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Today's Featured Head-Fi Blog: A Japanese headfier's monologue (Sasaki)
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The Stereophile article is indeed very clear. I am somewhat reassured that at that price a DAC is not included...
At 349 $, I think this unit makes a lot of sense for people who already have a quality DAC, whether standalone or in a CD player with digital inputs (such as a Wadia !). Hooking up your computer to your existing sound system may not be practical for many, and the iTransport is certainly cheaper than most decent music servers.
I think it makes a lot of sense for Wadia to release such a unit, and I hope it will sell well because I like Wadia products (I have an 830 CDP).
Back to the other suggestion I made, SqueezeBox 3! Less money, storage options, hi-rez audio. And if you REALLY want the best hi-rez from a hard disc, a computer with an I2S output card and a compatible DAC or modded one will do much much better! I mean it is always converting signals I2S to S/PDIF/optical/USB before leaving the transport/computer, S/PDIF/optical/USB back to I2S to DAC chip and finally analog that degrades the sound in EVERY transport/DAC!
I see the iMod as a better solution. Then at least you will have the good sound on the go to! I am assuming that most readers here already have or intend to buy a portable amp so the iMod is quite a value and I am sure the sound would be close.
I am currently looking into how I can mod an iPod to skip the DAC section as well and provide pure bit-perfect I2S to an Opus DAC with I2S inputs. No conversion will ensure that this is the absolute best way to transmit the signal to the DAC and save money to boot! All I need to do is figure out what connection/plug I can use in such a tight space. No caps needed(unlike the iMod), headphone jack still would work.
Another idea I have working on would be to do the I2S hijack to an Opus DAC and then to an output stage like the Ballsie or Zapfilter and make a PS and stick it in my car as a source. Or do the iMod/sans caps and plug it into a Zapfilter for my bedroom. Why not do this for a USB DAC/portable amp like the predator? Conversion is evil and the less crap in line the better.
So yes, there is a market for this and I am sure they have done a good job. However, if you don't need the video option there are much better and cheaper options for getting what would be better sound from your iPod. So if you want the best sound from your iPod, find a connector that will fit, drill a hole in you Ipod to wire the jack to the DAC inputs and then connect it to an Opus DAC or one with I2S inputs(modded DAC will work too) and I would bet my left nut that it will better any commercially available solution out there, period!
Back to the other suggestion I made, SqueezeBox 3! Less money, storage options, hi-rez audio. And if you REALLY want the best hi-rez from a hard disc, a computer with an I2S output card and a compatible DAC or modded one will do much much better! I mean it is always converting signals I2S to S/PDIF/optical/USB before leaving the transport/computer, S/PDIF/optical/USB back to I2S to DAC chip and finally analog that degrades the sound in EVERY transport/DAC!
I see the iMod as a better solution. Then at least you will have the good sound on the go to! I am assuming that most readers here already have or intend to buy a portable amp so the iMod is quite a value and I am sure the sound would be close.
I am currently looking into how I can mod an iPod to skip the DAC section as well and provide pure bit-perfect I2S to an Opus DAC with I2S inputs. No conversion will ensure that this is the absolute best way to transmit the signal to the DAC and save money to boot! All I need to do is figure out what connection/plug I can use in such a tight space. No caps needed(unlike the iMod), headphone jack still would work.
Another idea I have working on would be to do the I2S hijack to an Opus DAC and then to an output stage like the Ballsie or Zapfilter and make a PS and stick it in my car as a source. Or do the iMod/sans caps and plug it into a Zapfilter for my bedroom. Why not do this for a USB DAC/portable amp like the predator? Conversion is evil and the less crap in line the better.
So yes, there is a market for this and I am sure they have done a good job. However, if you don't need the video option there are much better and cheaper options for getting what would be better sound from your iPod. So if you want the best sound from your iPod, find a connector that will fit, drill a hole in you Ipod to wire the jack to the DAC inputs and then connect it to an Opus DAC or one with I2S inputs(modded DAC will work too) and I would bet my left nut that it will better any commercially available solution out there, period!
No offense, but I don't understand half of what you just said, and I think there are a lot of people out there not so technically oriented who will appreciate the simplicity of using the itransport.
So if you want the best sound from your iPod, find a connector that will fit, drill a hole in you Ipod to wire the jack to the DAC inputs and then connect it to an Opus DAC or one with I2S inputs(modded DAC will work too) and I would bet my left nut that it will better any commercially available solution out there, period!
The Stereophile article indicates that the Wadia will work with the iPod Video in its "Extended Interface" mode. So the next logical question is, will the Wadia work with an iPod Video running Rockbox?! That would be the good news I want to hear.
Should be. The hard part is the actual soldering on such a small PCB. I Know this is not the easiest thing to do because of the physical constraints and it is beyond the ability of most consumers that have to buy a new appliance every day to simplify making coffee for example... Not to long ago people brewed their own coffee with a simply unit. Now, you buy single serving packet and stick them into a machine that handles the amount of coffee/water/flavoring blah blah blah... You can go and spend $200 for the iMod, $349 for this rig, $2000 for other units, nor you could spend $10 on wire, plugs, and a stereo mini-jack and you have a transport that you can send this I2S signal to a modded DAC or an Opus DAC.
Should be that easy. If not, chime in and suggest what we can do! But yes, it would be easier to buy one of these. I was merely introducing the idea of a TRUE giant killer for next to nothing.
I just realized that the iTransport has a propietary power input jack. This means we can't use aftermarket power cords with it. Bummer. But not the end of the world.
And the Stereophile article confirms what I've been saying all along, that certain mobile audio manufacturers like Alpine have been allowing the iPod to transmit a digital signal to the head unit's internal DAC.
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Headphones → Denon AH-D5000 (modded)
Amp/DAC → Meier Audio Corda Opera :::
Transport → ESI Juli@ ::: Vista → Foobar 0.9.5 → EAC extracted PCM → ASIO 2.0 → SSRC@96/Ultra → ESI Juli@ → S/PDIF :::
Power → Virtual Dynamics Master LE 2.0 Power Cord(Amp/DAC) ::: Cobalt Cable Ultimate Power Cord(PC) ::: API PowerWedge I
Interconnects → Virtual Dynamics Master LE 2.0 Digital IC ::: Cobalt Cable Ultimate Digital Coax :::::::::::::::::: Cobalt Cable Ultimate Audio Interconnect Pair ::: ALO 6" iPod LOD ::: Qables 15" Silvercab iPod LOD
Portable Source → iPod Classic (6g) 80gig, with Agent18 Hardshell Acrylic Case:::
Accessories → Audio Technica AT-HPS500 Headphone Stand ::: Woo Audio Silver Headphone Stand
"The iPod click wheel interface is not available while the player is attached to the iTransport and using digital audio out." - iPod Video
That just spoiled my chances of buying it. If the analog outputs are using the iPod's DAC then Wadia just lied to us all about it bypassing the iPod's DAC Unless its whole purpose of bypassing if for the SPDIF output only. Then we'd be paying for that part of it only. LOL. But I still disagree with jp11801's statement "The wadia could simply take the analog signal off the dock and pass it through to the rcas, that is all I was trying to say." If this were to happen then we would still need to connect the RCAs to a DAC if the iTransport does not have a DAC. I've never seen a digital RCA input before. Yes people talk about hard drive blablabla iTunes, USB cable etc. But in the end. What do we use to play the music? A sound card. Which has a DAC.
Oh well, since the iPod Video can't use the clickwheel. I guess my only option would be the overpriced iLink.
I just noticed the video section of this large gadget. It looks like you could run full-power DivX or MPEG movies out of the iPod, as well as the usual lossless audio - the only things missing are HDMI-out (probably non-feasible due to DRM issues) and multi-channel audio. I'm not sure how exactly you would do this, but the capability is there...
Headphoneus Supremus aka JP-nums or JP-numbers Lead Organizer for Can Jam '09
Originally Posted by ZephyrSapphire
But I still disagree with jp11801's statement "The wadia could simply take the analog signal off the dock and pass it through to the rcas, that is all I was trying to say." If this were to happen then we would still need to connect the RCAs to a DAC if the iTransport does not have a DAC. I've never seen a digital RCA input before. Yes people talk about hard drive blablabla iTunes, USB cable etc. But in the end. What do we use to play the music? A sound card. Which has a DAC.
Oh well, since the iPod Video can't use the clickwheel. I guess my only option would be the overpriced iLink.
ok I'm really not sure how I am mis communicating but I have been doing it all day so I'll give it one last shot. today as we speak you can rum your ipod directly out of the dock connectors to any stereo you like simply by getting a dock line out cable that is outfitted with rca cables. Headfi members do a truncated version of this all the time with dock line out cables to mini jacks to use them with amps. Well if a mini jack will work so will an rca and I have friends that use this all the time. All wadia has to do is implement the same line out structure that taps the direct out of the dock section and run them to analog rcas.
"The iPod click wheel interface is not available while the player is attached to the iTransport and using digital audio out." - iPod Video
That just spoiled my chances of buying it. If the analog outputs are using the iPod's DAC then Wadia just lied to us all about it bypassing the iPod's DAC Unless its whole purpose of bypassing if for the SPDIF output only. Then we'd be paying for that part of it only. LOL. But I still disagree with jp11801's statement "The wadia could simply take the analog signal off the dock and pass it through to the rcas, that is all I was trying to say." If this were to happen then we would still need to connect the RCAs to a DAC if the iTransport does not have a DAC. I've never seen a digital RCA input before. Yes people talk about hard drive blablabla iTunes, USB cable etc. But in the end. What do we use to play the music? A sound card. Which has a DAC.
Oh well, since the iPod Video can't use the clickwheel. I guess my only option would be the overpriced iLink.
No, your option would be to get an iPod Classic. That's a whole lot cheaper than the iLink and doesn't void the warranty on the iPod.
I'm not sure how you would even control the iPod if you can't use the click wheel interface. How would you control the audio then? It doesn't make sense.
Pretty much, you need to use the newest generation of iPods.
__________________
____________________________________________
Headphones → Denon AH-D5000 (modded)
Amp/DAC → Meier Audio Corda Opera :::
Transport → ESI Juli@ ::: Vista → Foobar 0.9.5 → EAC extracted PCM → ASIO 2.0 → SSRC@96/Ultra → ESI Juli@ → S/PDIF :::
Power → Virtual Dynamics Master LE 2.0 Power Cord(Amp/DAC) ::: Cobalt Cable Ultimate Power Cord(PC) ::: API PowerWedge I
Interconnects → Virtual Dynamics Master LE 2.0 Digital IC ::: Cobalt Cable Ultimate Digital Coax :::::::::::::::::: Cobalt Cable Ultimate Audio Interconnect Pair ::: ALO 6" iPod LOD ::: Qables 15" Silvercab iPod LOD
Portable Source → iPod Classic (6g) 80gig, with Agent18 Hardshell Acrylic Case:::
Accessories → Audio Technica AT-HPS500 Headphone Stand ::: Woo Audio Silver Headphone Stand
Unless its whole purpose of bypassing if for the SPDIF output only. Then we'd be paying for that part of it only. LOL. But I still disagree with jp11801's statement "The wadia could simply take the analog signal off the dock and pass it through to the rcas, that is all I was trying to say." If this were to happen then we would still need to connect the RCAs to a DAC if the iTransport does not have a DAC. I've never seen a digital RCA input before. Yes people talk about hard drive blablabla iTunes, USB cable etc. But in the end. What do we use to play the music? A sound card. Which has a DAC.
