[swmtnbiker]

Alright guys, I made a total impulse buy on this today at Circuit City. I thought I'd see how the remote fared with my RS-1s. Well, I gotta tell you that running it from my 5G through my AE-1 and comparing it with my TurboDockII through the AE-1 there is a very noticable improvement. I'm picking up on the same things that others have posted here - tighter bass, more precise high frequencies, more air around notes, and better dynamics. It just sounds less "sloppy".

I was very skeptical, and this is certainly not a definitive test by any stretch, but I'm *very* happy with this little device. The radio functions are super as well and I've had zero reception issues. Every station that I listen to comes in loud and clear. For $20-$30 more than a line-out only dock solution it's money well spent IMO.

CURSE you Duncan!!!

 

[Duncan]

I'm glad you like it guys

Its the best "quick-fix" purchase that I think i've ever bought

 

[AuroraProject]

This remote is amped in the ipod though, right? So for those of you using an external amp, what are you setting the ipod volume to?

 

[panda]

i got the same result by using a 75ohm adapter cable. however it only worked for the audio technica earbuds that i have, it had the opposite effect for senn px100...

 

[SubRosa]

Maybe I'm just confused but is it clear whether this is a line-out device, or is it no better than an impedance adapter in terms of SQ? I recently acquired a 5G and was thinking of buying a TURBOdock but this would be great as I could buy it locally and I'd get the convenience of the actual remote.

So for those of you with both the TURBOdock and the Radio Remote, are their sonic improvements equal or...?

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SubRosa Maybe I'm just confused but is it clear whether this is a line-out device, or is it no better than an impedance adapter in terms of SQ? I recently acquired a 5G and was thinking of buying a TURBOdock but this would be great as I could buy it locally and I'd get the convenience of the actual remote. So for those of you with both the TURBOdock and the Radio Remote, are their sonic improvements equal or...?

I can't answer about the turbodock, but I can answer the first part of your question...

...Its neither - The remote is fed a digital signal from the player, and then converted off-board. I'm still happy with the sound, even though there are some questions about its fidelity in certain circles, the one thing that can't be taken away from the unit is that it largely removes hiss for IEM users, and tidies up the sound (most notably the treble) when compared to the headphone out.

 

[bangraman]

I think that the real improvement is perhaps limited to a couple of IEM's at best (and if the improvements are there I do not have such IEM's, and every other IEM I have to hand including the E2c, E3c, ER-6i, SFPro, UE-10 having failed to elicit an improvement)... The convenience is good though.


As I've said before, it is pointless comparing the headphone out and the remote out since they are at different volumes so they will naturally sound different to each other. The big question is how they sound when the volume is matched, and I would say that they sound near-identical, and the advantage may even be with the headphone out.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman As I've said before, it is pointless comparing the headphone out and the remote out since they are at different volumes so they will naturally sound different to each other.

Come on bangraman, you should know better than to make a statement like that.

Following this logic you may as well not compare ANY source/amp/headphone/etc., since very few (if any) combinations are "naturally" volume-matched. I can't plug my HF-1 and DT 531 into the same amp/source combo and get the same output level without adjusting the volume. Does that make a comparison invalid? No.

I've listened to the remote vs. the headphone out with the ER-4P, RS-1. HF-1. K701, and DT 531. While the improvement varied, I was able to hear it with ALL of them.

 

[bangraman]

I will leave this thread to you guys in that case. I think there was a case before where I waded into the middle of a thread where people were hearing a difference and it generated some antipathy at first but the opinions settled down later.


I don't make these posts for no reason. While it's not possible to compare like for like always, if you do have the opportunity to do so (as in this case), it should be taken IMO.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman I will leave this thread to you guys in that case. I think there was a case before where I waded into the middle of a thread where people were hearing a difference and it generated some antipathy at first but the opinions settled down later.

No one's getting unsettled here man. No need to go away. I was just trying to point out that perfect volume matching is rarely acheived by people comparing audio components.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman I don't make these posts for no reason.

Neither do I.

I suppose the differences between your experience with the remote and those of use who do hear an improvement need to be chalked up to that old audio fall-back position: perception. You hear what you hear and I hear what I hear. That's all that really matters, and neither of us are wrong.

 

[Duncan]

I know, after being a test subject - that when volume matched to the same db that the difference is less noticeable than when just comparing from the headphone / remote out at the same time, but (with the E5c) the treble lift and hiss (which could be a by-product of each other) are still very much more noticeable from the headphone out than they are on the remote.

It also makes the sound overall slightly more lush imo... So, the IEM crowd can still breathe a sigh of relief for the reduced hiss, and overall extra coherence, whereas - for the NON IEM people if you want a slightly warmer sound (or reduced treble, depending on your standpoint), the remote may still be worth a look - Not to mention that it doubles up as a radio

 

[iamdone]

I actually hear more hiss with the remote than the headphone out using my ue10. I am retesting the sound. I do like the convenience of the remote and the radio option though.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpippel I can't plug my HF-1 and DT 531 into the same amp/source combo and get the same output level without adjusting the volume. Does that make a comparison invalid? No.

You said it, not me. Generally speaking I always match general loudness by ear and apparently I'm very good at this given the tests I've been doing. I have been known to sometimes use an in-ear mic (a modified subminiature Sony mic) to match listening levels when comparing phones.


Quote:

Neither do I.

The reason for saying this is that quite a lot of "stuff" goes on at the Bangraman Rubbish Dump, aka my home, before I post in things like this. I'm not sure the same is the case for you.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman You said it, not me. Generally speaking I always match general loudness by ear and apparently I'm very good at this given the tests I've been doing. I have been known to sometimes use an in-ear mic (a modified subminiature Sony mic) to match listening levels when comparing phones.

I think you misunderstood me. Of course I attempt to match volume levels as carefully as I can when conducting any kind of audio comparison. I think that most people here do. Sometimes I even dust off my SPL meter.

Quote:

The reason for saying this is that quite a lot of "stuff" goes on at the Bangraman Rubbish Dump, aka my home, before I post in things like this. I'm not sure the same is the case for you.

Other than matching volumes as closely as possible and listening carefully to identical tracks during the comparison, I don't know what other "stuff" warrants being done in this case. That was the extent of my empirical approach, and I daresay I think it's perfectly legitimate. If you don't then please feel free to enlighten me with your reasoning. Could it possibly be that we just happened to reach different conclusions about how something SOUNDS? Not at Head-Fi! Unprecedented I tell you!

 

[spraggih]

I just bought the iPod radio remote (I have a TURBODock II with TURBO mini-to-mini cable)... It does sound a tad better than the TURBODock and headphone out (although the headphone out was never back)...

I have two guesses why it may be a tad better:

1) A tighter connection - the TURBODock is a high-quality line out device and it even locks into place; however, there is a little play - the iPod radio remote has no play at all

2) The volume can be controlled with the iPod radio remote. I think the normal fixed volume on the line out is not its highest so when someone compares the iPod radio remote out with the TURBODock or other device it sounds louder and psychologically "better". (I think the headphone out sounds louder than the TURBODock but does lack a little fidelty (just a little).

Those are my thoughts - all in all the iPod radio remote is a very cool device as it doubles for a variable volume line out component that can be tied with an amplifier.