XDA ran a piece recently on turning an old Android phone plus a cheap USB-C DAC into a genuine HiFi source, and it landed. A drawer phone, one $10 dongle and a pair of decent headphones or a home amplifier is a legitimate streamer, and it sidesteps the “add another box” pushback most audiophile setups get. The catch is the app. The stock music player on any Android build routes audio through the system mixer, which resamples everything to 48 kHz. That defeats the DAC. You need a player that opens the DAC in exclusive mode and streams bit-perfect.
We tested seven Android apps that either open a USB DAC directly or send lossless audio over the network to another endpoint. All seven install on Android 10 and up; a few will run on older builds too. Load one on the drawer phone, plug in the DAC, and the streamer is done.
What to look for in a HiFi streamer app
- USB DAC exclusive mode. The app must bypass the Android mixer. Without it, the DAC does not matter.
- Native decoding. Look for FLAC, ALAC, DSD (DoP or native), MQA if you still care about it, and gapless playback.
- UPnP/DLNA or Chromecast. If the phone is the source and the DAC is on a home amp, the app should push audio to a receiver over the network.
- Streaming service integration. Tidal HiFi and Qobuz Sublime are the two lossless services worth wiring in.
- Low-latency response. The old phone is not a modern flagship; the player should still respond fast.
- Offline library support. A local FLAC library on the phone’s SD card should just work.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HiBy Music | USB DAC + streaming in one | Yes | $6.99 one-time premium | 4.5/5 |
| Poweramp | Deep EQ and long history | 15-day trial | Around $4.99 unlock | 4.6/5 |
| Onkyo HF Player | Simple hi-res player | Yes | $9.99 hi-res unlock | 4.3/5 |
| Neutron Music Player | Audiophile-grade DSP | 5-day trial | Around $6.99 unlock | 4.5/5 |
| Symfonium | UPnP and Chromecast HiFi | Trial | $10.99 one-time | 4.7/5 |
| TIDAL | Streaming service, HiFi tier | Free tier ad-supported | $10.99/mo HiFi | 4.4/5 |
| Qobuz | 24-bit streaming catalog | 30-day trial | $12.99/mo Studio Premier | 4.4/5 |
The apps
1. HiBy Music – Best all-rounder for a DAC-plus-streaming setup
HiBy Music is the app most audiophile Android hardware ships with, and the free tier already opens most USB DACs in exclusive mode. The paid unlock adds MSEB (a plain-language tone-shaping panel) and USB DSD support. Tidal Connect works inside HiBy, so a HiFi subscription plays through the same DAC path as a local FLAC library.
Where it falls short: The UI has a distinct hardware-vendor look; some listeners find it dense compared to Symfonium.
Pricing:
- Free with all core playback.
- Premium unlock at $6.99 one-time.
Bottom line: Install HiBy first. The free tier alone gets your old phone bit-perfect.
2. Poweramp – Best deep EQ
Poweramp has been the Android power-user player since Gingerbread, and the current build (v3.99) adds hi-res output plus a 32-band parametric EQ. USB DAC support runs in native mode, and the license lets you install on up to eight devices tied to the same account.
Where it falls short: The interface has more skins than settings need, and the license is device-count limited.
Pricing:
- 15-day free trial.
- Full unlock around $4.99.
Bottom line: Pick Poweramp if you want to tune every frequency band by hand.
3. Onkyo HF Player – Best plain hi-res player
Onkyo HF Player is the direct successor to Onkyo’s own hardware players. The free tier plays FLAC, ALAC, WAV and Apple Lossless natively; a paid unlock adds DSD 11.2 MHz and DXD. The USB DAC handling is exclusive mode by default and it works reliably with the cheap dongles that made XDA’s guide possible.
Where it falls short: The metadata browser is basic and the design has aged.
Pricing:
- Free base version.
- Hi-Res Pack in-app around $9.99.
Bottom line: Buy the hi-res pack if the drawer phone is really going to be a dedicated player.
4. Neutron Music Player – Best DSP toolkit
Neutron Music Player is a 64-bit audio engine with resampling, convolver support, room correction and per-track gain. The learning curve is steep, but the tuning ceiling is the highest on the list. USB DAC support handles native DSD without repacking to DoP first, which reduces load on the host phone.
Where it falls short: The interface is famously unfriendly; give yourself an evening with the manual.
Pricing:
- 5-day free trial.
- Unlock around $6.99.
Bottom line: Pick Neutron if you plan to run a convolver profile against a pair of headphones.
5. Symfonium – Best modern UI with UPnP and Chromecast
Symfonium is the newest player on the list and the one with the cleanest UI. It supports Chromecast, UPnP/DLNA, Jellyfin, Subsonic and Kodi as sources, so the drawer phone can act as a remote for a NAS full of FLAC without the audio ever leaving the network. USB DAC support is exclusive-mode too, so it doubles as a local player.
Where it falls short: No free-forever tier. The trial expires in about a week.
Pricing:
- Trial for around 7 days.
- One-time purchase around $10.99.
Bottom line: Pay for Symfonium if the old phone will also cast to a hi-fi receiver.
6. TIDAL – Best HiFi streaming service
TIDAL ships lossless streaming on its HiFi tier and can hand raw output to a USB DAC via Tidal Connect. On an old phone with a DAC, that means a full CD-quality catalog with no laptop in the loop. The Individual HiFi tier is around $10.99/month; Family and Student pricing is lower.
Where it falls short: The catalog occasionally still has different masters than the same album on Qobuz.
Pricing:
- Free ad-supported tier.
- HiFi tier around $10.99/month.
Bottom line: Add TIDAL if the streamer will run subscription music, not just local FLAC.
7. Qobuz – Best 24-bit catalog
Qobuz streams native 24-bit hi-res FLAC on the Studio Premier tier and has the deepest classical and jazz catalog on any streaming service. On the drawer-phone rig, the paid tier plus a USB DAC produces studio-master output that beats Spotify even at max quality.
Where it falls short: The Android app can stutter on very old phones; the drawer phone should have at least 3 GB of RAM.
Pricing:
- 30-day trial.
- Studio Premier around $12.99/month.
Bottom line: Pick Qobuz for the deepest hi-res catalog on a streaming service.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the simplest option: HiBy Music.
- If you want deep manual tuning: Poweramp or Neutron Music Player.
- If you want a modern UI: Symfonium.
- If you want a plain hi-res local player: Onkyo HF Player.
- If you want streaming with the local library: HiBy Music plus TIDAL or Qobuz.
- If the drawer phone will feed a NAS via UPnP: Symfonium.
- If you tried Spotify and hated the audio quality: switch to TIDAL or Qobuz; the difference over a good DAC is not subtle.
FAQ
Do I really need a USB DAC?
Yes if the goal is bit-perfect output. Android’s system mixer resamples everything to 48 kHz. A cheap USB-C DAC bypasses that path.
Does Bluetooth defeat the point?
Yes for lossless. Bluetooth codecs cap at compressed audio (LDAC is close but still lossy). Use USB or Chromecast for HiFi.
Which HiFi streamer app is free forever?
HiBy Music is fully usable free; Onkyo HF Player is free at the CD-quality tier. Symfonium and Neutron are trials only.
Will this work on any old Android phone?
Any Android phone from around 2018 with USB-C OTG support will handle a USB DAC. Older micro-USB phones may need an adapter.
Is Tidal or Qobuz the better HiFi service?
For pop and rock, either works. For classical or jazz, Qobuz has a deeper hi-res catalog. Both have free trials — run them for a week and pick the one that has more of the music you listen to.
