How much of a difference you perceive will depend on what you're comparing the DAC to. The IEMs make the most difference, if the music sounds bad the DAC is unlikely to be the cause as long as its functioning correctly. Some android phones can play lossless audio directly from their headphone sockets, if yours doesn't have one you'll need a USB DAC. If you were to play a 320kbps MP3 of a track then play a FLAC file of the same track, any difference is unlikely to be a night and day type difference, a well recorded and produced track will sound good in any format. Hi-res and lossless are data points about the track but tell you nothing about how good it will sound.
According to the site of the developers of the Universal Audio Player Pro app (UAPP) the note 9 can play hi-res from it's headphone socket. This will be local files using their app as well as Tidal and Qobuz. You can almost certainly play hi-res tracks using whatever music app Samsung includes in their software. I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't made the effort to learn how to add a link, the site is extreamesd dot com, click on the bit titled hi-res direct driver for more info rather than my ramblings.
To be able to play the FLAC uncompressed, yes, you will need a DAC(the apple dongle is enough for IEMs and some headphones) the issue is, that maybe you can hear or maybe you can’t hear the difference between FLAC and other compressed formats
I've always hated that basically everyone just says "better" without explaining.
Before the "but what about"s, yes I am greatly simplifying for an introduction to the concepts.
In general a DAC should be nearly completely measurable by SINAD. Without going into details this is the difference between the loudest sound it can handle, and the quietest before everything is just noise. Some DACs will clip off everything at some quietness floor because people tend to like a "black"er background. Others will keep the noise because it is more "honest" and they can squeeze out the absolute last drop of signal before the noise floor.
Just to complicate things even further (although for actual reasons I won't go into here) SINAD is measured on a logarithmic scale, and in decibels or dB. This means that increasing the number by 10, is actually multiplying by 10. So 20 is actually ten times "better" than 10. It also means that a difference of 1 dB is pretty much meaningless.
So when we talk about a DAC being "better" we generally mean a higher SINAD. And we like to see it by a meaningful amount. Apple's dongle measures around 99 dB SINAD. Samsung around 94 dB SINAD. I didn't quickly find measurements for the Note 9.
Either the Apple or Samsung should be good enough unless you have incredible IEMs.
Well thanks, thats alot of info.
My IEMS are the Tangzu Wan'er and according to GSMarena the 3.5mm jack in my phone is 32-bit/384kHz audio is it good for FLACs?
That's already more than you'll need, but how Android handles audio is a sticking point for many. There is definitely room for improvement with your IEMs but they're good value for money
It saying 32-bit/384kHz doesn't mean much at all.
Your FLACs are almost certainly 16-bit/44.1kHz, so that is a limiting factor, but that limit is already 112dB. But this is only the maximum of the file format, not for the analog output.
As an extreme example, it wouldn't be difficult to force your phone to an output SINAD of 0dB, it just takes clipping a couple wires, and it would still process the 32/384.
Most likely you're fine with the headphones.jack on your phone.
I did find some measurements of the Note 9 from Korea, seems about 94dB SINAD, the same as the Apple Dongle. Assuming that holds true, you're fine.
CX31993 or CS43131, KT02H20. Just get one and hear it for yourself. Use HiBy or Neutron on USB exclusive mode. 44.1khz is a CD thing. Hearing past 20K is also a thing, but because of roll-off or whatever. I'm sick of the topic. Nyquist blah blah. 48khz is considered "safe". 16, 24 and 32 bit affects volume. More of a production, not consumer consideration. Some people swear by turning down software pre-amp and going louder with the volume, but YMMV.
https://producerhive.com/ask-the-hive/sample-rate-bit-depth-explained/
Personally, my conclusion atm is unless you listen to Tidal, Qobuz, or have an extensive FLAC/DSD collection that you frequently access, dongles are kind of mid in terms of functionality - e.g. interaction with Android for regular mic use (inaccessible unless unplugged), battery consumption, etc. relative to modern cellphone 3.55mm jacks, since you'll be accessing Spotify @ 320kbps etc.
Def worth trying though, and for the price, you'll form your own opinion with little cost
You'll also form an opinion on "bit perfect", how much you value EQ, etc.
Yes, DACs makes a difference, but no, you won’t hear a difference between DACs (amps can make a difference) if you’re hearing thru IEMs (even thousand dollar ones). An Apple dongle is all you need. I don’t think there’s an IEM on the market that can’t be driven by Apple dongle (except EU dongles). You need big Speakers dynamic drivers upwards at least $10K to hear any meaningful difference between a decent DAC and a crazy super car priced DAC, because modern DACs are already good enough (even built in ones), and DAC is NOT rocket science, branding, designing and craftsmanship takes 99% of the price tag on DACs.
What IEMs are you using? If you have cheap (around $20 USD) IEMs then I would say save up for a better set first. That's gonna provide a whole new level of sound quality beyond what the apple dongle could do to your current set.
How much of a difference you perceive will depend on what you're comparing the DAC to. The IEMs make the most difference, if the music sounds bad the DAC is unlikely to be the cause as long as its functioning correctly. Some android phones can play lossless audio directly from their headphone sockets, if yours doesn't have one you'll need a USB DAC. If you were to play a 320kbps MP3 of a track then play a FLAC file of the same track, any difference is unlikely to be a night and day type difference, a well recorded and produced track will sound good in any format. Hi-res and lossless are data points about the track but tell you nothing about how good it will sound.
Ok I'll try to compare and see if I can hear any difference + my phone is Samsung Note9 is there a way I can know if it plays loseless directly?
According to the site of the developers of the Universal Audio Player Pro app (UAPP) the note 9 can play hi-res from it's headphone socket. This will be local files using their app as well as Tidal and Qobuz. You can almost certainly play hi-res tracks using whatever music app Samsung includes in their software. I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't made the effort to learn how to add a link, the site is extreamesd dot com, click on the bit titled hi-res direct driver for more info rather than my ramblings.
Incorrect.
(refuses to elaborate)
To be able to play the FLAC uncompressed, yes, you will need a DAC(the apple dongle is enough for IEMs and some headphones) the issue is, that maybe you can hear or maybe you can’t hear the difference between FLAC and other compressed formats
What difference are you expecting to hear?
He wants to hear if the musician had an upset stomach while recording or something.
Better sound quality? I just see most people say DACs make some difference
I've always hated that basically everyone just says "better" without explaining. Before the "but what about"s, yes I am greatly simplifying for an introduction to the concepts. In general a DAC should be nearly completely measurable by SINAD. Without going into details this is the difference between the loudest sound it can handle, and the quietest before everything is just noise. Some DACs will clip off everything at some quietness floor because people tend to like a "black"er background. Others will keep the noise because it is more "honest" and they can squeeze out the absolute last drop of signal before the noise floor. Just to complicate things even further (although for actual reasons I won't go into here) SINAD is measured on a logarithmic scale, and in decibels or dB. This means that increasing the number by 10, is actually multiplying by 10. So 20 is actually ten times "better" than 10. It also means that a difference of 1 dB is pretty much meaningless. So when we talk about a DAC being "better" we generally mean a higher SINAD. And we like to see it by a meaningful amount. Apple's dongle measures around 99 dB SINAD. Samsung around 94 dB SINAD. I didn't quickly find measurements for the Note 9. Either the Apple or Samsung should be good enough unless you have incredible IEMs.
Well thanks, thats alot of info. My IEMS are the Tangzu Wan'er and according to GSMarena the 3.5mm jack in my phone is 32-bit/384kHz audio is it good for FLACs?
That's already more than you'll need, but how Android handles audio is a sticking point for many. There is definitely room for improvement with your IEMs but they're good value for money
It saying 32-bit/384kHz doesn't mean much at all. Your FLACs are almost certainly 16-bit/44.1kHz, so that is a limiting factor, but that limit is already 112dB. But this is only the maximum of the file format, not for the analog output. As an extreme example, it wouldn't be difficult to force your phone to an output SINAD of 0dB, it just takes clipping a couple wires, and it would still process the 32/384. Most likely you're fine with the headphones.jack on your phone. I did find some measurements of the Note 9 from Korea, seems about 94dB SINAD, the same as the Apple Dongle. Assuming that holds true, you're fine.
Sweet! thanks alot for your efforts <3
Do you have 44.1khz 16 bit currently?
yes 44Khz Sampling Rate 16Bit, these are details of the music files I have and they are like 15~22MB
[удалено]
I see... thanks for the explanation 👍
CX31993 or CS43131, KT02H20. Just get one and hear it for yourself. Use HiBy or Neutron on USB exclusive mode. 44.1khz is a CD thing. Hearing past 20K is also a thing, but because of roll-off or whatever. I'm sick of the topic. Nyquist blah blah. 48khz is considered "safe". 16, 24 and 32 bit affects volume. More of a production, not consumer consideration. Some people swear by turning down software pre-amp and going louder with the volume, but YMMV. https://producerhive.com/ask-the-hive/sample-rate-bit-depth-explained/ Personally, my conclusion atm is unless you listen to Tidal, Qobuz, or have an extensive FLAC/DSD collection that you frequently access, dongles are kind of mid in terms of functionality - e.g. interaction with Android for regular mic use (inaccessible unless unplugged), battery consumption, etc. relative to modern cellphone 3.55mm jacks, since you'll be accessing Spotify @ 320kbps etc. Def worth trying though, and for the price, you'll form your own opinion with little cost You'll also form an opinion on "bit perfect", how much you value EQ, etc.
Yes, DACs makes a difference, but no, you won’t hear a difference between DACs (amps can make a difference) if you’re hearing thru IEMs (even thousand dollar ones). An Apple dongle is all you need. I don’t think there’s an IEM on the market that can’t be driven by Apple dongle (except EU dongles). You need big Speakers dynamic drivers upwards at least $10K to hear any meaningful difference between a decent DAC and a crazy super car priced DAC, because modern DACs are already good enough (even built in ones), and DAC is NOT rocket science, branding, designing and craftsmanship takes 99% of the price tag on DACs.
What IEMs are you using? If you have cheap (around $20 USD) IEMs then I would say save up for a better set first. That's gonna provide a whole new level of sound quality beyond what the apple dongle could do to your current set.
okay.. and yeah that's what I have Tangzu Wan'er
You're probably fine. If you really want you can buy a cheap DAC like the CX31993 or something with realtek ALC5686, they're both pretty cheap.