Tube Playback for Apple iPod...

The weakest part of listening to an iPod using any of these gizmos, or through your main system for that matter, is that you are limited to the performance of the DAC in the iPod, which leaves something to be desired, in my experience, when compared to playing a digital feed through a decent convertor/DAC (you'll need a computer for that - you can't do it via an iPod as far as I know - if so someone tell me how). For $4k you could buy yourself a very respectable system, especially buying used gear. If you're going to listen to amplified iPod music, the only excuse I can think of is portability I suppose. I brought my iPod into my hotel rooms on some recent travels and played it through Swan M200's, which beat watching cable TV, and cost a whole lot less than $4K for the speakers. If it's at home, why bother....use a better rig if you've got four grand to play with. Fer'chrissake!

Marco

When did ipods become hi end equipment. Oh since Stereophile and absolute sound were payed to push them and say great things. The ipod is not a hi end source to me - sooo why get tube anything for them.

Definitely check out the Musical Fidelity X-10v3 tube output buffer to put a definitive end to this thread. Tube playback for ipod is easy, cheap & necessary. Hooked up in between your ipod and your preamp it makes ipod sound like a multi thousand dollar cd player - given that the music files are of decent enough quality..no mp3's or anything below 320mps aac. The MF X-10v3 should be thought of as the ultimate ipod toy. I'm selling mine on 'gon as i type this, so consider this a blatant ad!

I have a 40gb ipod and only apple lossless and wav files on it and the quality is bar none. ipod is what you make of it, which is cool. Fact is that I have 2000 songs on mine which are cd quality & thousands of other songs on me hardrive cd quality too. The trump is that most of my lp collection is on ipod - try out a vinylpod before poo pooing it. Vinylpod + MF X-10v3 presents a 3-D soundstage, huge bass and a live performance.

If you have a good ipod cable put Eichmann Bullett RCA plugs & WTB silver solder on it...these things are genius for ipod and turntable cables, not to mention sources and amps.

I also treat all my cd's with mapleshade records Mikro Smooth cd polish before transfering to itunes...this makes a HUGE difference before compression. that stuff does amazing stuff on Netflix DVD's & all blank media (especially live music shows downloaded from the 'net) too.

Ipod rules. Ipod + MF X-10v3 will change your life and allow you to enjoy music rather than analyze it.

Definitely check out the Musical Fidelity X-10v3 tube output buffer to put a definitive end to this thread. Tube playback for ipod is easy, cheap & necessary. Hooked up in between your ipod and your preamp it makes ipod sound like a multi thousand dollar cd player

With all due respect to the enthusiasm of the poster trying to sell his MFX-10v3, my experience would not point to supporting his/her claims. Any playback using the iPod as a DAC is limited exactly to the DAC built into the ipod. That DAC is not bad for a tiny walkabout unit, but, no matter what you do to buffer the line output, nothing is going to make it resolve and define the music like a really fine DAC has the potential of doing. In my experience, output from the ipod lacks very clearly in the low end, and in resolving subtle detail. You can plaster anything you want between the iPod and your amplification source...if you are using the line-out on the ipod (and as far as I know you can do no other without interfacing a computer) you are limited to the old addage that holds very true in audio: Garbage in = Garbage out. You may be able to make the garbage smell sweeter, but it's still garbage IMO. Now I'm exaggerating here; I agree the iPod is a very convenient and impressive tool for toting around a good chunk of your music library, but it ain't gonna replace the DAC in my system any time soon. I'm sure that the tube buffer has the potential of making the iPod an easier listen, and for that reason I can understand the enthusiasm of Mattcecil to some degree. My tube OTL head amp definitely sounds better than listening straight out of the iPod with either set of headphones I use (iem's and big-ass cans). But my OTL amp will never put back detail nor low end resolution that isn't there in the first place. If you are getting better resolution and a more engaging presentation from an iPod with a tube buffer than you are with your high-end rig, I would strongly consider changing out your front end in your system...and NOT to an iPod for god's sake! Just my .02 cents.

Marco

An ipod will change my life and is better than multi thousand dollar CD players? um, don't think so, but glad it made your life more enjoyeable anyway.