Irritating lack of info on Arcam Solo Mini

[baldy38]

Hi

Can anyone help me answer a question that you would think was simple but is turning out to be anything but?

Can the Arcam Solo Mini (which I'm considering buying to replace an old Yamaha minisystem in my kitchen) play files other than MP3 or WMA direct from an iPhone?

Both the What Hifi review and the Arcam info say it will only play MP3 and WMA, but this makes no sense as you can plug an iPhone in to the USB socket at the front and iPhones don't play WMA files! But nowhere can I find whether by plugging into this socket it will play files that are not MP3 or WMA.

I've even emailed Arcam direct and got two impenetrable answers back, neither of which answer the question.

So if you attach the iPhone to the USB socket on the front of the Mini, will it play Lossless, AIFF, AAC and WAV files?

Or do you need to use an rLead or an rDock to play them? (And will they even play then?)

Thanks

 

[Andy Clough]

Well the manual says "MP3 and WMA files may be played from a flash memory USB device or an MP3 player connected to the front panel input". Which would imply that Lossless, AIFF, AAC and WAV files on an iPhone won't. Seeking clarification.

 

[Andrew Everard]

According to the manual, the Solo Mini won't take audio direct from an iPod via its front-panel USB, but needs the rLead or rDock to do so. The rLead has a pair of analogue outputs and a D-sub-type plug to feed data from the player into the Solo Mini's display and allow the solo Mini to control the attached iOS device. It also has a USB plug, but this is purely for charging the attached device.

Graphic below from the rLead manual perhaps makes all this slightly clearer.

/sites/whathifi.com/files/images/solo%20rLead.jpg

But yes, with all that attached the Solo Mini will play whatever's on the iPod, iPhone or whatever, but will do so by taking an analogue signal from the iOS device, using the iPod's inbuilt D-to-A conversion.

 

[manicm]

And while we watch WHF unbox Arcam's new digital (with built-in DAC bypassing the iPod's) drDock, we *ahem* await the review.

 

[Andrew Everard]

And while we watch WHF unbox Arcam's new digital (with built-in DAC bypassing the iPod's) drDock, we *ahem* await the review.

We're hoping to have the review of the good dr online before the weekend.

 

[baldy38]

Ok. Nice one. Thanks very much