Usb-sound And General Driver Question

[mcobit]

I have a usb-soundcard and it works out of the box in debian and windose.

Will there be all the drivers in the kernel that are in the standard linux kernel or will there be a stripped down system with only the nessessary drivers for the pandora hardware and everything else will be self-compiled and installed?

 

[ShyGuy]

I imagine it will be stripped down to some extent. I just checked, and my Ubuntu kernel came with 115 MB in supporting modules/misc files. Ouch.

 

[sindbad]

It should be possible to have those as loadable kernel modules, but there may be other kernel options they depend on.

 

[kloplop321]

but why would you want a USB soundcard when you have one made for the hardware? plus the USB one would take some power as well, meaning slightly less power time

 

[mcobit]

QUOTE
but why would you want a USB soundcard when you have one made for the hardware



I want a USB soundcard because I am a Dj and the pandora could be a perfect system for some audio effects or to play mp3 or wav files. Or as a sample player.
But to get the best sound with no noise or other effects that can occour when so many electronics are squeezed in such a little shell, a external soundcard with linear sound output would be better.

On my old notebook i didnÄ't notice any sound disadvantages till i hooked it up to a massive PA.
Then there was a crackeling noise and sounds when i pushed the mouse buttons or loaded a cd.

This just won't happen with a external sound-device.

 

[sdedalus83]

I seriously doubt support for usb audio devices will be left out of the standard kernel. AFAIK, the justification for not having a line in was that there are some very good USB sound cards out there, and there's no way internal recording could ever approach the quality level of a good external ADC.

Kloplop321: Are you serious? The Pandora is the perfect mobile digital transport! Check out headphone.com. They have a whole line of awesome DACs, all of which have USB input. There are also plenty of DIY USB to I2S interface projects for those who want to build their own DAC, along with many battery powered DAC projects, some of which are actually portable .
There's just no way a low power DAC or CODEC, intended for mobile devices, could approach the quality of a decent, self powered external DAC.

 

[PolloLoco]

All that said, you might want to try the Pandora's audio quality first, before using the USB DAC. Definitely before buying one in the hopes it'll work.

I have high hopes for the sound quality - since the Pandora features a Ray Burr DAC, though we don't know which one. Also, audio line out was a late addition.

So I'm looking forward to it as a superdap for plugging my headphones directly into - or plugging the Pandora into a portable amp.

 

[Nobax]

QUOTE
I have high hopes for the sound quality - since the Pandora features a Ray Burr DAC, though we don't know which one. Also, audio line out was a late addition.


Ray Burr ?

That's Burr Brown I bet. Anyway, it'll be good enough for most/all applications the Pandora is designed for.
Although I definitely would laugh when I could hook the Pandora up with my, 4 times bigger then a Pandora, E-MU 0404 USB .

 

[PolloLoco]

Awww crap, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking. Burr Brown of course.

 

[sdedalus83]

All that said, you might want to try the Pandora's audio quality first, before using the USB DAC. Definitely before buying one in the hopes it'll work.

I have high hopes for the sound quality - since the Pandora features a Ray Burr DAC, though we don't know which one. Also, audio line out was a late addition.

You mean Burr Brown. Their high end products are great, and they've even got a pretty good usb DAC in the PCM26xx series, but their very low power products, like the PCM177x(the only 24/48 dac in the entire BB lineup) and TLV320, are just as limited as every other manufacturer's low power CODECs and DACs. Don't expect anything beyond typical PMP audio quality. Excessive hype can be just as damning as faint praise.

 

[DJWillis]

I have a usb-soundcard and it works out of the box in debian and windose.

Will there be all the drivers in the kernel that are in the standard linux kernel or will there be a stripped down system with only the nessessary drivers for the pandora hardware and everything else will be self-compiled and installed?

Space and kernel size are an issue but at the moment USB sound cards are supported by a module (and looking at the one that was connected to my Pandora they seem to work well enough).

I can't foresee any reason the shipping firmware will not have USB audio modules.

 

[PolloLoco]

All that said, you might want to try the Pandora's audio quality first, before using the USB DAC. Definitely before buying one in the hopes it'll work.

I have high hopes for the sound quality - since the Pandora features a Ray Burr DAC, though we don't know which one. Also, audio line out was a late addition.

You mean Burr Brown. Their high end products are great, and they've even got a pretty good usb DAC in the PCM26xx series, but their very low power products, like the PCM177x(the only 24/48 dac in the entire BB lineup) and TLV320, are just as limited as every other manufacturer's low power CODECs and DACs. Don't expect anything beyond typical PMP audio quality. Excessive hype can be just as damning as faint praise.


Actually - I had already been corrected and admitted my mistake. I must have been distracted when I typed.

Expecting high level PMP audio quality is NOT excessive hype. That's actually what most of us are expecting, since due to the Pandora's form factor - comparison to a PMP's audio quality only makes sense. Some PMP's are touted as having audiophile level quality - so I'm not taking your comment as derogatory.

When comparing to a PMP, after extensive research, I know of no products that have:

Expandable/Upgradeable memory, Touchscreen interface, Album Art, Bluetooth A2DP, Line Out, 30+ hours of battery life

The new Cowon's come close but still fall short.

It seems you're trying to use a USB DAC to satisfy requirements even beyond the regular portable audiophile. But assuming the Burr Brown DAC isn't garbage - I expect the Pandora's audio quality via line out to be more than acceptable for discerning listeners. Via line out, I don't expect the interference issues the OP posted about.

 

[sdedalus83]

I misunderstood. I thought you were implying that I should wait to see if the Pandora would sound as good as an external DAC, not a good PMP. I would expect the Pandora to sound a lot like the other OMAP 3530 devices(namely the Beagle Board and Archos 5/7), since TI is pushing the TWL4030 power management/audio codec as the perfect complement to their OMAP SoCs.
For me, the new headroom desktop portable seems like a great DAC to pair up with the Pandora, but for someone doing recording, the pro audio usb gear would be best. In either case, yeah, the requirements are outside the realm of the typical user's, but it's great to have the option.

 

[PolloLoco]

I misunderstood. I thought you were implying that I should wait to see if the Pandora would sound as good as an external DAC, not a good PMP. I would expect the Pandora to sound a lot like the other OMAP 3530 devices(namely the Beagle Board and Archos 5/7), since TI is pushing the TWL4030 power management/audio codec as the perfect complement to their OMAP SoCs.
For me, the new headroom desktop portable seems like a great DAC to pair up with the Pandora, but for someone doing recording, the pro audio usb gear would be best. In either case, yeah, the requirements are outside the realm of the typical user's, but it's great to have the option.

Gotcha. I was advising that people listen to the Archos output first before committing to another purchase. Until the line out was added, I was going to invest in an external dac - but I suspect the sound quality of the Pandora will be more than sufficient when combined to a portable or stereo amp. For dap purposes, I'll be comparing to a Cowon X5L and a Sansa Fuze.

I'm actually curious what the new Archos' sound like. The previous 2 generations (I own a 504) have been really disappointing. In sound comparison discussions on their forums - I haven't wanted to assume that they're using the same DAC as the Pandora. I thought that would be chosen or added independently in each product line - is that correct? Users have reported improved sound, definitely higher volume - but I haven't read any detailed reviews of the Archos sound profile yet.