Any WP Users that are also "Audiophiles"?

[signal-2-noise]

OK. I've done a lot of research on this...

There are not that many portable DACs that are compatible with our phones because of MSFT lack of native USB Audio Class 2 support. Android and linux have this.

Good info! I wonder if providing AC2 support can be achieved via firmware/os update?

 

[vonchowder]

Good info! I wonder if providing AC2 support can be achieved via firmware/os update?

Not with any current OS builds of W10 that I am aware of. This is still an open issue in the Microsoft user forums for windows 10, and I am on the latest W10M build14291 and firmware 01078.00039.16025.39005 (I think this is the latest).

 

[signal-2-noise]

^
Then requested via Insider Feedback

 

[StevoPhilo]

Yea I purchased the Dragonfly v1.2 a few days ago and while it does work on the 950XL it doesn't output the same volume level as the built in headphone jack. Definitely sounds better in comparison, but just keep in mind it sounds at about a 23/24 volume level for my Sennheiser Momentums v1 On-Ears.

I am curious as to what other DACs work and how well they work.

 

[TheChazas]

Yea I purchased the Dragonfly v1.2 a few days ago and while it does work on the 950XL it doesn't output the same volume level as the built in headphone jack. Definitely sounds better in comparison, but just keep in mind it sounds at about a 23/24 volume level for my Sennheiser Momentums v1 On-Ears.

I am curious as to what other DACs work and how well they work.

Insanely loud on Lumia 950 with DragonFly v1.2 via TROND AC6 USB Type-C Cable Adapter. I never go above 24 volume it is that loud, tried multiple Earphones and Headphones, of course Headphones are a bit more silent compared to a In-Ears. In addition, my audio sources are very loud, mostly using Hi-Ress FLAC 24-Bit/96Khz.

 

[NICK TOALE]

Seeing as they have just fixed most of the audio issues in the Original W10 release I doubt we would see class 2 drivers for W10M it would be nice if I could hook up my M32 desk but have a pi2 that does a good job. I do like I can hook up via xlr from my radial PC box and get nice sounding test audio.

 

[StevoPhilo]

Insanely loud on Lumia 950 with DragonFly v1.2 via TROND AC6 USB Type-C Cable Adapter. I never go above 24 volume it is that loud, tried multiple Earphones and Headphones, of course Headphones are a bit more silent compared to a In-Ears. In addition, my audio sources are very loud, mostly using Hi-Ress FLAC 24-Bit/96Khz.

I could just go back and increase the audio level on my music files, but I didn't really want to go through that work. Also if I had to guess it would just increase my S/N ratio. Most of my files are 24/96 or at very minimum 24/48.

By the way I love your picture. Matt Bellamy is my favorite guitarist and Muse is my fav band.

 

[TheChazas]

Yes, increasing original loudness/gain level is not a good idea. 24-Bit/96Khz is plenty enough for a Phone with a DAC and most DAC's don't go beyond that. It is strange that a lot of people says that with DAC/AMP their audio playback is not that loud, while other says that it is louder including myself and the thing is that it should be a bit louder, in that case should check if it is the same on PC, could be that Phone just holding/bottlenecking it back, could be cable or fake quality re-encoded audio files.

Ha ha! Yeah Muse is really great and unique band indeed, just I don't really liked their newest Drones album.

 

[Paul Hoffeins]

Hey, you said your Dragonfly works great with your flacs, but I'd like to know if you tested something like Spotify on "extreme" Settings. I'm mainly using Spotify and would like to know if it made sense to go for a external DAC, cause the 950s own doesn't impress me too much.

 

[TheChazas]

Hey, you said your Dragonfly works great with your flacs, but I'd like to know if you tested something like Spotify on "extreme" Settings. I'm mainly using Spotify and would like to know if it made sense to go for a external DAC, cause the 950s own doesn't impress me too much.

I don't use Spotify, but to my knowledge Spotify "Extreme" streams only 320Kbps, so that is not a high-res audio quality, but DAC would still increase and make a difference in audio playback quality, but you must have a pretty decent In-Ear or Headphone monitors to notice it. At the end of the day 320Kbps audio files are not great, nor impressive.

 

[roomybonce]

I use Spotify extreme and think it sounds pretty good through the Dragonfly Black attached to my laptop. Unfortunately, switching to my 950xl, although the Dragonfly is recognised (as an external screen) and audible on Win 10 Mobile (latest Redstone) I can't adjust the phone's output to 44.1khz. Consequently, the Dragonfly has to upsample everything to 96khz, which is very far from ideal.

A shame, really. I'm hoping the upcoming Audioquest Desktop App will allow me to fix the Black's sample rate, otherwise I'll have to move on.

 

[vvasch]

Indeed, the Dragonfly black always colors magenta (96kHz) when connected to my Lumia 950. I also get digital noise when listening to music. Do you know by any chance if that is coming from the upsampling?

 

[Joe920]

OK, so this is probably fifty steps below audiophile quality, but I'm very happy with my new AptX streaming unit. I had no idea AptX even existed, much less that the 950XL supports it. It's basically bluetooth audio +, right?

Anyway, ordered this unit for $50 yesterday, just hooked it up to one of the digital ins on my Onkyo TX8050 receiver, and it sounds pretty good, definitely much better than the old bluetooth audio that I had hooked up. Good enough that I probably won't be playing from the USB stick that I have plugged into the receiver. Fifty bucks well spent, and yet another feature of the 950XL discovered.

 

[midnightfrolic]

I've been a long time music lover and portable gear enthusiast. Since the 950 & 950XL support OTG connections (previous WPs don't afaik) I've decided to take music listening further by purchasing a portable DAC/Amp to go along with my 950XL. Should have it in a few days and can report how it fares here if anyone is interested. I do have a (many actually) dedicated DAP but it's nice to have variety as well as the convenience having just a phone if traveling or something.

Has anyone else added a DAC/Amp to their WP? Would love to read others purchases and experiences.

Chord Mojo - The Official Thread .?*?*?. Please READ the 3rd post! .?*?*?.

I recently picked up another USB DAC / AMP. works through 950xl dual sim usa. Centrance hifi m8. Works very well with Audeze headphones LCD-XC. Using balanced audio gives it crystal clear audio. Can crank volume up without distortion.

 

[maurice81]

I am currently using the below Dac/amp with my Microsoft Lumia 950XL and it works with no issues. For the volume display it does display "Eternal screen" but its the volume for my Encore dac. See below for amazon description of the Encore Dac: (I believe it may be a discontinued model)

https://www.amazon.com/Encore-Headp...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3604725

Also i had to buy USB-C adapters you see below for amazon description:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3604725

The sound is very clean and clear using Flac files with the Yamp app. I several headphone but my main headphones are the Bose QC25.

 

[jsooney]

I recently picked up another USB DAC / AMP. works through 950xl dual sim usa. Centrance hifi m8. Works very well with Audeze headphones LCD-XC. Using balanced audio gives it crystal clear audio. Can crank volume up without distortion.

This is a pretty interesting thread. I'm not happy with the output of my 950XL DS so I think I need to getting one of these DAC thingies. I have a few Sony Professional headphones at home and use a Bose Q35 when on the road. The latter are wired or Bluetooth, does a DAC work with BT?

I take it you plug this DAC thing into the phone's headphone jack, and then your headphones into the DAC jack? It sounds like I need a USB-C converter. What would I need if I bought the same thing as you?

 

[midnightfrolic]

This is a pretty interesting thread. I'm not happy with the output of my 950XL DS so I think I need to getting one of these DAC thingies. I have a few Sony Professional headphones at home and use a Bose Q35 when on the road. The latter are wired or Bluetooth, does a DAC work with BT?

I take it you plug this DAC thing into the phone's headphone jack, and then your headphones into the DAC jack? It sounds like I need a USB-C converter. What would I need if I bought the same thing as you?

The Centrance hifi m8 does not have Bluetooth sadly. It's almost exclusively designed for 4-pin XLR connecter since it's balanced. Meaning it reduces line noise that causes distortions in audio, which then causes the speaker cones and diaphragm to crackle. That is why I hate vinyl rips due to the hiss and dust grain skips and blips and crackling.

However, if you don't mind not having balanced audio, you can get a really nice dac by Creative, soundBlaster E5. It does have Bluetooth.
Here is my setup
-From the 950xl to OTG USB adapter

-From OTG USB adapter to the dac using standard printer USB A TO B cable. I tried the usb-c ( the charging sync cable) direct into the usb-a port of the dac and it does not work. That is only for OS devices like iPhones and iPads. It charges the phone if connected there too. So the dac can act as an emergency battery bank. Same with the Creative E5 dac.

-From dac xlr port to the headphones using its included mini xr to xlr cable.

You can use Cenrance's other Dac as well. They have different models for various types of connectors. As always, do some research before you plop down your hard earned cash. I like this combo dac and headphones. Mainly because I love EDM, and nothing comes close to how the LCD xc performs. If you like more airiness and larger concert soundstage, classical, then this headphone is not for you if you are picky about that stuff.

It's does one hell of a great job all around though. But it excels in EDM. The dac just makes it louder without distortion so you can feel the music and be surrounded by it. GL with your purchase whichever you decide. Btw, the LCD XC is closed back. It has an open back more airiness LCD X brother. GL.

Edit: Most dac accepts normal 3.5mm audio inputs and outputs. Dac are used for headphones that requires more power to operate, like larger headphones. They sound quiet if not powered enough.

 

[jsooney]

Thanks for all the info midnightfrolic, that's very helpful. I read a little about the Centrance hifi m8 last night, seems pretty nice and has lots of good reviews. Seems like they are around $600-700 but I guess it's worth it if it's as good as the reviews. I guess the 950XL can't drive my headphones on its own so I need something like this. I'll take a look at the Creative product you mentioned.

EDM isn't my thing really, unless I'm hanging with certain people. I'm more into rock/funk/jazz/classical, depending on what mood I'm in, so I guess I want something airier. I'm pretty happy with the Sonys when they are hooked up to something that can drive them better than the phone.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Jefe32]

I am tried/used the Centrance Dacport Slim (they normally sell it in Massdrop for 99$) and the Dacportable which has a built in battery with the Lumia 950xl. Both work great. i started using them after the anniversary update in the summer. I use them with the AKG K7XX and with Master & Dynamice MH40. It runs them both well. I have also used them with Mee Audio M6 pros on low gain with no noticeable hiss. Hope this helps.

 

[Jefe32]

Oh and the Dacportable is normally 350$ but i found it used on Headfi for like 250$.