external DAC for home ipod listening?

[Rich F]

I use a Graham Slee Voyager headphone amp and Denon AHD1001 headphones to listen to my ipod on the move.

Will it benefit me to put my ipod through an external DAC whilst listening at home? and if so should i still use the headphone amp as well?

I have read the many rave reviews of the marantz 6003 CD player and i wonder if it is better for me to purchase this and connect my ipod through that and then to my headphone amp. I don't often listen to cd's (even though i have a pretty decent collection) i just seem to download them to my ipod via apple lossless when i have a route through the collection.

While i'm at it - is it worth getting a different headphone amp for home listening? - bearing in mind i would then be able to use the RCA connection rather than 3.5mm jack.

Any advice would be welcome.

 

[Messiah]

The only way the iPod will benefit from an external DAC is it it is used in conjunction with a suitable dock that enables the iPods internal DAC to be bypassed. (Docks such as the Onkyo ND-S1)

This is the same if you are thinking of connecting it through the CD player. You need to bypass the internal DAC and direct connection to the CD player will not allow this.

 

[idc]

This is my guide to connecting an ipod to an amp -

Regards to the ways of connecting an ipod directly to an amp:

- LOD or line out dock. A connector goes into the port at the base of the ipod and a cable runs to either a mini jack or phonos, which then plug into the amp. This connection usually bypasses the ipods own amplifier, but not its DAC. The volume is then controlled by the amplifier. The ipod is not charged through the LOD. Examples of LODs are the GQ-24 from Russ Andrews and the iBasso CB03. Both sound excellent.

- Dock. The dock connects through the ipod's port, but it also charges the ipod and does not always bypass the ipods amp, so the connection is different. Many docks then connect by minijack to minijack or to phono cables. Examples are from Cambridge, Apple and Arcam. See What Hifi reviews as many docks are not great.

- Minijack. A minijack cable from the headphone output at the top of the ipod to minijack or phono. The headphone out is the least effective way of connecting an ipod to anything. There are loads of such cables on Amazon and ebay, most for under a tenner and that cheapness reflects the lower standard of connection.

- a digital dock. This bypasses the ipod's amp and sends a digital signal to a DAC. Phono cables are then used to connect the DAC to the amp. There are two, the Wadia itransport which is expensive and reviewed by What Hifi. There is a cheaper alternative from Onkyo now, the ND-S1, but it has fewer connection options. Either are the only way to link an ipod directly to a DAC. You have to bypass the ipods DAC, or else you are trying to send an analogue signal to a DAC. A DAC needs a digital signal.

The alternative to the above is not to use an ipod at all. A PC with itunes connects to the amp via a DAC. Some amps have their own internal DAC. The PC usually connects to such an amp with a USB cable. Otherwise the DAC sits between PC and amp. The connection by PC to DAC is either USB, optical or digital cable. The DAC then connects to amp by phono cables.

There are other variations, but the above are the most common

You have a very good portable headfi setup. As for home listening, will you be exclusively headfi? What is your budget? I am thinking along the lines of not using your ipod at home. Instead you use itunes off your PC and connect your PC to a DAC and the DAC to an amp and the amp to headphones.

 

[manicm]

Are you listening to your iPod through phones only? Will you never connect to hifi speakers?

If so I'm gonna give left-field advice - save your money and just forget about everything else.

Which iPod do you have? Whichever one you have flog it (unless it's a prior-'Classic' model - IMHO the 'Classics' sound horse-poop regardless of buds), get a Nano 16gb one, get Sennheiser CX300-II buds and rip everything to 256k AAC, equalizer totally off and enjoy the bloody thing.

Thru buds I got immense pleasure from my Nano 'fatty'. It sounded stunning.