An ipod only setup

idc

Well-known member
Setup; an 80gb ipod classic and a 4gb nano. A Bose Sounddock. A Music Fidelity XcanV2 headphone amp with Russ Andrews GQ-24 cable to connect the ipod. The headphones are Grado SR 80s and out of site is a Russ Andrews mains extension with a Silencer plugged into it. I also have a Logitech mm50 which usually lives in the kitchen, or comes with me about the house. For out and about; Sennheiser MX500 earphones and in the car a Belkin ipod cassette adaptor. Very simple, very adaptable, not hugely expensive and pretty much future proof .

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The B&O Beocentre 2200

Sound; Ipod Classic and nano - The sound from the ipods is superb. If mp3 players were just a means to listening to music on the move I would not have considered using the ipods as the source of the music. My original Sony Walkman was just a means of listening to music when out and about, it’s sound could never have become the main source of music replacing the Yamaha KX390. But after plugging the ipod nano into my Rega Mira amp with a £5 cable from Curries to see how it would work, it was clear that musically this had a future. I have both ipods on the EQ setting ‘jazz.’ It is one of my least favourite forms of music (the worst is Chinese opera), but it has the best clarity.

Logitech mm50 - I was blown away when I got the Logitech (a present and unfortunately only available in white at the time. I prefer black, even ordering a black Arcam during the ‘silver years’). How could something so small, light and innocuous produce such a lively, detailed and powerful sound? I could hear detail on it that was also on the separates I still had at that point. It can produce a clear solid base sound that does not distort, yet it ‘walked’ itself off a shelf whilst playing the Groove Armada track Edge Hill! Both ipods benefit from being in soft covers to stop them from rattling against the casework.

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Logitech mm50


Bose Sounddock - A friend had bought himself a Bose Lifestyle system. Remembering granny’s Bang & Olufsen I went round with a pile of CDs and was most impressed. My friend and my granny liked the solid base and clarity of sound at low volumes that both of their systems were able to produce. Granny also liked the Who. I headed to John Lewis and tried a Bose Sounddock with my nano. I also tried another speaker port, going back from one to the other and ending up with a small crowd of other listeners and a very happy John Lewis sales assistant. It was clear that the Bose produced the bigger, stronger, clearer sound. It easily fills the living room with music, and it can be heard around the rest of the house if you push it! You get used to all of the sound appearing from one small area, but I do miss stereo effects and the scale of two speakers. I like my music to sound lively and to be able to follow a different instrument each time I listen. No distortion and good clarity are important, but at home I also need to have quiet times.


MF XcanV2 and Grado SR80s - I had kept the XcanV2 and headphones as my friend did not need them. The latest upgrade has been a Russ Andrews GQ-24 cable for the ipod to XcanV2 connection. Volume control is now with the amplifier. It has got to be the most simple hifi set up possible. The Grado headphones leak sound, so I keep the volume low unless I am on my own chilling. The sound is very clear and I can follow different instruments each time I listen. I can get lost in the music.

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Russ Andrews GQ-24 interconnect


Out and about; the Sennheiser MX500 earphones were a noticeable improvement from the ones that came with the ipods. Without changing the volume the music sounds louder, a good sign an upgrade has worked. The weak link is in the car with the Belkin cassette adaptor. It works better with the classic than the nano, but the sound is thin and uninvolving. Volume control is also a problem, even with the ipod’s sound check on. Some tracks sound very quiet compared to others, and woe betide if I forget to turn the car stereo volume down before switching to the radio.

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Sennheiser mx500

The pleasure has been the music. I cannot play a note. I can play with my hifi.
 

ElectroMan

Well-known member
Nov 20, 2008
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That's really interesting, as I now mainly listen to music on my
PC/iPod, as my main system is used for films and games (and the
occasionally music DVD) and I've been thinking about setting up a relatively simple system around the iPod (i.e. no servers or media centres).

idc: I have both ipods on the EQ setting 'jazz.' It is one of my least favourite forms of music (the worst is Chinese opera), but it has the best clarity.

That's a great quote, makes a change from the usual "I hate country/rap/house"!

And your granny had good taste!
emotion-1.gif
 

idc

Well-known member
Glad you find it interesting ElectroMan, well it certainly ain't pretty! Though here small is beautiful. That's why I typed out the big speal to go with it. Its simplicity is a major factor, it does not have to compromise with speaker placement and after my last house move it was set up and ready to go in minutes. I think its simplicity also goes along way to achieving the high level of sound quality it produces. I would love to see a comparison test of ipod classic vs £140 range CD players, both into a variety of amplifiers and speakers.

The ipod outputs a signal that easily fills the MF XcanV2. I have its volume set to about 8 o'clock, the same as when it was amplifying from a CD player. I cannot tell the difference between the two, especially with losslessly imported tracks. I have had the ipod classic playing for 3 hours with no sign of it needing to be recharged, in the car it has lasted 5 hours, so not much of a problem there.

Computer based music files played into an amplifier wirelessly, by direct connection or via an mp3 player, with either headphones, speakers or a speaker dock at the end has so many possibilities. I would love to see and hear about anyone with their computer connected to the Russ Andrews Desk Top Range or the amazing looking What hifi award winning Meridian F80.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Hi idc,

Clearly the room you listen to your iPod in is a different one to the room where your computer is?ÿ
 

idc

Well-known member
Octopo:

Hi idc,

Clearly the room you listen to your iPod in is a different one to the room where your computer is?

Yes Octopo, its a laptop kept on a shelf elsewhere and brought out when needed. My music files are on a Mybook hard drive which the lap top is connected to now and I am listening to some music just through the computer's speakers as I type. The CDs and back up discs I have burned are in the loft.

I am following a discussion you have contributed to on Computer based music regarding using a toslink cable, AE to connect the computer to the DAC/amp. As I ask there I would love to see pictures to get a better idea of how it works. There are lots of brilliant set ups pictured here, but you can see lots of beautifull systems in the adverts, and they miss out the cabling and how it actually works.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Like I said, what do you want to know involving cabling issues?
 

idc

Well-known member
Octopo,

I went with my very simple set up not realising the possibilities of DACs, Apple Express, servers etc. Do you think the way I have the ipod plugged straight into the amp could be improved by introducing a DAC or streaming music directly from the PC by the Apple Airport Express? A description of your set up along the lines of 'the thigh bone is connected to the knee bone' and how each connection is made would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Your system is completely agreeable, although there are methods to improve it. Without wanting to sound boring, if you plug your laptop into an external DAC (such as the £100 Beresford) you should hear a big difference.
 

idc

Well-known member
Octopo:Your system is completely agreeable, although there are methods to improve it. Without wanting to sound boring, if you plug your laptop into an external DAC (such as the £100 Beresford) you should hear a big difference.

This is absolutely not boring, though I see from your volume of posts you have probably been over this before and your responses are appreciated. My Dell Inspiron 1300 has limited outputs; no toslink, no phono, so how do I connect a DAC to it?

I assume that the ipod itself has tiny little DAC in it or else it would not work plugged straight onto the amp. Going down the DAC route would remove the need for the ipod, as it is a means of connecting the computer straight to the amp, correct?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
If you have no toslink connection you're looking at USB with the Cambridge DacMagic. If you're looking for an improvement in sound the DM will deliver and is a devilish bargain.
 

idc

Well-known member
I have a look at stuff about the DACMagic on the interent and I know it is very well rated on this forum. But I really like the look of the the Fubar DAC available from Russ Andrews;

I like to keep it simple as I am inclined to believe the more you introduce between the source and the sound the more problems you will encounter.
 

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