Database Users

Audio (MP3) through original Dockingstation. HELP!

Hi,
I'm only 13 and a proud owner of an O2 XDA 2.
This I what I need help with.
I would like to place my USB docking station on top of my subwoofer, and connect my XDA with it (only for audio purposes only).
I've read some of the forums here, but didn't find much info. :?
Could someone tell me which pins, on the connector, on the dockingstation send the sound? I would like to add 2 cinch cables to these pins, and attach them to my subwoofer (to kind of make my XDA like an Ipod or another MP3 player, where I simply stick it into my dockingstation and start playing MP3s through my sound system).
Thanks,
Kind Regards,
Tony Schattat

Hi mate.
Note sure you could connect the XDA directly to a speaker as I doubt it would have the required power output (but I don't know much about this, just being logical).
Take a look at the following thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=26489&highlight=
This guy has basically modified the headset to have a 3.5mm jack - I've then suggested (and intend on doing this) that you could put 2 standard audio outputs instead.
On reflection though, I think his suggestion may be better as it reduces the number of leads. If you then needed to split the sound out to 2 seperate channels you could use something like this:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=43086&doy=3m9
Cheers
Wayne

Hi Wayne,
Thanks for your reply.
I would rather like to have a solution which is built in my dockingstation.
With alot of precision I was able to do the following.
1. Used http://wiki.xda-developers.com/wiki/Connectors for details.
2. On pin 19 on the dockingstation I placed a 10K SMD resistor (as the standard ones are too big), connected to GND, as stated in the text.
3. Using a double cinch cable I soldered them onto pins 3 (CAR_AUDIO_R) and 4 (CAR_AUDIO_L), and both GND wires to GND.
But nothing seems to work.
I used the ohm-metre to check if the 10K resistance even came up to pin 19 of the dockingstation. I does. Unfortunately the XDA doesn't turn off it's built-in speaker and microphone, as stated in the text.
This basically simulates a car-kit for the XDA, doesn't it?
Kind regards,
Tony Schattat

Audio playback
Hiya!
Well if yer are 13 then it seems UK Schools are way behind German ones if they're teaching you about using Ohm Meters, Resistors and electronic theory already!
Ok, overall to me this whole precision soldering and resistor checking etc is all overkill for what you ultimately seem to want to achieve.
I've just bought off eBay the little 2.5 mm to 3.5mm standard headphone jack converter lead for about £2.50. I'm going to go nip into a shop or again off eBay and get a 3.5mm stereo to 2 phono plug convertor lead.
Simple case of then slapping that into the Aux input of my Hi-Fi amplifier, or my mini deck hifi etc and playing the mp3's through that!
No need for faffing around with soldering irons, and electronic theory and all that!
Added benefit is of course that through the hifi unit, I have full control over the audio equaliser functions and so will have the full spectrum of audio frequencies to hear the music - Your requirements states you just want to connect it to a subwoofer. Low frequencies are great, but you do need the upper frequencies too!
That will all set you back the grand total of about £5, and i've assumed you do have some audio equipment with an Aux input!
For 'constant' playback, when yer battery gets flat,... just plug the charger in!
Another benefit is that you can take the leads with you on your travels and setup the same at any of your friends houses with minimal effort!
I don't see the point of the route you are wishing to take - unless I'm missing something (I got in at 7am this morning after clubbing and up at midday, so im knackered!)
Cheers!
Hope this helps!
Dennis! West London UK!

Hi Dennis,
Well the schools here aren't all that far ahead ( I think, because I`ve lived in Australia for 6 years)!
It runs in the family!
I was able to find some handy info on some dockingstations on google, but I'm not very sure.
Is it true that the serial dockingstations have an audio connector on the rear side, opposite of the power connector?
Is the audio connector on the dockingstation the same thing as the one, which is found at the bottom of the XDA (would it disable the built in mic and speaker of the XDA and send the audio through connector on the back)?
If this is true, could I simply attach a 2,5mm to 3,5mm converter to the back of the dockingstation and attach the converter to my subwoofer?
Kind regards,
Tony Schattat

Audio playback
Hi there Tony
I'm still not sure exactly why you want to connect your USB cradle to play music through.... seems pointless to me..
The method I described would be the easiest for you to 'amplify' the audio output from the XDA2.
I may be wrong but I dont think the USB cradles have an 'audio output' connector at the back, it's a bit pointless as these devices aren't devised as 'audio players' - so no, you cannot put the 2.5 to 3.5 mm converter on and then connect that to your subwoofer (signal is wayyy wayyy too small to drive a sub woofer) if there is an audio output at trhe back of the usb cradle, then I never knew about it!! and same again, you cannot connect directly to a sub woofer.
Out of the socket at the bottom of the xda2 in a 2.5mm size, is an audio jack. Get the converter to take that 2.5 mm and output it to a standard 3.5mm headphone socket size. Right, at this stage you can connect 'Hifi' headphones and enjoy your MP3's that way. If you now want your music 'louder' you need to convert that (now) 3.5mm output to be able to connect it to some audio equipment that can 'amplify' the signal and play through some loudspeakers (the 3.5mm socket to Phono converter lead). That will go to your hifi amplifier in turn to which 'full range'loudspeakers are connected. You mention 'sub woofer' .. You could then attach your sub woofer to the amplifier and you will only hear the low 'rumble' of the bass frequency content of the music (again, a bit pointless!). If that's what you want then at this point all will work but then what's your plan for hearing the mid range and high frequency elements of the music?
I'm just thinking that for your final 'aim' (to hear MP3 files on the xda through loudspeakers) the method you are using is cumbersome, time consuming and pointless when you can have a 'full range' output using the method I described.
Take a look at eBay for the connectors - and you'll find you should be hearing music in no time!
Cheers! Dennis! West London UK!

Using as Car Head Unit??

Ok so Ive been looking in to building a Android tablet in to my car to use as a head unit.
Ive been looking around at different tablets and the A7 definitely looks the best for my budget.
Basically im running amps in my car so i need an audio signal from the unit.
I DONT want to simply run the 3.5mm headphone jack cable to the amps cause it will sound shocking.
I was just wondering if there are other ways of doing it.
I was looking in to something like sending the audio out the usb but i dont think they can do that.
But what interested me was using the HDMI audio out and using a DAC (digital audio converter i think) and converting the signal to analogue.
Does anyone know if this is possible at all or if there are better ways of doing it?
Ive been spending hours trying to find out a way of doing this!

There are converters available to go from HDMI to standard RCA outputs.

You could run the 3.5mm output through a preamp - the sound quality is pretty good, especially with good filtering, although a preamp with HDMI or SPDIF input would be better (you'll also need a HDMI-SPDIF adapter for the latter)...

Optical audio out (spdif/toslink)

(sorry I can't post any links, but you can google the words in bold)
Are there any Android head units that support optical audio out?
I've been researching the last few nights (hours!) for a WIRED way to get a toslink optical cable to a Audison Prima AP8.9 Amp/DSP.
Are there any electrical engineers out there who have thought about bypassing the onboard DAC to get digital output?
Or.... is my only option to provide <96kHz optical audio to get an AptX lossless Bluetooth receiver like the Neet AptX lossless bluetooth receiver. Can anyone share experience on how well the Android units perform constantly connected to a BT receiver for all car audio? Esp. if you have the new Pumpkins with the Parrot BT card, in case that improves things.
Thanks!

I'm looking for the same answer, i've installed the neet receiver, but unfortunate for me, the head unit does not connect. I don't think it can be used as transmitter.

I've found this, but I don't know if it works...
http://www.matrix-digi.com/en/products/158/index.html

You all may be overthinking this. Turns out plenty of modern android devices can use standard USB audio hardware. You just need an OTG cable, and the kind of USB audio output device that doesn't need a specialized driver under Windows or Linux. I've hooked up many different USB audio dongles you my Galaxy S3 and S4. The S4 wouldn't charge while hooked through the particular OTG cable, but the S3 does. As a matter of fact, I've been using it as the media player in my car for years.
Admittedly, I've only used the optical out on some of my devices occasionally, but I imagine it would still work for most.
Update: Not all supposed "OTG" cables work. This is the one I bought in Jan 2014 that works for both audio and charging on my S3 with CyanogenMod 11: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009YPYORM/

Today I received an Android 6.0 Head Unit from A-Sure for an Audi A3. I connected a Terratec Aureon Dual USB DAC. I got sound, but couldn't control the volume. Changing the android system volume had no effect.
I am considering spending a couple of bucks on the app "USB Audio Player PRO" and test it again. If this doesn't work, i will have to return the unit.
Greetings from Germany

So i had to return the Head Unit. I tried a different one by "Skandinav", with this one there was no sound at all from the USB DAC

retlaps said:
Today I received an Android 6.0 Head Unit from A-Sure for an Audi A3. I connected a Terratec Aureon Dual USB DAC. I got sound, but couldn't control the volume. Changing the android system volume had no effect.
I am considering spending a couple of bucks on the app "USB Audio Player PRO" and test it again. If this doesn't work, i will have to return the unit.
Greetings from Germany
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
You need to connect to DAC with digital volume control like Helix DSP Pro
Greetings from Singapore

daviestar said:
(sorry I can't post any links, but you can google the words in bold)
Are there any Android head units that support optical audio out?
I've been researching the last few nights (hours!) for a WIRED way to get a toslink optical cable to a Audison Prima AP8.9 Amp/DSP.
Are there any electrical engineers out there who have thought about bypassing the onboard DAC to get digital output?
Or.... is my only option to provide <96kHz optical audio to get an AptX lossless Bluetooth receiver like the Neet AptX lossless bluetooth receiver. Can anyone share experience on how well the Android units perform constantly connected to a BT receiver for all car audio? Esp. if you have the new Pumpkins with the Parrot BT card, in case that improves things.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, you can connect to the DAC, thereby outputting digital audio from applications and transport flash drive.
this can be done not only with android devices, but also with conventional tape recorder, some installations you can look at my YouTube channel
unfortunately links for new users are forbidden, you can search by my nickname - "jonjonni toslink Евгений Фещенко"

daviestar said:
(sorry I can't post any links, but you can google the words in bold)
Are there any Android head units that support optical audio out?
I've been researching the last few nights (hours!) for a WIRED way to get a toslink optical cable to a Audison Prima AP8.9 Amp/DSP.
Are there any electrical engineers out there who have thought about bypassing the onboard DAC to get digital output?
Or.... is my only option to provide <96kHz optical audio to get an AptX lossless Bluetooth receiver like the Neet AptX lossless bluetooth receiver. Can anyone share experience on how well the Android units perform constantly connected to a BT receiver for all car audio? Esp. if you have the new Pumpkins with the Parrot BT card, in case that improves things.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, don't fall into this hole. (warning to new users)
I have the Prima dac/amp, and the sound is amazing, and it can be connected to an Android phone via OTG to Toslink adapter, or via Bluetooth adapter with Toslink out, but it has one very nasty issue: when the amp is starting, and there is no Toslink signal, it won't register the connection. So if you later connect your phone, you have to cycle through the input sources Digital->Aux->Master->Digital to again register your connection.
So unless you connect your phone or turn on your BT receiver _before_ you start the car up, you will need to fiddle with cycling the source (while also driving the car). (That is if you also have the optional control unit with a display.)
Why they designed the device this way is just beyond me.

I hope its all right to join an old discussion.
I have a similar problem, I want to connect an android head unit in my car to an external digital amplifier. The amplifier itself have SPDIF input (mosconi GALDEN Pico 12 channels https://mosconi-system.it/product/gladen-pico-812-dsp/) but I can't find an android head unit running Android 10 with SPDIF output for my car. I've found converting card USB->SPIDF (for example: https://www.amazon.com/Douk-Audio-C...1&keywords=usb+to+spdif&qid=1617899902&sr=8-3) but I still missing some points:
-In Android 10, how do I switch all audio outputs to the converting card? Is it a part of the Android or external application?
-What happen when playing multi channel media (such as 5.1)? does each channel transfer on each on?
-Is it possible to use the same method to BT? The Pico have an optional BT card.
Thanks in advance, Haim

haim_gds said:
-In Android 10, how do I switch all audio outputs to the converting card? Is it a part of the Android or external application?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android usually automatically switches to USB audio when found, but many implementations do not. Sometimes there's a setting in the developer menu for prioritizing USB audio, but sometimes that doesn't do anything.
USB audio of any kind is not supported on my Sony X800D Android TV.
haim_gds said:
-What happen when playing multi channel media (such as 5.1)? does each channel transfer on each on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Multichannel USB sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. Certainly it can work, such as on many Android TV implementations like NVIDIA shield.
haim_gds said:
-Is it possible to use the same method to BT? The Pico have an optional BT card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Multichannel Bluetooth is not a standard, although some implementations like enhanced aptX can support it.
Have you also considered that SPDIF surround is always encoded, and thus is output at a fixed volume? Your head unit would not be able to control the volume; it would have to be done after decoding, like at the power amplifier stage.

MarkerB said:
Android usually automatically switches to USB audio when found, but many implementations do not. Sometimes there's a setting in the developer menu for prioritizing USB audio, but sometimes that doesn't do anything.
USB audio of any kind is not supported on my Sony X800D Android TV.
Multichannel USB sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't. Certainly it can work, such as on many Android TV implementations like NVIDIA shield.
Multichannel Bluetooth is not a standard, although some implementations like enhanced aptX can support it.
Have you also considered that SPDIF surround is always encoded, and thus is output at a fixed volume? Your head unit would not be able to control the volume; it would have to be done after decoding, like at the power amplifier stage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know of if it's possible to allow the headunits to play higher than 48khz resolution through the optical or coax outputs ?

dfal47 said:
Do you know of if it's possible to allow the headunits to play higher than 48khz resolution through the optical or coax outputs ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to ask - what

marchnz said:
Have to ask - what
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unit forces 24b 48khz audio, coaxial can output 192khz tracks and optical upto 96khz . Higher resolution audio output.

Neutron or UAPP will allow higher resolution, but you'll probably lose Navi directions as those programs bypass the android audio layer and mixer.
Basically you need a high resolution non- Android media player, with a navi input and mixer, that also has an spdif output.
The Alpine UTX-A09 looks like it can do that, assuming it isn't Android based /doesn't force 16/48 output from all sources when the mixer is enabled (in non "Alpine Direct" mode). Looks like the Alpine pxe-x09 has a mixer, so it should also be able to mix in navigation instructions.
Some of the Helix DSPs may mix or prioritize different inputs - the documentation isn't clear.

If you use spdif connection vs optical you run the risk of creating a ground loop unless the source is floating ie running on its battery power.
You can blow out all your high frequency drivers in a second if the ground loop creates feedback oscillations.
A common ground point may or may not prevent it. Using toslink to couple eliminates this potential issue.
For car hookups best practice to use heavy gauge wire for positive* feed, preferably coming directly from the battery for high wattage amps, source auxiliary equipment from the same end point. Do not daisy chain.
Same is true with home hifi, avoid using spdif cables to couple amps, preamps, receivers, cable boxes, etc. Amps, recievers are designed to be floating and not connected to ground. Do mix earth grounded and floating equipment unless connected by toslink only ie a tower PC with a 3 prong plug and a reciever (2 prong plug, floating).
*if you use a chassis grounding point, use only one and do not daisy chain!

dfal47 said:
Do you know of if it's possible to allow the headunits to play higher than 48khz resolution through the optical or coax outputs ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the delay.
DTS has had 96kHz/24 bit for many years, and they work through any SPDIF interface... as you wanted. They don't actually change the hardware interface speed, but rather encode the extra data into the sales 48kHz stream.
I've never bothered to encode anything with it, because I'm guessing it actually makes compression worse. You're squeezing much more data through the same early 90s compression algorithm, and DTS is already lossy enough. Factor-in that higher sample rates are not detectable in blind tests, and it just seems like a bad idea.
Hmm... Unless the 96kHz/24 bit extension algorithm is much more efficient at compression, considering it was introduced much later than the base DTS algorithms in 1991, and may have leveraged more recent technologies. In that case, it would definitely be the better choice. Unfortunately, I haven't read anything about this possibility.
Good reading on the 96kHz/24 bit topic:
DTS (company) - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
Get the Rundown on the DTS 96/24 Audio Format
DTS 96/24 is part of the DTS family of audio formats but it's rather rare since the advent of Blu-ray Disc.
www.lifewire.com

Bumping an old, but good, thread. I have exactly the same amp (well, the 5.9), and an Android unit with a TOSlink port - but it seems to be turned off as I can’t see any light coming from the TOSlink cable. Any idea how to turn it on?
I have a FiiO as a backup but prefer not to do SPDIF because I need another device for the Audison to take SPDIF input …

MarkerB said:
Sorry for the delay.
DTS has had 96kHz/24 bit for many years, and they work through any SPDIF interface... as you wanted. They don't actually change the hardware interface speed, but rather encode the extra data into the sales 48kHz stream.
I've never bothered to encode anything with it, because I'm guessing it actually makes compression worse. You're squeezing much more data through the same early 90s compression algorithm, and DTS is already lossy enough. Factor-in that higher sample rates are not detectable in blind tests, and it just seems like a bad idea.
Hmm... Unless the 96kHz/24 bit extension algorithm is much more efficient at compression, considering it was introduced much later than the base DTS algorithms in 1991, and may have leveraged more recent technologies. In that case, it would definitely be the better choice. Unfortunately, I haven't read anything about this possibility.
Good reading on the 96kHz/24 bit topic:
DTS (company) - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
Get the Rundown on the DTS 96/24 Audio Format
DTS 96/24 is part of the DTS family of audio formats but it's rather rare since the advent of Blu-ray Disc.
www.lifewire.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Toslink can support 24 bit/192 khz.
Optical coupling is preferred as it carries no risk of creating ground loops; optical isolation.
A ground loop can smoke (literally) all your tweeters and maybe the power amp in a second.

blackhawk said:
Toslink can support 24 bit/192 khz.
Optical coupling is preferred as it carries no risk of creating ground loops; optical isolation.
A ground loop can smoke (literally) all your tweeters and maybe the power amp in a second.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you accidentally replied to the wrong post. My topic was about the quality of the DTS 96kHz/24 bit encode, which is completely independent of which of the two physical SPDIF interfaces is used.

Help with Joying 5.1.1 headunit and Sabre 9018 USB Dac support

Hi All,
I need some help getting my Sabre 9018 USB DAC to work with the Joying Headunit.
I have recently purchased a Joying 7" 5.1.1 headunit. The sound quality of this unit is terrible, and after hearing the 9018 DAC connected to my phone, I simply cannot go back to the Joying sound. I'm quite good at troubleshooting/mods for Android but not an expert at all.
I've managed to get sound out of the DAC when using HibyMusic player installed on the Joying without Volume control. Spotify/Poweramp/android music player simply do not work.
My Samsung s5 using Xstrolite rom played everything flawlessly through the DAC plug and play.
I've reviewed some threads regarding DAC support but nothing really helps with the 5.1.1 units. Hence why I need help from you guys,
Thanks in advance
Daniel

the "workaround" for this is to get an external DSP, and then use the remote control of the DSP to control the volume.
Several of us here use the C-DSP 6x8 and it works well. It also includes SPDIF in, so you can go full digital all the way to the DSP. It is not a cheap solution, but if you can manage to find a good deal on a used one, it will allow you to control volume in the apps that have a dedicated USB driver. For non-critical listening, you can use your normal joying pre-outs, so you effectively get a fully functional system without having to heavily modify the HU system files.
Also there is a cheaper DSP available from minidisp called the 2x4, and you can connect an external potentiometer to control the volume. This would be the cheapest method of doing what I described above, and you still get the huge benefit of able to EQ your system with a real DSP.

Okay, thanks for the feedback. So even using neutron player, you still can't control the volume? I would try this, but Im away for work atm. Thanks again

Inside the app, yes, by attenuating the output. But you still get no sound outside of apps without a USB driver. That's why I like the dsp option. If sq is high priority it's the optimal choice regardless. Especially if you get one with digital in like the cdsp 6x8.

Do you hear FM radio and Bluetooth sound through USB ?

Dimmable buttons and better sound quality

Hello. Im owner of PX5 Android 9 Head Unit for BMW E46. I know hot to change buttons color but i don't know how to make it dimmable. They always have 100% brightness and it is annoying. Should i change something in radio settings or with the cable connection? 17pins BMW E46 sedan 2003 by.
Other question is - are there available mods or DSP settings for best sound quality? In my opinion this HU sound very raw even with enabled Loud. Previously BMW Business CD53 HU had very soft and warm sound quality. I would like to achieve this on this HU too.

Bump

The lighting wire (orange) from the radio needs to be connected to the wire in the car's harness that does the dashboard lighting. If your radio gets that signal through a CANbus decoder you will have to cut the wire and connect it directly to the car harness.

nic2k said:
The lighting wire (orange) from the radio needs to be connected to the wire in the car's harness that does the dashboard lighting. If your radio gets that signal through a CANbus decoder you will have to cut the wire and connect it directly to the car harness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks i will try that.
And any advices for better sound quality? My previously CD 53 had better sound quality (more soft and warm) than this TDA 7851 based device.

The way you hear sound is personal. Your factory HU would have been tuned and equalized to sound that way so you'll have to play with the equalizer to replicate it. The DSP in those units is missing preset effects like you would find on a home theater receiver. You should probably start by making sure the speaker settings match what's in the car like distance and # of ways. If you find the sound too harsh look at lowering the low pass filter frequency and try a different type of filter. You can adjust the PHAT slider to give the sound more volume. Too bad there isn't an easy way to control reverb directly. Then adjust the equalizer to your taste.

nic2k said:
You should probably start by making sure the speaker settings match what's in the car like distance and # of ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different radio (original BMW) sound warm and soft. This, even with playing on different EQ settings and DSP cant achieve this warm quality. Im using car amp and hertz DCX 165.3 on rear, Audio system MX165 PLUS on front. Everything is connected to amp via Hi_Lo converter. Should i connect this HU with RCA cable? Does this affect on sound quality?
Also are available somewhere custom setting presets for EQ and DSP?

Oh no wonder you're getting a different sound than the factory radio you're using a line level converter. Some people swear they don't change the sound and some other have better hearing and swear they hear a difference. Either way there's no denying basic electronic principles if you drive a signal through coils it will affect the signal more than just reducing the amplitude. It will definitely add/change harmonics and it might not respond evenly at all frequencies. Something like that is probably acceptable to drive a subwoofer. It would take some finely tuned filtering of the output to get the same signal that went in.
If you're using an external amp you should connect it to the RCA's. The problem with these Chinese HU is the line out level is too low they're still living in the 80's when a 1 V line level was standard. Some amps have an adjustable line in maybe find one that works with 1 V.
It might not matter as much but you replaced the factory speakers, all speakers sound different. Usually aftermarket speakers have better quality and sound than factory.

nic2k said:
It might not matter as much but you replaced the factory speakers, all speakers sound different. Usually aftermarket speakers have better quality and sound than factory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i know, but my external amp and new speakers were installed also on previously radio.
i will try connecting this HU with RCA cable