mayhem13 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 This seems like it would make for a nice core player for seconday and possibly primary systems http://www.microcenter.com/product/440932/TW802_Tablet_-_Black Didn't pick one up yet but has all the goodies needed including full size USB port and microSD slot. Youtube research confirms it works with 128GB cards although the specs say 32 max. Full windows OS and attached to a USB DAC might be an very affordable playback device.....no fan, keyboard, monitor,etc.....just simply load an SD card of your favorites and enjoy. My thoughts would be a custom chassis mount including cabling and USB DAC with table top mounting to sit on a bookshelf in my study or in wall in the bathroom maybe. Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 This seems like it would make for a nice core player for seconday and possibly primary systems http://www.microcenter.com/product/440932/TW802_Tablet_-_Black Didn't pick one up yet but has all the goodies needed including full size USB port and microSD slot. Youtube research confirms it works with 128GB cards although the specs say 32 max. Full windows OS and attached to a USB DAC might be an very affordable playback device.....no fan, keyboard, monitor,etc.....just simply load an SD card of your favorites and enjoy. My thoughts would be a custom chassis mount including cabling and USB DAC with table top mounting to sit on a bookshelf in my study or in wall in the bathroom maybe. Running TIDAL HIFI or pulling the rest of your collection from a NAS could be neat as well. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Do you know if it charges through the standard USB port? I also wonder if it can output the required power for a USB DAC. Now I want to go pick one up! Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Has an additional micro USB for charging. There's also a 10.1" version with 32gb built in flash for $179.00. Am i wrong for thinking no moving parts and battery power might equal better SQ via USB? Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Has an additional micro USB for charging. There's also a 10.1" version with 32gb built in flash for $179.00. Am i wrong for thinking no moving parts and battery power might equal better SQ via USB? You never know. Batteries can be both good and bad depending on the implementation. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 True......searching for a low noise USB powered hub now. Basic apple USB PSU is measured 80mV while $20 Belkin unit measured 4mV under load.....not bad but i bet there's better out there for not much coin. I'm going to pick up the 8" version today after work myself. In wall installation in the master bath instead of dragging my ipad in for a steam bath! Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 True......searching for a low noise USB powered hub now. Basic apple USB PSU is measured 80mV while $20 Belkin unit measured 4mV under load.....not bad but i bet there's better out there for not much coin. I'm going to pick up the 8" version today after work myself. In wall installation in the master bath instead of dragging my ipad in for a steam bath! The ability to leave it charging via micro USB and leave the USB DAC plugged in is really appealing. I don't know what I'm holding back for. Micro center is about 10 minutes from my house :~) Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
rodrigaj Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 One of the reviews mentioned WiFi problems. No confirmation from anyone else, but this reviewer did say that the service center confirmed a known problem. I'm assuming you would be able to load jRiver MC on to this device and use that as the controller/playback device connected through the USB port right at your main system. Correct? "The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought", Sir Thomas Beecham. Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I'm assuming you would be able to load jRiver MC on to this device and use that as the controller/playback device connected through the USB port right at your main system. Correct? Yes. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 I'll have to research the wifi issues. I watched some third party reviews on YouTube instead that were all pretty positive. Link to comment
Rexp Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Interested to know how it sounds with Tidal, the tablet would be the perfect device for Tidal but so far I've only tried ipad which sounds poor compared to iphone... True......searching for a low noise USB powered hub now. Basic apple USB PSU is measured 80mV while $20 Belkin unit measured 4mV under load.....not bad but i bet there's better out there for not much coin. I'm going to pick up the 8" version today after work myself. In wall installation in the master bath instead of dragging my ipad in for a steam bath! Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Didn't make it in time......GSP traffic through Newark was horrendous! Will try Monday after some major spring boat maintanence. Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Found my boat bilge filled with a giant slab of ice and all my plumbing broken to pieces so needless to say, electronics purchases and available time are not high on the priority list! Link to comment
kwadcore Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I gave the WinBook TW801 a try as a JRMC Server. I believe the only difference between the two tablets was my unit had a full size USB3 port. I used the USB3 port with a small hub to support a Seagate USB3 hard drive (JRMC library) and Dragonfly DAC. I kept the tablet attached to its AC adapter the whole time. The goal was to see how it fared in 24x7 operation. For my testing I created a large playlist and set it to repeat. There was little CPU/Memory loading of the tablet while both playing and serving remote clients. That said the tablet has deficiencies. The unit would power down the USB3 disk drive and go to sleep after a period of time. The Dragonfly was not lit so it appeared asleep too. Hitting the touch screen would power up the USB drive and music would resume with a stutter that could not be resolved. Rebooting and restarting always ended the same way. I went to the device driver screens for the USB ports and unchecked the boxes that allowed the device to turn of the ports when it is trying to conserve power. No change, the USB drive and Dragonfly disconnected. Next I tried the Control Panel Power Options. I set the device to "Never Go to Sleep" while plugged in. I also wanted the display to off after 10 minutes so that it would conserve power. Again it would turn off or put the USB drive and Dragonfly to sleep. Also the display never shut off. As a lark I invoked the screen saver and selected a blank screen (Black) and set it for 10 minutes. It did blank the screen but you could see the LED back lighting all around the edges. I even spoke to 2nd level Seagate support and they stated their firmware never puts a unit into sleep mode. I like this little tablet but there appear to be no Power Management under Windows control. They could have rushed it to market and its Power Management is all hardwired within the BIOS. Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Thanks for the input Kwad. I was concerned about powering multiple devices via USB too and was leaning more towards network file streaming and micro SD to eliminate the chance of excessive draw. Link to comment
wisnon Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I am going to get the TW801 too. Compared to the 802, its nearly identical, except the USB port is USB3 not USB2. The 802 has a slightly different Atom processor, but the rating is the same... Link to comment
kwadcore Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Another caveat regarding the TW801. It's USB3 port does not automatically (Auto Play) see device insertion/removal. Therefore it will not load appropriate drivers for unique devices. It does recognize my Flash stick and my antivirus pops up and asks me if I want to scan the stick. File explorer sees the device and sizes it correctly. But "Safely remove hardware and eject media" on the task bar has no knowledge of the device. The shared charging/microUSB2 port works as expected. I found that plugging a unique USB device into the USB2 port first would auto load needed drivers. Then remove and re-plug into USB3 and it will operate. While these Win8.1 tablets are nicely priced it does feel like one is putting their dollars into a half-baked product... Link to comment
rodrigaj Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Another caveat regarding the TW801. It's USB3 port does not automatically (Auto Play) see device insertion/removal. Therefore it will not load appropriate drivers for unique devices. It does recognize my Flash stick and my antivirus pops up and asks me if I want to scan the stick. File explorer sees the device and sizes it correctly. But "Safely remove hardware and eject media" on the task bar has no knowledge of the device. The shared charging/microUSB2 port works as expected. I found that plugging a unique USB device into the USB2 port first would auto load needed drivers. Then remove and re-plug into USB3 and it will operate. While these Win8.1 tablets are nicely priced it does feel like one is putting their dollars into a half-baked product... ....like Zune... "The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought", Sir Thomas Beecham. Link to comment
Hanuman22 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 It will be interesting to hear a TIDAL stream thru the new Sony Xperia Z4 tablet coming out in June this year,,supposedly capable of some hi-res playback. Could be a nice low cost hi res option? 1.AsusROG750SSD/JRiver22>LightHarmonics-LightspeedUSB> PSAudioDSD+Huron/AnalysisPlus PowerOval10+ AnalysisPlus Solo Crystal In's >PASS Labs HPA-1 headphone amp-AnalysisPlus UltimatePowerCord/BlackDragonV2-AudezeLCD-X Link to comment
mayhem13 Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 It will be interesting to hear a TIDAL stream thru the new Sony Xperia Z4 tablet coming out in June this year,,supposedly capable of some hi-res playback. Could be a nice low cost hi res option? The current one is DSD capable i believe, yes? Link to comment
Hanuman22 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Yes, the Z3 is DSD ready, but the Z4 should give us an idea of Sony's hi res embrace. I can see a tablet running TIDAL with a mid range headset as a very viable idea for on the go. Here are the full Xperia Z4 Tablet specifications: Android 5.0 Lollipop 10.1in IPS Triluminos screen, 2560x1600, 300ppi, 500cd/m2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 64-bit 3GB RAM 32GB internal storage, microSD card slot (up to 128GB) 8.1Mp rear camera with Exmor RS 5.1Mp wide angle front camera MHL 3.0 Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac NFC Bluetooth 4.1 Nano-SIM (LTE model) 6000 mAh battery 254 x 167 x 6.1 mm 392g (Wi-Fi), 396g (LTE) Black, white 1.AsusROG750SSD/JRiver22>LightHarmonics-LightspeedUSB> PSAudioDSD+Huron/AnalysisPlus PowerOval10+ AnalysisPlus Solo Crystal In's >PASS Labs HPA-1 headphone amp-AnalysisPlus UltimatePowerCord/BlackDragonV2-AudezeLCD-X Link to comment
burnspbesq Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 If you're going to stream Tidal on a mobile device, I would suggest you either connect via WiFi or carefully control your on-the-go usage, lest you get a very unpleasant surprise in your next cell phone bill. Office: MacBook Pro - Audirvana Plus - Resonessence Concero - Cavailli Liquid Carbon - Sennheiser HD 800. Travel/Portable: iPhone 7 or iPad Pro - AudioQuest Dragonfly Red - Audeze SINE or Noble Savant Link to comment
Animaniac Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 PoE/USB/LAN Hubs & Adapters for Samsung Tablets | LAVA: The Source for Ports - Serial Port Experts Lava offers this ethernet bridge for Samsung TAB 4, S and Pro. I'm between systems and might get adventurous enough to try it. The PoE version (power over ethernet) makes me wonder if it can be powered by the 2 x FMC optical bridge . . . http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f22-networking-networked-audio-and-streaming/network-isolation-4265/index15.html. Cool stuff. Link to comment
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