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Wadia 170i/DAC combo with AudioEngine speakers

I use AudioEngine A2 and A5 speakers with an Ipod as a portable stereo system that sounds pretty good on vacation. Very decent sound for a lake cabin or out on a pontoon boat with a power pack (using the A2s, not the A5s). In my opinion, the Ipod/A5 combo fills a lake cabin living room with very adequate sound.

I've never heard an Ipod through a 170i/DAC combination. The references I've read tend to focus on a primary home system. My question is this: Is an 170i/DAC combination overkill if you're using the AudioEngine A5 speakers? The Ipod/A5 combo sounds pretty good and is affordable. Is it worth adding the 170i/DAC combo to this "system"?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
lrdmax
dedicatedaudio's avatar
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dedicatedaudio
169 posts
 
Hello, the combo of the Wadia i170 - Cambridge DACMagic with your AE powered speakers will be great. The i170 allows you to bypass the onboard iPod DACS and use the superior upsampling Cambridge DAC. We have built a similar combo with the Kanto iPair5 for a compact system.
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,375 posts
 
Sounds like it would be great. The Audioengine speakers are really good sounding for what they are.

I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

How much of an improvement do you think the upgrade to the A5s is. My main gripe with the A2s is they just won't play very loud.

Tell me more about the power pack you are using to play them on the boat.

Thanks, Ryan
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
I agree........ I have a Zune playing through Audioengine 5's in a Lake Cabin and it does a great job of filling the space with very good sound given the money I have into it .....
lrdmax OP
11 posts
 
Thanks for the replies.

Ejlif,
The power pack is just a simple 12-volt battery/recharger available anywhere auto parts are sold. Add an AC converter and you have a great portable power source. The problem with the A5s is that they drain the power pack very quickly. However, if you use the A2s, you can get at least a couple hours, if not several hours, before you need to recharge the battery pack. Works great for camping too.

The upgrade to the A5 from the A2 is pretty substantial, in my opinion. With the A2s, you can hear the music fine, but the A5s will give you room-filling sound. More bass, better quality bass; midrange is very good; the highs are definitely not "airy", but the information that's there is very good, and overall you just get a better sense of "oomph" from the A5s--very musical.

I own both, and each has it's application. A5s are best when plugged in to a wall somewhere. A2s can handle several hours of battery operation (using a power pack like I described above) making them extremely portable.

So, my question still stands: Given the very good sound of the iPod/A5 combo, is the sound improved by adding the 170i/DAC combo to the above or do the speakers fail to resolve the sonic improvements that you'd expect by adding the outboard DAC?

Thanks.
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