Android Phone as Media Player

Discussion in 'General Audio Discussion' started by Tim Thomas, Mar 18, 2016.

  1. Tim Thomas

    Tim Thomas Friend

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    Hey All,

    With the latest Android update (Lollipop), USB audio is supported. Any thoughts of using an Android phone (unlocked / off network) as a media player? I suspect I could pick up an unlocked "Lollipop-capable" android phone for ~$75. With an SD card, it seems that this might be a pretty decent solution: good UI, USB audio out, relatively inexpensive.

    Thoughts?

    -Tim
     
  2. Dr. Higgs

    Dr. Higgs Boson - Member

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    I would assume it would be as viable as any other linux device? I use USB Audio Player PRO with my Moto X for portable use and it works great. Not sure if it would really offer any advantages over a Raspberry Pi w/ dedicated media player OS though.
     
  3. Tim Thomas

    Tim Thomas Friend

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    My thought is simply reducing cost. DAPs with decent UI are getting quite expensive (e.g., $300+).
     
  4. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    Seems feasible, and good idea for the $. I use my current android phone as my portable media player already, in conjunction with a dac/amp. Also know that many phones on Android K had support for usb-audio, it just wasn't universal, so your options could be even greater.

    The only caution I would give is to pick a phone with good support for custom roms, since you probably don't want a bunch of samsung-ware in your media player. Or LG-ware, or HTC-ware, or ... you get the idea.
     
  5. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Also, make sure you check to see if the dac/amp that you get pairs with the particular phone you end up buying. I was able to use my Ciunas DAC with my Galaxy S5 back on 4.4 kitkat but when it was updated to 5.0 it stopped working. I can now use my Audio GD NFB 10-ES2 with it using a power hub. I would look for a dac/amp that specifically supports USB OTG. Just do some research on compatible devices and you should be golden!
     

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