[spickerish]

Quick question guys. If you use a dockconnector-to-rca cable and connect it to a dac/amp, in my case a Corda Cantate, does the audio signal bypass the iPod's internal DAC?

 

[ClieOS]

No. You still using the line-out signal from the internal DAC.

 

[skamp]

How did you connect your Corda Cantate to your PC?

 

[spickerish]

Quote:

No. You still using the line-out signal from the internal DAC.

Okay, kind of expected it. So a solution for bypassing the dac would be: ipod --> Pure i20 dock --> cantate. But which DAC will then be in use, the Pure i20 DAC or the Cantate DAC?

 

[spickerish]

Quote:

How did you connect your Corda Cantate to your PC?

I connected my Cantate to my PC via USB. Why do you ask?

 

[aajohan]

As a rule, if you're connecting anything with an rca cable the signal is analog and the DA conversion will have happened before this step.

 

[spickerish]

Quote:

As a rule, if you're connecting anything with an rca cable the signal is analog and the DA conversion will have happened before this step.

Oh wow, that sounds very logical. Should have thought of that myself! Thanks!

 

[skamp]

I connected my Cantate to my PC via USB. Why do you ask?

Just checking!

 

[skamp]

So a solution for bypassing the dac would be: ipod --> Pure i20 dock --> cantate. But which DAC will then be in use, the Pure i20 DAC or the Cantate DAC?

Since your Cantate doesn't have S/PDIF inputs and you're gonna have to use an RCA cable, the Pure i20 DAC will be used.

 

[Evshrug]

Since your Cantate doesn't have S/PDIF inputs and you're gonna have to use an RCA cable, the Pure i20 DAC will be used.

Which of course makes me wonder if the Pure i20 DAC is actually superior to the iPod's built-in DAC. DACs don't impact the sound much FWIR, once you reach the average quality. Then again, some people say the Wolfson DAC in the iPod Video was the best Apple ever used, which happens to be the iPod I own. Honestly though, I can't hear a difference with the same file played through my iPad 2, using a FiiO L11, Yamaha amp, and AKG Q701 headphones.