Print

[pixelated]

Here is a Google Play link for Google Search for Android devices... you can actually install it from the webpage as well if you are sitting in front of your computer.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

Thanks for the link but I got the "Your device isn't compatible with this version." error message when I tried to install it on the BlueStacks emulator.  BlueStacks uses ICS, not Jelly Bean.

[eyore]

I wear (we call it a bum-bag) a small bag around my waist with odds and ends in. Ipod & mobile fit but not a tablet. Other types of bags swing about too much and I have a walking stick in one hand when "on the move" or both hands on a wheelchair so bags are not much use. That's why I used a small backpack in the park.

[pixelated]

eyore, which version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 do you have?  The 7.0 version apparently has a Wolfson DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter).
Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 teardown reveals efficient hardware layout and replaceable battery
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/cracking-open/galaxy-tab-2-70-teardown-reveals-efficient-hardware-layout-and-replaceable-battery/575/#.

•Wolfson WM1811 Stereo CODEC (WM1811AE 22AGKGW)

Wolfson DACs are held in high regard by audiophiles because they produce very high quality audio.  BTW, Wolfson is a Scottish company; it was started in Edinburgh:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfson_Microelectronics
I'm asking because I'm curious if the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has audio quality similar to the FiiO X3, which also uses a Wolfson DAC.

[eyore]

I honestly have no idea. It doesn't seem to tell me exactly what it is, only the android version and the model 
If the 7 refers to the size then yes, that's what I have but I don't notice great sound.
I find it a very cumbersome bit of equipment and messy to use and hardly ever bother with it.

[pixelated]

I think you're right, the "7" refers to the 7-inch model.  It looks like the "good" Wolfson DACs are the WM8740 and the WM8742; the FiiO X3 uses the WM8740.  The X3 does look very nice but at $200, that's a bit too much money for me to add Yet Another Portable Music Player to my collection of gizmos.  There is the FiiO Andes USB DAC and headphone amp which also uses the WM8740 DAC but is a bit less than half the price of the X3 at $89:
http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E07K-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00A9LHLQ6

And there's this $57 USB DAC which is much more my style:
HiFimeDIY Sabre U2 Asynchronous USB DAC
http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=123
It's relatively small and powered by the USB bus.

[needmagic]

I think you're right, the "7" refers to the 7-inch model.  It looks like the "good" Wolfson DACs are the WM8740 and the WM8742; the FiiO X3 uses the WM8740.  The X3 does look very nice but at $200, that's a bit too much money for me to add Yet Another Portable Music Player to my collection of gizmos.  There is the FiiO Andes USB DAC and headphone amp which also uses the WM8740 DAC but is a bit less than half the price of the X3 at $89:
http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E07K-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00A9LHLQ6

And there's this $57 USB DAC which is much more my style:
HiFimeDIY Sabre U2 Asynchronous USB DAC
http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=123
It's relatively small and powered by the USB bus.

I recommended the X3 to eyore after an audiophile friend recommended it to me.  The player was highly rated in UK magazines, giving some high end players a good run for the money and in many cases out performing them.   With a decent set of headphones playback quality of the X3 is (in a word) awesome.   Definitely one to consider.   I hardly use the ipod now ... ive seen the light!

[eyore]

I was really looking for a decent mp3 player ages ago and the iPod seemed the solution (I wanted something with a display screen that you could also select the individual track). My previous collection of players didn't have either of those options - only (maybe) a display (text) of what was playing and a back/forward option. Not much fun when you wanted the 43rd track 
The iPod really did far more than I wanted/needed and had limited capacity (8 Gb). The Fiio fulfils all of the above plus the option of up to 64 Gb of storage on micro SD card (and you can always swap cards) with the added plus of excellent sound. At least the iPod does have a recording facility plus bluetooth (I have a bluetooth speaker although it's range is limited). So, between the two, I'm sorted. 

[pixelated]

From my perspective, a 7 inch tablet is more portable than my 10.1 inch netbook, which in turn is more portable than my 14.1 inch laptop.   When I finally upgrade to an Android smartphone, it'll probably have a USB port.  So I have the storage, display and input devices taken care of and I just need a better DAC.

If anyone is curious about the HiFimeDIY DAC, here are some audiophile user reviews.  They don't mention if they bought the synchronous or asynchronous version but since the synchronous one came out first, it's probably that version.
http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifimediy-sabre-usb-dac

[eyore]

That's it of course. It's what's right for the individual. I'm finding it harder now to use touch screens (fingers are getting bent) so the simple push buttons of the Fiio were another plus for me. I tend to use a wand (no, not the Harry Potter type, the one with the carbon rubber on the end) on the iod and pad. That little USB DACS looks rather good but my wife is giving me some "don't you dare" looks a the moment 
Would that work with speakers (I have a spare set)?

[pixelated]

Indeed!  I'm glad that you & needmagic have found what you wanted and are very pleased with the results, which caused me to research FiiO products, and that led me to USB DACs.  James Burke from the BBC "Connections" program would be pleased .

What size are those speakers?  I'm thinking a USB-powered or a portable battery-powered device won't be able to properly drive medium or large speakers.  Several reviews of portable USB DACs mention those types of products are suitable for earbuds or headphones meant for portable devices and that's why those DACs are relatively small and light.  Users with hi-fi system type headphones are recommended to get a headphone amp, either integrated with the DAC or separate.  The larger, AC-powered USB DACs are meant to connect to the line input of an amplifier; i.e., yet another component in a component audio system.

If you're thinking of using desktop/bookshelf speakers, maybe this USB DAC/mini amp combo will work for you:
Topping TP30 Class T Digital Mini Amplifier with USB-DAC 15 WPC
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Topping-TP30-Digital-Amplifier-USB-DAC/dp/B005D7SKWK/
A little cheaper on the U.S. Amazon site but that's not figuring in shipping costs:
http://www.amazon.com/Topping-TP30-Digital-Amplifier-USB-DAC/dp/B005D7SKWK/
Some reviews of it on Head-Fi.org:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/531173/topping-tp30-initial-impressions-warning-and-repair-impressions

BTW, HiFimeDIY has several other DACs:
http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=62

[eyore]

I was thinking that it may have been suitable for plugging into the PC and playing audio through from the hard drive to a set of reasonable PC speakers. I presume the gizmo would be recognised by the PC as an output for, at least, headphones?.

[pixelated]

Yes, any USB DAC/sound card should appear as a USB device and as an audio device.  You might need to go into the Windows Sound control panel applet to enable output from the USB DAC, but you should be able to have more than 1 audio device active at the same time.  I.e., have both the PC's internal audio system and the USB DAC enabled and playing audio simultaneously.

If the PC speakers are powered (i.e., they have a built-in amplifier), that should work with the HiFimeDIY USB DAC.  Some users report they can drive hi-fi headphones directly but maybe they don't notice a (slight?) decrease in quality because they didn't compare the sound quality after connecting the USB DAC to a headphone amp?

[eyore]

mine are. indeed, self powered (2 speakers and a bass). I'll note that DACs USB for the future 

[pixelated]

I've noticed that the Android version of Shazam (at least the version that I'm running on Ice Cream Sandwich through the Bluestacks App Player) does not identify some tracks that the Blackberry/iPhone version of Shazam can easily identify.  Android Shazam seems to use a shorter audio sample so maybe that's why it's not as successful as the other version.

[eyore]

I'd noticed that too 
Mind you, with all of these programs, they seem to be particular with which section of a track is played. I generally keep hitting the button after every failure and suddenly it comes up with the right ID.
It isn't just an update in the database as one version IDs, the other still doesn't.
I still find TrackID to be able to ID with a very short clip and good accuracy. Shazam is second choice now.