be interested on your thoughts with the Dayton Audio WBA28 streamer (under $100 USD). I use an old iPad to control the device remotely over the network very similar to what you are doing here but this device has an optical out for the DAC.
Are you able to stream services like Amazon HD
One issue with this solution, if you are a big Spotify user - is that only Spotify clients, logged in as the same account as the endpoint - will be able to stream. Other users on the same network, won't see the endpoint. That is where a commercial implementation of Spotify Connect, supports multiple user accounts.
After watching this video, I slid a record out of its sleeve and played that. It's not MQA, but it also doesn't require 2-3 devices and multiple apps. 🤣
I appreciate technology, but sometimes it just gets in the way.
Yeah let’s not talk about the physical size of vinyls and the space required to store them, or their price or the price of turntables 🤣
The thing I don't get is why would you want a remote? Your going to have to type it anyway and skipping is not a pain in the ass if your listening to music in your chair.
If you are doing something else and you need ambient music, why are you so concerned about mqa? You are actively focusing on something else and you still want the best quality even though you wouldn't notice it. You are just pushing water up a hill with a rake. For what?
When streaming SPOTIFY from the iPad, how would you describe the sonically difference between the dragonfly output and the iPad's 3,5?
John, thanks for this video. I’m now debating whether to “repurpose” my iPad Pro (2017, 11 inches?) to do this very thing. That said, for about $100 more, I could go with a Bluesound Node 2.1, which gets me to the same place. Decisions, decisions.....
Another geat video John. I used a AQ Dragonfly red on Android with the USB Audio Player Pro with the the MQA add on as my portable solution and it works great. I do think the DF works better on iOS as you dont need any additional drivers like you do on Android. I did try using my ipad like you and my phone as the remote, but prefer using the ipad as the remote, so now use an old laptop as the roon player and the ipad as the controller. Love Roon as well. Keep those videos coming. I really enjoyed your RPI/Allo videos, so much I have a USBridge Signature Player coming.
Eric Rowe Hi Eric, do you mind if I ask you how you are controlling your iPad with your iPhone?
When I use UAPP and a USB DAC from my phone life is good. When I switch to another APP for podcasts I get no sound:( any ideas ??
A very sweet solution for the MQA debate. Once again nice video and excellent content.
Sorry John. Interesting but just a bit too much detail here for me. Just love and feel satisfied listening to the highest Spotify resolution. I’m sure I must be slowly learning facts that will help me later though and managed to watch it to the end!
Fact is u cant expect higher hardware from mobile in bit
Just ask urself is human capable to sing a song tat can even challenge 16bit output 😂 can editing n mixing in software is higher than 16 bit nope then y ur shock 😂
I think the issue tho with this is that cannot charge these mobile devices while in use.. also John don't think you have to be appologetic on the complexity of all this.. just reiterate the principles and add the new layers of information. so do a video on what is Redbook and kbps and sample rate hz.. then add to it audio file formats... the add to it compression methids.. then layer in mqa pros and cons..
Your not powering your devices and your setup doesn't include an otg which removes the need for your paid app. If you buy a dock or hub that allows you to connect a Samsung phone in Dex mode to a screen this will allow you to power your device while connecting to an external DAC. You need a screen mirroring app for remote control. .
Would this work if you plugged in the ipad to a schiit modi?
Thanks for this video John. I set up the iPad with a Dragonfly DAC and connected to my amplifier. I have Roon so used it as an endpoint. However after a while the iPad goes to sleep and needs a restart. Do you or anyone else have this problem and preferably a solution. Thanks
If it goes to sleep couldn’t you go into the settings and set it to never auto-lock or got to sleep.
I don't understand why roon is so expensive. It can do high res multiroom, but for the price it should at least do upnp too, or wash my dishes and include a free roon ready device
Great information here. Thanks. I’m taking the first steps into higher quality streaming and iPad-dragonfly into my Naim system seems to be a decent way to begin. Thanks again.
I think I may try an iPod touch connected to a Belkin lightning splitter (to charge and get audio simultaneously) and then either a Dragonfly or just a lightning to USB A adapter and plug into a typical standalone DAC. Hmmmm... anyone else intrigued by mounting this and a dragonfly into a nice walnut enclosure and calling it a day? :)
i use in Ipod Touch 7h connected to a Dragonfly Red. Amazing.
Hey John, just a quick one: you haven’t included the links to the music used in this video in the description box (as you often do) - What’s those amazing sounding piano tracks you’ve got going on in here? Would love to know if you can spare a second 👍
Cody High, No cause.
This is also all presupposing you've spent a small fortune on Roon etc. Possibly a NAS, and so on... I personally just have a harddrive full of music, and am looking for an elegant way of playing it back, that can handle even DSD should I wish.
There are digital players that do exactly this. Mine happens to be by Bryston, which still believes in the "attach hard drive" model and does not believe in MQA. But there are others, some with better remote-app controls, at different price points. DSD capability tends to up the price. So I am with you; not going to add Roon and its required computer into my relatively simple sound system; I just queue up albums on the remote app, and listen.
I just use an old Macbook via digital SPDIF out. You probably already own all that you need.
@@itaiazerad5595 There are to my knowledge no music player programs other than iTunes that can be remote controlled with a phone... plus a computer has fan-noise.
@@cmacd8879 There are indeed a few solutions like the Mytek Bridge or Auralic Altair. My issue is that most reviewers and manufacturers completely ignore this way of listening, just presuming NAS/Tidal.
Audirvana, Spotify, Roon are three apps of the top of my head that can be controlled by a phone. The latter two can even control a separate smartphone instance of the app.
I've been using one of the older LG V20's as a network streamer with the same quad dac and it sounds outstanding with the added benefit you can pick these up pretty cheap nowdays
I grabbed a new V40 just a couple months ago for $270. My only issue is lack of signal strength. Not great through Schiit Magnis. Sounds better through AUX input on car stereo.
Same here with my lg g6 asian version..
@@1rexrex Lg phones worst signal reception of all the times..
Hi ! I really like the piano music used in that video. Can someone tell me what it is ? Thanks
Bigxyus Cody High, No cause.
Artist: Cody High
Album: Kissing Street
Thanks you two !
Bigxyus Yeah, thanks guys, I enjoyed the piano segment too
John life is to short to put yourself through this, when I want to listen to music I just put in a cd.
But I just love your videos, always interesting and informative.
For some of us, if we had our songs on CD, we would literally need the length of a song just to find the CD to load into a player.
And I’m not talking about streaming. I know some folks who literally have 10, thousand albums in flac stored on their network storage, and not a single physical CD.
Or rather he used to, for that short amount of time it takes for him to rip the CD, digitise the album booklet, and then toss the CD and album case away.
Actually I don’t understand all the hype around the Audioquests, especially the overpriced Cobalt.
Tons of better portable DACs/ amps out there (Meizu Hifi DAC PRO, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, etc). I'm just talking actually performance, not even price... Both of those two options run $40-50...
All those stupid marketing terms..MQA
Instead of using my lgv30. Ive bought a fiio x7 mk ii dap. It can do toslink/coax out. Seems like its the dap to go after. You can use the dac you prefer while still having a android device. Fiio x7 mk ii dac is also better than my lg v30. Just in case you want to use aux out using headphone jack. I just think this fiio is the jack of all trades.
First company to produce a real Hi-Res bluetooth reciever with remote will be making bundles of money !!! So many wires !!! Lol awesome review thank you for making it so easy to understand i been wanting to do this for awhile. Was going to give you a huge shout out on my channel for a recommendation but another Preamp didn't make the cut ! Ehaaa so hard to find a good pre 500.00 USD preamp thats actually good !
what is your opinion on fiio hi res players like the m11? thanks