iPod dock options

[t0dy]

I saw there are not very many threads on iPod docks. I wonder which one you would recommend me? Some of the docks I see at my local retailer are:

Arcam rDock
DENON ASD-11R
DENON ASD-3N
DENON ASD-3W
NAD IPD 2

The NAD one is really cheap, but I wonder if the sound quality is good or only so-so. I've heard the rDock should sound better. Read:

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool /img/forum/go_quote.gif The weakness of the standard Apple dock is the minijack output which is an inferior connector and also limits the choice of interconnect you can use. Denon have addressed this with their dock which as proper gold plated RCA sockets and a number of other manufacturers like NAD and Onkyo have also followed with similar products. DENON ASD1R IPOD DOCK Arcam have taken it a step further with their rdock which has better power regulation and a proper pre-amp stage. They also allow you to defeat charging as they say the ipod sounds better running off battery power. ARCAM RDOCK iPOD DOCK The limitation of all of these though is that they still only allow for analogue output. If you want to bypass the ipods onboard analogue output stage then you have various options from the likes of Krell and Wadia, neither of which are cheap obviously...

The rDock is about three times the price of the NAD.
The one I'm looking for doesn't have to sound EXTREMELY good, that is outputting digital to a separate DAC, but it would be nice to have something to connect to our A/V receiver instead of having to swap discs and stuff, for example when throwing a party, having people around or just beeing too lazy to swap discs

Seeing the menu with OSD would be very nice but I understand you're limited to using the same brand as the dock for it to work. I will almost certainly buy myself an Onkyo reciever later on, since they're supposed to be a good match for canton GLE speakers (sorry for ranting on..) Onkyo do have some different kinds of docks as well, do you know if they're anything to write home about?

Long thread, phew.. Thanks for reading though!

/t0dy

 

[t0dy]

bump

(is bumping allowed every now and then?)

 

[Scottsmrnyc]

I just discovered but haven't purhased the Krell Kid. It has Balanced and Regular Outputs. $1500 but I guess it is better than those single play high end cd players where you have to change the cd after it is over. I am going to look into it. Scottsmrnyc

 

[skullguise]

If you have a DAC or a decent digital in that supports TosLink optical, I could recommend the DLo Homedock HD.

I've been doing some quick listening with it and the digital out on it seems almost as good as the Wadia 170i digital out.

More listening needed for sure to confirm, but it's definitely had me toe-tapping. It also offers HDMI out for Hi-Def (I think max 720p or 1080i, though not positive), analog audio out, and composite or s-video out.

Analog outs seemed a tiny bit lean sounding, but still not bad.

Good remote control functionality, too, especially compared to the Wadia.

 

[ttnl]

Hi Skullguise, I have emailed the DLO tech support, and they told me that the digital signal out of the dock is digitalized from the analog signal. Basically, the signal is decoded by the Ipod DAC to analog, then it is converted back to digital. Therefore, the signal is not bit-perfect. If you are ok with the Ipod sound quality, then get the DLO dock as it is cheaper than the Wadia. However, if you are a perfectionist, you should get the Wadia instead.

 

[t0dy]

Wadia is too big and most importantly, too expensive as of now.
Is the NAD a good sounding dock or is the rDock soo much better? How about other options? I want a control stick to not have to go to the dock just to change songs.
Does all decent docks have built-in pre-amps and does the SQ really benefit? Does it really sound better when running off battery power?

 

[iriverdude]

Any reason why you just don't buy a standalone music player or streaming device? Perhaps a Popcorn Hour into a DAC with a small LCD TV, or small LCD monitor (if HDMI output allows this)

 

[t0dy]

The biggest reason would be reliability. Our network is not 100% stable. Also, the dock should be easy to disconnect and connect again to different speaker setups. No hassle.
FWIHU the DAC in the 5.5G iPod is already very good.
I will probably buy a streaming device as well, later on since I usually don't buy things that have only been out on the market for a short period of time.
What about jitter and stuff like that on streaming devices? I've heard for example the jitter from an airport is quite high.

 

[iriverdude]

Jitter from the SB3 has been show as 10x lower than a CDP. As to network - use wired. Dock seems as difficult to connect as SB3, you've got power, audio out or possibly RJ45 cable.

You've got the advantage of unlimited music storage (say a 2TB drive in a Popcorn Hour) verus your pathetic 80GB in the Apple. Which means lossless on the Popcorn, no need to constantly copy tracks to your Ipod, deleting them to free up space etc.

Also need to factor in a two way remote control with apple dock so you can see what you're doing (for example the remote that comes with the Sonos) Docks for DAP's with full size equipment - or using a DAP with line out, is a gimmick it's nice to have but I wouldn't go out of my way or use it all the time.

 

[t0dy]

Is the Slimdevices Squeezebox 3 the same as the Logitech Squeezebox Classic?

 

[iriverdude]

yeah. There were two versions, wired and wireless only. Wired only was about £30 cheaper. They've also got the duet, choose whichever you prefer. I guess multiple line display on Sonos and Duet is better, but I cannot control the Duet with my universal remote. The duet remote has the benefit of being RF though which means you can control other duets out of line of sight. On mine I have to go into the room, or control it via web interface.

I like the SB open ish source plugin scene, the Sonos may be better (remote and no need for a PC) But when I asked about the Sonos it seems pretty closed. Also lack of digital out is a major minus point. Also quite a bit more expensive. The Sonos works great if you want a Hi-Fi in a box, one model has a 50W stereo amp- so just connect speakers and you're good to go.

If you do buy squeezebox, I'd recommend Erland Custom Browse (if you have a large collection)

Popcorn hours seems great as hard disk is built in, has control interface and support is excellent.

 

[ttnl]

Hi Iriverdude, have you used the Popcorn Hours yet? Does it need a PC or a monitor to work? Does it require Internet to transmit music? Does it have a digital out? Do you know anything about its jitter level? I checked the website but the info presented is not very helpful. Thanks.

 

[iriverdude]

I have not bought the PCH but have looked a bit into it. You don't need a PC but you need a display there are some tiny LCD TV's around so you could use one of those. If it can be controlled via web interface you could use a PDA. Perhaps also ipod touch I think that has wireless/web features also? PCH has digital out, shame it doesn't have both coaxial and optical, the new one has dropped coaxial in favour of optical. At least it supports flac.

Basically PCH is HTPC in a tiny box. The only worrying thing is codec support and how powerful the CPU is, I guess though with H264 and VC-1 it should be able to do all the 1080p codecs. I hope firmware support continues, as minor changes to codecs can cause playback problems- have owned a few Mpeg-IV DVD players and usually ran problems - the reason why I bought a HTPC. You don't need internet, just send audio from analogue or digital outputs. If it were a little cheaper I'd get one, requires a HD as well so looking at £200-£300.

I'd probably use a 7"-15" LCD TV or PC monitor (if PCH supports HDMI-DVI works with monitors) on coffee table, so it's close. You can then use album art and see what you're doing.

 

[ttnl]

Do you have any idea how the Popcorn compares to Squeezebox duet in term of sound quality? I don't care about video because I have a PS3 for that purpose already. I currently have a Wadia iTransport, but no DAC yet, so I have not played music on it yet. What I don't like about Squeezebox duet is its dependence on a PC and network. What I don't like about Wadia is its dependence on Ipod and its limited hard drive capacity. Look like the Popcorn is the perfect device for my need if it is equal to Squeezebox in term of audio quality via digital out and not too much jitter added to the digital stream.

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

What I don't like about Squeezebox duet is its dependence on a PC and network

You could use a NAS with Slim Center, I've got a TS-209 II but I'd recommend one with a faster CPU. Starting to work out quite expensive though. As to network no problems SB has memory so it caches it, and transfers the next bit in chunks refilling memory. 100mps LAN is fast enough, people have reported wireless problems.

No idea about SB v Sonos v PCH on audio quality- either digital or analogue out, I've never used analogue out on the SB. At least SB3 is affordable, if you've got a PC already not a huge outlay..

I think if I were to do it again, I'd prefer something like the PCH, if it had a large multi-line VFD it'll be perfect.

I would want "treat multi-disc sets as one album" and "Group compilation albums together" and Replygain support on other media players though, SB allows this. People have complained the SB3 setup is too complex, but I'd rather have allowing precise control, than being closed and being unable to do anything.