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I'm trying to connect a DAC/amp with a micro USB connection to my Android smartphone. Is it possible to get the DAC/amp to work without the larger "adapter" type OTG cable, and use something like this instead? (A USB micro male to USB micro male cable) without adapter type OTG adapter type OTG

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The red cable pictured is a USB-OTG cable too. It's no different to having the adaptor-style cable with a normal USB-A to micro-USB cable attached. So if your amp will work with one, it will work with the other too.

Just be extra careful when using a symmetric-looking USB-OTG cable. USB-OTG works by having the pins wired differently in the "host" and "peripheral" ends of the cable, so you need to be careful to plug the "host" end into the phone. Different cables have different ways of identifying which is which, so be careful to check the instructions that come with the cable.

Of course, your amp might not work for other reasons. If it lacks an external power supply, then it needs the host device to supply enough power for it. Most smartphones can't supply a lot of power via USB-OTG, so in that case you'd need to use it with a powered USB hub.

The other reason it might not work is if it uses the USB audio profile. Most Android devices lack driver support for USB audio; there are other questions about that on the site.

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  • Thanks Dan, when you say "need to be careful to plug" the proper side to each of the components, host vs peripheral, do you mean it will damage the phone/dac if I accidentally mixed the two? Or do you mean just take note of the difference? And also, the "powered USB hub", does that mean any USB hub? Or one with two cables to the hub? Thanks again.
    – apertur
    Commented Apr 23, 2014 at 15:15
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    Unless the amp is badly designed, it shouldn't be damaged if you get it the wrong way around: it just won't do anything. A powered USB hub is one with a separate power cable and transformer that you plug into the mains (or possibly a car lighter socket or something like that). Whether you need one depends on how much power the amp draws and how much the phone can supply.
    – Dan Hulme
    Commented Apr 23, 2014 at 15:46

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