Unfortunately android OS re-sample everything to x48k multiples. When you included the software volume it is no longer bit perfect.
To overcome, need to bypass software volume control and instead use a hardware. Most DACs chip has built in hardware volume so controlling at the DAC side there’s no need to re-sample. I think ARC is at works now and may include support for hardware volume control for both internal and external DACs.
Meanwhile use this with caution as current ARC will out maximum loudness to your earpiece when USB driver is enabled
Hey all. Roon ARC 2.0.7 was just released, and it should fix the volume control issues for a lot of people, if not everyone. Please give it a spin after you get the update and let us know how it goes.
In Android, once you connect the USB DAC, you get the dialog to use in ARC. Confirm to use it and the ARC app launches. Select your song and hit play. Playback starts at maximum volume. You have to use volume control to reset it back to normal.
Same here with arc build 106.
FiiO ka3 fw 2.0 - playback starts at max volume level(every time the DAC is connected to the phone). Lesson learned from last time. I used less sensitive headphones and they were not on my head.
Friendly suggestion to @brian
Grab a list of all misbehaving hardware from the comments above, order it and give it to dev and qa as Christmas present I know it’s pricey, but business owners should reinvest in proper tools if they want to stay competitive on the market. We as a customers pay monthly, yearly or lifetime subs, and we do expect quality in return. Thanks a million!
It appears that there were two independent problems here, and we only fixed one of them this week–
Problem 1 was that volume control simply didn’t work at all on a certain subset of DACs–we were essentially detached from their volume control completely, so they defaulted to max volume because that’s what most DACs do.
Problem 2 relates to the logic for saving/restoring volume level across runs, and setting the correct volume on the DAC at connection time. That step was being skipped sometimes, which left the DAC defaulting to max volume, because that’s what most DACs do.
This week’s release addressed problem 1. Problem 2, on the other hand, has been there all along, and was hiding behind problem 1 for many of you. When we fixed problem 1, we tested the areas impacted by that fix, and all indications are that that fix was successful and that it did not introduce regressions in behavior.
Problem 2 on the other hand, is hardware agnostic, and somehow got missed in our testing process a few weeks ago. We weren’t focused on this area of the system after fixing problem 1 for this week’s build (and indeed, the fixes for problem 1 did not cause this issue). We are investigating how this was missed to prevent a similar error in the future.
Now that we have full understanding and have fixed both, we’re working on getting a build out as soon as we can. Sorry for the hiccup, everyone.
How to enable our new USB driver for Android Itching to try our update? Here’s how to set it up.
Go to your settings page in Roon ARC and select “Enable USB driver.”
When you plug in your USB-connected audio device, you’ll be prompted to allow Roon ARC to access the device.
Once confirmed, Roon ARC will switch over to the USB driver.
You can confirm what’s happening by checking Roon ARC’s signal path.
So I ordered a usb cable for my Pixel 6 Android phone hoping to bypass the Android limitation. Enabled USB driver on ARC app settings. Connected my phone to my car’s usb port, turned on my car and it automatically switched to usb mode. But I am not prompted to allow Roon Arc to access my device and no audio plays through car speakers. Instead, my phone vibrates and my car’s display says, “Check USB memory or Ipod” → “No USB memory.”
Do I need to have a DAC attached, as shown in Roon’s image, to make this work? Or is there a setting on the car or phone I need to apply in order to make an audible connection via USB?
Thank you, Brian! Appreciate the input.
P.s. slight off topic. Volume also resets to max when I connect my fiio DAC to my Mac. If possible to apply the same fix in the desktop app when using exclusive mode would be amazing.
For the moment you need to turn the volume up or down slightly before playing the music, otherwise it will fry your ears! Hopefully a fix will before Christmas
When playing DSD, the signal path show a dot. When click on it, show an unknown unknown element in the path. I already uninstalled AK-HC2 volume control app and reboot my phone. This only happens in DSD not PCM.
Another issue is when using phone volume control, the change is not fine enough and I hope ARC will build in its own volume control slider so it can do fine adjustment. The soft and loud part of the music is quite a lot of different.
Build 111 is out with the fix to the inability to save/restore volume level across runs. Please let us know whether it resolves the volume issue. Thanks in advance.
Do I understand this correctly - You’ve updated to 111 and after the ARC launch volume was 100% in case of the playback, so you reduced it, restarted ARC and it hit 100% again ?
When I reduce, it is back to last setting. I close the ARC app and launch it again, the volume control is still in the last setting which is okay. However, if I pull out the USB DAC and plug it again, it reverted to maximum volume. So I have to do it all over again. It doesn’t ‘remember’ the last volume setting and revert to maximum whenever I unplug and plug in the USB DAC.
Another issue I’m experiencing consistenly is a sound hiccup when the screen goes to sleep for the first time after I start playback. Doesn’t always happen if then I wake the phone, do something and leave it to sleep again. Also happens every now and then, even while the screen is sleeping, when song changes.
Yes, mostly is for music on the go.
But, even at home, there are times where I have to go and listen to music using my smartphone. Thus, utilising the USB DAC is super convenient.
That said, a nice question rises. Will Roon Remote apps be ever able to utilise USB DACs? Or Roon Remote and Roon ARC become Roon ONE at some point?
I know it’s pricey, but business owners should reinvest in proper tools if they want to stay competitive on the market. We as a customers pay monthly, yearly or lifetime subs, and we do expect quality in return. Thanks a million!
