S20 and Chord Mojo

[BlackJohnny]

Hi,

I have upgraded from an s9plus to s20 plus but I was surprised to realize that when plugged to my Chord Mojo dac it outputs something that can not be called music. Anyone else having the same problem?

One mention, my device has the random reboot bug... Still waiting for the fix.

Pls someone test s20 plus with chord Mojo and let me know if it works for you. Thank you!

[Mikeyevs]

The mojo does not work with the S20 Ultra. 

There is a lot of noise coming from the Samsung'sUSB port which cannot (at the time of writing) be attenuated. 

[BlackJohnny]

Mikeyevs,  Samsung has released an update but I do not have it yet. Do you have the April update installed?

Thanks

[Mikeyevs · Accepted solution]

Hi BlackJohnny

No, I'm in the UK and it does not appear to have reached us yet, however, I don't hold out too much hope as it looks like it is mainly a camera-related update.

But... I have found a solution which works for me.

I have installed the USB Audio Player Pro app and it has completely resolved the issue.

In case this helps... in the settings on the app I have set the following:

HiRes driver audio format  - Auto

Bit perfect mode - when possible

Android sample rate - variable

Upsample - off

Sample rate - no limit

USB audio tweaks - Use USB dac

I use Tidal and Qobuz, radio and HD music and the player copes with them all!

I really hope this helps.

Mike

[BlackJohnny]

After the xxxATCT firmware update, the restart seems to be solved but the audio is still junk.

Can a Samsung moderator please comment on this issue. Digital output is a basic feature for any computing machine and Samsung has failed to deliver it with this expensive product.

I have also an S9 with android 10 that și working flawlessly therefore Google is not to be blamed for this.

Looking forward to hearing from you ASAP.

Regards

[Nazsta]

Hi Mike,
I note you say that the S20 does not work with the Mojo, can I ask if you have tried this yourself?

Also, I note your comments around UAPP, but that does not allow one to passthrough Amazon Music HD, so far as I am aware; given you are using the app, can you please comment on whether this is correct?

And lastly, has anyone tried the "official USB-C Headphone Adapter from Samsung" with the S20?
Apparently this dongle which is for the Galaxy Note 10+ (not sure if it is exclusive to this device) can convert digital files up to 24bit/192Khz, and supports Tidal Masters and Amazon HD streams also at 24biit/192 Khz.

See here for the device: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Headphone-Adapter-Version-Warranty/dp/B07VF6NSZZ/?tag=wghuk-21

Any comments are most welcomed, as I am 60 seconds away from cancelling my Order for a Samsung S20 Ultra.

As BlackJohnny says (below) - Digital output is a basic feature, and I believe that a USB DAC, like the Mojo, should work with this device given it works with the S10+.

Many thanks in advance, Naz

[Mikeyevs]

Hi Naz

I will do my very best to answer your questions.

I used the mojo with the S9 plus first with no problem at all. In fact, I still have the S9 and it works perfectly well with the mojo.

I purchased a poly to make it a bit more of a wireless solution, but this really did not work for me when mobile because there is no way to stream Tidal, Qobuz etc without an internet connection, and you cannot use the mobile hotspot from the phone as both devices need to be on the same wi-fi network. The only workaround (apart from Bluetooth which sounds poor as there is no Aptx HD support on either device) was to carry a 4g dongle with me wherever I go, which is just an extra box, so I went back to using a wired connection. No problem the mojo sounds better wired anyway.

Then came the s20 ultra and wow what a disappointment. The sound coming out of the mojo sounds like a tired analogue record, it pops, crackles and even appears to jump! Unbelievably terrible.

Having looked on the various forums I found that it is not just me, others experience similar woes with the S20 USB software.

I was extremely relieved when I found that USB Audio player pro solved the problem, but it does make you wonder what on earth Samsung are thinking about!

Using Tidal, Qobuz, internet radio and Hires audio from phone memory works brilliantly, but you are quite correct, there is no amazon HD login available via the app.

I can also confirm that the April 1 software update (which I received yesterday) has done nothing to address the sound issues.

Finally, I have not tried the Samsung headphone adaptor. I know it has a DAC in it (it has to as it is a digital-only signal form the S20 USB output), but I am certain that the quality won't be a patch on the mojo or even an Audioquest Dragonfly.

My best suggestion (which you probably won't like at all) is to ditch Amazon HD and use Qobuz or Tidal instead with USB audio player pro, that is if you still want the S20.

I do hope this helps a bit.

Kind regards

Mike

System:

S20 Ultra 512

Mojo/poly

AKG N5005

[Mikeyevs]

I installed it yesterday, but, sadly, no improvement on the poor digital USB driver.

[Nazsta]

Hi Mike
Thank you so much for enlightening me. I am a tad confused, a complete newbie to all of this, but I am technically minded and understand most concepts in this arena. Your expertise is helping me to make up my mind on not just the S20 but on the Mojo/Ploy combination.

[Note: I agree that Samsung are taking the ****, as they originally announced that they were working on implementing the "adtX Adaptive" and [this was way back for the S10 series) yet have only included A2DP Bluetooth on the S20, therefore the audio source would need to be re-encoded in SBC in order to be broadcast from the source device, save for MP2, AAC or ATRAC - I just cannot understand for the life of me why Samsung expect consumer to spend thousand on their flagship device, which is appearing to be ****]

That said, I understand that the Poly does work/support both in Dlna and Airplay, so would that not allow streaming from Amazon/Tidal etc... in hi-res and not just files saved on the Poly SD card and/or the source device??

Also, lets say I downloaded (for offline hearing) tunes from Amazon HD (for example) would I not be able to then use the Poly via dlna/airplay to achieve hi-res on my headphones, thereby cutting out the need for online streaming?

I know this is not ideal as I'll be limited to what I have on my source device and/or downloaded for offline play, but would it work?

I also have watched (what appears to be an brilliant review) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w11d_PeEuMs

Apparently the Poly can be put into "keep hotspot mode", may I ask if you could perhaps watch this video and shed your knowledge accordingly. If it can be put into hotspot mode as the video suggests, would that solve the problem?


And finally, do you have any idea or comments regarding the Fiio BTR5 - see: https://fiio.com/btr5, as a solution to streaming from online providers and as a DAC unit itself?

I thank you in advance for all your help, as you are educating an old man here, who hopes to be taught new tricks!

Kindly, Naz

[Akinobu]

I'm having exact same trouble with my S20 Ultra. 

Firmware is latest up to 1 April 2020

Troubles:

1. Wired connection to Mojo/Poly combo sounds like an old LP full of crackles and pops

2. Bluetooth connection produces no sound on wired headphones connected to Mojo/Poly combo 

Bluetooth is connected to Mojo/Poly