Tablet as a source recommendations

[chicks]

I guess having experienced the convenience of a tablet wirelessly controlling the music from the listening chair via AirPlay / Chromecast / Sonos, the idea of a laptop with an external, wired DAC just seems hopelessly outdated.

 

[T.O.S.]

Probably , but I need only for headphones in bedroom

 

[for_p1]

Probably , but I need only for headphones in bedroom

In that case tablet itself should be good enough. Something like Samsung Tab 8" is enough on its own. You always can buy Wifi media player and control it from tablet. It is best to have all music on some server in the basement and use media players to get files from there using tablet as remote

 

[uofmtiger]

I guess having experienced the convenience of a tablet wirelessly controlling the music from the listening chair via AirPlay / Chromecast / Sonos, the idea of a laptop with an external, wired DAC just seems hopelessly outdated.

I agree to some extent. However, the one benefit to the Dragonfly/iPad setup is that it works anywhere. This makes it as better fit with headphones, for some, when you are away from your main system.

 

[Audiobro]

Ok, I have an Android tablet and looking to buy a portable DAC and a Mini to Mini USB cable. I can find the standard cable, but nothing that is for audio or "Nicer". It kinda makes me wonder if I should look for a portable DAC with a full size USB.

 

[Darksyde]

Try an OTG ( on the go) cable ...its what I use to connect my Logitech Audiohub speaker to my Nexus 7 .

 

[Audiobro]

Sorry it's a micro USB. Too many connectors with similar names. I was hoping for something from Audioquest, but I don't see that happening. Which would be the lesser of two evils: Good cable/ using an adapter or cheap Usb cable?

 

[Darksyde]

An OTG cable has a micro usb plug on one end and a usb input on the the other end

 

[Audiobro]

The cable has micro USB at both ends. I understand that I could use a common cable to make it work. I am looking for a good quality cable such as: Audioquest, Kimber, Straightwires, etc. My thinking is that since there seems to be no "High end" cables made this application, that this is a "Low rent" way of doing it.

 

[Darksyde]

Streaming music from a tablet is not exactly " high end " . If Audioquest , Kimber or Straightwire sold such a cable , it would probably cost more money than the tablet itself .

 

[Audiobro]

Actually I wasn't looking to stream. I am currently digitizing my album collection to 192k/24b using Audacity software. Those cable manufacturers do make USB to Micro USB at about $35.00 for the entry level. Maybe it sounds better coming from a PC or laptop vs. a tablet?, I don't know. But I would like to find out. Since there are hardly any stores these days, you gotta buy and hope they work for you.

 

[chicks]

Only 1GB of RAM, and a much slower experience overall. Explains why Chrome keeps crashing.

Nope, it was the rendering engine. Latest version of Chromecast uses Apple's latest engine. Sites that would always crash can now be viewed, even rapidly scrolled, without crashing the browser. Hooray!

 

[uofmtiger]

For the iPad Air 2/iPhone 6+, I just wanted to add that when a USB DAC doesn't have power, you might be able to put a "Plugable" USB hub in between the "Lightning to USB" and the DAC to fool the iPad. ( I have an example in " my stuff" thread ...see my signature for the link). Obviously, a powered DAC has the advantage of not needing the hub and it won't drain your iPad/iPhone battery as fast, but it comes down to the DAC you want to use.

Just wanted to update this thread since the new Lightning to USB 3.0 adapter has two ports (unlike the old adapter) and now allows you to supply electricity through the lightning port while using a USB DAC through the USB port. This is nice because it will charge the iDevice while you play music.

If you want to run without power, with the Dragonfly, you still get the "too much power required" error, but it still works with the Plugable hub if you want to listen away from a power socket. Very nice update for those of us that like using the setup with headphones or even for those that want to be able to just use the iDevice with their main setup.

 

[KrisM]

Just wanted to update this thread since the new Lightning to USB 3.0 adapter has two ports (unlike the old adapter) and now allows you to supply electricity through the lightning port while using a USB DAC through the USB port. This is nice because it will charge the iDevice while you play music.

If you want to run without power, with the Dragonfly, you still get the "too much power required" error, but it still works with the Plugable hub if you want to listen away from a power socket. Very nice update for those of us that like using the setup with headphones or even for those that want to be able to just use the iDevice with their main setup.

I assume this would work fine with an iphone 5, as well?

 

[uofmtiger]

I assume this would work fine with an iphone 5, as well?

I have tested with an iPhone 6s Plus and an iPad Pro 9.7 and it works. I don't have an iPhone 5, but I would guess that it would work.

 

[KrisM]

I have tested with an iPhone 6s Plus and an iPad Pro 9.7 and it works. I don't have an iPhone 5, but I would guess that it would work.

Cool, thanks!