Best cable for iPad to Grado RA1

[Darren Henderson]

So, over the last week I've been on a bit of a bargain hunt and managed to pick up a few goodies. The last piece of the jigsaw (for now) is an interconnect...

I'm currently using a pair of Grado GS1000s through the Grado RA1 headphone amp...my source is a variety of material - 24/44.1-192 files over DLNA, 16/44.1 files using Qobuz, and 320kbps files using Spotify (for songs I can't get in any of the above formats)...all played through an iPad Air to the Grados. I know the best solution would probably be to get a DAC but money doesn't permit...yet.

So my question is, which interconnect would be best for me at the moment? I've been looking at the iChord VEE 3 as well as the QED Reference J2P but I'm not sure if there are any other good options. My budget will be around £40-75 at the moment. I read somewhere about "iPad/pod specific cables" but wasn't sure if this meant lightning or 3.5mm, any clarification about these "...specific cables" would be greatly appreciated...as would any advice on the interconnect front.

Thank you in advance for any replies. :bounce:

 

[dalethorn]

So, over the last week I've been on a bit of a bargain hunt and managed to pick up a few goodies. The last piece of the jigsaw (for now) is an interconnect...I'm currently using a pair of Grado GS1000s through the Grado RA1 headphone amp...my source is a variety of material - 24/44.1-192 files over DLNA, 16/44.1 files using Qobuz, and 320kbps files using Spotify (for songs I can't get in any of the above formats)...all played through an iPad Air to the Grados. I know the best solution would probably be to get a DAC but money doesn't permit...yet. So my question is, which interconnect would be best for me at the moment? I've been looking at the iChord VEE 3 as well as the QED Reference J2P but I'm not sure if there are any other good options. My budget will be around £40-75 at the moment. I read somewhere about "iPad/pod specific cables" but wasn't sure if this meant lightning or 3.5mm, any clarification about these "...specific cables" would be greatly appreciated...as would any advice on the interconnect front. Thank you in advance for any replies. :bounce:

Theoretically, according to Apple, the iPad headphone jack has the same signal as the LOD (requires adapter for Lightning devices to output an analog signal), but it's always good to bypass the iPad's volume control even though you can't bypass the iPad DAC as yet. So apparently your choices are to get the iChord cable from the iPad headphone jack to the amp, or get the Apple lightning-to-30-pin adapter plus FiiO cable and then join that to the iChord cable somehow - terrible choices unless someone has a better idea. Even with an Apple-compatible DAC the iPad won't play beyond 48 khz resolution.

 

[Darren Henderson]

Thanks for the reply dalethorn. I've done a bit of research and, as you said, the iPad will only play files upto 48khz. When I attempt to put anything above this onto the iPad iTunes refuses...obviously. However after installing VLC on the iPad I could copy 24/192 files toVLC under the apps section. VLC will allow me to open 24/192 files, as will Moliplayer (over DLNA). But Moliplayer says that it is using 'software decoding' for files over 42khz and the 'hardware decoding' optioin is greyed out. So does this mean that Moliplayer and VLC open the f24/192 files but 'downsamples' them to a rate that the iPads DAC can handle?

I am aware you may not know the answer to this but I'm unsure so I thought I'd put it out there anyway. :doh:

 

[dalethorn]

Thanks for the reply dalethorn. I've done a bit of research and, as you said, the iPad will only play files upto 48khz. When I attempt to put anything above this onto the iPad iTunes refuses...obviously. However after installing VLC on the iPad I could copy 24/192 files toVLC under the apps section. VLC will allow me to open 24/192 files, as will Moliplayer (over DLNA). But Moliplayer says that it is using 'software decoding' for files over 42khz and the 'hardware decoding' optioin is greyed out. So does this mean that Moliplayer and VLC open the f24/192 files but 'downsamples' them to a rate that the iPads DAC can handle? I am aware you may not know the answer to this but I'm unsure so I thought I'd put it out there anyway. :doh:/quote]

I don't know that answer specifically, but until you get an external DAC that can process 192k data, you won't know for sure, no matter what anyone claims. The iPad internal DAC isn't likely to do it, so you need to bypass the Apple hardware completely. 192k is 48k times 4, so the iPad would have to send about 800 kb of data per second through the LOD, which shouldn't be an issue. For an in-depth look at the issues of digital data and DACs, I'd recommend googling the designer of the Dragonfly DAC and reading some of his papers. Don't expect any simple answers, because trying to get 192k processing from an iPad isn't supported by Apple (in other words, even if it does "work" it will have some limitations). I've used players other than iTunes on the Apple devices, and they all have bugs to one degree or another.

 

[Darren Henderson]

So...I emailed Arcam customer support last week to ask about the irDAC and have just received a reply. :dance: Rather than 'passing on' what was said I 'm just going to include the email. So here it is.... (sorry about the large font, it turns out my computer doesn't like reformatting the copied text and WHF won't let me post on my iPad)

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Hi Darren,

The irDAC will work perfectly with the Air we have some here and they are fine.....the statement is just a basic one and was done before the iPad Air. You will have no problem as all with rDAC and should be able to achieve what you want without a problem.

Matt Frost

Customer Service Supervisor

Arcam - Bringing music and movies to life

mattf@arcam.co.uk

+44(0)1223 203200

www.arcam.co.uk

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So I was quite happy with the reply. However I would still have the problem of playing the files, I can play the full whammy 24/192 files but only using software decoding, so this would 'limit' the benefits of the external DAC, right? This is yet another question that I don't know the answer to. I suppose the only way to go from here is the good old 'try before you buy', or at least 'believe', method. I suppose at the least this is some kind of clarification on the subject of iPad/DAC compatability, even if only limited. As for a full answer to the subject I fear the only way is to give it a go, I did mention that I only wanted to spend around £75 but I suppose I can add another £325 to that if it really does work. Hopefully I will get to audition, and buy, an irDAC soon so I can get/give a definitive answer to this question. :rockout: I realise this is less of a question than a statement but I thought it would be a good thing to know and a useful reference for anybody who happens to stumble across this forum when searching for a similar answer in the future. Fingers crossed!!!! 😛ray:

 

[dalethorn]

If you're putting the files onto the iPad with iTunes, then iTunes will decide what's acceptable. Once the file is on the iPad, then whatever music player you choose will decide what it can send off to the USB (LOD) port to the external DAC. There may be an app (don't know) that includes a player that can play 192k files to the external DAC, and that player could possibly pull files from its own memory space instead of from where iTunes pulls its files. Getting files into such a space may work like some document storage apps, such as AirSharing.

Edit: It seems you're already wary of getting into an expensive unmanageable kludge, so the above will give you some questions to satisfy so you can actually use that hardware.

 

[Darren Henderson]

I tried putting files on with iTunes but that was far too much hassle and it's got the limit on sample rate etc. so I have decided not to go down that route. But after downloading VLC I found out that it can play 24/192 files that are stored on the iPad (you go to the iPad on iTunes and there is a section where you can select the apps on the iPad, you put the files directly into the VLC folder - and Bob's your teapot!) VLC will play them on the iPad but there is no way of finding out about the decoding...although it must be software based because the hardware can't decode these files. However, as to wheather or not it will play nicely with an external DAC, I am not sure. I think this one may have to be an email to the devs, as will the situation with MoliPlayer HD.

In terms of the files and playing them things seem to be workable, but as you say it's the iPad/app to DAC that has potential to be the sticking point. I'm more hopeful of MoliPlayer HD as it actually has an option to choose between software and hardware decoding, but this obviously doesn't mean it will definitely send all the data to the DAC. I'm pleased that things seem to be moving along, even if it is at a limited pace.

I'll return with an update when I hear from the respective devs, hopefully soon. :type: