Stream PLEX, Tidal, Spotify, Chromecast & ROON for $50 with Xiaomi's Mi Box S
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- Опубліковано 23 вер 2024
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Camera: Olaf von Voss | Editor: John Darko | Motion GFX: John Darko | Ad segment: Jana Dagdagan
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Xiaomi Mi Box S (€52):
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Google Chromecast 2nd Gen.:
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Amanka HDMI splitter:
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WholeV 10" monitor:
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AudioQuest DragonFly Red:
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Plex:
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Roon:
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I actually like these kind of videos more than the reviews,,,like your raspPI vids, Plex etc,,,, don't get me wrong, your reviews are bar far the best, but these kinda "how to" videos are really helpful,,,John, you are the master of audio for me, seriously,,,keep up the good work,,,
Exactly. Hifi and midfi videos are excellent content but also appreciate the practical issues of enjoying digital music. Nothing worse than battling endless quirks in supposedly new world of WAF friendly audio without physical media.
I use Mi box S optical output via optical cable (10 meters) to my RME Babyface audio interface and I have been very happy for a lomg time. I also connect my USB dongle DAC E1DA 9038S to Mi box S amd it works without drivers and soumds amazing. No need for Raspberry Pi plus HAT board plus fancy linear power supply. Superb streamer with usb and optical out. Cheers John. God bless.
I bought a Squeezebox Touch in 2012 and am still using it on a secondary system. It still works great.
4:49 “Ten inches is more than enough”.
That’s what she said.
Lol
He meant, for himself.
For bit perfect I instaled the apk of Neutron in the Xiaomi mi box, And conect to the usb my 1tb hard disk with my music in flac. Tv via hdmi with xiaomi mi box and after connect via mini toslink with my Denon pma600ne .
When I saw the beloved Dragonfly Red has been the moment you got me. Great video and great attitude in diffusing great stuff. Thank you for sharing.
I recently hooked up an IFI iPower 2 to my MiBox S, highly recommend. It's a vast improvement to my ears, especially in the bass!
I use this Mi Box S with my Arcam SA20 in a similar way. And I also tried regular Chromecast via HDMI splitter. It is useful to note that Mi Box S will always resample the audio to 48kHz when Chromecast streams at 44.1kHz. At least this what I can see on my amp.
For Mi Box S with USB DAC you can try to install something like USB Audio Player PRO and get bit-perfect audio, however, there is no 'official' way to do it on Android TV.
Bummer. Every Android TV device I have tried resamples to 48kHz. Deal breaker for me.
I use Neutron apk for bitperfect audio . You can download with aptoide in the xiaomi . Please ,Tell me if this can resolve your problem
@@franselaya4624 Installed it by your suggestion. Looks like it can do bit-perfect audio over USB. but not over optical SPDIF. Still get 48kHz
Does an Nvidia Shield do that?
I didn't know the Mi Box S have toslink output. Good to know
I have successfully connected this device with the behringer XR18 digtal mixer and the Topping E30 via usb. The xiaomi tv box automatically detects these devices. I've been a happy user for the last 2 years.
It is a great idea thank you. I just do what you said at the beginning. I use a Chromecast into my TV and then optical out to my DAC. Also my TV has airplay so I can use that as well from Apple music on my phone
yeah I have this exact box connected to my home old 70inch tv, it's used for a lot of streaming.
Well, little bit late for the party... But I just found out, that usb audio player pro, which you can download from developers site apparently for free for android tv devices atm, sideload that apk and it takes control of USB interface of this little box, creates upnp receiver and now you can stream gappless audio up to 24/192 from any source you like over upnp. You are welcome ;)
Do you have a link for this apk? thanks in advance
I may have asked this before, but I find myself genuinely confused about ‘native’ vs ‘streamed’ versions of digital audio platforms. This video is awesome but it simply adds more questions than answers for me. It’s a big topic that keeps getting bigger, but whether you do it (or have in the past) or someone else does, I think a thorough breakdown would be very very helpful. A few questions I keep asking: 1. Airplay is a wireless connectivity protocol, so when you connect a streamer with Apple Music (or at more consumer level the Apple TV 4K), is it even possible to use Airplay to control this as a native source? How would one justify paying for an Apple Music subscription if you can’t easily have it playing Natively while listening to the system you’ve invested $$$ in? 2. Like Spotify Connect, are services like Tidal and Amazon Music expected to have a ‘connect’ aspect to their software in order for it to work natively? A good (very consumer level) example would be putting Tidal on your Android TV, does using phone app as your selector/controller mean it’s natively streamed? As much as that seems like a straightforward thing to ask try looking online for definitive answers, they simply aren’t there in black and white on the company websites. 3. What about Chromecast? Is any (or all) of the audio natively streamed? 4. More to the point of this video, is your searching of these various solutions because, in essence, none of this works very well?
As a consumer who wants highest available audio but without the dazzle of $4K spent on some audiophile Streamer (I’ve got my Elacs, Rel and a Hegel but the proverbial buck stops there for me), let alone the practicalities of getting some hifi gear that my wife and 16 year old can just play music from without hassle, it feels like there is a disconnect in the range of conversations happening in the audio world at the moment. How to demystify the options, and put them into categories, so it’s all much clearer? Is this info being discussed in the UA-cam space? Where? If not, why not? Thx
Hi Sean, I totally agree with the points you raise and I share your frustration. Last year I decided to invest in some new gear after 20 years and found the complexity of what was on offer mind blowing. So many ways to do things, with huge variations in cost.
There's certainly a place for UA-cam channels which focus on digital audio - the basics and also for those with good knowledge who just want the obvious questions answered when assessing new equipment. So many reviewers assume a high technical knowledge level in the viewer, or miss out what I would consider important or useful detail altogether.
I built my version of this setup around the Nvidia Shield. Anyone thinking about going down this path would do well to consider using the much more powerful Shield. I've run it for more than a year and simply love it. Combining the Berliner Philharmoniker's Digital Concert Hall App with the Shield's upscaled 4k video stream is outstanding! I would be happy to go into more detail on my configuration if anyone is interested.
Can't speak to the Mi-Box but Nvidia's long term support for the Shield has been solid. It has a track record of both hardware and software updates that is rare for these type of devices. I run USB out of the Shield to a Schitt Eitr (just to clean things up a bit) and then run the Eitr's SPDIF out to my Primare I15. Works great!
Thank you for finaly showing a Chromecast Audio replacement that actually features Chromecast. I'm sick of seeing videos about "the new CCA replacement" steamer (e.g. Wiim Mini), that don't actually have Chromecast.
ok
Great! I use this configuration and it's FANTASTIC.
The USB port means you can also use this with a touch-screen or touch overlay on the display and control the interface by touch... the little, cheap Raspberry Pi touch screens work great making it a very 'family-friendly' music player
Have you actually done this?
I have an Nvidia Shield and I have my flac rips on a drive connected to it with an older onkyo receiver connected to my tv via toslink. I use Plex to serve my music as well. That way I can listen to my lossless music on my speakers I also use for the tv. Sounds great.
You could also take a look at the Nvidia Shield TV. Made by Nvidia and has a ton of developer support from them.
High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
Audio support: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD (pass-through), DTS-X (pass-through), and DTS-HD (pass-through)
Does it do tidal mqa over usb?
Will the Nvidia play ripped SACDs on a Plex server..
My server does but my Plex client on Fire TV won't..
The secret lies in the magic puck. You've had it for years showing it out in the background of many of your videos throughout time and I know therein lies the secret of your Hi-Res audio gear. ;)
Had it for years, is a great and dirt cheap product indeed! One on my living room, one in my son's bedroom, one in my friends' appartements too now ! They all love it..
I bought a 128 GB micro sd for my galaxy note 9. I put all of my ripped flac cds (Which arent that many) in it. I use poweramp app on my note 9 (since it has chromecast compatibility) to stream my music files over wifi to my xiaomi mi box s. Currently im using the xiaomis integrated dac by using an ordinary 3.5 mm stereo cable to connect the xiaomi to my pioneer dynamic range expander ex-9000 and then from the expander to my pioneer EQ SG-9800 and then to my harman kardon avr1610 a/v receiver with 3 harman kardon satellite speakers and a pair of Polk Audio S20 speakers. Later i will change to a decent DAC and use the mini toslink output of the xiaomi insteqd of the 3.5 mm.
Just got mine today. Set up with my Cambridge cxn v2. Pretty awesome
I have one connected to my NAD D3020 first gen via USB. Works great. (Second gen NAD D3020 doesn’t have the USB dac capability anymore)
Used a Beelink GT King Android box into a Schiit Modi 3 DAC into a Cyrus One amp and it sounded phenomenal. The Beelink also had my entire music collection as FLAC files on a 2tb portable hard drive via USB 3 input, all controlled by a cheap 10 inch Android tablet, connected via Bluetooth.
Please ensure your comment is 1) on topic, 2) advances the conversation, 3) free of URLs and 4) devoid of conspiracy theories, hubris, racism and misogyny. Kindly keep it civil.
And no, MQA is not possible here as Android TV OS isn't bitperfect.
Roon rides on Chromecast.
really happy about this video! very useful!
great content
I got the same setup.. totally eliminated the bluetooth connectivity… the only difference is i hook a tube preamp then receiver to make it more tube & warm sounding system.
Now we get the best of both worlds with this cheap tiny box.. watch movies with hdmi and listen to quality music with audio out!
Xiaomi have been making some great stuff a lot of it quite often is rebranded to other mainstream brands! Got back in to streaming recently using a Raspberry pi Zero W as a playback into a FX-Audio dac (cost more than the Pi Zero) and am using a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB as a server During testing of the playback Pi Found I could get it to do the out put to a screen thing, Love this idea as a turnkey setup (Yes I rolled my own software choices and scripts as an exercise). I am surprised by how much off the shelf stuff exists now from the bad old days back 20 odd years ago... Keep up the videos
I own 2 Mi Box S boxes and they work pretty good, especially since I bought both of them on sale and got really good deals! The only thing I don't like right now is I bought a Dolby Atmos sound system that matched my 4K TV and these boxes don't have Atmos. So, if they don't get a software update in the future to add this, I may purchase the Nvidia Shield Pro (next version) since it has just about all sound protocols!
The synth music was on point. Excellent video as usual.
I’ve been using this device for months and I’m glad you just reviewed it. I use it throw the mini tos link plugged into my Edifier 2000 MK3 and is enough quality for me. I use Spotify Connect and VLC to play my personal library.
Hi, spotify connect is ON also without spotify app in the box is running? Sorry for my english.. I mean, Is it enaugh, to power on the xiaomi, and my spotify app in tablet or phone will see the xiaomi? many thanks for info
As a CCA user with streaming FLAC via Plex every day from my NAS + Spotify connect usage (bought that after seeing Darkos video on it), now switched to the MiBox S immediately. I hate Samsung TIZEN Os which I have, Android TV is miles better. Also sound quality is as of now seems to be the same to me(or even a bit more dynamic than the CCA) with a Marantz PM6006 + Dali Zensor 7s. Great to have all the features of the CCA(Spotify even wakes the device from sleep), plus an alternative to the shitty OS of my TV.
Ordered one up. I am kinda on the wait an see with streamers and dacs. Been using GCA into dacs for a while. I have a Marantz 8006 which has 2 optical. a coax and usb so I can hookup multiples easily. What sold me was your article which said gapless with Spotify, Tidal, and Plex, which is everything I use. It will be great to listen to Pink Floyd again. Someday I will find my perfect streamer but for now $65 on Amazon is ok with me.
Maybe it's been mentioned already, I've been running my Mi Box S into my pre-amp using TOSLINK to my DAC, and so far I can play Spotify without a HDMI connection using Spotify Connect or Google Cast. Not sure what output quality it is though (most likely 48kHz) DAC is VERY budget 😅
Great review.👍👍👍
I have one of these. Its called Mi Box 4K and not S. What I have gathered is, both are electronically same and in India its launched as 4K. I use sound output from the mini Toslink into my amp and it sounds quite good. I use the USB port for playing contents from a HDD which it does well. After seeing this video, I tried for a USB DAC, Hiby FC3 ( I don't have a Dragonfly) but sadly it doesn't work. This has already been pointed out by John that he has not tested any other USB DACs barring Dragonfly Red. I am going to try a few more USB DACs which I have. But, even it doesn't play through USB, its a device with great versatality and features. Very happy with this.
The application Hi-Fi Cast allows gapless with Chromecast.
I am using this as a streamer in my audio setup
Wow I was literally just looking at this exact setup! You just answered all my questions! Thanks
Thank you so much for that tip about connecting a USB DAC. My Sabah Da3 works perfectly. This Xiaomi box is a wonderful piece of kit and at such an affordable price!
I never got around to buying a Chromecast Audio as I didn’t see a need for one previously. But ever since I got my Chord Mojo with its SPDIF inputs I’ve been on the lookout for similarly portable streaming devices with SPDIF outputs for business and leisure travel. So with the Xiaomi I could be in a hotel room, hook it up to a TV, and stream music (or audio from a movie) onto my headphones and experience high quality music playback and have a useful visual interface. Yes I could also use my phone and output via USB to the Mojo but I’m typically surfing or reading emails on my phone so it’s not convenient to have the phone tethered.
I agree. Except this video should have been made 5 or 6 years ago.😃 My nexus player still going strong...same exact thing since 2016 (and many other android tv devices)...however for streaming audio (plex lossless gapless) the raspberry pi option is far superior IMHO, with either plex player or plexamp, headless or with a now playing screen.
Also chromecast requires the internet to connect where as plex fling does not.
Also google often decides your casting content is available on and installed app and initiates that app rather than casting. You can get around this with specific router settings to prevent google using their dns but....such a drama.
Plex flinging is better, faster and google has no control over my data.
Thanks John, you always think out of the box. I am still hung up to improve your Klipschiit story streamer + 2 Aegir, will let you know when it worked, This Gizmo works with Schiit yaggi as well with USB, but with dragonfly the volume is so low even when you set volume to 15 (max), is still a faint sound. I took dragonfly out and increased the device volume to 100 with Roon, no change.
You need to.update the firmware on your DragonFly.
@@DarkoAudio That did it, thanks. The original chromecast was going to 96K, Roon downgrades this to 48K and Qobuz plays CD of the same album. Did you fix this one as well. With dragonfly this one sounds way better than plain raspberry pi without HAT.
Thats handy that you can also use the USB to connect a dragonfly or another DAC. IN theory, you could also perhaps use the usb out to add extra digitals outs, like the Topping D10, which also gives the option of not just a TOSLINK but also SPDIF Digital Coaxial or if not the topping another type of USB to digital out connector that are cheaper to connect, i.e to a DAC/Active speakers/Amp or receiver that may only have Coax ond no toslink input. I got this handy little USB to TOSLINK and COAX converter to connect to a laptop/phone so that I can give the SCHIIT MODI a proper, full power supply (can go for a iFI 50 quid one if you like) rather than the phones power, via usb and then TOSLNIKed to the Schiit. Could do this to the Rasberry pie to prevent USB noise, cicuit jitter too.
Excellent. Just what I've been looking for.
I've been looking for a Chromecast audio replacement for awhile, great find!
Would you have gapless playback with Spotify connect, if you install the Spotify app on the Box?
The Mii box is great. We're using it in the sommerhouse as a cheap alternative to an ATV4. The hardware quality isn't as good as the ATV4, but it costs only a third :-)
You could also use the Plex app on your phone to chromecast to the Xiaomi box. No need to use the remote.
Had no clue you could go to such high of a vocal range for that intro. Congrats mate must of taken ages to get to that stage. hahaha
Or he just ran nuts first into a table. The treble ranges you will achieve are a marvel
I've been doing this with the older version I didn't think it was a really big deal though but this is how I had it hooked up in my car to get optical to my sound processor because I have a monitor in the back for people to watch stuff and I used to listen to music through it I just didn't think that this guy would think it was that hot and sound quality or anything but he is right though the Google audio caster is very very good I have one of those too
I had it while ago and I was pretty happy at the beginning. But later I discovered the system is not stable as I would like to be and I had to restart my mi box quite often to get it working correctly. And after about a year of our friendship it just died. I'm not crying because of that and I'm not going to buy another one, it's just not worth to lose my time to fight with it. I just not recommend it. I'm happy with regular Chromecast.
The Rural Alberta Advantage. Clever lyrics and guitar I think you'd like.
[clears throat] MI MI MI MIIIIIII
Looks like the Mi Box S can be a super nice combo with the Schiit Modi.
Great video as always what music is that in the back ground?
Thanks for another fine springboard John. Your informative, no bull shite style fits my style and has guided my hi-fi path for some time. Checking out that Xiaomi's Mi Box S for another Roon option right on. Cheers!
Nice idea. I wonder if you tried using a HDMI terminator (about 5 Euros) instead of the monitor you could keep the cost - space needed down further? I used this on a headless Mac Mini and it worked well. Anyone can set it up initially using a TV or monitor.
Noticed iView on there - nice call back to home hey?
I have almost the same setup, but my peachtree is a very old model, that I use as preamp and DAC. I have had the xiaomi box like for 1,5 years maybe and cost me 40€ then. If you have a dumb TV like mine old Plasma TV then is a really nice product to use.
I also use a small 10' tv hooked up to my Yamaha Natural Sound DVD-C900 that is my main CD player. I just like seen the display also to adjust the audio on the remote i can view on the display.
I just love Darkos Reviews. What about using HDMI as audio output? HDMI ist digital and can transfer 32 bit, 192khz since the 1.3 Standard. So a really good AV Receiver with a good dac should sound superb. Or not?
Great Question! Someone please answer this one ☝️☝️☝️
I almost never start my tv when streaming music with this so you dont have to have the tv turned on at least "i use spotify and kodi
Again I say thanks for these type videos.
I use an echo dot through a headphone amp, I get full voice control and hi res audio through the right apps.
$129 in Canada and I would pick up the baton/batton, for the hands-free "now playing" feature.
you can browse your media on your phone using plex and cast it to the plex on the Xiaomi. much easier than using a remote to browse , or use voice commands,since the damn thing dont understand me most of the time
need hdmi connection somewhere so 50€ + a monitor, quite expensive in the end for a chromecast audio successor :)
You can find cheap secondhand monitors these days. But yeh, that’s the drawback of this approach.
HDMI terminator blocks sell for $5.
@@NeilLavitt the thing about chromecast audio is that there s no need for any screen to listen to music. Even "cheap", having monitor to listen (you stop the sentence here you can see the problem).
I understand that the product is not build for that but it won't be a chromecast audio replacement at least for me.
@@DarkoAudio and just like that you've made my day and my purchase decision, thank you!
@@DarkoAudio MQA ?
I have a 65 inch 4k tv in my living. Tv is connected to my 7.1(front height, front left and right, center, surround left and right, sub) home theatre setup of which the front left and right channels are tannoys xt6f. 7.1 is driven through my denon x3600h receiver with pre out for the left and right tannoys connected to Cambridge cxa81 via rca cable to analog in port 1 of cxa81. 4k compatible hdmi cable connects from tv to denon's earc out. Aux2 hdmi in connects to firestick second generation via an adapter. This adapter also connects to cxa81 through an optical cable to Digital 3 optical in port on cxa81. My Firestick is second generation is also connected to an adapter which makes it ethernet wired. Wired Ethernet runs from my master deco m9 mesh wireless which I have changed it to access point mode and hardwired the three deco slaves to a master tplink router in my study. Cables run inside the walls. One deco is in my living dedicated to my hifi setup and other two in two of my bedrooms at the other end of the house. Deco in my living room connects to a tp link switch which hardwires my firestick and denon 3600h av receiver. Next to my tv is also my 10 year old samsung laptop which is connected to an external powered external hard drive with a little over two tb of my lifetime flac collection. Laptop is always on with screen turned off and hosts Plex as a media server with 2 TB music on the external hard drive. Laptop is connected to my cxa81 through usb as well(digital 4 on cxa81). Cxa81 also has Chromecast audio connected to its Digital 2 in port. And then I have tv directly connected to cxa81 through digital 1. I use the headphone amp section of cxa81 to connect my hifiman arya and hd600 headphones. So whats my use case with this setup?
1) Watch movies on my 7.1 with a dedicated amp for my front left and right channels driven by cxa81 and the rest of satellite speakers driven by denon 3600h for an enveloping surround sound experience but emphasis on the front stage ..courtesy dedicated amp for tannoys
2) For movies and content, sometimes I keep the denon switched off and only use left and right two channel only. Especially for UA-cam and content for my kid...denon stays switched off or alternatively we use stereo mode on denon to power two channel setup only
3) I use TV's Chromecast to render my Plex server music collection through Cambridge amp in digital 1 mode. This requires tv to be on.
4) With tv and denon off, I use Google Chromecast audio in Cambridge's digital 2 mode connected through a toslink optical cable to stream my FLAC collection from Plex server. This is specially useful when family is watching tv and firestick is not available for casting. And I want to stream and listen to my headphones instead in the same room. So denon plays the movie and cxa via Google Chromecast audio does the streaming via bubble upnp paid version installed on my phone where source is Plex media server with my FLAC collection and renderer options are Google cast built into denon, Chromecast audio and Chromecast on firestick. Nice to have these options
5) When firestick is available I select this as an option and digital 3 as my source mode on cxa
6) I use digital 4 mode to switch to usb on cxa to stream music from the Plex app on my phone to cxa81 from the laptop connected to cxa via usb cable
7) Guests use the aptx hd Bluetooth to directly stream from their phone to cxa81 to checkout my tannoys and we cannot tell the difference between wired and wireless. The quality is so good.
8) I use the headphone amp of cxa81 to listen to my closed Sennheiser hd25 ii, hd600 and hifiman arya when working. Streaming renderer from bubble upnp is either denon, Chromecast audio or firestick cast based on availability at that point in time.
Two things to highlight in my setup are.... I hear no audible difference in the quality between denon Google cast, Google Chromecast audio and firestick cast. I don't know if they would measure differently but I don't hear any audible diiferences and thus have no preference of one over the other.
Secondly.. My tv, denon 3600h, firestick, samsung laptop are all hardwired through ethernet for the best streaming quality. Hope this is useful and gives you guys ideas on your existing or future hifi setups
Maybe this can save my kef lsx’s lack of a functioning streaming app
its bad, isn't it? Such a nice speaker tho, and wife approves :)
Use roon. I use roon to stream to my LSX when it’s not serving as my desktop PC speaker, and when I just want a quick speaker for background music while I nap.
Wow John. Creative and very useful stuff.
Great video thank you. Maybe a worthy replacement option to my sonos port feeding my patio speakers. I feel like the audio quality took a few steps back from my aging ZP90 that sounds great. Thanks again.
Just placed an order...Thanks
Nvidia Shield Pro, plain and simple, best media streamer out there!
whats the diferrence , for sound only ?
Is it room ready?
Awesome to see Soulwax John!
John... Gorilla Mounting Tape for that Mi Box!
Thank you for the video Darko. Now, I'm realizing if is possible to have a sound quality near to hiend by connecting the usb port of My Box S to a usb in a hiend dac....
Have you any views on the Arylic S50pro, supports Tidal, amongst others and has optical out.
Yes please, I have been looking for a solid review on this as well
Anyone know the max sampling rate the Mi Box will pass through its optical out? The Chromecast Audio puck (I have one) will pass 96kHz. The HDMI Chromecast puck is limited to 48kHz. The Xiaomi site doesn't appear to have this spec listed.
Great question
@@mikeyevs Well, I've answered my own question. After watching John's video, I ordered a Mi Box S hoping it would behave like my Chromecast Audio device. Sadly, it does not. Digital output appears to always be fixed at 48kHz regardless of source. In my case, source was Qobuz cast from my phone. 44.1, 88.2, 96 kHz, no matter, DAC always reports 48kHz. My original Chromecast Audio puck transfers material at the correct sampling rate. My take: if you don't care about Android TV, use the $50 to buy a genuine Chromecast Audio device from ebay.
From the description box: darko.audio/2020/10/15-more-thoughts-on-the-xiaomi-mi-box-s/
@@DarkoAudio Interesting article, John. One thing, though, you say: "So if want to stream Qobuz, we have to do it via Roon over Chromecast?
Yes." I do not use Roon but I've been streaming Qobuz directly from the Qobuz Android app on my phone to the Mi Box S. Also, I found that the Mi Box optical output goes dark when a USB DAC is plugged in. Unplugging the USB cable brings the Toslink port back to life. Finally, I think I've convinced myself that routing USB digital from the Mi Box through my Topping D10 and using the Toslink out from the D10 sounds better than the direct optical out from the Mi Box. Thanks much for the reply.
There's a 3.5mm out as well. Why no mention of it? Is it bad or something?
What's wrong with a simple bluetooth pre-amp / amplifier. I use the INFI Audio Tube 80W Amplifier and I love it. It sounds amazing for $150 usd. Connected to my Q3030i. Also tried them with Klipsch's tower speakers and various high end headphones (driven purely by the tube pre-amp). I love it. I can get a cheap Android if I want a steamer with a dedicated remote 😎
Sounds better than my Bluesound POWERNODE 2i
I just picked up a Tanix TX6. Another Chinese Android box, pretty much the same minus voice and less than half the price.
How does the sound quality compare to the allo digione setup? I wonder if there is an app that can turn android tv into a proper Roon endpoint and avoid sound going through internal android tv resampling.
Does the TV/monitor have to be on for it to work with streaming audio, or does it only have to be connected?
It doesn't need to be on. I don't know the exact requirements, but I've had it working with the tv turned off.
Of course it doesn’t have to be on.
Sadly, I gave my mibox s away, so i cannot test. But there is these hdmi-monitor-faker plugs which someone might be interested to use.
@@fishwinker Cool, thanks.
xiaomi mi box > hdmi > TV > toslink > monitors would work the same? I mean, theres any kind of loss adding a TV in between?? Nice video!!
Tidal is video focused on Apple TV as well .
I FINALLY KNOW WHAT THE PUCK IS FOR! I can now die content. 😄
You can buy those from Amazon. They are inexpensive door stops. I bought a couple and they work great for the purpose John uses them for.
Hi Darko.I enjoy your honest reviews and new ways of doing things.Keep it up.I wanted to know if you can provide a like where I can buy the metal cast you used to hold the Xiomi box on this video
I was super excited until you mentioned that it needs a HDMI connection. Bummer...the search continues. I hope my Chromecast audio never dies.
No you don't need a hdmi just plug your audio pin and start streaming.
Hmmm this and my Mojo sounds like a plan. Thank you John :-)
Is it possible to use it without connecting it to any monitor at all? Doesn't it turn on without it? I mean, after configuring it, can't I unplug it and use just the audio output?
Thx
Thx John. Very interesting. How does the toslink out compare to the ChromecastAudio dongle in terms of sound quality?
just bought it. for me it sounds better than the CCA. with a PM6006 + Dali Zensor 7s
Aaaaaaand Google just released the new Chromecast with Google TV. That's going to be my new streaming device.
new... no optic, no usb.....
@@КонстантинН-ш2ь agree I was so hoping there would be an optical out so I could stream music to it without having to turn on my TV. I won't be buying it
I think there are better options if you need optical or USB outputs for audio. You're still going to need a display to navigate the interface, even with a Mibox, so you might as well cut the clutter and get a dedicated audio streamer.
John, thanks for the tip regarding maximizing the volume on the MiBoxS so the DSP is pass through. At $49.99USD at Walmart.com this is a cool little unit. I am using the USB output on a couple of DACs with no issues: Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and the Schiit Bifrost 2. Both functioning and sounding great. The only limitation with the MiBox S is you are limited to 24/96 I believe and I am not sure via Roon how much unfolding of MQA you get on Tidal. But Qobuz works fine. The interesting comparison you can do now is: Xiaomi Mi Box S vs. BlueSound Node 2i! The Node 2i doesn’t have USB out while the Xiaomi does. To me that is a plus for the Xiaomi. But if it is limited to 24/96 then I don’t think that puts the Node 2i at a disadvantage technically. As for SQ, your impressions of the two head to head, would be interesting. Can the $449USD Node 2i be trounced by the little $49.99USD Mi Box S? Interesting!
John, Just saw your blog post: darko.audio/2020/10/15-more-thoughts-on-the-xiaomi-mi-box-s/ after writing the above. So your impressions are that the Node 2i has better SQ to your ears than the Xiaomi? Are those impressions comparing the Xiaomi USB out to the same DAC as the Node 2i to the same DAC via SPDIF coaxial output? Thanks.
How to maximize the audio on mi box s? Tia
I’m going to watch the vids on the integrated amp and speakers, I’m on the hunt for a setup myself but there’s so much out there to consider... I particularly struggle with expandability of the system for future technology
Nice review. Now if you drew this chain from source to speaker in a block diagram, then with each of the steps to another device, service, domain, data format, (i.e. block in the diagram), I would a) worry and b) ask why.
What if you downloaded music from a service to a local thingy that directly plays into your DAC? Or played a CD? Where does each of the steps implied here benefit you, us?
I'm not critical in the sense I doubt this approach to a chain here, just curious.
It's a bit like audio chain architecture - what do you do where? Do you do "crossover" after the power amp in a passive speaker, or in the early pre-amplifier stage, or somewhere in between as in active speakers.
My feeling is, to quote an architect of the past, less is more.
Hi John, great video like always, I have only one thing, I saw in some discussions, that chromecast downgrade spotify highest bitrate about 30% down.. by tidal no problem..
Yes, Chromecast Spotify is 256kbps. But this restriction doesn't apply to the native Android TV OS app.
@@DarkoAudio many thanks for worthy info John..
Hi John, I always seem to have bad luck with streamers no matter which brand due to inevitable issues with WiFi. Out of ease & reliability, I prefer to use Bluetooth as its easier for my mates to hop on and vice versa at their's - everyone's got BT but not necessarily a decent streamer. I also feel I have faster/more control over switching between applications using the sound straight from my phone. What are your thoughts about Bluetooth? You sort of gloss over it in your "back to basics - streamers" video and I'd really like to see a more detailed opinion on this. Further, would you recommend a Bluetooth enabled DAC or similar product? Cheers in advance. Love your videos and music selections
Curious, do you have a multichannel receiver/amp and different speakers for the projector? I have one too and kind of wonder if I shouldn't have a strictly music system and a video system.
So. For 100 bucks. You could get a mi box and a little screen. Attach the mibox to the back of the mini monitor and you've got a roon end point with a display