[franklyshankly]

 
As for the DAC, I'm saving for one right now. I want to get the most out of this thing. I've been looking at the Audio-gd NBF2, but I want something good enough to hold up when I upgrade my amp. Any others you would recommend in the ~$500 range? DACmagic seems to get good reviews.

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

What cable should I buy to get the most out of the Pure i20? It will be plugged through the FiiO E9. Should I go with the Optical Digital audio out > 3.5mm cable OR Coaxial digital audio out > 3.5mm cable OR Analogue audio out > 3.5mm cable? I also need links to where I can buy the cables, I'm not sure how the Optical and Coaxial cables look, but I know the Analogue is the one with the white and red tip.

RCA > miniplug, I would need a price range and a desired length to make a specific recommendation. You could spend from under $10 to over $350 on one, and there are some deals to be had in the FS forum.
 
If it was me I would probably bid on something like this:
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Zu-Audio-Mission-iPod-cable-1-0m-mini-RCA-D-GRAY-/130520699979?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item1e63a3d44b#ht_1890wt_933
 
 

 

[sysfail]

Thanks grokit. That's what I needed to know. What are the Optical and Coax outs used for?

 

[grokit]

Transmitting digital audio for decoding in a still better DAC. It sounds like the i20 DAC is on par with the E7 DAC anyways, so you have an optional upgrade path if you want later.

 

[sysfail]

Oh I see. So if I wanted to put the i20 through the E7 DAC then I'd have to buy a Coax/Optical to USB cable (for the mini usb slot on the E7)?

 

[nc8000]

No the E7 dac only accepts usb input. It is designed to replace the soundcard in a computer so can only be connected to a computer when used as a dac

 

[grokit]

>

 

[grokit]

You would need a bit more than a cable. There are probably converters out there, but usually it's the other way around so I'm not sure.

 

[sysfail]

Oh ok. I kind of get it now. I guess I'll stick with the RCA cable for now. Maybe I'll expand on the i20 later on when I have the money. Thanks for the help!

 

[roggae]

This might sound dumb but how does the i20 compare to using the line out on an original iPod dock? Right now I am using my iPhone streaming my FLACs using ipeng fed into my little dot mk 3 headphone amp. The only prohibitive factor for me really is my audio art cable is built as an RCA to 1/8". I guess i could have the 1/8 replaced with matching RCAs. I'm seriously interested in this unit. Any thoughts?

 

[damon54]

Grokit is understanding which direction I want to head.
The 2 DACs of interest to me not only have spdif and optical + USB but also have a I2S interface. They are certainly not portable but that is not on my wish list.

I am hoping that I tunes will go to 24 bit as rumored and I want to send as much accurate data as possible to my 2 channel (fairly high dollar rig)

 

[damon54]

I did notice that I am in the portable source gear category.

My interest currently lies in finding the best "I transport" device. I want the cleanest digital signal to send on to the Dac of my choice. I guess Wadia would be the pioneer in this space but I also like the looks of the April music Adam but have yet to hear it. If the I-20 can compete at it's diminutive price then I am intrigued.

 

[cooperpwc]

The Solo reclocks. So that will probably be your highest quality source to feed an iDevice signal onwards to another DAC via the coaxial out. It can also be used with mains power via the included power supply charger. It isn't cheap though.

 

[franklyshankly]

 
Quote:

The Solo reclocks

Sorry, can you explain this in simple terms? Does this mean that the Solo produces a cleaner signal than the Pure? Would you be able to quantify the difference between ipod->solo w/coaxial->dac-of-your-choice   versus   ipod->Pure w/coaxial->DOYC?

 

[cooperpwc]

As Vinnie (of RWA - and one of the product developers) explained it, the Solo has
Quote:

Async mode transfer of the USB data from the Apple product, and reclocking via its internal precision master clock (for the cleanest digital output signal, as well as the cleanest digital signal to feed its internal dac).

 
This results in "asynchronous jitter free audio".
 
What I can say in practice is that the imaging is remarkable. Instrument placement is very precise.
 
I have not heard the Pure i-20. I would like to...