DAC Improvement Over iPod?

[drrick]

Hi,

I've been lurking around here for a while, and have gotten a lot of good information. I've built a Millett and will be building an M^3 in the next week or so to complement it. My main cans are my Senn 580's but I also occasionally listen to my Grado SR-60's (who knows what else in the future). Anyway, here's my question, I currently run an iPod as my source into my amps. Will I notice a benefit if I add a USB DAC that will use an analog out to my amp? I'm open to trying foobar and/or ASIO if that will help, but I just wanted to know if this was even worth the effort (and cost

) Anyway, sorry if this has been asked, but I tried to search, so thanks for your help!

 

[mrarroyo]

Depends on the source. If the files in your ipod are Apple Lossless and you send the signal from your computer via a DAC to your amps then the sound should be better. Also if you use the CD-Rom or DVD in your computer to play CD's and the go via the DAC to your amps the sound would be better.

Does your computer have a soundcard with either an optical or a coaxial out? If yes then you could try the Lite Dac-Ah from Pacific Valve at about $165 delivered. Good luck.

 

[drrick]

thanks for your input--that's kind of what I was thinking. Most of my music is mp3, encoded at 192 (196?, whatever) or above, so I wasn't sure. If it was worth it, I might try re-ripping some music into FLAC or some other lossless format. My laptop just has a stock sound card, so optical isn't an option--it would have to be USB out of the computer, then an analog interconnect to my amp. I really am not up to spending more than $100 right now, due to the M^3 project, so would a DAC in that price range even be worth it?

 

[pds6]

I found that the digital-out also eliminates the transfer of any hard drive noise.

 

[kugino]

the alien DAC is a nice improvement over the stock DAC in my macbook/imac...i imagine it will be over your stock computer DAC, too, so it's worth it, IMO. cheap, too...

 

[Redo]

Any external USB DAC should really be better than your computer's audio. Some exceptions maybe some of the high end EMU cards vs very cheap DACs.

 

[AndyRx7]

Personally I found my Headroom MicroDAC to be quite an improvement over my old 4G ipod, although the ipod does have a nice sound signature all things considered. I found the most noticeable differences to be (a) imaging and depth - the MicroDAC feels very 3D while the ipod felt more like a line from left to right with not a lot of depth (b) bass volume and definition - the ipod was quite muddy and unextended compared to the MicroDAC. Everything just sort of sounds more detailed, realistic, and enveloping with the DAC, almost like going from FM radio to CD (maybe not quite so drastic of course, but that's my best description).

 

[RockinOut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyRx7 Personally I found my Headroom MicroDAC to be quite an improvement over my old 4G ipod, although the ipod does have a nice sound signature all things considered. I found the most noticeable differences to be (a) imaging and depth - the MicroDAC feels very 3D while the ipod felt more like a line from left to right with not a lot of depth (b) bass volume and definition - the ipod was quite muddy and unextended compared to the MicroDAC. Everything just sort of sounds more detailed, realistic, and enveloping with the DAC, almost like going from FM radio to CD (maybe not quite so drastic of course, but that's my best description).

I agree.

MicroDAC for me: texture, depth, sound stage. Music you can feel and touch, not just hear. It really improves my 128k radio streams and mp3 files that sound so lifeless due to the compression.

I don't even bother with the iPod anymore. I just wait to listen with my DAC rig. That's just me.