• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Tablet recommendation

Megaken

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Messages
225
Likes
47
Hi, can someone please recommend a tablet:

- android
- 8 inch or so
- SD card slot (or if there's some other type of expandable storage)
- Usb port (or wireless charging)

Basically I want it to be a dedicated screen for audio, it would be connected to a USB DAC. So it has to charge somehow always so I don't have to worry about it.

Thanks
 
OP
M

Megaken

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Messages
225
Likes
47
Why not going for a convertible notebook and tablet in one.
I'm using a similar one in the porch.

Interesting. Don't really like windows, but if it'll do the job... How big is it though. I have limited space.

And does it pass the audio through USB without messing with it?
 

Patrick1958

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 28, 2018
Messages
498
Likes
412
Location
Belgium
28 x 20 cm
Screen diagonal approx 30/31 cm.
It does pass audio through USB, just like a laptop or computer.
 
OP
M

Megaken

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Messages
225
Likes
47
I don't know much about Android tablets these days, unfortunately. How important is portability (ie. do you need something battery-powered)? Wondering if you could also consider a Raspberry Pi + touchscreen setup like this, maybe running Volumio instead? https://archimago.blogspot.com/2020/08/diy-raspberry-pi-touch-audio-streamer.html
Ugh that would be amazing, but unfortunately I was born with a debilitating medical condition where both of my hands grow right out of my ass, and both are left, so i can't do things with them.
 
OP
M

Megaken

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Messages
225
Likes
47

0bs3rv3r

Active Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2019
Messages
248
Likes
234
Oh but also, what's the screen there?

The screen can be any browser running on any computing device, laptop, tablet, phone, etc anywhere on your network. Or, you can attach a dedicated touchscreen to the rPi itself.
 

0bs3rv3r

Active Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2019
Messages
248
Likes
234
Hi, can someone please recommend a tablet:

- android
- 8 inch or so
- SD card slot (or if there's some other type of expandable storage)
- Usb port (or wireless charging)

Basically I want it to be a dedicated screen for audio, it would be connected to a USB DAC. So it has to charge somehow always so I don't have to worry about it.

Thanks


I messed around with a similar idea. One stumbling point - how do you charge it via USB with the USB DAC attached? I would like to actually run it powered so the battery would never go flat. Not sure if you can attach both the USB charging/power source, and USB DAC to the one USB port on the tablet.

Hence I went with a raspberry pi running moOde instead. Mutliple USB ports so I can attach USB hard drives and DACs and ethernet cables etc, and run it contiuously all powered from it's power supply
 

somebodyelse

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
3,680
Likes
2,958
Oh but also, what's the screen there?
It's the official Pi 7" touchscreen - there are several 3rd party cases that will take the display and the Pi, ranging from laser cut acrylic through to aluminium ones like the Audiophonics one. It works well if you want a player with a local display, but for most purposes I prefer the player to be a box hidden out of the way, and to use a phone or tablet as a remote for it.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-touch-display/

Regarding @0bs3rv3r's point about the USB, if the tablet has a type C port and supports the Power Delivery standard you should be able to use a standard Power Delivery compatible hub to keep a tablet charged while the DAC and storage are connected. You are at the mercy of the manufacturer's charge control logic regarding battery life though - they don't always do well when permanently powered.
 

Jim Matthews

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 25, 2021
Messages
1,051
Likes
1,286
Location
Taxachusetts
Love my Samsung Galaxy S4.
 

MRC01

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
3,422
Likes
4,029
Location
Pacific Northwest
Most Android devices have a single sampling rate forced by the OS. All audio gets resampled to this rate. It's an internal system setting that cannot be configured. Some apps like USB Audio Player Pro override this and send audio out the USB at its native rate without resampling. But that is the rare exception, most apps do not.

However, some Android devices aren't like this, so just be aware and find out before you buy.
 

SKBubba

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2018
Messages
453
Likes
785
Hi, can someone please recommend a tablet:

- android
- 8 inch or so
- SD card slot (or if there's some other type of expandable storage)
- Usb port (or wireless charging)

Basically I want it to be a dedicated screen for audio, it would be connected to a USB DAC. So it has to charge somehow always so I don't have to worry about it.

Thanks

Hardly anybody makes a good 8" tablet any more. There's the Amazon HD8 but it is walled garden junk. (But at least it's cheap.) Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 8.7" may be a contender. It's their lower spec budget tablet but probably fine for what you want.

Not sure how you can charge it while using USB for audio at the same time. I think there may be some special cables that can do this?

Not aware of any current tablets with wireless charging, but that would obviously be ideal.
 

somebodyelse

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 5, 2018
Messages
3,680
Likes
2,958
IOS is a MUCH better choice for audio streaming.
That depends on how you define 'better' ;) The OS and the hardware have different strengths and weaknesses to the alternatives, but one person's must-have could be another's irrelevance or show-stopper.
 

Promit

Active Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2020
Messages
197
Likes
523
Let me throw out a different option - the basic MS Surface Go 2 is $400.
 
OP
M

Megaken

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Messages
225
Likes
47
I messed around with a similar idea. One stumbling point - how do you charge it via USB with the USB DAC attached? I would like to actually run it powered so the battery would never go flat. Not sure if you can attach both the USB charging/power source, and USB DAC to the one USB port on the tablet.

Hence I went with a raspberry pi running moOde instead. Mutliple USB ports so I can attach USB hard drives and DACs and ethernet cables etc, and run it contiuously all powered from it's power supply
Right - so there are tablets with wireless charging, and also with a separate USB port. But yea Raspberry Pi is looking like the better option.
 
Top Bottom