[vegetto_456]

One feature that I have always yearned for on BB10 devices is the ability to have USB audio out, whereby the audio bypasses the internal audio chip of the phone and is routed out the micro USB port to an external headphone DAC/AMP. Some headphone need a lot of power to sound good, so an amplifier is a must and the audio chip in most phones, besides the iPhone, is inadequate for that task.

I am not sure if this is a new feature with 10.3.1 but today I tried using my Fiio E17 AMP/DAC attached to my Z30 Via a USB cable to an OTG Adapter plugged into my Z30 via the micro usb port. I honestly assumed it would not work. But when I tried to change the volume on the phone it said volume.output.usb Locked. I was like WAIT A MINUTE WHAT!!?

So I plugged in my headphones into the Fiio E17 and sure enough, audio was playing! This means that the Z30 is now a very high quality music player! Anyone can plug in an external supported headphone amp/dac and get killer audio quality!

My Sony XBA Z5 in ear headphone sounds like mud out of the headphone port on my Z30, but using the method above, it sounds perfect

Now I just have to get a smaller USB cable so I can avoid carrying around a mess of cables!

Just wanted to share this with my fellow BlackBerry users and I hope this helps someone! I am loving my Z30 more and more after the new update. Feels like a new phone. I have also been using neutron music player app and music has never sounded better

Edit: Your phone must support OTG, so basically all phones Z30 and onwards. It stinks that they left it out of the Z10 and Q10 :/

Edit2: Sorry it took so long but here are pictures to better outline what I meant:

[greenpoise]

One of the features that I was always wished BB10 devices has was the ability to have USB audio out, where the audio bypasses the internal audio chip of the phone is routed to the USB and out to an external headphone DAC/AMP. Some headphone need a lot of power to sound good so an amplifier is must and the audio chip in most phones besides the iPhone is garbage.

I am not sure if this is a new feature with 10.3.1 but today I tried using my Fiio E17 AMP/DAC attached to my Z30 Via a USB cable to an OTG Adapter plugged into my Z30. I honestly assumed it would not work. But when I tried to change the volume on the phone it said volume.output.usb Locked. I was like WAIT A MINUTE WHAT!!?

So I plugged in my headphones into the Fiio E17 and sure enough, audio was playing! This means that the Z30 is now a very high quality music player! Anyone can plug in an external supported headphone amp/dac and get killer audio quality!

My Sony XBA Z5 in ear headphone sounds like mud out of the headphone port on my Z30 but using the method above, it sounds perfect

Now I just have to get a smaller USB cable so I can avoid carrying around a mess of cables!

Just wanted to share this with my fellow BlackBerry users and I hope this helps someone! I am loving my Z30 more and more after the new update. Feels like a new phone.

Ok. I am a bit lost on this one but I am interested. Imy Q5 incredibly enough has Great sound. I have a portable amp. My amplifier is just an amplifier using the 3.5. Is that what you mean?

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[greenpoise]

Nevermind, got it. I didn't know usb could deliver audio. Didn't know amps would come that way. Any difference between usb output and the 3.5?? Quality wise that is

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[vegetto_456]

Nevermind, got it. I didn't know usb could deliver audio. Didn't know amps would come that way. Any difference between usb output and the 3.5?? Quality wise that is

Posted via CB10

Sorry, I realize that my post is confusing without accompanying pictures, will add them tonight for sure. The thing is though, I am not sure if you can do that straight to an amp only. The Fiio is an AMP and a DAC. So I am bypassing the audio chip inside the phone completely and routing it to the Fiio.

As for comparison of the signal, this is based on the Fiio E17 that I am using. Before Is connected the E17 via the 3.5 port on my Z30. Comparing the 3.5 headphone port and USB, my headphone sounds a lot better. The bass doesn't sound muddy, sound is nicely balanced and soundstage is much better. I was thinking of picking up an extra DAP or music player but with this, I can just get a really dope amp/dac and get high end sound.

There are many devices you can get right now to take advantage of this feature, the cheapest of which is 30 dollars. HiFimeDIY Sabre Android DAC This one is made to work with android but it should work with BB10 devices. It sounds better than a lot of sets that are 100-200 range.

Also, I am not sure if the Q5 has OTG capability, does it? It sucks how BBRY limited it to only Z30 and onward phones :/

[greenpoise]

Sorry, I realize that my post is confusing without accompanying pictures, will add them tonight for sure. The thing is though, I am not sure if you can do that straight to an amp only. The Fiio is an AMP and a DAC. So I am bypassing the audio chip inside the phone completely and routing it to the Fiio.

As for comparison of the signal, this is based on the Fiio E17 that I am using. Before Is connected the E17 via the 3.5 port on my Z30. Comparing the 3.5 headphone port and USB, my headphone sounds a lot better. The bass doesn't sound muddy, sound is nicely balanced and soundstage is much better. I was thinking of picking up an extra DAP or music player but with this, I can just get a really dope amp/dac and get high end sound.

There are many devices you can get right now to take advantage of this feature, the cheapest of which is 30 dollars. HiFimeDIY Sabre Android DAC This one is made to work with android but it should work with BB10 devices. It sounds better than a lot of sets that are 100-200 range.

Also, I am not sure if the Q5 has OTG capability, does it? It sucks how BBRY limited it to only Z30 and onward phones :/

I am not sure about your Q5 question. All I know is that I have an amp (PA2V2) with some grado headphones & Neutron. And the sound is really really good. I even asked in the forum to see what chip it had but couldn't find out.

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[[email protected]]

Awesome to know! I run my laptop to DAC via usb, I had no idea this could be done by phone, I thought you needed windows drivers.

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[last_attempt]

The Q5 doesn't have the USB otg capability unfortunately, but your headphone out to amp I'm sure is great. If it had USB otg you could get a separate amp and digital analog converter (dac) of higher quality that comes on the phone.

At that point you really need premium quality recordings and a good head set to make a difference which to most people would be subtle.

In my opinion of course.

Comment was in response to greenpoise

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[vegetto_456]

Awesome to know! I run my laptop to DAC via usb, I had no idea this could be done by phone, I thought you needed windows drivers.

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Same! I knew it worked with iPhones and Androids but never blackberries! Its a game changer for me. I am a headphone nut so this stuff means a lot to me. What kind of dac are you using? Just out of curiosity.

The Q5 doesn't have the USB otg capability unfortunately, but your headphone out to amp I'm sure is great. If it had USB otg you could get a separate amp and digital analog converter (dac) of higher quality that comes on the phone.

At that point you really need premium quality recordings and a good head set to make a difference which to most people would be subtle.

In my opinion of course.

Comment was in response to greenpoise

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I could hear a definite improvement over the headphone port. The high output impedance of the Z30 can mess up balanced armature earphones like mine. The Z5 is a hybrid with 2 BA and one dynamic driver. The bass doesn't sound like a messy soup with the E17 and it sounds way more controlled and tight.

But it wont make a difference with earbuds that came with the phone, for sure. You would need decent in ears to be able to tell a difference.

[amtrix01]

.... something like this?


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[anon(2313227)]

I didn't know iPhone supports USB OTG. What your are describing it just USB OTG isn't it? Z30 and Passport supports it so should work as long as the DAC supports it.

[BriniaSona]

What difference would it make putting the headphones in a USB to 3.5mm jack vs the actual 3.5mm jack?

[CyberMan2013]

Besides, USB digital audio out, can't you also use HDMI or Bluetooth aptX to output high quality digital audio untouched by the phone's internal DAC?


http://www.csr.com/products/60/aptx



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[vegetto_456]

.... something like this?


Posted via CB10

Yup like that, but in this case you don't need something proprietary like the apple camera connection kit cable

I didn't know iPhone supports USB OTG. What your are describing it just USB OTG isn't it? Z30 and Passport supports it so should work as long as the DAC supports it.

USB OTG capability doesn't automatically mean that USB out is supported. Android didn't officially support till like kitkat. But yes, it is using the OTG feature as as long as the portable dac supports it, it should work, but the phone OS also has to be capable of enabling usb audio

What difference would it make putting the headphones in a USB to 3.5mm jack vs the actual 3.5mm jack?

You bypass the crappy audio chip and amplifier in the phone and take the unprocessed signal and direct it to the micro usb port where it can be used by an external portable headphone DAC/amp. Its like a small sound card of sorts except it sounds much better than the phone.

Besides, USB digital audio out, can't you also use HDMI or Bluetooth aptX to output high quality digital audio untouched by the phone's internal DAC?

Bluetooth isn't as good as wired connections in my experience. And not many of the portable amplifiers and dacs support HDMI input, and I am not sure if the HMDI is bypassing the internal dac, but that would be cool

aptX� High Quality Bluetooth Music Audio Codec



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[anon(2313227)]

Neat. Thanks for the link. Maybe I will get one. Although the internal speakers of my passport is more than enough usually. I don't attach headset to my PP except for BT.
You headset cost more than my phone. Not sure I would spend 700$ on a pair of in ear.

[BriniaSona]

I bought a Micro USB to 3.5mm jack and it doesnt work.

Amazon.com: Universal Micro USB Interface to 3.5mm Plug Earphone Adapter (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

[vegetto_456]

I bought a Micro USB to 3.5mm jack and it doesnt work.

Amazon.com: Universal Micro USB Interface to 3.5mm Plug Earphone Adapter (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

What devices are you trying to connect? Maybe I can help. I edited the first post to show the pics. I am not sure if micro usb to 3.5 will work to be honest. If you are connecting only to an amp its better to go 3.5 to 3.5. By going through the micro USB port, you are bypassing the Z30 audio chip and so if your external device is only an amplifier and has not DAC or audio chip, it won't work.

I hope that helped.

[vegetto_456]

One feature that I always wished for onBB10 devices is the ability to have USB audio out, whereby the audio bypasses the internal audio chip of the phone and is routed out the micro USB port to an external headphone DAC/AMP. Some headphone need a lot of power to sound good so an amplifier is must and the audio chip in most phones besides the iPhone is inadequate for that task.

I am not sure if this is a new feature with 10.3.1 but today I tried using my Fiio E17 AMP/DAC attached to my Z30 Via a USB cable to an OTG Adapter plugged into my Z30 via the micro usb port. I honestly assumed it would not work. But when I tried to change the volume on the phone it said volume.output.usb Locked. I was like WAIT A MINUTE WHAT!!?

So I plugged in my headphones into the Fiio E17 and sure enough, audio was playing! This means that the Z30 is now a very high quality music player! Anyone can plug in an external supported headphone amp/dac and get killer audio quality!

My Sony XBA Z5 in ear headphone sounds like mud out of the headphone port on my Z30 but using the method above, it sounds perfect

Now I just have to get a smaller USB cable so I can avoid carrying around a mess of cables!

Just wanted to share this with my fellow BlackBerry users and I hope this helps someone! I am loving my Z30 more and more after the new update. Feels like a new phone.

Edit: Your phone must support OTG, so basically all phones Z30 and onwards. It stinks that they left it out of the Z10 and Q10 :/

Edit2: Sorry it took so long but here are pictures to better outline what I meant:

If anyone has questions please feel free to ask, I would love to help out. I hope these pictures can show what I was trying to get across.

[BriniaSona]

Oh no amps or anything, sorry, I just wanted to see if straight usb to headphone jack to headphones work.

[vegetto_456]

vegetto_456, Thanks for this info. Very cool stuff. I have two questions:

1) I would like to post about this on another BlackBerry site. Do you mind? I can credit you by your CB name but not the CB site.
2) Do you know if the digital stream is sent to the phone's DAC before going to Bluetooth? Or does it feed the digital stream direct to BT?

I don't mind at all! The more people know the better. This is a killer capability that not a lot of people know about go ahead

Oh no amps or anything, sorry, I just wanted to see if straight usb to headphone jack to headphones work.

The USB to 3.5 converter needs to have a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) build in. The very inexpensive models use the computer processor to run a software DAC. They won't work on your phone because it doesn't have the app needed. The more expensive USB to DAC devices should work. Search Amazon for USB DAC.

What he said. You will need a dac and I believe I linked one earlier, it can be had for about 30 dollars and is killer for the price.

This is the one: HiFimeDIY Sabre Android DAC

It was specifically made for phones so it won't draw too much power from the phone.

Also, @jrohland what amp/dac do you plan to use with it? Are you a headphone nut (like me :P) as well?

[ichi_ronin]

I have same setup but with Passport and E17k and Momentum G1's.
Got myself a short OTG USB dongle and there are lots of short flat micro USB cables around.

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[vegetto_456]

vegetto_456, I am strictly Bluetooth. So I would say no, I am not a headphone nutter. Lol. But I am interested in audio and BlackBerry phones. Your post certainly caught my eye. Thanks for the permission.

No worries Bluetooth headphones sound phenomenal these days thanks to aptx. Just out of curiosity, which other blackberry site is it if you don't mind me asking? I love reading other blackberry sites so it would be cool to check out other ones.

I have same setup but with Passport and E17k and Momentum G1's.
Got myself a short OTG USB dongle and there are lots of short flat micro USB cables around.

Posted via CB10

Sweet setup! How are you liking the E17k? I had no idea about the USB audio out thing but boy does it make a difference. I ordered myself a Micro USM male to USB mini male short cable for 5 bucks online. Should cut down on the clutter by needing one cable.

[ichi_ronin]

My audio files are FLAC and makes a big difference in audio.
This is now my favorite setup for listening to music on the go or laying on the couch and relaxing. Now the setup is portable enough to take on plane or long commutes in a bag.

This was one of my worries before deciding to jump from iPhone to Passport.

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[ichi_ronin]

No worries Bluetooth headphones sound phenomenal these days thanks to aptx. Just out of curiosity, which other blackberry site is it if you don't mind me asking? I love reading other blackberry sites so it would be cool to check out other ones.



Sweet setup! How are you liking the E17k? I had no idea about the USB audio out thing but boy does it make a difference. I ordered myself a Micro USM male to USB mini male short cable for 5 bucks online. Should cut down on the clutter by needing one cable.

The E17K is nice just added jog dial and a bit slimmer.
USB receiver now supports 96khz/32bit and dsd decoding.
Really great sound card for PC or Mac computer.
You can grab one of these short flat USB cables along with short OTG adapter.

http://m.aliexpress.com/item/2033304321.html

http://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-Mi...UvbUpU11622983



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[vegetto_456]

My audio files are FLAC and makes a big difference in audio.
This is now my favorite setup for listening to music on the go or laying on the couch and relaxing. Now the setup is portable enough to take on plane or long commutes in a bag.

This was one of my worries before deciding to jump from iPhone to Passport.

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Yes, it definitely makes a difference. Its such a sweet portable setup. The best part is, using file manager, I can access my whole music library on my laptop without having to use the cloud.

Do you use the neutron music player app? It has fantastic audio quality and it has a great engine that you can tweak. I run it on its highest setting and for 64 bit engine. best music player imo

The E17K is nice just added jog dial and a bit slimmer.
USB receiver now supports 96khz/32bit and dsd decoding.
Really great sound card for PC or Mac computer.
You can grab one of these short flat USB cables along with short OTG adapter.

Online Shop 2PCS 22CM Magnet Flat Short 5Pin Micro USB Data Charger Cable Cord For Samsung HTC LG sK1oFm|Aliexpress Mobile

http://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-Mi...UvbUpU11623003



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I heard good things about the E17k, definitely one of the better devices for the money. I ended up getting this cable: https://usb.brando.com/mini-b-5-pin-...c0032d015.html

$8 USD with shipping to canada so its a sweet deal.

[ichi_ronin]

Yes, it definitely makes a difference. Its such a sweet portable setup. The best part is, using file manager, I can access my whole music library on my laptop without having to use the cloud.

Do you use the neutron music player app? It has fantastic audio quality and it has a great engine that you can tweak. I run it on its highest setting and for 64 bit engine. best music player imo




I heard good things about the E17k, definitely one of the better devices for the money. I ended up getting this cable: https://usb.brando.com/mini-b-5-pin-...c0032d015.html

$8 USD with shipping to canada so its a sweet deal.

I use the standard music player which is good enough for me especially when I'm by passing the onboard DAC/Amp. From my understanding Neutron is great with built in chip so kind of redundant if using with external DAC/Amp. I could be wrong?

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