I was thinking about power supply ground loops and SMPS electrical noise.
Also, if you send SPDIF at 192kHz and AP F8.9 happens to downsample (decimate) it then that could possibly affect SQ. Maybe try SPDIF at 96kHz?
The original file aside, not sure how the change could be made. I doubt the OP has the modern equivalent of Shawn Hunt's circuit just lying around.
Wow... so complicated.
Does your head end use an USB interface?
My Hondas and Acuras OEM front ends all do... so we just connect the phone via an USB cable... it sends the signal and charges the phone. Bypasses the phone's DAC.
It also allows for Android Auto... ( I think they also do Apple Auto... I guess I ought to ask my daughter about that in her Civic ). The lastest update to Android Auto has better searching for songs ( I got Tidal in my Samsung with a 512GB SD card holding over 400 downloaded albums.. ), otherwise I can always use the phone's own GUI... I keep the phone on its own stand in the car.
Does your head end use an USB interface?
My Hondas and Acuras OEM front ends all do... so we just connect the phone via an USB cable... it sends the signal and charges the phone. Bypasses the phone's DAC.
It also allows for Android Auto... ( I think they also do Apple Auto... I guess I ought to ask my daughter about that in her Civic ). The lastest update to Android Auto has better searching for songs ( I got Tidal in my Samsung with a 512GB SD card holding over 400 downloaded albums.. ), otherwise I can always use the phone's own GUI... I keep the phone on its own stand in the car.
Hi Tony my Civic has the 11 x Speaker Premium (or so they call it) and all signals leave the head unit via Optical to an OEM amplifier before it hits the speakers, therefore the only way of getting better sound is how I've done it, and it does really sound nice now, however its via Bluetooth, and as with anything, you want to squeeze every last ounce of potential out of whatever it is your interested in, and I think it has the potential of sounding even better with a direct optical feed into the DSP.
Hi Mark, the DSP can handle 192/24, why would I need to input 96? (Not being sarcastic just interested)?
Maybe just something to try as a test to see how the system responds. That is, if its not to hard to do.
Well Android has a reputation for mangling audio through its system mixer - similar to how Windows XP used to handle audio - so it's not just your S23 at fault. There are Audio audio player apps which bypass Android's audio sub-system - the ones I recall are Onkyo HF Player and USB Audio Player PRO. But there are probably more these days. Just Google "bit perfect audio player Android".
Maybe you could try one of these apps.
Are you trying to bypass the head end entirely or just the amps?
Bluetooth is actually lossy, but I did get it to sound fine in the car. Actually, other than the Acura ELS systems which truly stand on their own, the audio in Hondas is getting reasonable. Our current '19 Passport Elite is quite nice. I just plug the phone into the USB and did get one of them "bit perfect" drivers a while back. I did that because most of my Tidal files are 24/96 (Masters with MQA) and at one point I had an Audioquest Cobalt. As it is, the system sounds quite well and I prefer using the built in front end audio because it creates the front center channel image an has the fader ( I set the fader once, and turned off all the equalizer controls... ).
Oh yes,... current Hondas and Acuras have a five channel system.
Naturally, my LP12 in the living room spanks it, but I can't fit that into the back seat... 😛
If you don't have any high sample rate, 96k and above, files it doesn't matter whether the link is capable of 24/96 or 24/192.
OK so I've found out how to establish the quality of each track on Amazon HD.
It appears that the HD tracks are 16bit/44.1 hz and the Ultra HD are 24bit/44.1 hz.
Therefore doesn't matter if I use Bluetooth from my phone to my Audison BCON Bluetooth Streamer that is then connected to my Dsp via Optical (as the streamer is capable of 24bit/96hz) or connect the phone directly to the Fiio K3 (the K3 is capable of 32bit/384Khz) and then directly to the DSP (the DSP is capable of 24bit/192hz), every one of those components is rated higher than the music available from Amazon HD.
So therefore why is streaming to the BCON better audio quality than optical to the K3 and then optical to the DSP? That should sound better right?
I've been reading about Bitperfect, and that Amazon is downsampled/upsampled by Android, but apparently Tidal isn't as it has a work around in the App. However this article is from 2021, and I think I've also read somewhere about Amazon now having that work around but can't find if anymore? Anybody know if it's like Tidal now and Bitperfect?
Although surely if its due to this then it would also be affecting the Bluetooth feed? But the Bluetooth feed sounds better!!
Mystery.......
It appears that the HD tracks are 16bit/44.1 hz and the Ultra HD are 24bit/44.1 hz.
Therefore doesn't matter if I use Bluetooth from my phone to my Audison BCON Bluetooth Streamer that is then connected to my Dsp via Optical (as the streamer is capable of 24bit/96hz) or connect the phone directly to the Fiio K3 (the K3 is capable of 32bit/384Khz) and then directly to the DSP (the DSP is capable of 24bit/192hz), every one of those components is rated higher than the music available from Amazon HD.
So therefore why is streaming to the BCON better audio quality than optical to the K3 and then optical to the DSP? That should sound better right?
I've been reading about Bitperfect, and that Amazon is downsampled/upsampled by Android, but apparently Tidal isn't as it has a work around in the App. However this article is from 2021, and I think I've also read somewhere about Amazon now having that work around but can't find if anymore? Anybody know if it's like Tidal now and Bitperfect?
Although surely if its due to this then it would also be affecting the Bluetooth feed? But the Bluetooth feed sounds better!!
Mystery.......
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