[Pustik]

Hello,
 
What do you guys use to connect iPhone/iPod to DAC?
 
Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  What do you guys use to connect iPhone/iPod to DAC?

If you have $250, the HRT iSteamer.
 
Otherwise most people use a $10 LOD cable to connect the IPhone/iPod's LOD port to the line-input on the headphone amplifier.

 

[Pustik]

  If you have $250, the HRT iSteamer.
 
Otherwise most people use a $10 LOD cable to connect the IPhone/iPod's LOD port to the line-input on the headphone amplifier.

 
Are you saying dac to dac works?
 
Could you give an example of LOD cable.
 
Thank you.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Are you saying dac to dac works?
Could you give an example of LOD cable.

Some newer Apple products do not have an LOD port, they now use the lightning port.
 
When you use something like the HRT iStreamer, the Apple product's internal DAC is being bypassed.
and the iStreamers functions as the DAC (Digital to Analog Converter).
Your connecting the iStreamer to the Apple devices LOD port (digital audio signal)
 
With an LOD (Line Out Dock) cable, your using the Apple device's internal DAC, but the Apple device's headphone amplifier is being bypassed (analog audio signal).
 
Here is an LOD cable.
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-L3-Line-Cable-iPhone/dp/B003UCESP8

 

[Pustik]

  Some newer Apple products do not have an LOD port, they now use the lightning port.
 
When you use something like the HRT iStreamer, the Apple product's internal DAC is being bypassed.
and the iStreamers functions as the DAC (Digital to Analog Converter).
Your connecting the iStreamer to the Apple devices LOD port (digital audio signal)
 
With an LOD (Line Out Dock) cable, your using the Apple device's internal DAC, but the Apple device's headphone amplifier is being bypassed (analog audio signal).
 
Here is an LOD cable.
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-L3-Line-Cable-iPhone/dp/B003UCESP8

 
I read that you can't connect iPod to DAC since Dac's can't accept analog. Am I wrong then?

 

[Eric_C]

There's a few DACs that can bypass iPod's internal DAC. The HRT iStreamer is one of them.
 
Unless otherwise stated, it's easier to assume any DAC you may have will not work with an iPod.

 

[Pustik]

  There's a few DACs that can bypass iPod's internal DAC. The HRT iStreamer is one of them.
 
Unless otherwise stated, it's easier to assume any DAC you may have will not work with an iPod.

 
Isn't HRT Streamer a Dac too? So we are still connecting DAC to DAC? Would that work?

 

[Eric_C]

Yes, but I said "bypass iPod's internal DAC". So it is not a case of "DAC-to-DAC connection", because there is only one DAC being used.
 
(Anyway it is impossible to connect DAC to DAC. Each one is digital-to-analogue only; you can't convert analogue to analogue--that is not a conversion.)

 

[Pustik]

  Yes, but I said "bypass iPod's internal DAC". So it is not a case of "DAC-to-DAC connection", because there is only one DAC being used.
 
(Anyway it is impossible to connect DAC to DAC. Each one is digital-to-analogue only; you can't convert analogue to analogue--that is not a conversion.)

Yea but then I will be connecting HRT iStreamer to PS Audio PWD, would that work?

 

[Eric_C]

No idea. I don't know what that is.

 

[PurpleAngel]

   
I read that you can't connect iPod to DAC since DAC's can't accept analog. Am I wrong then?

I've very difficult to get a digital signal out of an Apple's LOD port, it's not a technology limitation.
Apple is just very controlling of it's hardware.
Apple limits what docks and external DACs can interface digitally thru an LOD port.
Where it's very easy to get analog audio signal from a LOD port
I'm guessing Apple changes a large royalty to allow some device to get a digital audio signal from a LOD port.

 

[PurpleAngel]

   
Isn't HRT Streamer a Dac too? So we are still connecting DAC to DAC? Would that work?

WHEN THE HRT ISTREAMER IS CONNECTED TO AN APPLE'S DEVICE'S LOD PORT, THE APPLE DEVICE'S BUILT IN DAC IS BYPASSED (NOT USED).
ONLY THE HRT ISTREAMER'S DAC CHIP IS BEING USED, NOT THE APPLE'S DAC CHIP.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Yea but then I will be connecting HRT iStreamer to PS Audio PWD, would that work?

The HRT iStreamer takes in a digital audio signal (zeros & ones) an outputs an analog audio signal (wave), once an audio signal is analog, it would not be sent to another DAC (PS Audio PWD).

 

[Pustik]

The HRT iStreamer takes in a digital audio signal (zeros & ones) an outputs an analog audio signal (wave), once an audio signal is analog, it would not be sent to another DAC (PS Audio PWD).

Thank you for clarifying, that's exactly what I was thinking and talking about. So in this case HRT would have to be directly connected to the amp? Are there better options than the iStreamer to get the best sound out of iPod/iPhone?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thank you for clarifying, that's exactly what I was thinking and talking about. So in this case HRT would have to be directly connected to the amp? Are there better options than the iStreamer to get the best sound out of iPod/iPhone?

Better way is to use the Fiio X3 ($200) for playing your audio files (FLAC, ALAC, 320K, 256k, etc)
It has a built in headphone amplifier and a nice DAC chip, it also has a line-out, which you can connect to just about any amplifier you like, also has a S/PDIF coaxial digital output, so it can also connect to an external DAC (with coaxial input).
 
There are some $500 external DACs that connect to a LOD port (digital), can't remember their names.
 
But the Fiio X3 with it's digital S/PDIF coaxial output, can connect to a a lot of external DACs ($200-$2000).