JH3A - How will you feed it?

[customNuts]

Guys there are several misconceptions on this thread. I'll list a few to clear up a few things.
 
The JH-3a's digital inputs are coaxial (24/192) and usb (16/44)  - NO OPTICAL.
the iRiver or anyother optical out device will NOT feed digital into the JH-3a.
NO portable setup will feed digital into the JH-3a except:
 

1. i-device (ipad/iphone/ipod) --> solo--> JH-3a (16/44 max) - you would not be using the dac in the idevice or the dac in the solo - keeping it in the digital domain until it hits the JH-3a. This is a big expensive setup but should still be awesome. I would personally wait until they bring out a solo which has no dac in it and is just the digital transport. Hopefully it would be cheaper and smaller due to not having a hi-end DAC in it. There will be a line of products comming out from cypher labs so hopefully a product like this will reach us. fingers crossed.

         The current solo can be used to 'replace' the inferior dac in the idevice to make idevice-->solo-->amp a much, much better setup than using it without the solo.
 
@Thehadi There is no point buying an iMod if your going to use it with the solo. You would not be using the better DAC which is the only reason for buying the iMod over a current ipod. I have checked with Ken on this. He didn't say you couldn't use it with the solo but I'm not sure on whether it is too old or not to work at all. You would have to ask him. But Thehadi, don't buy an iMod if you going to use it with the JH-3a, you would be wasting hundreds of dollars! There are far better options.
 

1. There is a new hi-end pocket device called the colorfly pocket hifi which is the first portable device that will play full hi-rez (24/192) and this has a coaxial digital out that will feed straight into the JH-3a. Hopefully will be released soon but I don't know dates. This IMO will be the better value setup and is what I'm going for. (pending reviews on release)

 

1. Any computer with usb (16/44) or coaxial (24/192). Obviously portability is not the best.
2. ipad with camera connection kit usb digital out 16/44. Will not work with other idevices (yet??). Great option IMO, just not very portable.
3. QA550 & QA350 digital out via coaxial (16/44). This looks awesome for the money. Gotta love China, there pumping this stuff out SUPER cheap!

 
BTW many people still think the Hifiman has digital out. It does not. It has digital inputs.
 
And for analogue in (line in) to the JH-3a good options are Hifiman's, s:flo2, iMod - basically anything with a good line out. Logic says that digital out would be superior, but until now only analogue in to the JH-3a has been reviewed and it is suppost to be incredible.
 
@Furgus723 "iPhone4G and output into the JH3A's USB input?  Granted it would be analog (which is how everyone has heard it so far and loved it)" a usb signal can only be digital, not analogue.
 
To the best of my knowlege this is correct but please let me know if I slipped up somewhere. Hoped it helped a bit.
Cheers

 

[Anaxilus]

Well, that clears things up.  Thx!  So the coax of the QA350 would be a no go since its only 16/44 then?

 

[customNuts]

Quote:

Can one use this http://www.sendstation.com/us/products/pocketdock/lineout-usb.html attached to an iPhone4G and output into the JH3A's USB input?  Granted it would be analog (which is how everyone has heard it so far and loved it)
 
I guess when it comes to portable I can't really care that I am feeding this analog so long as I can keep the package relatively small.  At home I assume I will run lossless 16 and 24 bit out of an M-Audio Profire 610 via the SPDIF into the JH3A and have audio nirvana. 
 
Since the pic I have seen is relatively the same size as an iPhone (prob 3G) with a hefty case I can see laying the JH3A underneath the 4G connected via Sendstation and a real short usb mini to usb mini cable.  It would send 16/44 to the iphone and still be a relatively small package.
 
Am I right on this?
 
FRGus723

@FRGus, the sendstation dock is just a data transfer usb dock (like the one you get with a iphone/ipod/ipad) and will not transfer digital out audio. The ipad has a camera connection kit that looks the same but only works with an ipad and that will transfer 16/44 digital out to a JH-3a.
The other hole on the sendstation is just a simple line out analogue.

 

[customNuts]

@ Anaxilus - yes the QA350 will work for cd quality 16/44. I personally am happy with 16/44. There is not much full hi rez 24/192 music available unless you only want jazz, classical etc but my tastes stretch further than that. I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy a bit of hi-rez but I certainly wouldn't overlook a good product/setup because it only did 16/44.
the QA350 is a screaming bargin! I'm going to read up on it a bit more though but it looks great for the money - Wolfson DAC , digital out coax & optical, super low jitter - not bad.

 

[thehadi]

@ customNuts
 
Thanks for your great informations, really appreciate you
 
I think i'll wait for colorfly. Looks fantastic.

 

[thehadi]

i sent e-mail to colorfly and here is the answer:
 
[size=11pt]"we plan the sales start at the middle of September, because the packing box is not final yet.[/size]
[size=11pt]We offer with 16 and 32 GB memory on board. The 32 GB version has a target price of 499€ (including 19%VAT)[/size]
[size=11pt]The 16Gb version came a little bit later, the final price will be depending on memory price level."[/size]

 

[kiwirugby]

I made the mistake of getting an iMod in anticipation of the JH-3a only to be told by Ken and Vinnie that if using an iPod with the Solo, one should use a 6th Generation iPod or later.  So, out came the bloody wallet....
 
Of course, as we've heard, there maybe better source options than iPods.
 
But all was not lost.....my 5.5G iMod is happily linked to a Pico Slim and my JH13s and sounding better each day!
 
Quote:

 
@Thehadi There is no point buying an iMod if your going to use it with the solo. You would not be using the better DAC which is the only reason for buying the iMod over a current ipod. I have checked with Ken on this. He didn't say you couldn't use it with the solo but I'm not sure on whether it is too old or not to work at all. You would have to ask him. But Thehadi, don't buy an iMod if you going to use it with the JH-3a, you would be wasting hundreds of dollars! There are far better options.

 

[Br777]

well im just gonna get an lod for my ipod touch and be done with it.  is this a bad idea? 

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

well im just gonna get an lod for my ipod touch and be done with it.  is this a bad idea? 

It is not a bad idea, it is probably one of the slimmest rigs that will sound decent. At home, I would feed your JH-3A digital. At this point I seriously doubt many people will be able to hear the difference (on-the-go). If you are OK with a transportable set-up, check out the Logitech Squeezebox.

 

[Tidus]

I think i wll go with Ipod nano 5g, lod and JH-3a..and in home digitally. So which player will be better, Ipod Nano 5g or S:Flo2???

 

[MrNobody]

If I'm not wrong, the ipad with a camera kit can feed digital?

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

If I'm not wrong, the ipad with a camera kit can feed digital?

Yes it can, but many people don't consider using an iPad portable. If you are OK with something that big, just get a small netbook.

 

[g5tar]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I did not see USB listed on the JH website...also, is there a way to run toslink to coaxial?

 

[thread]

Quote:

Maybe I'm missing something, but I did not see USB listed on the JH website...also, is there a way to run toslink to coaxial?

The USB input wasn't in the original specs, but Jerry has assured us since CanJam that 16/44 mini-USB input will be in the final version.
 
Toslink to coaxial? You'd need some type of serious converter. No you can't turn optical (light) into electric current without some type of serious, powered device.

 

[g5tar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread /img/forum/go_quote.gif




 


Toslink to coaxial? You'd need some type of serious converter. No you can't turn optical (light) into electric current without some type of serious, powered device.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=optical-coax+converter&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8