iPod to a Benchmark Media DAC-1 D/A

I have the MSB docking station and it works...far better than using the existing analogue output by a HUGE mile. I still think not as good as CDs but that;s in comparison to my EMM labs gear. The benefit of the MSB dock vs PC.notbook solution despite it being quite pricey ...sound quality wise I have no idea as I do not have the experience of the latter. However its convenient in that its portable: with your benchmark DAC...just add some quality headphones and you can use it in various rooms to your liking. Also you can use the IPOD to send data wirelessly to the DOC and use the IPOD as a remote control: and for IPOD users we all love the user interface.

Dbk wrote:
"Why is direct I2S connection better than s/pdif?"

Because the S/PDIF encoding and decoding adds more jitter. Using I2S, you can avoid encoding the clock and data into a single signal.

The optimum solution is to locate the master clock at the D/A chip and then send this clock back to the source, which will be a "slave". This achieves the lowest jitter. I have this solution for Squeezebox, and soon Sonos and Olive.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

by the way, how is the benchmark as a headphone amp? how good? for those who have experience how would it compare vs one of headroom's USB Dac/headphone amps?