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Wadia 170i transport+ipod classic vs. usb drive - Page 2

post #16 of 20
8/14/09 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by qusp View Post
...unless of course it is the USB->PCM conversion that is badly implemented in which case a USB HD or thumbdrive will sound just as bad.
Good point and a easy test to confirm it.
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post #17 of 20
8/14/09 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qusp View Post
if its using USB, its not using the ipod dac, so if it sounds like crap, its the DAC that sounds like crap and the wadia is unlikely to sound much better. unless of course it is the USB->PCM conversion that is badly implemented in which case a USB HD or thumbdrive will sound just as bad.
So simply using the usb connector that came with the ipod bypasses the ipod dac and sends a pure digital signal just like the Wadia transport does. I didn't realize that was the case. Doesn't seem like it would be worth spending the hundreds of dollars on the Wadia.
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post #18 of 20
8/15/09 at 4:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ssnake51 View Post
So simply using the usb connector that came with the ipod bypasses the ipod dac and sends a pure digital signal just like the Wadia transport does. I didn't realize that was the case. Doesn't seem like it would be worth spending the hundreds of dollars on the Wadia.
yes, if you are able to plug in the ipod to your receiver via the regular ipod syncing cable, then you are indeed bypassing the ipod dac. but I would expect the usb->PCM/spdif convertor chip would be fairly tacked on a not of terribly high quality. it is likely to be a simple burr brown 270x type chip. this method is vastly inferior to what the wadia does. the wadia will be tapping the i2s signal; then reclocking that signal and allowing you to send off fairly jitter-free digital SPDIF/PCM audio via coax, which is IMO a superior transport medium. the two methodologies are quite different and one should be noticeably superior to the other.
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post #19 of 20
8/15/09 at 10:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qusp View Post
yes, if you are able to plug in the ipod to your receiver via the regular ipod syncing cable, then you are indeed bypassing the ipod dac. but I would expect the usb->PCM/spdif convertor chip would be fairly tacked on a not of terribly high quality. it is likely to be a simple burr brown 270x type chip. this method is vastly inferior to what the wadia does. the wadia will be tapping the i2s signal; then reclocking that signal and allowing you to send off fairly jitter-free digital SPDIF/PCM audio via coax, which is IMO a superior transport medium. the two methodologies are quite different and one should be noticeably superior to the other.
Thanks much for the detailed information. As you can tell, I've quite a bit yet to learn about audio technology.
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post #20 of 20
8/15/09 at 10:23am
I sold my iPod Classic 160GB and now satify with current setup per my signature.
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