Galaxy Tablet S8+ USB digital Out volume?

[dtaylo1066]

I have a Samsung S8+ Tablet and run Tidal. Often I will listen with my J20MAX dongle DAC, which sounds just fine, and requires me to adjust the volume via the Samsung's volume control.

But sometimes I will connect the USB out to my iFi IDSD Black Label. When plugged into the iFi DAC the Samsung still shows and makes me use it volume control. I don't think I can bypass that and just send a digital signal to the iFi.

So for best fidelity or SINAD, what level on the Samsung volume control should I send to the iFi? Does a lower digital volume setting on the Samsung reduce resolution?

Or, how can I bypass the Samsung volume control?

 

[staticV3]

Use audio player apps with direct USB access for bit-exact playback. For example:

USB Audio Player Pro (<-my recommendation)
Neutron HiFi
HiBy Music
FiiO Music

 

[DVDdoug]

Does a lower digital volume setting on the Samsung reduce resolution?

Yes, but for everyday volume control it's not a problem. You also aren't using all of the bits during fade-outs or quiet parts but you don't notice any loss of resolution.

You usually want to keep all of the bits when you turn it up and listening loudly, so that's why I mention 'everyday" volume control.

I don't want to imply that it's a problem at 16-bits, but at 24-bits you can turn it down by 48dB and you still have 16-bits of resolution.

Something similar can happen with analog volume control. It reduces the signal-to-noise ratio. If you reduce the analog signal drastically and then re-amplify, you might hear the background noise. If you do the same digitally you might hear quantization noise.

One good thing about digital volume control is that the left & right are attenuated by exactly the same amount whereas analog pots sometimes don't "track" perfectly. (Your DAC may not use an analog pot.)

 

[dtaylo1066]

Use audio player apps with direct USB access for bit-exact playback. For example:

USB Audio Player Pro (<-my recommendation)
Neutron HiFi
HiBy Music
FiiO Music

Thanks I will try UAPP

 

[dtaylo1066]

Downloaded and up and running. Bit perfect and bypasses Galaxy volume control. Easy click to layer on Tidal.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Question: Playing Tidal on UAPP. Current song is Wicked Game by C. Isaak. Screen art reads: USB DAC 44.1kHz FLAC 44.1kHz 16 bit 931Kbps. Other songs will read different Kbps numbers.

Shouldn't Kbps be 1,411 for a Red Book file?

 

[staticV3]

Shouldn't Kbps be 1,411 for a Red Book file?

Only for uncompressed WAV.

Flac is lossless compressed, so bitrate differs from track to track.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Only for uncompressed WAV.

Flac is lossless compressed, so bitrate differs from track to track.

I need to bone up on my audio ones and zeroes, I guess. Appreciate your savant-level feedback. Galaxy is sounding good with Tidal through UAPP and either DAC, though the old IDSD Black Label is is still a fine performer. No longer SOTA SINAD, and weighs a ton, but plenty of power. Good on the desktop, not so much on the go.