[robster]

Hello- any idea which sounds the best? anybdoy A/B-ed them?

RWA Imod-ed Ipod with portable amp (I'm using a LaRocco PRII with my Imod).
or
iRiver H140/Microdac/amp ?

I'm himming and hawing about buying a H140 and Microdac.

My Headphones are AKG 701's,Senn HD-25's w/V2 cable.

Cheers,
Robert

 

[gevorg]

No matter how much you mod the analog out of the ipod, it won't be as good as the MicroDAC. Plus, MicroDAC is a much safer and no hassle investment that you can transfer to any other source. Also, AudioLineOut is a smarter alternative to iMod.

 

[jtevol1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gevorg (1)No matter how much you mod the analog out of the ipod, it won't be as good as the MicroDAC (1). Also, AudioLineOut is a smarter alternative to iMod (2).

On what do you base these claims? Have you heard both the iMod and Micro DAC? I'm interested in these answers as is the OP.

 

[gevorg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtevol1 On what do you base these claims? Have you heard both the iMod and Micro DAC? I'm interested in these answers as is the OP.

I've heard MicroDAC and wolfson based sources (the one ipod uses). The main idea of the imod is to shorten/improve the output section of the wolfson dac inside.

 

[dr.morton]

Quote:

RWA Imod-ed Ipod with portable amp (I'm using a LaRocco PRII with my Imod). or iRiver H140/Microdac/amp ?

One lesson I learned here is that you should not ask these questions.
They usually lead to nothing.
If you are satisfied with your setup (and you should be

) then there is no reason for thinking about something else.
Beauty lies within the eye of the beholder. Although a lot of people love my setup I recently met a women who after listening to my rig told me that she would prefer the sound of her old transistor radio

.
She told me that it simply reminded her of sundays in her childhood when the whole family was sitting around the radio listening to their favourite show. The transistor radio sound brings along cozy warm feelings of these days long gone.
How can argue with this. No 20000 $ setup will be able to accomplish this feat.
If you are really curious about the h140 and the micro stack you will have to go out and get it all. BUT you will also have to keep all the other equipment so that you are able to compare both setups directly for coming to a reasonable conclusion.
I fear there is no other way.

 

[robster]

[If you are really curious about the h140 and the micro stack you will have to go out and get it all. BUT you will also have to keep all the other equipment so that you are able to compare both setups directly for coming to a reasonable conclusion.
I fear there is no other way.[/QUOTE]

Yep,you are correct sir!
and a year ago all I wanted is a tiny 512mb iRiver player that was smaller than my 5 year old walkman. Damn your eyes to hell Head-fi! LOL smile smiley..

Cheers,
Robert

 

[The Smokester]

robster,
I cannot fully answer your question because I have not listened critically to the iMod.

However, I have the H120 and a Microdac and, using either the H120 (with full-resolution .wav rips) or Wadia 861xi seedee player as optical digital sources have compared various combinations including 1) H120 -> Wadia Dac input, 2) H120-> Microdac, 3) Wadia optical out -> Microdac and 4) Wadia analog out, with the analog outputs going into a microamp, Total Air Head, SR-71 or big speaker system. I find there is little to choose between these with respect to sound quality.

In other words, the H120 -> Microdac compares very well with the Wadia 861xi seedee player which is high praise indeed.

 

[wolfen68]

It will be hard/impossible to get a (sound quality) answer to your question.

However IMO, a year or more from now, an H140/MicroDAC will hold far more of it's original value than an imodded ipod.