Help settle an argument please. LOD cable on an ipod is it....

[eclein]

I thought when using a LOD cable from my ipod touch 2G, I was taking the digital signal before it was converted (DAC) and converting it on my E17 using the  Aux input stereo miniplug??? Am I wrong???
 
1) Doesn't my Fiio E17 do the Digital To Analogue Conversion with an LOD cable? If not can you tell me how to setup my rig to do the conversion or is it not possible??
 
2) Is it just LOD cable from ipod that terminates in a mini USB connection that allows that??
 
Equipment: ipod touch 8GB 2G, Fiio E17, using the nicer Fiio LOD cable into the AUX input on E17 then mini plug out to IEM's......
 
 HELP!!!!   Thanks, any documentation you have to help me win or loose...LOL..would be great.....

 

[KraftD1]

LOD takes the signal after analog conversion, but before it goes through the ipod amp, it doesn't get the digital signal (at least with standard LODs).
 
To bypass the DAC of the ipod you can use a CLAS or the HP-P1, or there are docks that can get it too. 
 
Don't have documents to help you with the argument...

 

[GloryUprising]

Quote:

LOD takes the signal after analog conversion, but before it goes through the ipod amp, it doesn't get the digital signal (at least with standard LODs).
 
To bypass the DAC of the ipod you can use a CLAS or the HP-P1, or there are docks that can get it too. 
 
Don't have documents to help you with the argument...

Correct.
 
 
To get the digital stream out of the ipod, a DAC manufacturer has to jump thru some hoops at apple; many companies did not go that route.
 
Another external DAC for the ipod would be HRT's iStreamer.

 

[ScuderiaHeadFi]

Hey saw you this after your PM...
 
Sadly, just having a line-out dock cable from your iPod does not extract a digital signal.  It gives you a line-level, analog signal only.  It is better than the signal that goes from the headphone output, but not as good as a pure digital output ("good" meaning a crazy head-fi'er can spend on the electronics to produce a superior audio result).
 
In the case of the E17 (or any other system to maximize your digital-audio conversion) this is the setup you need:
 
iPod
-->digital cable (likely a iPod 30-pin cable  to USB)
iOS-capable Digital Transport (not just any transport will work, for example the AlgoRhythm Solo which currently retails at $579 from aloaudio, also the iStreamer recommended above APPEARS to function as a digital transport, but I personally don't know about this product except that it outputs through stereo RCA)
-->digital cable (likely USB  to mini-type B or micro-USB)
DAC
-->analog cable (likely mini-to-mini 3.5mm)
Amp
 
Of course your E17 can be both DAC and amp, but right now you are using it as an amp ONLY.  That's because you need a special transport to extract the digital audio from the iPod.  Hence the general ire around Head-Fi towards iPods - they are just too difficult to get to work as a source.
 
To use the digital decoding of the E17 you need to run an SPDIF signal through the top input, using either the coaxial or toslink adapter it comes with.  This, in turn, requires an SPDIF signal from your source.  You can also run a digital signal through the mini-type B USB input on the bottom, although on the E17 (and all portable devices I know of) this will top its decoding abilities at 24-bit/96kHz (which is still plenty high of course.)
 
That means, I believe, that the E17 CANNOT extract digital files from an iPod unless you add another transport device in between.
 
By the time you've bought all these devices to get a high-quality portable rig, plus all the extra cables, you've of course spent a grand or more, and ended up with something really cumbersome.  Which is why it can be best just to get a higher-quality DAP (such as the Rocoo, perhaps? or a HiFiMan device, etc.) and skip all the connections and additive electronics.  Instead of spending $1K+ on 3 to 4 different "budget" boxes and interconnects you spend $200 on a single "mid-fi" product and are leftover with $800 for some really killer custom IEMs... or your rent/mortgage, food, etc.