iPod to Hi-Fi

[admin_exported]

I would like to connect an iPod 160 Gb Classic to my hi-fi (Rotel RA-O4 amp) for the convenience of playlists etc, but I'm not sure I fully understand the options here.

Is it as simple as buying a connecting lead and plugging one end into the headphone jack on my iPod with the other end going into the "Media Player" jack on the front of the amp?

What are the advantages of going with a dock as opposed to the above solution (apart from the fact that many docks offer remote control)? I've looked at these docks here:

http://shop.ipodworld.co.uk/iPodWorldSite/category/all_iPods_Docks/qfilters=DOCKS_type|HiFi%20Connecting/

....but, unfortunately, none of them are suitable for an iPod Classic. Can anyone recommend a good dock which could accommodate an iPod Classic?

Any help would be much appreciated

 

[John Duncan]

yes, it's as simple as that, but a dedicated dock will give you a better connection and usually charges your iPod as well - check out the Apple Universal Dock, the Arcam rDock, Onkyo's DSA2X (I think that's the one with remote), and various others - Cambridge do a 20 quid on on Richer Sounds' website as well, don't know if it's remote.

Or if you have 350 quid to spare, the Wadia iTransport bypasses the analogue output of the iPod and has a high-quality DAC built in. Bit of overkill in the context of your system perhaps, but would be a top-notch front end with an iPod full of lossless music - you might never need a new CD player..............

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]Or if you have 350 quid to spare, the Wadia iTransport bypasses the analogue
output of the iPod [/quote]I'm with you untill here[quote user="JohnDuncan"]and has a high-quality DAC built in. [/quote]
I'm not so sure about the dac part- I've always read that the itransport just transports the digital signal, nothing more. If so, no probs, but you still have to connect the transport to the cd-players dac or buy a new one.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]yes, it's as simple as that, but a dedicated dock will give you a better connection and usually charges your iPod as well - check out the Apple Universal Dock, the Arcam rDock, Onkyo's DSA2X (I think that's the one with remote), and various others - Cambridge do a 20 quid on on Richer Sounds' website as well, don't know if it's remote.

Or if you have 350 quid to spare, the Wadia iTransport bypasses the analogue output of the iPod and has a high-quality DAC built in. Bit of overkill in the context of your system perhaps, but would be a top-notch front end with an iPod full of lossless music - you might never need a new CD player..............[/quote]

Thanks for the response John - I will check out some of those docks. I'm half-tempted to have a look at the Wadia you mention too - by-passing the analog signal sent out of the ipod and converting a pure digital signal sounds really appealing. It would be so convenient to have CD quality (or better?) lossless sound sourced from an iPod. 350 quid though

...

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]Or if you have 350 quid to spare, the Wadia iTransport bypasses the analogue output of the iPod [/quote]I'm with you untill here

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]and has a high-quality DAC built in. [/quote]
I'm not so sure about the dac part- I've always read that the itransport just transports the digital signal, nothing more. If so, no probs, but you still have to connect the transport to the cd-players dac or buy a new one.
[/quote]

Nope, has analogue outputs as well as an optical digital out. Page is here

I fancy it to beat many a sub-£1k player...........

 

[John Duncan]

But.............trawling through the specs, there is no mention of a DAC

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]Or if you have 350 quid to spare, the Wadia iTransport bypasses the analogue output of the iPod [/quote]I'm with you untill here

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]and has a high-quality DAC built in. [/quote]
I'm not so sure about the dac part- I've always read that the itransport just transports the digital signal, nothing more. If so, no probs, but you still have to connect the transport to the cd-players dac or buy a new one.
[/quote]

Nope, has analogue outputs as well as an optical digital out. Page is here
I fancy it to beat many a sub-£1k player...........
[/quote]I with you all the way- i think it's a fantastic product. Still, although possible, I didn't see any written piece on the internet that says it has a high quality dac of itself.Wes Philips, stereophile, " In addition to its RCA S/PDIF and component video, the iTransport also sports a pair of RCA analog outputs, although that signal is apparently derived from the iPod's internal DAC"

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]Or if you have 350 quid to spare, the Wadia iTransport bypasses the analogue output of the iPod [/quote]I'm with you untill here

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]and has a high-quality DAC built in. [/quote]
I'm not so sure about the dac part- I've always read that the itransport just transports the digital signal, nothing more. If so, no probs, but you still have to connect the transport to the cd-players dac or buy a new one.
[/quote]

Nope, has analogue outputs as well as an optical digital out. Page is here
I fancy it to beat many a sub-£1k player...........
[/quote]

I with you all the way- i think it's a fantastic product. Still, although possible, I didn't see any written piece on the internet that says it has a high quality dac of itself.
Wes Philips, stereophile, " In addition to its RCA S/PDIF and component video, the iTransport also sports a pair of RCA analog outputs, although that signal is apparently derived from the iPod's internal DAC"
[/quote]

Yeah, am now backtracking - have emailed Wadia to ask!

 

[John Duncan]

And I quote:

Thank you for your interest in Wadia! The 170iTransport was designed to get the digital information out of the iPod and send it out to an external DAC. Therefore, we did not include a DAC in the 170iTransport and the analog outputs are a pass-thru from the DAC in the iPod. We will likely have a higher end unit that will have a DAC onboard that will take the digital signal from the iPod, decode it in the dock and then feed the analog outputs. We are also working on a companion DAC to go with the 170iTransport right now. The 170iTransport is an awesome device and the first of its kind, but may not be the right choice for everyone right now. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Back to the drawing board. As Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men..................

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]And I quote:

Thank you for your interest in Wadia! The 170iTransport was designed to get the digital information out of the iPod and send it out to an external DAC. Therefore, we did not include a DAC in the 170iTransport and the analog outputs are a pass-thru from the DAC in the iPod. We will likely have a higher end unit that will have a DAC onboard that will take the digital signal from the iPod, decode it in the dock and then feed the analog outputs. We are also working on a companion DAC to go with the 170iTransport right now. The 170iTransport is an awesome device and the first of its kind, but may not be the right choice for everyone right now. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.
Back to the drawing board. As Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men..................
[/quote]Was too good to be true. A 350 ipod dock with state of the art DAC- very much possible, though very unlikely from a company like wadia- they would be shooting themselves in the foot! My guess is the dac will cost about 800 pounds, making sure it's only for a select public...We however, well maybe I'll just speak for myself... I know that there's aworld to be explored when cheap and high quality dacs are concerned. Wadia is not the only one who knows to do it right. for 150 you or your current digital input on your cd-player you're entering the nirvana of non-fatigue listening and pure enjoyment!

 

[John Duncan]

Yep - I probably wouldn't go down the dock route anyway, more likely the squeezebox (and its ilk) route, but am currently exploring DAC options for that very purpose. The Beresford and MF are obviously contenders, but I like the look of the moonlab dice - very Mac-friendly

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]the moonlab dice - very Mac-friendly [/quote]See here here for a comparison

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]the moonlab dice - very Mac-friendly [/quote]See here here for a comparison[/quote]

oooooooooooooo

 

[fr0g]

I have to say, that Wadia is possibly the best thing thats come out for the iPod. I wouldnt seriously expect a high end manufacturer like Wadia to include a DAC at that price, but with a pure digital output, any HDD or SSD based player should theoretically challenge the best CD players. The HDD and even more so SSD is a far better transport than a loose spinning plastic disk!

 

[John Duncan]

Yep, just not convinced by how it would work in practice (remote control and interface wise) - a squeezebox with a hard-wired network connection should give you the same result though, shirley? Given the same DAC, I mean.

 

[fr0g]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]Yep, just not convinced by how it would work in practice (remote control and interface wise) - a squeezebox with a hard-wired network connection should give you the same result though, shirley? Given the same DAC, I mean.[/quote]

The squeezebox player costs only £100. I doubt the components are of top quality. Also today I brought home a new DAC to test, and the guy who makes them does digital output upgrades (mainly for DVD players as he recommends using a DVD player as transport with his DAC). I reckon the squeezebox would also benefit from this treatment.

 

[Anonymous]

Just put lossless files on the iPod and use a pure line out to analogue inputs.

Sounds fine.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]Yep, just not convinced by how it would work in practice (remote control and interface wise) - a squeezebox with a hard-wired network connection should give you the same result though, shirley? Given the same DAC, I mean.[/quote]

The squeezebox player costs only £100. I doubt the components are of top quality. Also today I brought home a new DAC to test, and the guy who makes them does digital output upgrades (mainly for DVD players as he recommends using a DVD player as transport with his DAC). I reckon the squeezebox would also benefit from this treatment.

[/quote]

Hence my wish for a network player that isn't Squeezebox-cheap and isn't Transporter-expensive and preferably has it's own audiophile DAC, so I don't have to have an external one. Or a Primare one - I'd pay extra for the knobs (as you know).

 

[fr0g]

[quote user="darrenwm1"]Just put lossless files on the iPod and use a pure line out to analogue inputs.

Sounds fine.

[/quote]

I agree. It sounds fine. Not particularly great though.

 

[fr0g]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="fr0g"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]Yep, just not convinced by how it would work in practice (remote control and interface wise) - a squeezebox with a hard-wired network connection should give you the same result though, shirley? Given the same DAC, I mean.[/quote]

The squeezebox player costs only £100. I doubt the components are of top quality. Also today I brought home a new DAC to test, and the guy who makes them does digital output upgrades (mainly for DVD players as he recommends using a DVD player as transport with his DAC). I reckon the squeezebox would also benefit from this treatment.

[/quote]

Hence my wish for a network player that isn't Squeezebox-cheap and isn't Transporter-expensive and preferably has it's own audiophile DAC, so I don't have to have an external one. Or a Primare one - I'd pay extra for the knobs (as you know).[/quote]

I think we want the same thing...apart from the knobs... my Lyngdorf is delightfully free of them

 

[John Duncan]

I rest my case (nice vase too)......

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="fr0g"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]Yep, just not convinced by how it would work in practice (remote control and interface wise) - a squeezebox with a hard-wired network connection should give you the same result though, shirley? Given the same DAC, I mean.[/quote]

The squeezebox player costs only £100. I doubt the components are of top quality. Also today I brought home a new DAC to test, and the guy who makes them does digital output upgrades (mainly for DVD players as he recommends using a DVD player as transport with his DAC). I reckon the squeezebox would also benefit from this treatment.

[/quote]

Hence my wish for a network player that isn't Squeezebox-cheap and isn't Transporter-expensive and preferably has it's own audiophile DAC, so I don't have to have an external one. Or a Primare one - I'd pay extra for the knobs (as you know).[/quote]

Duet + DAC.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="darrenwm1"]Duet + DAC.[/quote]

Am with you, but I'd like one in one box, preferably the same width as a cd player - just for aesthetics' sake........

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="darrenwm1"]Duet + DAC.[/quote]

Am with you, but I'd like one in one box, preferably the same width as a cd player - just for aesthetics' sake........[/quote]

It'll be smaller than any CDP!

 

[John Duncan]

Exactly!