Quote: Yes, sorry I know one does'nt exist . I was refering to a new cable/connection (maybe integrated w/ the DAC/amp) that would have to be engineered from the ground up by R & D at Wadia. (Yup, that woud cost us. As I mentioned, it might not be cost effective, so no-one has gone this...

Quote: Are you sure the Onkyo & Audio-Technica docks also have digital out ? While they may sound good you will still be using the DAC inside the Ipod & it will remain a DAP rather than a "transport" unless you can access the digital signal to a DAC of your choice. Wadia, could really...

Quote: Yes, were did you get the impression that I don't realize lossless is like a zip. It's just that I'm happier using the highest attainable bit-rate within any codec. Flac Frontend (level 5 encoding) gave  me a higher kbps rate for the same music files flac encoded using the EAC flac...

Quote: Yeah, I guess I'm just being a little lazy as I don't care for compressed files in any shape or form & all the music I put on my DAPs(I hate calling these things MP3 players because I wouldn't use it if that's all they would play) is from my CDs or Higher Rez music files! I tried...

Quote: You guys are funny!!!  That you will listen to any "hiss" from IEMs or buds is extremely unblieveable to me. It's unacceptable for me to listen at anytime to euipment generated noise. The recordings I listen to all have at least some portions of silence (if only for a second or...

Sorry, but your rant(& anyone elses) about "hi-end" portable for the 'train ride' (or whatever) misses the whole point when the discussion is about available SQ. Just because this is where you tend to do your 'MP3 player'(I refuse to ever listen to listen to MP3 or any 'lossy' bit rates, I tried...

What's that old saying about "blaming the messenger for the message". It's not the playback that's flawed, it's only playing back what's actually on the recording. The truth is most popular music recordings don't have a lot of upper frequency liquidity, most players are intentionally designed to...

Quote: Originally Posted by shigzeo Changing CD to DSD is probably not the best method if you want to retain the quality of the original: you will lose something in the conversion process - but maybe add sparkle where codecs engage each other incorrectly. If we are recording the...

Quote: Originally Posted by LeeMark The mod is made in the iPod but then you need a special iMod LOD that has capacitors which are now bypassed in the iPod. A regular LOD without these caps will NOT work on an iModded iPod. Take a look at the Red Wine Audio and ALO websites for more...

Quote: Originally Posted by VicAjax And if those bits aren't converted to analogue until they reach the outboard DAC, there is very little that will affect the sound (some would argue nothing) between the transport and the DAC. So it would be somewhat doubtful the sound difference...

Quote: Originally Posted by VicAjax I'm with Sherwood... Bits is bits. The digital information contained in the iPod, as long as it's lossless, is no different from the information contained in a good (or bad) CDP. As long as those bits are delivered properly, the iPod itself shouldn't...

Quote: Originally Posted by Sherwood I think we're perhaps not on the same page. An iPod couldn't be called a digital transport at all if you're not getting a digital signal from it, which only a very few devices are capable of delivering. I agree that there are shortcomings to the...

Quote: Originally Posted by Sherwood Do you have any firsthand experience that would run counter to my assertion? Admittedly, I've never heard the onkyo, but I have heard the Wadia a number of times in a number of different systems. It sounds awfully similar to a good CD transport, if...

Quote: Originally Posted by Sherwood They have produced a number of good DACs, sure, but the 170i is not a DAC. There are, hypothetically, ways to make one digital transport better than another, but the difference is extremely subtle at best. So, you're completely positive the...

Quote: Originally Posted by shigzeo it is the first, but there are others. the onkyo version also interfaces with a computer unlike the wadia. the onkyo also was a smaller footprint! While the Onkyo may have a bit more versatility, I would'nt be so quick to place it on the same...