A Question For Craigix Or Mweston


Pandora does not have a line input. The ADC inside the OMAP parts is an FM grade recorder which is what all of these new chips have (even the i.MX31 chipset). They are not designed for pro audio or anything even close!

I am into digital recording and mixing myself (with my musical background) and I envisioned connecting a USB device (powered completely by Pandora) that had full XLR's and maybe guitar preamps right inside of it. Maybe we can get drivers made for M-Audio or Digidesign hardware. How awesome would that be?!!!!!!
 
MWeston said:
Pandora does not have a line input. The ADC inside the OMAP parts is an FM grade recorder which is what all of these new chips have (even the i.MX31 chipset). They are not designed for pro audio or anything even close!

I am into digital recording and mixing myself (with my musical background) and I envisioned connecting a USB device (powered completely by Pandora) that had full XLR's and maybe guitar preamps right inside of it. Maybe we can get drivers made for M-Audio or Digidesign hardware. How awesome would that be?!!!!!!

!!!!

that would be AWESOME! oh man too bad I cant code at all... maybe you could make these drivers possible? what you are saying sounds amazing. hope the pandora can be an awesome gaming machine plus a musicians best friend B) that would be sweeeet.
 
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And it isn't even far fetched as for example the M-Audio Fast Track (/Pro) works under linux with ALSA and JACK which both _should_ work under ARM just as well as under x86.
So, I say it is absolutely possible =)
 
I would like to hook into the pandora a smaller dac like the headamp pico or something. its about the size of a credit card (thickness isnt too bad either) and also features a very powerful amplifier. could tape or velcro the pico to the bottom then hook into the usb port and carry it along easily.

M2966.jpg

usb port is in the back ;)
 
While we're talking about stuff like this, I'd like to inquire about the quality of the default headphone out. Can you say anything about how it's going to compare to the headphone out of, let's say, the 5th gen iPod? I assume there won't be a line out that bypasses the internal amp, so I could use my own?

I'm currently using a 2nd gen iPod nano with a self-made silver line-out cable, a small portable amp and Grado SR60/KSC75 and if I could achieve a similiar sound quality with this thing, I wouldn't mind ditching my current setup.

Of course I could attach a DAC to the usb-port and an amp to it (or use an amp that has DAC integrated on it, like aphexpusher suggested), but that might be a little bit cumbersome :)

I do undestand if getting a high quality audio out of the device isn't a very high priority, though.
 
MacAnkka said:
While we're talking about stuff like this, I'd like to inquire about the quality of the default headphone out. Can you say anything about how it's going to compare to the headphone out of, let's say, the 5th gen iPod? I assume there won't be a line out that bypasses the internal amp, so I could use my own?

I'm currently using a 2nd gen iPod nano with a self-made silver line-out cable, a small portable amp and Grado SR60/KSC75 and if I could achieve a similiar sound quality with this thing, I wouldn't mind ditching my current setup.

Of course I could attach a DAC to the usb-port and an amp to it (or use an amp that has DAC integrated on it, like aphexpusher suggested), but that might be a little bit cumbersome :)

I do undestand if getting a high quality audio out of the device isn't a very high priority, though.
Actually quality audio was a priority. Pandora has the capability to reproduce so much more than 8-bit NES music. :)

Here are some specs:

- 99dB Signal to Noise Ratio
- 99dB dynamic range
- 150mW per channel into 16 ohms, THD no more than 0.1% at full power
- .005% THD into 10K ohm line level loads
- 95dB channel separation
- audio circuitry is filtered and driven on separate power supplies for noise isolation from digital circuitry


EDIT: By the way, I don't own an iPod and never will so I can't make that comparison for you :)
 
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Thrilled to hear all this :)

Now my buying one will just hang on how much/good music software we can get ported to or written for it.
everything crossed.
 
MWeston said:
Actually quality audio was a priority. Pandora has the capability to reproduce so much more than 8-bit NES music. :)

Here are some specs:

- 99dB SNR
- 150mW per channel into 16 ohms, THD no more than 0.1% at full power
- .005% THD into 10K ohm line level loads
- 95dB channel separation
- audio circuitry is filtered and driven on separate power supplies for noise isolation from digital circuitry
Nice! This thing just gets better and better! Those specs sure sound quite nice, almost too good to be true. Of course there is more to the sound than just the specs, but if you can keep your promises, I'll seriously have to consider buying this thing when it is released.

I've been thinking about buying the Nokia N800 for lightweight portable wifi-surfing and all kinds of other geekery, but I also would like to have something like the GP2X for portable gaming, so you can imagine why this thing caught my attention. If this can also replace my music player, I'd be in heaven! :D

I'll seriously have to keep my eyes on this thing.

Thanks!
 
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MWeston said:
MacAnkka said:
While we're talking about stuff like this, I'd like to inquire about the quality of the default headphone out. Can you say anything about how it's going to compare to the headphone out of, let's say, the 5th gen iPod? I assume there won't be a line out that bypasses the internal amp, so I could use my own?

I'm currently using a 2nd gen iPod nano with a self-made silver line-out cable, a small portable amp and Grado SR60/KSC75 and if I could achieve a similiar sound quality with this thing, I wouldn't mind ditching my current setup.

Of course I could attach a DAC to the usb-port and an amp to it (or use an amp that has DAC integrated on it, like aphexpusher suggested), but that might be a little bit cumbersome :)

I do undestand if getting a high quality audio out of the device isn't a very high priority, though.
Actually quality audio was a priority. Pandora has the capability to reproduce so much more than 8-bit NES music. :)

Here are some specs:

- 99dB Signal to Noise Ratio
- 99dB dynamic range
- 150mW per channel into 16 ohms, THD no more than 0.1% at full power
- .005% THD into 10K ohm line level loads
- 95dB channel separation
- audio circuitry is filtered and driven on separate power supplies for noise isolation from digital circuitry


EDIT: By the way, I don't own an iPod and never will so I can't make that comparison for you :)

I don't understand much of this Audio profi tech speak but it sounds cool.
So is it possible, that the Pandora's Sound/MUSIC Quality is better than the (poor) GP2X Music Quality? (I have very good Ear phones but even with them, on the GP2X near every Song sounds horrible. To many "ZZZZZ" and "SHHHH", just every instrument sounds "wrong" somehow, especially cymbals. ^^"
 
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whiskthecat said:
fusion_power said:
To many "ZZZZZ" and "SHHHH"
My 2x also has a lot of noise in the background.


My old one did. My replacement is fairly clean, though it may develop some noise as time goes one. I think I lost a resistor inside though which was also messing with the battery life - seeing as my old one lasted for ~1hr and my replacement is ~4-5hrs, this seems likely

So if your GP2x is making horrible noises on the headphone output and devouring your batteries, then it's possible there's actually something wrong with it. Just not quite sure what...

On Topic: Don't know what those specs mean, except the one about running on a separate circuit to minimize noise. My PC mobos don't even do that - very nice :D.
 
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Tobriand said:
whiskthecat said:
fusion_power said:
To many "ZZZZZ" and "SHHHH"
My 2x also has a lot of noise in the background.


My old one did. My replacement is fairly clean, though it may develop some noise as time goes one. I think I lost a resistor inside though which was also messing with the battery life - seeing as my old one lasted for ~1hr and my replacement is ~4-5hrs, this seems likely

So if your GP2x is making horrible noises on the headphone output and devouring your batteries, then it's possible there's actually something wrong with it. Just not quite sure what...

On Topic: Don't know what those specs mean, except the one about running on a separate circuit to minimize noise. My PC mobos don't even do that - very nice :D.


No, not a background sound. I meant the Instruments, The voices... Often when a "S" in a word was sung, it souds like SSSSSSSSSSSSS or ZZZZZ, Cymbals don't sound like Cymbals but like a Tambourine. Such stuff.

I'm sure, the Pandora will have a good clear Sound, at least better than the GP2X Sound Quality. :)
 
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fusion_power said:
So is it possible, that the Pandora's Sound/MUSIC Quality is better than the (poor) GP2X Music Quality?
Oh hell yes! The GP2X sounds absolutely terrible! I don't know if it's just the one Craig sent me (an MK1 F100) or if they are all like that, but I can't stand using the MP3 player for more than a few minutes. It just sounds awful! It's strange because it uses a Wolfson Micro DAC which is what all those iPod's have. It's just further proof that good design and layout are as important as the components chosen, I guess.
 
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MWeston said:
fusion_power said:
So is it possible, that the Pandora's Sound/MUSIC Quality is better than the (poor) GP2X Music Quality?
Oh hell yes! The GP2X sounds absolutely terrible! I don't know if it's just the one Craig sent me (an MK1 F100) or if they are all like that, but I can't stand using the MP3 player for more than a few minutes. It just sounds awful! It's strange because it uses a Wolfson Micro DAC which is what all those iPod's have. It's just further proof that good design and layout are as important as the components chosen, I guess.

Ha!, so I'm not the only one who noticed the bad Music quality at the GP2X. I have a F100 to. :)
I had tested the SAME Music Files on my PC and with the same earphones, I have the Creative EP630 ( these ones ) and at the PC everything sounds OK, so the Audio Files are 100% OK. But with the GP2X everything is messed up somehow. Maybe because I can hear minimal differences in Music Quality (I'm son of a musician) Maybe because I'm prefer "big", Orchestral Music from Queen, Supertramp, Mike Oldfield etc... But I hear a difference.
It shouldn't be to hard to make better Sound Quality compared to the GP2X. Everything is better. :D
 
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fusion_power said:
Maybe because I'm prefer "big", Orchestral Music from Queen, Supertramp, Mike Oldfield etc... But I hear a difference.
Ah, I suspect that may be why I can get by - the only thing I've used my 2x as an MP3 player for is tango music (well, occasionally for accoustic folk), and even then, I'm either using the speakers in emergencies (so the sound is predicatble tinny), or using the 2x on a bus or plane where there's so much background noise anyway that it's hard to hear in the first place, let alone hear subtle differences.

Tango music is only a few instruments, which seems to help, and a lot of it is from very old bad quality recordings anyway, so additional degradation is not so noticable.

I'm fairly musical myself, though possibly not quite so much as you; tend to be a classical/romantic person though, with asides for dance music for swing and tango, and some jazz.

You're right that the 2x is certainly not optimal for listening, though. Yet another of its downfalls...
 
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The speakers make for good entertainment when your 100's of miles from civilization and you and your buds crowd around to hear some tunes in the complete silence and darkness of a deserted beach. Ahhh Costa Rica, great place. :rolleyes:
 
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