When I last updated my phone with T-Mo USA, I opted for one of their buy one get one promotions. I use the LG G7 as my daily device, but the V30 I opted for as my second device has mostly sat around unused. Now that I paid off the V30 portion of the financing deal, the resale value of it is ~$150 USD - even scarcely used.
I currently use RPi + Digi+ hat for my Roon transport to my Pioneer AVR (with integrated DAC). I’m now wondering if I should replace the RPi with the V30 as an endpoint into the AVR.
Pluses
The HIFI DAC in the phone is more capable than the Digi HAT - better resolution, native MQA unfolding are two examples.
Ability to use touch screen for interface.
Could use any number of audio apps into the AVR
WiFi a/c capabilities
Potential for root + open operating system for device longevity (e.g. Lineage OS with FDroid)
Repurpose Raspi to another solution (e.g. Pihole) on my local network.
Minuses
Roon’s Android app still doesn’t use the full capabilities of the LG DAC - audio path to DAC unsupported
Output to AVR limited to headphone jack (I will investigate whether HDMI out is possible on this device. The AVR only sees USB devices as storage, not as audio inputs.)
Lose wired ethernet stability
Lose some of the goodness of Roopiee or other Raspi solutions
Until Roon supports DAC, really better as a locally initiated input source rather than a preferred managed endpoint
Old phones are great for portable Roon Endpoints or even as a Wireless feed to a DAC/AMP for easy chair headphone listening. Not sure, I’d put one in a set it and forget it scenario as even though it may not be part of a phone plan, it will continue to receive updates.
I always snafu my thinking until I have a 3rd cup of coffee.
The Digi+ is a digital transport over Toslink to the inbuilt DAC on the Pioneer Elite AVR.
The LG V30 has a DAC that is superior to the AVR’s from the perspective of a file formats.
If I try USB C to HDMI, the AVR DAC takes over. Upside: potential for surround audio. Downside: double-DACing of the audio.
If output over headphone jack (via RCA), I assume that input method will deliver analog audio as delivered by the superior LG DAC. That should be untouched by the AVR DAC. Still no 5.1 audio (shame, really), but no double DACing.
WRT updates, that’s a fact of life for all devices and can probably be scheduled or otherwise controlled.
Audio will still route through the V30’s DAC and amp, but everything will be re-sampled to 48/16 PCM if you are not using a LG V30 aware application. This process will probably introduce audible audio artifacts.
See this thread, Roon falls under the 4th bullet point Your favorite 3rd party music app and read Spoiler “Sampling Rate”:
I think I’ll move the conversation to Head-Fi and Reddit and come back. I did some experiments and 1) analog over headphone passes audio from the Hifi DAC, but at a very low volume and with no apparent LFE signal (AVR DAC has to be engaged to get audio routed to sub), and 2) USB Audio Player Pro is DAC-aware but the phone thinks you want to share video, and still seems to want to pass multichannel source material as PCM 2.0, and 3) it would appear that by bypassing the AVR DAC, I would have to move the configuration of lfe and room correction back up the chain to Roon, which may or may not be worth the effort.
Nah, that would be me being an idiot again. I can point UAPP to the directory on the network where I keep the files, but it’s down sampling to 2CH when the AVR is set to Pure Direct.
Yeah, I have no experience nor tools to do that configuration within Roon.
Ahhhhhh, HeadFi sucks you in. Go there for a fact, and three days later, you’re still reading the thread…
