5.1 sound with ipod

jtoddaz
jtoddaz Posts: 37
edited March 2006 in Electronics
Does anyone know if by hooking up your ipod to your receiver using the 2 a/v cables, if the receiver will channel that into 5.1 sound. And will it sound as good as a cd player hooked up with an optical cable. My receiver is an HK 435 if that makes a difference. Any experience would be helpful. I think that downloading all my cd's into the ipod and playing it that way would streamline things a bit since my 300 cd changer is HUGE!
Jeremy
Post edited by jtoddaz on

Comments

  • krabby5
    krabby5 Posts: 923
    edited March 2006
    it will..

    your receiver will just apply pro logic, Neo 6, Logic 7,,,whatever processing you choose..

    the receiver will take any 2 channel source and convert to 5, 6, or 7 channels
    Pioneer Elite VSX-53, Polk RT800i fronts, Polk CS400i center, FX500i surround, Velodyne sub
  • jtoddaz
    jtoddaz Posts: 37
    edited March 2006
    Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated. This is just info that I would like to know before shelling out the $300.
    Jeremy
  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited March 2006
    You can do that but it will probably sound a whole lot better in simple stereo. You'd just have to use a 1/8" headphone to two rca's and hook it up that way. It won't sound as good as a dedicated cd player but that one's up for you to discover... Also, how you compress the music to put onto the ipod will greatly change the quality.

    I'd love an ipod for taking to school and work, but I doubt I'd ever use it for anything more than background listening on my main rig.

    There is a company that will mod your ipod with their own circuitry and it's supposed to bring it up to a level of quality that will rival most decent dedicated cd players. I think the mod is around $150? I'll have to try and find that link for you.
  • SuperDave
    SuperDave Posts: 168
    edited March 2006
    :D Most receivers have a two channel setup (no effects) . In my opinion most audio sounds better in this mode. I got an adapter cable for my ipod and it works great hooked to my receiver. I'm sure my denon cd player sounds better though.

    SuperDave
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    SuperDave
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  • krabby5
    krabby5 Posts: 923
    edited March 2006
    I have the Elite 72 with the integrated iPod connection...works pretty slick

    It sounds best in Pioneer's proprietary 7 channel surround mode
    Pioneer Elite VSX-53, Polk RT800i fronts, Polk CS400i center, FX500i surround, Velodyne sub
  • jtoddaz
    jtoddaz Posts: 37
    edited March 2006
    thanks again for the replys.
  • Toxis
    Toxis Posts: 5,116
    edited March 2006
    analog audio cables from a headphone out will never sound as good as a straight digital connection from a player using actual CD's. As for the 5.1, that's the processing of your receiver no matter what source it might be. VHS, Beta, iPod, Turntable, CD, CB radio... you name it. That's the purpose of Dolby Pro-Logic/DTS Neo:6.
    Never kick a fresh **** on a hot day.

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  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited March 2006
    Here's that mod for the ipod.

    You just send them your ipod and $200 and they mod it and then send it back to you. You'd need a seperate headphone amp or something to control the volume afterwards since it bypasses the one built in normally.
  • fatchowmein
    fatchowmein Posts: 2,637
    edited March 2006
    2 channel sounds better but as already mentioned, it'll work. Just make sure you're not playing at 128 bit. I have my mini connected to the aux port on the front of a Yamaha htr-5760 and it sounds great in 2 channel or surround because I rip my music at 192 and my favorite stuff at 320 (Eagles, Diana Krall, Sarah Brightman, Armik). However, 320 eats up alot of space. I use Exact Audio Copy and Lame instead of iTune to rip CD's.
  • AndyGwis
    AndyGwis Posts: 3,655
    edited March 2006
    I am having some issues along this same subject. Maybe it's the download or MP3 quality, but when I hook my laptop or ipod up to my receiver (using headphone jack to RCA), the sound is almost inaudible. I have to turn it all they way up on my laptop/iPod and have my HK635 at about -10db just to hear something. That's way louder than I listen to anything else. Movies/music would be nearly deafening at -10db.

    Any helpful advice or troubleshooting techniques? I would also like to be able to listen to audio through my HK 635 for online gaming, but that is VERY rare these days.
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  • lanion
    lanion Posts: 843
    edited March 2006
    Laptop volume would be an issue of the power of your laptops sound card. At full volume it might output less power than the standard output of a DVD player or a CD player, so you have to turn it up higher. Theres nothing wrong with it really. With my Ipod volume all the way up it gets loud enough at about -10db on my H/K... CDs are loud enough at -30db
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  • jtoddaz
    jtoddaz Posts: 37
    edited March 2006
    I just started uploading some of my cd's into itunes in apple lossless format and the files are huge. My cd's are an average of 600-700mb! in that format. They average like 40-60mb per song!!! The mp3 format is like 5mb per song. So I hope when i do run my ipod into my stereo there is a huge difference in sound quality becauase i now will have to buy a 60gb version!
  • Holydoc
    Holydoc Posts: 1,048
    edited March 2006
    jtoddaz wrote:
    I just started uploading some of my cd's into itunes in apple lossless format and the files are huge. My cd's are an average of 600-700mb! in that format. They average like 40-60mb per song!!! The mp3 format is like 5mb per song. So I hope when i do run my ipod into my stereo there is a huge difference in sound quality becauase i now will have to buy a 60gb version!


    That is another reason why I bought the 60gb version. :)
    Holydoc (Home Theatre Lover)
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  • Mike682
    Mike682 Posts: 2,074
    edited March 2006
    Holydoc wrote:
    That is another reason why I bought the 60gb version. :)

    I was originally looking at the 4gb nano, but for a difference of $30 between the two, I bought the 30gb.
    Receiver: harmankardon AVR235
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  • Holydoc
    Holydoc Posts: 1,048
    edited March 2006
    Mike682 wrote:
    I was originally looking at the 4gb nano, but for a difference of $30 between the two, I bought the 30gb.

    Nano is real nice if you workout or want to take it with you when you are exercising. No chance of messing up a harddrive since it has flash memory. I needed something for trips and for the car to keep me company on long TDYs. The 60gp was great for that.
    Holydoc (Home Theatre Lover)
    __________________________________________
    Panasonic -50PX600U 50" Plasma
    Onkyo -TX-NR901 Receiver
    Oppo -Oppo 980HD Universal DVD Player
    Outlaw -770 (7x200watt) Amplifier
    PolkAudio - RTi12 (Left and Right)
    PolkAudio - CSi5 (Center)
    PolkAudio - FXi3 (Back and Surround)
    SVS - PB-12/Plus (Subwoofer)
    Bluejean Cables - Interconnects
    Logitech Harmony 880 - Remote
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited March 2006
    Surround with work off of a 1/8" jack, but it won't sound like an digital connection will. If you are listening to music, why not just listen in stereo anyway. That was most likely the format it was recorded in. A good pair of speakers in stereo IMO, sounds better for music than great surround. It is not as clean, and not as exact.