Has anyone used USB audio yet?

[Elanzer]

Just wondering if anyone has used the Pandora's USB port for USB audio yet, to hook it up to DACs/stereo systems and/or USB headsets.


If so, does USB automatically take over and release when used, or is some fiddling required to swap it back and forth?

 

[wardred]

Typically a USB audio device - or a bluetooth one - shows up as a new sound card. So there's some monkeying around to make the OS and / or apps use that sound card rather than the built in one.

 

[Eridger]

It shouldn't be too difficult though, right? I think the Pandora uses ALSA. Good choice. I'm pretty sure it's fairly light. Almost universally supported by linux games and applications, even the old ones if an OSS wrapper is available. Best of all, it's pretty damn easy to configure. Pulseaudio is a massive pain, but ALSA can be configured by something as simple as editing a config file or using asoundconf.


Typically.... Not sure if the ALSA system packaged with the Pandora is unusual or special at all. Hopefully not.


While we're talking about this, does the audio driver support a global EQ? For a lot of integrated cards I've used the ability to change any sort of equalizer settings with ALSA itself is totally missing. I have to use programs that have an EQ included. It's a real pain to have to use things like that.

 

[wardred]

It shouldn't be too difficult though, right?

It...depends. Even Alsa is pretty much expecting your "sound card" to stick around. So if you're unplugging and plugging your USB/Bluetooth stuff all the time applicaitons can get confused about which sound device they're supposed to use. It's a bit different than having a headset where it's the sound card itself re-directing the sound.


Generally I've found it's best to plug the device you want to use in - or turn it on / synch it with Bluetooth - make sure it's the default sound device for input our output depending on what it is, then make sure Alsa is using it as the default sound application before launching whichever application it is you want to use. It'd be nice if more applications acknowledged that "sound cards" can disappear and re-appear now that bluetooth and usb audio is more common. Most of them still seem to think of a sound card or sound device as a permanent piece of hardware, though that's improving.


Usually the setup of a couple scripts helps.

 

[mahousaru]

Pulseaudio is a massive pain, but ALSA can be configured by something as simple as editing a config file or using asoundconf.

I've been loving PA recently, especially on my N900. If they could just lower the overhead then I would be even more happy.


The server client arch is great for mobile devices as it lets me play sound from my phone on my PC, or vice versa!

 

[GuSec]

Hi there!


I can't get it to work. I recently received my FiiO E17. First, my Pandora can't discover it without a hub (I guess it's 1.0/1.1) but with a hub, it appears in the mixer dialog. In the mixer settings I change the "Sound card" from "omap3pandora (Alsa mixer)" to "FiiO USB DAC-E17 (Alsa mixer)" and activate the PCM volume control (it's not muted).


But even though it is selected, the audio is still playing through the Pandora speakers and headphone (when plugged in). Reboots and unplugging/replugging doesen't help. What could be wrong? How do I troubleshoot this?


(snb_usb_audio is visible in lsmod)

 

[Grench]

Is there a chance that the job you're trying to do could be done with this instead?


http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021817&p_id=9768&seq=1&format=2

 

[Linux-SWAT]

Most application has it's own "soundcard chooser".


Which appli are you using ?


As i think the Pandora's soundcard driver is compiled inside the kernel, i may be tricky to make yours as the real default.

 

[TrashyMG]

I have a USB sound card dongle that came with my Sennheiser Headset.. I've got it to run fine with the Pandora.. Although I specifically called out that audio device in the application.. I haven't made any attempts of making it the default device.

 

[vandyswa]

Just wondering if anyone has used the Pandora's USB port for USB audio yet, to hook it up to DACs/stereo systems and/or USB headsets.


If so, does USB automatically take over and release when used, or is some fiddling required to swap it back and forth?

Yes, I got my external USB DAC to work with my Pandora with mplayer. I think I did it by setting the mplayer config file to point at the emulated OSS device, though. I have since brought the old asoundconf utility across, so I assume I could switch default devices at the ALSA level if needed. Let me know, and I can plug in the DAC this weekend, verify that asoundconf can switch the system default to it (and back!). If it all works, I can also post a copy of asoundconf here too (it's a Python script).


Andy

 

[Hooka]

I haven't hooked my usb audio system to my pandora in quite awhile (due to it being my main computer audio out atm), but I remember that it was only one or two music players that I managed to get working with it (I'm not too smart when it comes to linux audio stuff). The majority of software just ignored it and I had problems trying to set alsa to use it as the default audio device... can't remember exactly what I was trying (this was back in 2010), so sorry that I don't have a definitive answer for you... I've been debating picking up a cheap usb fm transmitter online and giving it another go as I managed to "bust the pandora's headphone jack hymen" so to speak and after resoldering the jack so that atleast I was getting audio out of the internal speakers again I don't want to bother with using speakers with it... Now if I had a tv-out cable this would probably be a different issue, I could use my pandora with my projector, hook up the usb audio hub and hook a keyboard and mouse up to it and it could be the PC and my PC could trip and fall down the stairs, it's already on it's last leg anyways

 

[GuSec]

Most application has it's own "soundcard chooser".


Which appli are you using ?


As i think the Pandora's soundcard driver is compiled inside the kernel, i may be tricky to make yours as the real default.

I'm using Audacious mostly, but no other applications work either. I can't point Audacious to the DAC, it generates errors and is unplayable.

Yes, I got my external USB DAC to work with my Pandora with mplayer. I think I did it by setting the mplayer config file to point at the emulated OSS device, though. I have since brought the old asoundconf utility across, so I assume I could switch default devices at the ALSA level if needed. Let me know, and I can plug in the DAC this weekend, verify that asoundconf can switch the system default to it (and back!). If it all works, I can also post a copy of asoundconf here too (it's a Python script).


Andy

Great news! I'm very interesting in getting the asoundconf utility. Let me know what you find out, it would be great to be able to use the DAC as the default audio output device.


EDIT: I got FiiO E17 + Pandora + Audacious to work, by simply setting the bit depth to 16 bit instead of 24 bit and manually selecting the output device and mixer in Audacious. Simple error! Now I want it set as a default device so all output works seamlessly, regardless of program.

 

[ibisum]

I'm coming late to this thread, but yeah .. USB-Audio is almost plug and play on the Pandora. The apps just need to be coached into compliance, occasionally in obscure ways. Linux USB Audio is class compliant - in fact, its a fair implementation of the Class (Audio) spec. But making sure some no-name brand 'compliant' devices works, sometimes, can be a little dodgy.


EDIT: Just wanted to add that I also use USB-MIDI class-compliant drivers with ease.