iMod - What if I don't use docks with capacitors?

Contrary to popular belief, the 5.5g model really doesn't have a built in amp. It actually has an attenuation circuit. The output from the lineout is basically the hp out with the volume maxxed. Now you do get benefits with using lineout because you do completely bypass the attenuation circuit which provides a cleaner sound. The differences have been greatly overhyped. It's not night and day and barely noticable, but it's there. As far as the difference between a capped lod vs uncapped lod for imod/diymod. The caps are mainly there for protection against dc offset. Some portable amps have input caps that serve the same purpose and some do not. So if you are unsure, then always go with a capped lod. The only differences in the capped lod are the caps used. Some are bassy, some are warm, some are neutral etc. If you don't use a capped lod, and your amp can't handle the dc offset, you can fry your amp, headphones or both.

DIY MOD : remove all extraneous audio components from the line out signal path, this results in an improvement in connectivity between the DAC and DOC connector.

Then fit High quality 100R resistors in place of the cheap an nasty original tantalum coupling capacitors.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chacobo 

Many thanks for the reply! It's exactly what I'm looking for.

 

I agree that there's a difference between headphone jack and LO, but I couldn't distinguish the difference between a normal LO and an diymod LO (with the same cap).

 

What is confusing me is that if 5/5.5 gen doesn't have a built in amp, what amps the signal after the DAC?  Does it not need an amp to sound that loud?

And I think the most important question is, what exactly does iMod bypass then?

 

edit: got the answer, but still interested in what "amped" the sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chacobo 

edit: got the answer, but still interested in what "amped" the sound.

Every lineout from any player has voltage(or you would have a signal to drive your amps). You can get an adapter and plug in your headphones into the back of any cd player and you're going to get sound. The average cd player has 2.0v of output at the rca jacks. Some have even more than that. So eventhough there's not a separate amp driving the output of an ipod, there's still voltage from the lineout. Which is why the ipod can drive very sensitive cans loud, and cans with low sensitivity would need a least a portable amp to drive them. Some ipods and other daps do have a built in amp circuit, but even(most not all) those couldn't qualify as a good headphone amp. But for very sensitive cans and iems, it doesn't take much, and the lineout from any dap is sufficient to drive those.