Classic Vs. New Era

Cthulhu11
Cthulhu11 Posts: 69
edited May 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
Hello everyone, i was wondering if anyone around here had kicked around the idea of an ipod 2 channel rig. I know the classic guys are all like the TT is the best, which is awesome. But has anyone looked into ipod's, like dac for them. I believe Wadia came out with a piece called 170i Transport. But has any other companies explored the ideas. And im not talking about charging and controlling you ipod from your source, we all know people have been doing this for a little bit now. I know the ipod is relatively new, but just want to see what people thought.

My ipod rig:
Bell stereophonic 3dt intergrated tube amp
Gr Research N2X (DIY project)
Iphone 3GS 32GB, 3GS 16GM, 3G 8GB, 8GB Nano
Post edited by Cthulhu11 on
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited May 2010
    Cthulhu11 wrote: »
    But has anyone looked into ipod's, like dac for them. I believe Wadia came out with a piece called 170i Transport. But has any other companies explored the ideas.

    Onkyo has its ND-S1, which bypass the internal DAC of the iPod. However, it's not "officially" imported into the US....and it's cheaper than the Wadia.

    dqmyk0.jpg

    I'd love to try one with my iPod, but a physical medium will always be my primary source.
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  • Cthulhu11
    Cthulhu11 Posts: 69
    edited May 2010
    whoa baby, that looks cool...
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited May 2010
    Cthulhu11 wrote: »
    whoa baby, that looks cool...

    I think you can get one overseas for under $300.00, which is significantly cheaper than the Wadia. You can read up on the Onkyo NS-S1 at the linked thread from head-fi.org.

    You can get one in black as well. I don't know why Onkyo isn't bringing this dock into the US.

    20091027-ND-S1_01.jpg
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  • Cthulhu11
    Cthulhu11 Posts: 69
    edited May 2010
    Ya i dont understand why they wont let it over here yet either. But wouldn't you have a voltage problem bring it to the states.
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  • Huck344
    Huck344 Posts: 453
    edited May 2010
    Cthulhu11 wrote: »
    Ya i dont understand why they wont let it over here yet either. But wouldn't you have a voltage problem bring it to the states.

    The majority of Japan is on 60 hertz which is the same as the US. So, that wouldn't be a problem. I go to Japan quite often for work and always check out the Akihabara (Electric Town) in Tokyo. On my next trip, I'll remember to look for them.
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited May 2010
    I believe Bel Canto has something in the works for extracting the digital data from an iPod,but it will be in the 4 figures price range.
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  • cincycat13
    cincycat13 Posts: 882
    edited May 2010
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98599

    I have a Zune instead of an i-pod (it was cheap at the time). So my system is Zune, NAD 1155 pre, Carver TFM45 amp, Polk SDA-2B. I did get my hands on a Sony CDP-C70 to compare versus the Zune and it did sound better. But my 3 year old can operate the Zune so it wins fun factor hands down. If this onkyo system hits the US I would definately have to check it out.
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited May 2010
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Personally, I prefer the Wadia/Onkyo approach since I have the option to upgrade DACs as better ones become available.
    I concur,having the option of using your DAC of choice is a big plus.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited May 2010
    I know the classic guys are all like the TT is the best

    Not so fast, many of us prefer SACD/CD.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • snow
    snow Posts: 4,337
    edited May 2010
    f1nut wrote: »
    not so fast, many of us prefer sacd/cd.
    he he ;)

    regards snow
    Well, I just pulled off the impossible by doing a double-blind comparison all by myself, purely by virtue of the fact that I completely and stupidly forgot what I did last. I guess that getting old does have its advantages after all :D
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  • virtualdean
    virtualdean Posts: 286
    edited May 2010
    F1nut wrote: »
    Not so fast, many of us prefer SACD/CD.

    Huh!! Got that right! They'll stop me using sacd/cd's when they pry the remote out of my cold dead fingers.

    I used to snort in derision at my Son always walkng around with his tiny ear buds and what was basically a glorified mp3 player in his pocket.

    :D
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited May 2010
    The iphone/ipod docks are cool in you can toss your iphone/ipod into them and they are purpose-built, but there are other ways to integrate a digital collection.

    Does your computer have a digital audio output, preferably optical? This is the only time I'd recommend optical- there's a lot of RFI inside a computer & an optical cable won't pick that up. Also read up on bypassing all the OS sound processing. I assume you're using itunes, so get the apple remote app, and you can use that iphone to control the music & browse your library.

    There are also a number of streamers with digital out that can interface with an iTunes library, or just a shared directory, so you don't have to have the noisy computer in the room with you.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
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  • maximillian
    maximillian Posts: 2,144
    edited May 2010
    Huck344 wrote: »
    The majority of Japan is on 60 hertz which is the same as the US. So, that wouldn't be a problem. I go to Japan quite often for work and always check out the Akihabara (Electric Town) in Tokyo. On my next trip, I'll remember to look for them.

    Japan is 60 Hz, 100V. US is 60 Hz 110-120V. Most devices work fine between Japan and the US, but others things won't. Always check the device's electrical rating.
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited May 2010
    I just noticed that TEAC has a couple of its Reference Series receivers that will accept iPod docking and bypass the iPod's internal DAC. The TEAC receivers feature Burr-Brown DACs.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited May 2010
    I had an ipod dock that worked well using the bottom jack, although did not output digital, and although the sound was better than the 1/8" jack through an AUX input, the sound with lossless files was not CD quality; let alone SACD quality. As soon as I'd A/B lossless ipod vs CD, I never went back to ipod. PC is a better option, but any kind of portable player will not be used in my system again.
    Jake
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited May 2010
    BlueFox wrote: »
    Since you were using the 69 cent iPod DAC I suppose it wasn't.
    It's rumoured that the older generation ipods (gen3-5) with the Wolfson integrated dac/analog output buffer sound better than the current gen 6 classics.Not having the Wadia I find my gen 6 OK for background music but by no means suitable for critical listening.
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  • Cthulhu11
    Cthulhu11 Posts: 69
    edited May 2010
    That's what i've come to find, that the ipod does have good sound, but not to an audiophile ear. The new age kids growing up, and are going to be using these things. Thats why i'm asking, what is going to happen the when CD turns in the old TT, and the Ipod is the new CD. Just something to think about i know it might be some years. But just think about this, to an audiophile 1500 cd's or 1500 vinyl's is a collection. But to an ipod holder it's nothing. It's bad enough they are trying to make everything more compact, so how do we get the great sound?

    Someone stop the little man from running around my head!
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited May 2010
    Peachtree also has a solution that bypasses the IPOD's internal DAC, it uses a Sabre DAC to boot! http://signalpathint.com/index.php/iDecco/idecco2.html

    Another option, I have a Zune HD loaded with lossless files and the optional dock that bypasses the internal DAC via an optical cable.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited May 2010
    Face wrote: »
    Peachtree also has a solution that bypasses the IPOD's internal DAC, it uses a Sabre DAC to boot! http://signalpathint.com/index.php/iDecco/idecco2.html
    Very nice.
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  • Beta
    Beta Posts: 267
    edited May 2010
    I am using an iPod in my system now. It's been a long time since I can remember listening to a CD.

    I run my iPod through a Wadia 170 itransport which I have powered by a Channel Islands Audio VDC-9.0 Power Supply Upgrade. Then I run a Cardas lightning digital cable from the Wadia to the DAC in my Cambridge Audio 840C.

    This set up was recommended to me in a post by a fellow Club Polk member. To this day, I am still amazed how at good it sounds.
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited May 2010
    IMO, iPod's and HiFi don't mix. I've got an iPod Touch...and it sounds terrible on my 2 channel rig, when compared to both my CD's and vinyl. To be fair though, I don't have an ipod dock. I'll likely get one for my 2 channel rig eventually, but in all reality I doubt it will really see much use there. It's definitely not a high priority.

    They are mighty convenient though. Mine really only gets used in my car.
    The nirvana inducer-
    APC H10 Power Conditioner
    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
    Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
    PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • jaxwired
    jaxwired Posts: 201
    edited May 2010
    Peachtree's new iDecco pulls the digital data direct from the iPod also (as does Wadia and Onkyo). And the iDecco has a very respected DAC. Naim also just came out with a very high priced component that also pulls direct digital from iPod.

    iDecco:

    Peachtree-Audio-iDecco-Gloss-Black-Stereo-Integrated-Amplifier-With-Built-In-DAC-and-iPod-Dock1.jpg
    2 Channel
    NAD C545 -> Benchmark DAC1 -> Bryston BP6 -> Bryston 4B SST2 -> Dynaudio Contour S1.4
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited May 2010
    Quest for Sound http://www.questforsound.com/index.htm
    carries a tubed docking station/transport that pulls digital data for iPods. I can't seem to find it on the website but I've see and heard it there. I was impressed as I am NOT and iPod guy.

    You may want to call Quest, Stephen Monte is the owner and he will point you in the right direction. Tell him you were sent by a guy on the Polk Forum and he'll give you a discount.
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