Is an Audio Interface a big improvement for just listeining?

[djbclark]

I just use the audio out of my Mac Mini 2012.

Up until now my thinking was that Audio Interfaces were just if you needed to record multiple channels of audio. Then I noticed the big thread on what audio interface do you have here: viewtopic.php?p=11897#p11897

I'm pretty new to all this stuff - would an audio interface be any, or a significant, improvement to just listening?

If you do think it'd be a big improvement, is there a small and lightweight one you'd recommend?

[MWJT42]

Typically, outside of multiple IO considerations, an audio interface is necessary to reduce latency for VST samplers.

Turning a MIDI input note into an complex multi-layered sample sound, with additional effects and bleed, in near real-time, is quite the task! On board PC soundcards cannot do this well, so a dedicated ASIO soundcard / audio interface is our only option.

Mac users I understand have less of a problem, but if you're latency is greater than ~3ms, you might want to consider a dedicated audio interface.

There is, I'm sure, an audiophile argument to make as well, but for edrum players using VST samplers, ~zero-latency is king.

[LooseSends]

Typically, outside of multiple IO considerations, an audio interface is necessary to reduce latency for VST samplers.

Turning a MIDI input note into an complex multi-layered sample sound, with additional effects and bleed, in near real-time, is quite the task! On board PC soundcards cannot do this well, so a dedicated ASIO soundcard / audio interface is our only option.

Mac users I understand have less of a problem, but if you're latency is greater than ~3ms, you might want to consider a dedicated audio interface.

There is, I'm sure, an audiophile argument to make as well, but for edrum players using VST samplers, ~zero-latency is king.

Can confirm.

I resisted buying one for the last couple years as an unnecessary expense for my home studio setup since I have cobbled together a bunch of other gear and budget mixers, and the like. I did have a Behringer cheapo Analog to midi interface for recording and thought it might've given up the ghost (turns out it was a bad wire) so I caved and bought the Steinberg URC-22 which I only got a few days ago.

When I first hooked it up I kinda thought I might've not really needed it when doing some testing, until I selected the Steinberg ASIO instead of Windows Audio, and...wow! It shaved off almost all the latency recording vocals when monitoring from the DAW using a couple plugins. It may only be 10-20ms but holy crap does it make a difference. Of course, you could always monitor locally, but it's pretty sweet being able to hear the recording without the performance killing slight echo.

The Steinberg has some sweet features not in many other units as well, like 32-bit and 192khz resolution, and comes with some VST effects that I'm pretty sure interface directly with the hardware, or can reside on the hardware itself. Not 100% sure on that last part as I haven't messed with it.

Also, the inputs are great. Each input can accept XLR or stereo line in. The first input also has +48v for condenser mics, and the second input can be selected to handle Hi-Z (plug a guitar direct) so it's pretty versatile.

The sound definition is superb and actually made a very noticeable difference in my vocal performance, whereas before I couldn't quite put my finger on why I wasn't getting the results I thought I was performing (quite aside from my rather average abilities).

One thing to note though, is that I almost returned the unit yesterday when Windows simply wasn't able to "see" it despite that every other AI I've used just works. Not sure if it's just something weird on my system but I had to install their strange software that I assumed was mostly just the typical "free" versions of Cubase and other bloat, but turned out to upgrade the firmware or something, but now it works like a dream.

Sorry for the long post, but with all that said, I'm not sure you'd really need it just to listen to stuff. Sure is handy to have if you like to record anything at all though and want a Swiss Army Knife of an audio interface.

[MWJT42]

It may only be 10-20ms but holy crap does it make a difference.

Not quite related, but you reminded me of something.

There's a psychoacoustic phenomenon called the Haas Effect, where 2 similar sounds played within <40ms appear the one be just one sound, and only from the direction of the first.

Interestingly, drummers have a legitimate super power in this regard; we can perceive separate sounds down to 20ms apart!

[AKA Wayne]

My set up is a dedicated 2014 Mac mini with 16gb of ram. I got one on eBay for cheap and installed an SSD. It is so much more smooth than my same era MacBook pro 8gb. I have a Scarlett 2i4 audio interface that I run on both so don't know how it is without but I can say my set up is super smooth and rock solid. I just looked and you can get one for $100 on eBay. I love everything going through my AI and being able to control everything from there. But I use it for practice and play along so might be different. Have fun!

[perceval]

Mac's output and Core Audio latency is not bad, just plugging a headphone in the Phones output.

But, if you are serious about sound, a dedicated DAC and phones amp will make a world of difference.
If you want to add inputs other than the USB coming from the eDRUMin devices, like for vocals/guitar, etc... then a dedicated audio interface with multiple inputs will be required.

If you are looking into upgrading the sound, then a DAC and headphone amp is the way to go.

[djbclark]

Thanks everyone! Think this will be added to my x-mas list.

The most portable one I could find is called the "Apogee Jam+" anyone have experience with it?

Or others of roughly the same form factor I should consider?

https://apogeedigital.com/shop/apogee-jam-plus

[djbclark]

I found something even smaller - would this help with playback latency in the same way as larger devices?

Smart Cirrus Logic 46L41-CWZR + Cirrus Logic CS43131 Decoding Chip

Built-in with a powerful DAC chip that allows up to 384KHz/32bitPCM decoding output, and direct stream digital, high-resolution audio format dsd64 / dsd128 decoding.

UGREEN USB C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter Hi-Res 32bit 384KHz Braided Type C Male Aux Female Dongle HiFi DAC Audio Jack Cable Converter

https://a.co/d/g5agxV4

Screenshot_20221028-163004.png (671.08 KiB) Viewed 1385 times

[MWJT42]

I found something even smaller - would this help with playback latency in the same way as larger devices?

Smart Cirrus Logic 46L41-CWZR + Cirrus Logic CS43131 Decoding Chip

Built-in with a powerful DAC chip that allows up to 384KHz/32bitPCM decoding output, and direct stream digital, high-resolution audio format dsd64 / dsd128 decoding.

UGREEN USB C to 3.5mm Headphone Adapter Hi-Res 32bit 384KHz Braided Type C Male Aux Female Dongle HiFi DAC Audio Jack Cable Converter

https://a.co/d/g5agxV4

Screenshot_20221028-163004.png

No, you need an interface that uses ASIO drivers.

That's just a D/A converter.

[djbclark]

No, you need an interface that uses ASIO drivers.

This is for mosty Android and MacOS, don't think I'll be touching Windows. Isn't ASIO Windows-specific?

That's just a D/A converter.

What is the chip(set) it doesn't have that an audio interface does?
Audio interfaces for playback seem to advertise DACs too (and remember I don't need any recording functionality, this is purely for playback latency improvement.)

The difficulty I'm running into is that most don't advertise the DACs specific capabilities, and they almost never mention the chipset, although here is another one that does - https://www.newegg.com/p/1X7-0103-019T5 - Sampling Frequency: HD8188: 24bit/96kHz & Realtek 4050/5686: 32bit/384kHz - but no returns, and the UGREEN one I mention above gets a horrible Fakespot rating of D.

However I looked at Audio Evolution's list of Audio Interfaces compatible with their Android DAW (Audio Evolution Mobile Studio, AAMS) - https://www.extreamsd.com/index.php/tec ... dio-driver - and Apple's headphone adapter was on it (!). So good chance it may also work with FL Studio Mobile (FLM), which is what I use with my eDrumin4 when mobile. And the top review for it on Amazon is the below. So was an easy choice to grab one at least for testing.

Carlos D.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Apple has made a great, inexpensive audiophile-ish Dongle-DAC... For Android!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 24, 2022
Verified Purchase

Okay, let's get some things out of the way first:

If you don't use a special music player app on Android like USB Audio Player Pro, HiBy Music, or Neutron Player, get ready for low volume.

If you prefer a less balanced, bass-heavy sound with less definition, get a regular Samsung USB-C Headset Jack Adapter.

With that being said, it's time for the review!

Equipment used for testing:

-Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G (USB-C 3.2, USB On-The-Go)
-Moondrop Aria
-Status Audio CB-1
-Tripowin TC-01
-Soundcore Life Q30 (Wired mode, balanced EQ)

I decided to try this adapter because I saw many people praising it, even though it's not originally designed for Android. So, lo and behold:

My first impression when I got the box was that the unit was nicely packaged. I confirmed when I unboxed the unit. Having the unit in my hands was quite bizarre, since the USB-C male port and the 3.5mm female jack feel quite nice, with glossy plastic. On the other hand, the cable itself feels flimsy and like it'll break if I'm a little rough with the unit.

Connecting it to my Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G and without using any app, I get a good amount of volume, not enough for some, but okay enough to listen to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, or any other music streaming service you prefer in a nice, quiet environment. Again, go for the Samsung USB-C Headset Jack Adapter if you want to make your ears bleed.

If you really want to make this adapter shine, use USB Audio Player Pro, HiBy Music, Neutron Music, or another Android music player app that bypasses Android's sound source. It can get plenty loud with minimal distortion if you have some good earphones, earbuds, in-ear monitors, or headphones. You can also use 16/24bit and 44.1/48kHz (with USB Audio Player Pro you can get bit-perfect sound output as long as you have files with those bit rates and resolutions. Anything else will be resampled).

The sound is quite clean and neutral/flat. Don't expect a huge bass, but a tight, detailed one. The mids are upfront and you'll be in a little heaven if you listen to some vocal-driven music. The high frequencies aren't harsh or piercing. They do feel good enough without being super detailed. I'd say that the sound from this unit is definitely enjoyable; a little bit analytical but not bright, and you can definitely appreciate any music genre you throw at it.

The instrument separation is very good, not amazing but very good. Imaging is quite okay, above your phone for sure. The soundstage feels not so wide, but it still feels a little open.

There's no perceptible hiss, which is something great, compared to the Samsung USB-C Headset Jack Adapter. The latter one has a quite noticeable background noise.

And now, the reason I give it five stars: $8.28. That's how much I paid for such a nice Dongle-DAC. There are other options out there, like the Xumee USB-C to 3.5 mm Adapter and the CX31993, but they're around $13.00 and $16.00 respectively. For $9.00 approx., this is an easy recommendation for any music lover and starter audiophile who uses Android (especially if you listen to well-produced music).