what Android device do you have?

 

I have a Pixel 2 XL, and also a OnePlus 6. But I'm open to upgrading if there is a device with better hardware for playing hi-fi music.

Thank you.

 

320 kbps mp3 will transfer with no problem on most any BT connection.

Both your devices support 24/96 in LDAC which is 2,304 kbps if you get a receiver that can support that rate but even oem HU support AAC 16/44.1 which is 705.6 kbps so the problem is not BT ... more likely the player that you're using.

Try using USB Audio Player Pro or any other player without using any preamp settings and turn the phone volume wide open to see if it's any better.

USB Audio Player PRO - Apps on Google Play

High quality media player supporting USB audio DACs and HiRes audio chips

play.google.com

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Try using USB Audio Player Pro or any other player without using any preamp settings and turn the phone volume wide open to see if it's any better.

Thanks for the helpful posts. I will try UAPP tonight in my car. Hopefully it performs better than Poweramp.

-Davide

 

I'm gonna pick on you a bit.... an audiophile listening to mp3's over bluetooth.... LOL.
Sorry, I couldn't let that slide, now, down to business.
You probably need to use a different app, try UAPP or Poweramp.

 

Lol, no worries. Yes I'm beginning to see that I could do even better than 320kbps. As for bluetooth, I am stuck with it atm, since that is the only way I can play music on my factory unit.

As for Poweramp, I have tested this app in the past and have been disappointed with its EQ signal processing. The bass sounds very muddy compared to the app I currently use (Player Pro with DSP pack). Player Pro has very tight and precise bass reproduction (with the DSP pack installed). It is really quite noticeable. To be honest, I was surprised that Poweramp is praised by audiophiles, because the sloppy low-end sounds like absolute dodo to me.

-Davide

 

Buy a good DAC dongle.

I've had very good results using the Meizu Hifi USB-C Headphone Adapter and WKWZY DAC-USB C Headphone Adapter with my Pixel 3 & 5a.

 

I would look into some of the hi-fi streaming services. Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Hi-Fi if it's available in your area. I use my android through USB with Qobuz and it sounds sooo pretty.

 

The 320kbps mp3 isn’t the problem, the Bluetooth through an OEM head unit is.

 

Hello,
Disclaimer: I am a bit of an audiophile, and only listen to mp3s that are 320kbps because anything less sounds terrible to me.

I was wondering what is the best way to connect my Android to my car---for the best quality sound--and also what hardware/app recommendations you might have?

I currently use an app called "Player Pro, and connect via bluetooth. I am in looking for an aftermarket receiver (such as a Sony XVAC series) to replace my factory unit.

Currently, the biggest problem I'm having with the sound from my Android is that it distorts way too easily. I have to turn the pre-amps way down on my app (Player Pro) to avoid distortion.

Any tips would be appreciated,

Davide

The 320kbps mp3 isn’t the problem, the Bluetooth through an OEM head unit is.

^Pretty much this. 99% of OEM systems are FAR from being at an "Audiophile" quality level, especially when playing your music through the OEM head unit using Lossy Bluetooth.

And it doesn't matter how good your plaback source quality is if the rest of your system isn't capable of true high-fidelity audio reproduction.

If you really desire to have audiophile quality audio reproduction in your car, you're going to need a complete audio system that is capable of doing so. This would include an aftermarket head unit that has excellent DSP capabilities (if you do not want to install a separate, standalone DSP unit), as well as high quality speakers installed properly and preferably amplified by good quality aftermarket amplifiers with adequate power.

You mentioned having interest in replacing the factory head unit with a with a Sony XAV series. If you can afford it and it fits in your vehicle, look at at the Sony XAV9500ES. It uses the latest ESS Saber DAC and is one of the very few aftermarket head units to have excellent DSP capabilities, including Independent Left & Right Parametric EQ, Fully adjustable 2-way Front + Subwoofer Crossovers, and Time Alignment.

I would also suggest the Kenwood eXcelon Reference (XR) series head units, though the Sony is unique in that it has Independent Left and Right PEQ for each output channel, which is incredibly important to achieve excellent Tonality and a properly focused Soundstage.

A good set of relatively inexpensive 2-way 6.5" front component speakers to match with it would be the Sony XS-162ES, powered by a Sony XM-GS4 4-Channel amplifier.

Sony XS-162ES

Mobile ES™ Series 6-1/2" component speaker system

www.crutchfield.com

Do you have Subwoofer in your current system now? If not, it would significantly improve the dynamics, impact, and enjoyment of your favorite music.

In addition, knowing your vehicle's exact Year, Make, Model, and Trim Level + OEM Stereo Options would help us to give you the best equipment recommendations if you really want to significantly upgrade the sound quality in your vehicle to anything approaching an Audiophile level.

Even if your budget for any upgrades is tight, we could still recommend the best approach, equipment, and what will have the most significant impact on the sound quality given the money you're willing to spend. So let us know your budget AND your ultimate Goals for your system?

And as mentioned, do not use the software "preamp" or EQ in the Android music player apps! If one of your Android devices has the LDAC Bluetooth codec, the Sony XAV9500ES head unit would be able to take advantage of LDAC in order to provide Excellent Sound Quality over BT streaming.

Or you would need both the music playback device and a Bluetooth audio receiver that use the Apt-X or Apt-X HD Bluetooth codecs for higher quality music streaming.

Otherwise the audio quality will be just mediocre when playing via a standard wireless Bluetooth connection.

With the USB Audio Player Pro app on your Android device, you can use a wired connection via a USB cable + USB "OTG" cable to a small USB DAC such as the Topping D10 series. You would then connect the output of the DAC (The Topping D10 has both analog or digital) to the input on a good standalone DSP or DSP/Amplifier unit. This method would offer the highest quality audio signal possible for your "Audiophile" music reproduction.

 

Hmmm, all this discussion is very interesting. But I just realized, it might be a moot point if I am not able to purchase/download my music in lossless formats.

The music I listen to is very esoteric, hard to find, and usually only available on Spotify (some of them are on Bancamp as well, but only about 30%). But I recently read that Spotify only provides music up to 320kbps mp3. So it seems this is the best I can do, since I cannot obtain anything higher.

Maybe I will post a new thread about this, to get more clarity. But it seems it would be a waste to spend thousands on a high-end system, when the best file format I can get is still compressed. Hmmm...

-Davide

 

Hmmm, all this discussion is very interesting. But I just realized, it might be a moot point if I am not able to purchase/download my music in lossless formats.

The music I listen to is very esoteric, hard to find, and usually only available on Spotify (some of them are on Bancamp as well, but only about 30%). But I recently read that Spotify only provides music up to 320kbps mp3. So it seems this is the best I can do, since I cannot obtain anything higher.

Maybe I will post a new thread about this, to get more clarity. But it seems it would be a waste to spend thousands on a high-end system, when the best file format I can get is still compressed. Hmmm...

-Davide

As I said before, a 320kbps mp3 is perfectly fine, and is indistinguishable from lossless to most people, in most situations, for most recordings. Granted, spotify doesn't use a standard 320 mp3 converted from the original source, they do some more of their own compression, but it's not bad enough to completely ruin the track, it's still pretty good.

There are a lot of areas that I would focus on before worrying about spotify. The bluetooth connection is one of them. Modern bluetooth can be very good, but even now most car companies aren't using modern bluetooth, they are using old protocols that are poor for music.

If you want to improve the sound quality, Tidal won't do it, and swapping your Android for another device won't either.

 

Plug the phone via USB to the radio. This is the best way to get the best quality. These people telling you to buy a DAC are wrong. Thats just adding another conversion that the radio has to do with the probably horrible chip it has.

 

Adding a DAC was in reference to bypassing the crappy OEM head unit altogether and sending the DAC's output directly into a capable DSP (there are some inexpensive DSPs & DSP/Amps that will make a world of difference in systems such as the OP's). The DAC's analog output could also be fed directly into the OP's aftermarket amplifier (without a DSP) and still give him WAY better audio quality than the OEM head unit.

The Topping D10 DAC is tiny and has a digital output that can go directly to the DSP's digital input, eliminating an extra A/D-D/A conversion and bypassing the head unit completely. You would still control the music playback from the smartphone's music app (preferably UAPP for bit-perfect playback).

 

Just an FYI Google Play Music got cancelled December last year. It really sucks as they forced users to transfer to stupid YouTube Music. Play Music allowed you to listen to YOUR music and stream also with the screen off and through Android Auto. YouTube Music doesn't allow you to do any of that, not even your own music from your library!

Sorry for the rant, yes definitely use Android Auto either wired or wireless for the best possible audio from your Android phone.

@bbfoto I do have a question you might be able to answer, doesn't Android force a 48k bit rate on all audio output? Whether it's lower or higher than 48 it gets up/down converted to 48? Isn't that the biggest benefit of UAPP ?

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Just an FYI Google Play Music got cancelled December last year. It really sucks as they forced users to transfer to stupid YouTube Music. Play Music allowed you to listen to YOUR music and stream also with the screen off and through Android Auto. YouTube Music doesn't allow you to do any of that, not even your own music from your library!

Sorry for the rant, yes definitely use Android Auto either wired or wireless for the best possible audio from your Android phone.

@bbfoto I do have a question you might be able to answer, doesn't Android force a 48k bit rate on all audio output? Whether it's lower or higher than 48 it gets up/down converted to 48? Isn't that the biggest benefit of UAPP ?

😊 Thanks for the reminder that Google Play Music has long been extinct and replaced by YouTube Music. It's been just a minute and I should have remembered that. 😊 I obviously wasn't a fan of GPM even though it did integrate extremely well with Android Auto before it was nixed.

And Yes, the stock Android audio kernel resamples all audio to 48k regardless of the native file's sample rate. So I would suspect that using Android Auto via a head unit also resamples all audio to 48k as well (though I haven't confirmed this).

So this is one reason some people might want to use an Android music player app such as USB Audio Player Pro in their smartphone or tablet which replaces the stock 48k Android audio kernel with its own proprietary audio kernel that maintains the original file's bit depth and sample rate, i.e. "Bit Perfect".

And if you like the GUI of UAPP on your smartphone or tablet, you might decide to use it connected to a USB DAC such as the Topping D10 fed to a DSP instead of playing those same Hi-Res files through a head unit with Android Auto where they might be downsampled.

 

Don't sleep on the Joying Android head units either - the only ones listed that have digital out built in, full fledged Android OS, and can if desired utilize an internal SIM card (data plan required obviuosly).
Although as mentioned, and if I understand this correctly, for max fidelity ie to avoid the internal Android 48kHz limit you would still need to play through the UAPP app over USB OTG either directly to the DSP or to a Topping that would then send digital coax to the DSP.

But I play mine direct coax digital into the DSP and it sounds awesome. I'd have to hear it but really getting into the weeds worrying about the Android sample limit. Maybe someday I'll buy a topping or the USB HEC card and give it a shot.

 

"audiophile" and "mp3" should not be on the same sentence. That's it!

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LG V series phones with dual 24bit DACS is pretty unbeatable.

 

Yes, they're great phones for audio. Unfortunately, LG just abandoned and shut down their smartphone division and production, so Support & Updates moving forward will be limited.

 

I am using UAPP and I am running direct from my Asus ROG phone to my car DSP via USB. As my phone has in-built DAC, can I ask do I select the option "Auto start on USB DAC attachment" under UAPP if I wish to go straight digital to DSP without any conversion or processing?

 

About Android Auto via USB.
When the audio format is not supported it will be down sampled (16bit - 48kHz)
This is Pioneer's answer to me when I asked about Android Auto audio transmission quality issue.