Why do portable DACs exist when you can't bypass iPod/portable player's crummy internal DAC?

Portable DACs exist so that you can hook them up to a computer, I suppose.

The signal from your DAP's line out already exists in the analog domain, so it will bypass the DAC and you won't go through the DA process twice.

As for portable amps -- it is meant to be fed from the DAP's line out; although the headphone out also works, you get less-than-ideal amplification as you put it. You can buy line out adapters for an iPod to get a proper lineout, btw.

I bought my portable DAC for my laptop and I use it at work.

Well, you can still use portable DACs for other devices, such as plain old notebooks. That would make for a nice library setup for example, where power outlets are rare and tube amps might draw confused looks. Also, afaik the Ipad can use DACs in combination with a USB-out add-on.

As far as portable amps are concerned, you can get a line-out on Ipods with an LOD, so you could bypass the crappy internal amp with a superior external amp. And sometimes they're just used to drive demanding headphones that the player's headphone out can't power sufficiently.

So yeah, there's good use for both. And they look cool. I get a lot of confused looks on the tram for my CMOY.

Because there are portable players with digital out...

Or just for hooking up to your laptop.

Though ipods don't have a digital out, there are still many uses for a portable dac. Also ipods aren't the only daps out there. And like the above poster said, some of them, although very few, even have a digital out.

The Solo from Cypher Labs (http://www.cypherlabs.com/Products.php) can extract digital signal from iPods at a cost of about $600.

^  Yeah, that unit allow the usage of an external portable DAC as well. Nice!

Simply, because Apple won't allow it. Unless licensed by companies like Wadia, pay $$$ to Apple for the rights to pull out the music digitally (see the iWadia), it can't happen. Now I can understand this when Apple's music as DRM controlled. But that's a thing of the past...

I wish Apple would reconsider and issue a firmware update where we could use a LOD and pull out the music digitally into say my iBasso D10 and not have to spend $450 on the iWadia, then a DAC/AMP.

What's odd about the apple situation is that they have only allowed a handful of home solutions with digital out - and yet many mainstream automotive applications have digital connectivity with the ipods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by francoamerican 

What's odd about the apple situation is that they have only allowed a handful of home solutions with digital out - and yet many mainstream automotive applications have digital connectivity with the ipods.

such as? would like to find out . thx <3

I don't think that was an accurate statement. I've had many ipods interfaces in cars that I've own, and non of them accessed the music digitally. It was always analog. But maybe there's something out that I don't know about.

The Zune HD dock has bit-perfect optical output. A portable DAC could be useful here in a place where you don't have much space.

This is especially useful in say an office cubicle, since most corporations don't want music on company owned PC's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by resshin 

such as? would like to find out . thx <3

Even I have my iPod connected digitally to my car´s receiver...

http://www.stereophile.com/news/010408wadia/

In my ignorance, I'm surprised more haven't done this.