Best Tracfone to use as a DAP?

[AudioStudies]

Looking for advice regarding the best high-end Tracfone for use as a Digital Audio Player (DAP). I am looking for an Android Tracfone equipped with a microSD slot.

 

[Cahudson42]

I use an LG Rebel for $30,:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QHQ79XH/
As long as you are ok with 2.4g wifi, IMO you don't need to spend more.
Qualcomm chipset. Likely WDC9xx DAC/audio
Replaceable inexpensive battery
Android 8
OTG support

Throw away the Net10 SIM, add a microSD, charge, and you are all set!

 

[AudioStudies]

Android 8

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I am hoping for a later version of Android, and a very high quality screen, perhaps OLED. I have been looking at some pricier models. The LG G8 ThinQ has Android 9 and OLED. The salesperson thought the Android 9 could be upgraded to 10. I also considering a Samsung Galaxy A71 that comes equipped with Android 10.

 

[Tks]

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I am hoping for a later version of Android, and a very high quality screen, perhaps OLED. I have been looking at some pricier models. The LG G8 ThinQ has Android 9 and OLED. The salesperson thought the Android 9 could be upgraded to 10. I also considering a Samsung Galaxy A71 that comes equipped with Android 10.

The G8 is a steal deal on eBay and such. Aa for Android 10, avoid it like the plague. I screwed myself by updating and cant go back. The result? Worse camera control but most importantly all audio is routed through the Android audio stack, so all your audio is being resampled. Thus negating most if not all the benefits of the ESS dac chip as advertised.

 

[AudioStudies]

Aa for Android 10, avoid it like the plague. I screwed myself by updating and cant go back. The result? Worse camera control but most importantly all audio is routed through the Android audio stack, so all your audio is being resampled. Thus negating most if not all the benefits of the ESS dac chip as advertised.

How did you come to realize this? It sure is discouraging. The A 71 was praised by a lot of reviewers. What effect do you think it will have for someone who just does 16 bit / 44.1 kHz, like me? Perhaps G8 is the route I should go; I had been leaning toward the Samsung.

 

[AudioStudies]

through the Android audio stack

Would this be true when playing WAV files from a microSD card?

 

[Tks]

How did you come to realize this? It sure is discouraging. The A 71 was praised by a lot of reviewers. What effect do you think it will have for someone who just does 16 bit / 44.1 kHz, like me? Perhaps G8 is the route I should go; I had been leaning toward the Samsung.

For the Samsung, I cant speak(no idea of their audio quality either, but obviously LG takes audio the most serious out of any of the manufacturers). For the LG (at least the V and G series) its not a problem in terms of sound quality that one would discern I suppose, but it's annoying not to get an advertised feature go missing due to whatever reason a Android upgrade created. But then again, Android in my opinion is a mess every upgrade with Google changing their minds and depreciating many things left and right, forcing developers to adapt to whole new paradigms they're not always ready or in agreement with.

Would this be true when playing WAV files from a microSD card?

Yes, the format doesn't matter. It can be DSD, or anything. It will all play just fine, but everything gets resampled, no exceptions. The supported formats are numerous, so at least compatibility isn't an issue, the only issue is if you value bit-perfect output even through something like an OTG cable to a dedicated DAC.

 

[AudioStudies]

Thank you, Tks. So which LG phone did you buy? Unlike most people, I don't use mobile phones very often. That is why I am with Tracfone and I use an older Samsung J series phone now. My sole interest in upgrading would be for audio playback (use of the phone as a DAP), so I am just as discouraged as you are about what Android 10 has done. I have microSDs with WAV files on them that I currently play back on Tascam Pro Audio, players and recorders. I find the sound to be excellent on my Tascam SS-R250N but that is not a portable device. I recently acquired a Tascam DR-05X (they are a bargain, and very portable) and was surprised how well things sounded. The drawbacks of the DR-05X are the folder system, wherein they only allow two levels of folders (not very convenient for organizing music); and the screen (and its resolution) are very basic. I also have a Cambridge Audio 851N that I play WAV files from thumb drives, and feed a digital signal from the 851N to various DACs that I have experimented with: D90 and RME -- but that is all for home use, not portable. Tracfone doesn't even do 5G, so I don't know think I need that capability in a phone. I wouldn't turn it down though, to get a great phone for audio playback of WAV files from microSD (all 16 Bit / 44.1 kHz). So Tks, based on my situation, what LG phones should be at the top of my list? What are your top three that would be compatible with Tracfone as a provider? And thanks so much for the heads up to avoid Android 10 like the plague.

if you value bit-perfect output

= I do.

 

[AudioStudies]

Does anyone know about transferring SIM from one phone to an other? Is that something that I could easily do myself, if I order my new phone from Ebay? If I purchase from my local Best Buy they have offered to do that for me. Also, once the SIM is transferred is there anything else I need to do? Do I have to let Tracfone know that I switched phones?

 

[AudioStudies]

https://www.soundguys.com/best-smar...60 is currently,is extremely low under 0.001%.

 

[Tks]

Okay, to answer those questions as best I can.

I got a V50, the price was just unbeatable ($300), but for portable, and size considerations, I'd recommend folks go with a G8 (and it's cheaper at around $270 brand new on Ebay I've seen). They're both pretty new flagship devices, so they should serve music purposes very easily for ages, and likewise mobile use regardless. The V50 here in the US is Sprint branded, but unlocked, though it comes with CMDA and Sprint-type bloatware, so the G8 makes even more sense to avoid that nonsense.

Most phones you buy today should come stock with Android 9, so none of this I mentioned in my prior post about Android 10 should be an issue. (but just check to make sure)

5G is far too in it's infancy to matter. Ignore this in totality tbh..

Seeing as how you've used some of the best DACs (I too have an RME), I wouldn't bother with any other android phone outside of LG, as that's the only one that's been measured here, and can expect reasonably good performance (I honestly find it just as good as my RME to my ears believe it or not).

As for SIM cards, it depends, I don't know what format you use, but at least on AT&T, a simple SIM swap was all I needed, though how contacts are handled is odd, due to be coming from an iPhone, but I was able to import contacts relatively painlessly since Apple provides a format container that stores all your contacts, and Android is able to accept such thing. Also if your SIM card isn't the new small variant, you will need to get one of that sort for it to even fit in the tray. The latest format I think is Nano-SIM, so if it's that size, you're good to go I'd imagine.

 

[AudioStudies]

Okay, to answer those questions as best I can.

You did great. Thanks ever so much.

 

[AudioStudies]

Are the differences between the G8, G8S and G8X of any consequence?

 

[bigredrobotninja]

Most phones you buy today should come stock with Android 9, so none of this I mentioned in my prior post about Android 10 should be an issue. (but just check to make sure)

Do you have more info about the Android 10 audio stack issue in the G8? Can the stack be bypassed with apps like UAPP?

 

[Tks]

Do you have more info about the Android 10 audio stack issue in the G8? Can the stack be bypassed with apps like UAPP?

Actually that's the app that confirms the issue explicitly(on top of my trying Neutron player and failing as well). They even have a warning message saying they will update the app the moment LG re-institutes the capability to output without Android taking over and resampling everything.

Are the differences between the G8, G8S and G8X of any consequence?

Beyond the specs you see for each? If you mean by audio, your guess is as good as mine, but all the implementations seems similar enough, that, barring actual measurements, I see no reason to assume any are different from one another. In terms of features - I suppose the newer one removes things like the fignerprint sensor in the back? But that's stuff you can see with comparisons looking at the specifications.

 

[AudioStudies]

So I go back to the Best Buy store to shop around a bit more, and the prices are way higher than on Ebay. One of the Salesman though was kind enough to show me some things about my existing phone, Samsung J-3, it appears I have a Nano-SIM and he showed me where it is located within my phone. He said if I buy a new phone, it should just be a matter of removing this SIM, putting it in the new phone, and I should be good to go.

 

[charleski]

The G8 is a steal deal on eBay and such. Aa for Android 10, avoid it like the plague. I screwed myself by updating and cant go back. The result? Worse camera control but most importantly all audio is routed through the Android audio stack, so all your audio is being resampled. Thus negating most if not all the benefits of the ESS dac chip as advertised.

I have a G7 and just updated it to Android 10 using the OPEN_Eu kdz.
The only errors I'm getting are on dsd files. USBAPP complains that Android 10 won't let it pass through dsd as DoP, and Neutron just crashes (repeatedly) if you turn on the DoP option. Both play DSD just fine if you let them convert to 88.2kHz PCM, and both play HiRes PCM at the native samplerate.

If DSD is a big deal for you, then avoid Android 10 on LG phones, but otherwise I can't see a problem.

If you really want to go back to Android 9 there's a way to cross-flash a previous version as long as you don't have Tmobile phone:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g7-thinq/how-to/cross-flash-oreo-pie-firmwares-lg-g7-g7-t3915303

 

[Jimbob54]

For the Samsung, I cant speak(no idea of their audio quality either, but obviously LG takes audio the most serious out of any of the manufacturers). For the LG (at least the V and G series) its not a problem in terms of sound quality that one would discern I suppose, but it's annoying not to get an advertised feature go missing due to whatever reason a Android upgrade created. But then again, Android in my opinion is a mess every upgrade with Google changing their minds and depreciating many things left and right, forcing developers to adapt to whole new paradigms they're not always ready or in agreement with.



Yes, the format doesn't matter. It can be DSD, or anything. It will all play just fine, but everything gets resampled, no exceptions. The supported formats are numerous, so at least compatibility isn't an issue, the only issue is if you value bit-perfect output even through something like an OTG cable to a dedicated DAC.

Sounds like you need USB Audio Player Pro- will route bit perfect to LG internal quad DAC . Costs about $5, has a trial. Works a treat with usb DACs too but if there is a high res DAC internally, will find it.

 

[Tks]

Sounds like you need USB Audio Player Pro- will route bit perfect to LG internal quad DAC . Costs about $5, has a trial. Works a treat with usb DACs too but if there is a high res DAC internally, will find it.

I have it. Thats the app that confirms the problem. An explicit message saying LG needs to fix the issue since Android 10

 

[Jimbob54]

I have it. Thats the app that confirms the problem. An explicit message saying LG needs to fix the issue since Android 10

AHHH, bummer. I live in fear that one day an update balks uapp for me. Ridiculous