Wadia iTransport iPod Dock Gets Bit-Perfect Digital from iPods!

[jude]

Wadia iTransport iPod Dock Gets Bit-Perfect Digital from iPods!

I've been talking to John Schaffer at Wadia about this product for a few months now, with invitations from him to listen to the prototype(s) at their HQ, but I just haven't been able to make it out to Wadia yet to play with it--CES will be my first time listening to it.

The Wadia iTransport is, in my opinion, a very significant product, and one that will have me picking up a 160GB iPod Classic (or another, larger-capacity iPod if one is announced any time soon), as it would be my portable source and (in conjunction with the iTransport) half of my music/media server, running the iTransport into a nice outboard DAC or home theater receiver DAC.

Below is the press release.

(Wadia is a Head-Fi.org Sponsor.)

__________________________________________________ __
D I G I T A L I N T U I T I O N

CES ’08 – Venetian Room #30-236
Wadia Digital Debuts The iTransport
Enabling Full Resolution Digital Output From iPod® Players
-- iTransport Delivers Bit-Perfect Digital Audio
From Files Stored on All Currently Available iPod® Players --

LAS VEGAS, NV, January 7, 2008 – Wadia Digital, a high-end audio company dedicated to the development of digital audio technologies, is demonstrating the market’s first digital player dock to retrieve a direct digital signal from an iPod®. As a result, the audio signal remains pure and unadulterated, providing CD-quality resolutionfrom full-resolution file formats such as .WAV and .m4a (Apple® Lossless).

The iTransport (SRP: $349), which is certified Made for iPod®, turns any currently available iPod player into a high-end media server by providing a bit-perfect digital audio output to an audio/video system, bypassing the player’s internal D/A conversion and output stage. Subsequently, the audio signal remains clean and unadulterated throughout the path. The iTransport is compatible with all currently available (Q1 2008) iPod players, as well as iPhone® and iPod Touch® models.

“Until now, there has been no real bridge between the convenience of an iPod and the high-end audio listening experience,” commented John W. Schaffer, President, Wadia Digital, Inc. “The goal of making the player a true high-end media server has been hampered by the need to send the digital signal through a portable player’s D/A converter rather than that of a high performance audio system.

“Instead, we designed iTransport to bypass the player’s converter and output stage altogether. When used with an iTransport, the iPod becomes a digital music source equal to some of the finest sounding transports in the high-end audio market.”

D I G I T A L I N T U I T I O N

Along with turning an iPod into a high-performance audio server, iTransport is one of the first such products to access video content stored on currently available iPods. Similar to the audio section, the video signal is made available via high performance component outputs that provide up to DVD-quality video.

The iTransport measures 2” x 8” x 8” (H/W/D), making it an easy addition to most racks and entertainment centers. Wadia incorporates a bit-perfect S/PDIF digital audio output and high-resolution component digital video output, as well as analog audio and video outputs for
easy connection with most audio/video systems. iPod players are charged while in the dock, and can be operated via Apple’s standard IR remote control. (Not included with iTransport.)

Wadia Digital’s iTransport will ship in February 2008, and will be available at select high-end audio specialists and the Wadia Digital web site – Wadia Home Page.

iPod is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. This product has been designed specifically to work with iPod
and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.

# # #

About Wadia Digital, Inc.
Founded in 1988, Wadia Digital is one of the foremost high-end audio companies dedicated to the development of digital audio products. Wadia innovations have shaped and defined digital audio processing and conversion for the high performance consumer electronics industry. Wadia designs are born of a delicate balancee of technology shaped by a passion for music. This combination of technical skill and understanding of musical enjoyment has allowed Wadia to produce superior digital playback components for nearly two decades. For further information,
visit the company’s web site – www.wadia.com – or contact Adam Sohmer; Sohmer Associates, LLC; 718-499-9161, adam@sohmerassoc.com.

[SuperNothing]

Sounds awesome! Can't wait to see the renderings.

[Ingo]

That's pretty awesome.

[blem]

For 349 $ + the price of an IPOD we will get sound quality on par with Wadia CDPs ?

[Jahn]

this is going to be freaking HUGE.

[2deadeyes]

Originally Posted by blem

For 349 $ + the price of an IPOD we will get sound quality on par with Wadia CDPs ?

That all depends on the DAC that's fed from it

[blem]

Originally Posted by 2deadeyes

That all depends on the DAC that's fed from it

Isn't the whole point of the iTransport to bypass the iPod's DAC ?

[elrod-tom]

Wow...this is VERY interesting!! Nice product from Wadia! It should provide all the benefits of a good computer audio rig...only the computer will not be necessary.

Jude, have you had any discussions with John about how this product will function with better quality lossy formats (e.g. 320Kbps MP3 or AAC files)?

[carlineng]

Whoa! Huge news!

[elrod-tom]

Originally Posted by blem

Isn't the whole point of the iTransport to bypass the iPod's DAC ?

Yes...but without another DAC that is BETTER than the iPod's DAC, you will have only a digital signal with no analog output.

The idea is to make the digital signal available for a better DAC, not to bypass it AND convert the signal.

Now, I do know that Wadia makes a number of fine products that can convert that signal...

[jp11801]

while this looks interesting and is a good value at $349 you can buy a mac mini for $599 and essentially be at the same place and have a platform that provides greater storage and additionally its a computer. Krell has the IPOD kid that I feel similarly ambiguous about.
The market for something like this is relatively small, take the ipod market then slice that into someone that wants to use it at home, then slice that by the people that don't want one of the trillion all in one devices all ready out there, then look at IPOD owners that also are outboard dac customers and there you habe your potential market. The item is probably manufactured off shore in China in order to meet this price point so they probably have made a lot of them.
While I have had my share of ups and downs with Wadia certainly I wish them sucess with this recent product line and hope it will provide the revenue stream they really need to meet the customer service needs of their high end customers.

[jude]

Originally Posted by blem

Isn't the whole point of the iTransport to bypass the iPod's DAC ?

Yup. And then to get a bit-perfect digital out from it (among other things).

I just blogged about the iTransport, and my blog post may explain to those of you not familiar with the idea of transport/digital-to-analog converter (DAC) why a Head-Fi'er (and just about anyone with a home theater receiver/processor) would find the iTransport an important product in an increasingly iPod world, as far as being a substantial step in the right direction, which is away from "the death of high fidelity."

[poo]

If only it were portable...

Can't wait for the day we have a portable device that allows me to output a digital signal from my iPod to a pico DAC/amp... surely it's easier to make than an iMod!

Back on topic, I agree with jp11801 comments above - Mac mini is a far better choice for the price difference.

[matt8268]

I'm baffled as to how this product is able to do what it claims...I remember another vendor offering a $2000 mod to the iPod to get the same digital out.

I must learn more.

[Hoppergrass]

so do i understand correctly that this won't work with older
iPods? i.e. 4th and 5th generations.