Ipod to Digital Out

Good news! I hope this means that those with circuitry skills will jump right on this! Perhaps an iPod-SPDIF adaptor...

I just got this response from Monitor Audio:

"The i-deck uses the analogue line output from the iPod. The digital/ audio over USB protocol has only just been released to us by Apple in September, which will mean that products in the future may use the digital data stream with local D/A conversion. At this moment there are no products on the market that currently use digital audio conversion for iPod."

for the following question:

"I would like to know whether the i-Deck does its own conversion of digital signal downloaded from the iPod (i.e. using a DAC built into the i-Deck itself) or whether it takes the line-level analog audio signal from the iPod and just amplifies it within the i-Deck. I have heard that the i-Deck is a large sonic improvement over many other iPod accessories, and I am especially interested in whether it uses a digital or analog signal from the iPod."

Interesting re iDeck, because the marketing materials on AudioAdvisor, where I bought an iDeck for my son, says that the iDeck has its own DAC, claimed to be superior to that in the iPod, which processes the digital signal from the iPod and bypasses the DAC in the iPod. From what they told Peter S, this appears to be untrue, if I am understanding it all correctly. I think the decription on AA comes from Monitor Audio itself.

What gives here?

Neal

I seem to recall a review in either Stereophile or TAS where they put three iPod mini-systems through the paces and the iDeck was one of them. I could swear they cited the same specification and that it succeeded because it used its very own (superior) DAC - though I recall it was bested by some very expensive German speakers without a DAC, but with tube amplification perhaps(?). The little misinformation probably originates from P.R. at Monitor and has just never been questioned by anyone selling or reviewing the stuff. Interesting that someone at Monitor divulged that discrepancy to Peter.

Great news that Apple is addressing the digital-output for those who may like to take advantage. Thanks for investigating Peter.

Marco

Hi Marco,

So the truth comes out! :-)

I just couldn't see a company making a product like Monitor Audio (which doesn't sell for all that much money) and also making all the effort to take the signal out of the iPod digitally and use their own dac which is supposed to sound better.... but they are using speakers that mostly likely cannot resolve the improvement that they claim ;-)

So if they really only use the analog line out from the dock connector, that is bad advertising. Actually, I don't remember ever reading on the Monitor Audio website about them using a different dac.... I've only read it in Audio Advisor!

Best regards,

Vinnie

Monitor Audio website says nothing about iDeck using its own DAC. That said, its a great piece for what it is, and on sale for $160 from original list of $360. Speakers are darn good.

Neal