Finally a Useful iPod Dock for Audiophiles!

[ezkcdude]

I just read about this Meridian iPod Dock. Now, the story talks mainly about how this dock upconverts video from the iPod to 1080p, but that's not what I care about (who would, right?). Buried toward the end of the article, it mentions that the dock has coaxial and optical output! I've looked before for such a dock and never found one (please let me know if you have, of course). Furthermore, the dock has both headphone and line-level analog outputs. Assuming the Meridian performs the D/A, and given the quality of Meridian products, I would think the analog output will be quite good. The dock is $379, so it's not cheap. But, if you're an audiophile, and an iPod lover, I suspect this will be quite interesting to you. Anyone out there know any more about this?

 

[JadeEast]

It also mentions a headphone as well as a line level output.

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JadeEast /img/forum/go_quote.gif It also mentions a headphone as well as a line level output.

Yeah, I said that.

 

[OverlordXenu]

And, how do you think it gets that signal?

An ADC. It's useless. It's not going to sound any better than just using the iPod's line out. In fact, it could sound worse...

I seriously don't see why people fawn over iPods so much, when the Pacemaker is essentially what everyone should want in a portable device...

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverlordXenu /img/forum/go_quote.gif And, how do you think it gets that signal?

The 30-pin iPod dock connector is analog? That's news to me.

Google "iPod Dock Interface" ->

http://pinouts.ru/Devices/ipod_pinout.shtml

Some of the pin outs are digital. No doubt.

 

[MrJoshua]

I wonder if it uses an internal DAC then, similar to the new Alpine car stereo which connects to the iPod dock, but the connection is USB to the head unit, and then the stereo uses it's own internal DAC?

 

[MonolithTMA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverlordXenu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I seriously don't see why people fawn over iPods so much, when the Pacemaker is essentially what everyone should want in a portable device...

I'd never heard of it till reading your post. It looks interesting. I like that it supports FLAC playback. I have zero use for it's DJ features. The look of it reminds me of a car part, maybe a gas cap or something.

The main thing that would prevent me from desiring it is the fact that it's not flash based. I just don't trust portable hard drives.

 

[sugarinthegourd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezkcdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 30-pin iPod dock connector is analog? That's news to me. Google "iPod Dock Interface" -> http://pinouts.ru/Devices/ipod_pinout.shtml Some of the pin outs are digital. No doubt.

None of those pinouts carry digitally encoded music while the iPod is playing, so what's your point?

 

[grawk]

Good chance it just uses disk mode, and bypasses everything but the bits. That's why it can play back flac, etc.

 

[ezkcdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarinthegourd /img/forum/go_quote.gif None of those pinouts carry digitally encoded music while the iPod is playing, so what's your point?

If that's true (I don't know your source), then I agree with the poster above. It's worthless.

 

[Artemio]

The only possibility is teh one mentioned by MrJoshua. If it uses disk mode via USB and has an internal DAC just as the Alpine, then you can bypass all the ipod stuff and use it as a harddrive, and the just using the DAC on the Meridian dock. That'd be great.

Since the Alpíne car stereo costs around 300 USD, I believe this is possible to achieve.. but the problem here is that I don't believe that a dock that also does all that extra stuff by Meridian would cost so little. It probably just uses the analog out. It would be great to truly find out which method it uses by testing it.

 

[sugarinthegourd]

Quote:

Good chance it just uses disk mode, and bypasses everything but the bits. That's why it can play back flac, etc.

Well, yeah that's true. But then why have an iPod at all? Just write lossless files to a DVD-RW, flash drive, or HDD.

 

[sugarinthegourd]

from the press release:

Quote:

[T]he Meridian solution also supplies a compact wireless remote controller that commands the docked iPod as well as the Meridian iRIS itself, and since Meridian iRIS displays iPod menus on-screen in the same format and organization as on the portable itself, there’s no new interface to learn.

OK, sounds like it must be accessing the iPod in disk mode. Seems like it's doing a lot of stuff for the money. Wonder how the SQ is?

 

[Artemio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarinthegourd /img/forum/go_quote.gif from the press release: OK, sounds like it must be accessing the iPod in disk mode. Seems like it's doing a lot of stuff for the money. Wonder how the SQ is?

Not necessarily. It could be accessing just the track lists via the standard dock interface and still using the analog outs. My Alpine car stereo (that is not the USB model described above) does this, as well as my Yamaha dock at home.

 

[b17m4p]

http://www.msbtech.com/products/iLink.php

Came across this. Hollly Price!