Received my Wadia i170 transport today.

Dudi, Dudi, Dudi........that is exactly what I thought about (originally) the digital playback.
Hi-rez or not it is in the eyes of the beholder.
I have heard top notch Hi-rez playback and plain old school non-oversampling/non-sampling DACs and they both had their pluses and minuses.

I am not sure if you are going to gain anything over the Playback Design performance with Wadia iTransporter or NOT.

IMO it is not a replacement of highly respected and well thought out designs but an alternative that is worth a shot.

If iTransporter (with or without mods) and quality DAC could compete with those expensive machines ......I would be shocked.

I have the Sonos, Isabellina (RWA) DAC, Consonance Droplet CDP (also as the transport), analog source (X3) and planing on using iTransporter or Mac based system in the near future.

Is one better then the other? Yes and NO. It all depends on the point of view.
I enjoy them all.
Having your whole library within your finger tips is very appealing and if the quality of reproduction was without the compromises......count me in , I am on board.

But without going of the topic, yes iTransporter can be an alternative for someone looking for quality and ease of use.

time will tell the whole story and I can not wait to hear it.

Regards
Mariusz

I'll report back in a few weeks. I'm VERY optimistic that the i170/iPod/Playback Designs DAC will indeed competer with the "well thought out machines". I'm hoping that this DAC will be the center piece of my digital system(s) for the forseeable future. It's that good.

Dave

Why spend a lot of money modding the iTransport? It is a perfectly good mechnism for delivering the data intact, just like the AirPort Express, Squeezebox, Sonos or Duet are. The money spent on mods is wasted as soon as the next best device comes out anyway, and you will never get your money back selling it on Audiogon. This is my advice, and I have been a professional modder for 8 years.

Instead, add a good quality reclocker with multiple outputs that will deliver really low jitter, can be used with future generations of devices, and has upgradability for higher sample-rates etc.. This will retain it's value and you can apply it to whatever you are using in the future.

Read this review for instance:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue39/ramblings_computer.htm

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Steve ,
what is your take on taking the iTransporter "off the grid" ?
(keep in mind that we are only speculating on this thread about options and such. Non of this is the rule or solid advise.)

I met you and heard your gear at CES - it was top notch.

However, you've never answered my question:

When we are going to see entry level product from your stable? - reasonably priced.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Mariusz

It is obvious that the "hardcore" proponents of megabuck super transports aren't eager to give their response to this thread. I think they are afraid that their super expensive transport might not be superior to this "poor man's" CD solution. Has any of you also compared the Ipod/Wadia 170 combination with the top of the line Esoteric or CEC transports? What is your experience? Some of those transports cost 10-20 times the Ipod/Wadia --> so they should be better!! Heheh.

Chris