Is iPod Digital Output Possible?

The only rumor I've heard that indicates any advantage was in the HeadFi forum where someone opined that the op-amp (line-out) in the more recent (video) iPods was slightly improved from the previous versions with a bit more robust output. I don't know if this is true or not. I find the output on my line out to be just barely adequate for listening on the edge of loud. If others were worse than this then I'd say definitely go for a more current version of the video ipod. Other than that, I just went for the most storage capacity, which happens to be a video iPod (60gb). I don't know if any of the current large-capacity offerings from apple are anything but "video" ipods. The only other type of ipods being offered are the smaller units with much less capacity. Unless you are using mp3's, you will be severely limiting yourself in terms of how much music will fit on one. And if you're using mp3s you may as well just glue some nails to the ends of the earbuds and call it a day. Of course if you have to have some pop star's autograph emblazened across the back of your iPod to go with your celebrity sports-star approved basketball shoes, well, then again you are limiting your selection.

Marco

Marco,

There is third party software out now that will copy your tunes from your Ipod to your computer. Which means yes there is a digital output of the Ipod now just how you access that I don't know.

Sorry I could not be of more help.

Michael

As an addendum to my ramblings here, I discovered that the problem I was having was with the $99 device that was providing the line output on my iPod. Can't recall the manufacturer, but I believe they were the only ones offering a dock with dual RCA line-outputs. Whatever circuitry they put between the dock and those RCA's was wreaking havoc with my output signal and the music sounded awful. I exchanged it for the much cheaper iDock and went with a $69 Signal Cable silver iPod interconnect and have been happy as a clam since. I recently noticed this mini-system by Monitor Audio claiming to be getting a digital output signal from the iPod lower connection, which it runs to its own DAC and bypassing the DAC in the iPod. If this is so, apparently it is possible...why isn't anyone making a simple cable or converter to do this?

The Monitor Audio iPod dock, the i-deck, claims to bypass the DAC inside the ipod and take a digital bistream directly from the ipod to it's own internal dac, which sounds much better than the internal dac. I'm not sure exactly how this is implemented, it apparently gets an audio bitstream out of the dock connector because that's all it needs to have connected, but it certainly sounds better than any other ipod dock I've heard.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/ipodaccessories/106monitor/

Nnyc - This has me baffled...how the heck is Monitor Audio able get a bitstream from the docking port of an iPod. I thought there was no S/PDIF output within the iPod. This seems so blatantly obvious and marketable, why hasn't anyone else bothered to do this?!?! I wrote to Vinnie over at Red Wine Audio, and he pointed out that it was interesting that Monitor Audio does not list this as a feature of this unit on their own website. They do mention that it can be used with a computer via a USB connection, and I wonder if that is where the interface is coming into play. Using my computer I can pull the content from my iPod via USB or Firewire through iTunes, have the computer spit out a signal to my converter (a Waveterminal U24) and feed the digital stream from the Waveterminal to an external DAC via S/PDIF or Toslink. I wonder if AudioAdvisor and the reviewer are muddying up the description by leaving out the need for a computer in between in order to feed that digital stream to the DAC? If not, how are they getting an S/PDIF feed from an iPod? Vinnie went on to speculate that they may be using the USB port and a custom converter board (like my external Waveterminal, or an internal sound card for a computer), but added that some software would be necessary to govern that interface. Anyone have any idea how Monitor Audio is doing this?

Marco