[AfricanProphet]

Is this cable bound to be low quality because of its price tag?
Are all LODs superior to all mini-minis?
Cable Here

Thanks in advance

 

[labrat]

Delete

 

[AfricanProphet]

Sorry for the newbieness, but being unfamiliar with cabling how would I know if one was shielded?

Also, for the mini-mini vs LOD question, if I connect an external amp via a mini-mini cable what DAC is being utilized (hopefully that question makes sense)? Then can I assume that in a normal setup SQ would improve in this order: headphones in Ipod, mini-mini to amp, and best would be LOD to amp?

Thanks!

 

[labrat]

Delete

 

[SpudHarris]

If you look at the high quality LOD's made with the likes of Jena etc.... you have no sheilding. For long runs of cable I would agree but not for short LOD's. My personal DIY LOD is made with silver cable and no sheilding.

Dont worry about it unless like I say you are looking at long lengths like speaker cable runs etc.

 

[AfricanProphet]

I'm just sure my idiocy is being exemplified here, but you are doing amazing at answering my questions.

Anyways, you mentioned that the iPod cannot bypass the internal DAC without such and such methods...If the iPod still uses the internal DAC then what is the point of using an LOD to an amp with its own DAC? I'm sure I'm missing something...

 

[SpudHarris]

Because the headphone out is decoded by the poor internal DAC of the ipod and therfore already muddied. The line out dock (LOD) is just that a clean line out signal, feed this into an amp plug your earphones in sit back and grin. The difference for me between headphone out and LOD was massive and I'm sure a lot of others will agree.

 

[AfricanProphet]

Last stupid question...Does the actual LOD affect SQ greatly? In other words, are there varying qualities of LODs that may alter SQ?

Thanks for all the great help!

 

[SpudHarris]

There are varying qualities that will affect the sound but as you are standing at the top of a very slippery slope & thinking of entry level amps and lossy formats etc I don't think you would notice much difference.

When you get down that slope a little and your wallet is begging for mercy, the cost of even small increases in SQ becomes disproportionate. You are certainly at the fun initial stages of Audiophillia. Enjoy the learning curve and if you are spending moderate amounts of money on one item (amp)? spend a moderate amount of money in proportion for anything to go with i.e. LOD.

 

[labrat]

Delete

 

[SpudHarris]

Incorrect wording that's all. I know enough to comment on the subject thanks....

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpudHarris /img/forum/go_quote.gif Because the headphone out is decoded by the poor internal DAC of the ipod and therfore already muddied. The line out dock (LOD) is just that a clean line out signal, feed this into an amp plug your earphones in sit back and grin. The difference for me between headphone out and LOD was massive and I'm sure a lot of others will agree.

As for Line-out vs headphone out my experience is different . I have a switch box in my setup so I can test the effect of line-out dock or headphone out with rapid switching. On my 5g ipod I found no real difference once I level matched carefully.

 

[krmathis]

The price tag don't need to be a quality indicator, even if that may be true a lot of times.

 

[AfricanProphet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by labrat /img/forum/go_quote.gif You don't use an external DAC when connecting the iPod's LineOut to an external amplifier. If the external amplifier have a DAC, you must connect the iPod to the amplifier's analog input connector, not to the digital input. The LineOut signal from the iPod is already decoded by the internal DAC, and is analog, not digital. The headphone signal is amplified by an internal headphone amplifier, and this circuitry is not too advanced, and can be somewhat limited. The LineOut signal has not gone through the internal amplifier.

Alright, so if the LineOut is already decoded by the iPod's internal DAC, what's the point of buying an amp with a DAC?

Continued apologies for apparently being a slow learner

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AfricanProphet /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright, so if the LineOut is already decoded by the iPod's internal DAC, what's the point of buying an amp with a DAC? Continued apologies for apparently being a slow learner

For an Pod none whatsoever, but some day you may want to use a different source with a digital output.