ARC playback issue on Samsung devices (ref#YXEMAW)

Hi! What’s not quite right with Roon?

· None of the above quite fits

None of the above quite fits

· None of these quite match

Tell us what's going on

· Following #31WCNS, I wanted to add that my Samsung device manages perfectly to send native stream to my DAC through USB Player Pro. I think the issue with some Samsung devices is Arc-specific and not related to the OS or kernel.

Tell us about your home network

· Not relevant.

This reference returns no support threads. Therefore, please provide further detail and a correct ticket reference. Thank you.

ref#31WCNS

Also: USB Audio driver for Android devices

If this is related to the previous thread, the same still applies.

As preciously stated, Roon ARC uses Android USB audio frameworks whereas apps like USB Audio Player Pro bypass this.

This is why you were asked to open a feature suggestion.

Typically, Roon does not provide updates on future features.

The USB driver (beta) function should also bypass the framework right? This is the principle of having a dedicated driver. If this is the case, I’m just adding that this is not device, kernel or UI related since my tablet can communicate effectively with the DAC. I would gladly debug the differences between how roon’s driver behaves compare to UAPP.

In passing… Samsung could ensure that their devices work fully with the softwares they acquire :innocent:

P.S.: I didn’t authored the initial issue.

No. AFAIK Roon ARC uses the Android audio framework, which introduced bit-perfect playback with Android 14. However, this isn’t enabled by default and is also dependent on phone hardware.

Hey @rulbricht,

Thanks for the additional detail, and for offering to help debug, that’s appreciated.

The USB driver (beta) option in ARC does not bypass Android’s audio framework. ARC negotiates your DAC’s capabilities through Android’s standard USB audio APIs, and the beta driver operates within that same path. UAPP behaves differently because it ships its own USB audio stack that bypasses the OS audio path entirely, which is why it can reach a native stream on devices where ARC currently can’t. It’s just a different architecture.

Android 14 added bit-perfect USB output within the framework, but it’s disabled by default and depends on the hardware and the OEM’s implementation. That’s consistent with what you’re seeing: GrapheneOS on your Pixel exposes the DAC’s full capabilities to the framework, while Samsung’s OneUI routing handles it differently on your Tab with the same Mojo 2. So the OS/OEM layer is very much in play here, even if the DAC is identical.

We extend bit-perfect ARC support on a per-device and per-DAC basis as the Android framework matures, and expanding that coverage is tracked as a feature request rather than a bug. The best place to add weight to this is the existing suggestion here: USB Audio driver for Android devices.

Adding your specific combination, Galaxy Tab model, OneUI version, and the Mojo 2, helps us gauge demand and prioritize. As a heads-up, we generally don’t comment on timing or roadmap in Feature Suggestions.

Thank you :folded_hands:

OK thank you to you both.

Sounds like I’m lucky that my S25 Ultra doesn’t resample when driving my Mojo 2?

Or is it just that the Khadas is odd?