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SB Touch...buh bye. Hello Android Media Box...

OK folks, here we go:

MINIX NEO X5 RK3066 Dual Core Cortex A9 TV Box

RK3066 Datasheet (PDF download)

Just got one of these $99 Android boxes from a US retailer yesterday. Prior to ordering, I had been researching the device a bit and it turns out it is fairly well supported on
Facebook and its own forum. Over the weekend, I scoured the forum and armed myself with
firmware updates, rooting instructions and a few other specific apps in anticipation of receiving it.

Anyhow, within a few hours of opening the box I had the device rooted, with the latest Jelly Bean firmware installed and my Google Play account details set. Basically at this point, I had just turned my 46" LED TV screen into an Android tablet that I was now controlling with my Android phone via the vendor's free remote client app. I installed a number of well known streaming apps and then plugged the unit into my trusty Sony EP9ES via the available TOSLINK port on the MINIX. To my surprise, it sounded very good! As good as I've heard streamed content to be through my SB Touch anyways.

Now it was time to try some of my lossless flac files. I haven't bought into the high rez game yet, however I do have a substantial collection of redbook audio ripped. I had heard that a beta version of XBMC had recently been released for Android, so I decided to install this app to access the audio files on my network drive as I could see that it (XBMC) supported my preferred format and gapless playback. Prior to proceeding, I wanted to check out one other thing. The MINIX device has (3) USB 2.0 ports, but I could not confirm that the device in fact supported USB Audio. For giggles, I pulled out my Valab DAC and plugged it into the USB port. The USB light lit up on the DAC, so I patched it into my GFP-750 and selected it as the source. I then launched the XBMC app, found my network drive and selected a flac file to play. I almost sh*t myself when I saw the USB light flicker on the Valab and then heard the sound that was coming through my speakers! Plug and play USB audio support - no drivers, no snap crackle pop, no dropouts. Wow. The sound was absolutely fantastic. What a great way to consolidate my favorite streaming apps and have my ripped collection just a click away as well. All controlled remotely from the comfort of my easy chair and viewed on my big screen TV. I AM Slothman!

In summary, this was all an exercise in music listening convenience for me and obviously NOT an audiophile quest. However, I do believe that devices such as these and the applications being developed are on the verge of further revolutionizing this hobby in a big way soon. After my initial experience with this (basic) media box, I can certainly see why Logitech decided to kick the SB Touch to the curb. I hope this thread may spark a little more discussion and interest in these Android media boxes/ mini PC's. I haven't seen much mentioned about them here or on computeraudiophile.
slothman
slothman OP
311 posts
 
Binkleyc, I did what you asked and it was dead silent.

Lindstad, I'm not familiar with Mac gear at all, unfortunately. Perhaps you can find the specifics of this I/O on the Mac and compare it to what is detailed in the Datasheet linked above? A lot of it is Greek to me.

Mapman, I think the majority of these devices attempt to do a lot of things, just not one particular thing very well. The beauty of Android is that the majority of these streaming apps are well supported and feature rich in comparison to the other stand alone boxes that have shoehorned apps running on proprietary firmware. Also, you have the opportunity to reuse applications that you have already invested in. There's a lot of gear out there that is just starting to happen. I'm sure we will see a lot more based on response to CES.

Here's something neat. Apparently it may be possible on this MINIX device and similar ones to dual boot a trimmed down Linux OS and perhaps increase it's versatility further. Check out this link.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
Hmm, I wonder which OS sounds better, Linux or Android? :-)

PErsonally I don't think it matters so much as that the whole concept is implemented well.
daverz
487 posts
 
Can the Android box do 24/96? Also, can you create your own menus like Custom Browse?
binkleyc
9 posts
 
Awesome. The problem with Mac Minis and DIY servers is it is very hard to limit electrical noise. In my experience something bleeds somewhere. For instance, I read the Computer Audiophile guy is experimenting with using batteries for his server, as this eliminates any EMI generated by the power supply and totally avoids the issue of ground loops. Ground loops are awful and very hard to troubleshoot.

Android is not officially compatible with USB audio yet, but some manufacturers are implementing it. I know the Galaxy S3 works with some, but not all, for instance.

Ideally, one would like it to do video better, but honestly, I have a high-powered graphics card for gaming, and if you're an audiophile, you probably want the lowest voltage, lowest clock rate possible. I do not believe digital audio is affected by components unless there is a ground loop or other EMI bleed through. Once the PCM data gets to the DAC, there should be no difference whether that DAC is hooked up to a Mac, a PC, or any other device AS FAR AS DIGITAL INFORMATION IS CONCERNED. However, if the components are passing enough current, there is always a chance the analog portion of the DAC may pick up that current if not shielded properly, amplify it, and make that noise audible.

Ie., you just want well-shielded cables and components. No USB cable or optical cable will ever, ever change the sound itself (or imaging, the sweetness of the midrange, or whatever audiophile descriptive word you want). The type of computer doing the processing does not matter either. All the computer is doing is decoding and transporting digital information. Cables and computer parts will only allow or disallow analog electric noise. I will admit some may perceive this as changing the sound (it does, but only in the most literal sense - there's some noise.)

Oh also - I did look at the changelogs for XMBC (which I use) and they do now allow WASAPI output, bypassing the Windows mixer. So there should be no difference in the digital output of XMBC, Foobar or one of the pricey "audiophile" programs. I would like to see this tested though, I'm not sure how one would go about it. ie., grab the PCM stream on the USB or light-pipe and compare the outputs of the different software unless the software is doing something to it (like using a software EQ or what have you.) There should be no differences.
cruz123
586 posts
 
In summary, this was all an exercise in music listening convenience for me and obviously NOT an audiophile quest. However, I do believe that devices such as these and the applications being developed are on the verge of further revolutionizing this hobby in a big way soon. After my initial experience with this (basic) media box, I can certainly see why Logitech decided to kick the SB Touch to the curb.

Since you don't have hi-rez files, I'm not sure this device is better than a Sonos device for convenience, though it is less expensive. I don't think it was these niche devices that scared off Logitech, but rather devices like Sonos that already have a decent market share and that work better and more intuitively that Squeezebox ever thought about...
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