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Sound Quality...iPad vs iTouch

I've been placing my iPod Touch (4th gen) on a dock that extracts the digital and sends it to my DAC and then listen to Pandora Radio thru my main system.

I read a review from someone who uses an iPhone,iPod and iPad the same way (with a like dock) and thought the sound was noticibly better from the iPad.

Anybody have any ideas why this "could" be true?

I have an iPad 3 now and will check this out hopefully this weekend and judge with my own ears. It's a little tough doing an a/b with Pandora because the next song may be better or worse in recording quality than the previous.

In the meantime, I'd appreciate anyones thoughts on why the digital stream would be better out of an iPad vs an iTouch. Better/faster processor???
onemug
onemug OP
784 posts
 
Thanks above.

Sandstone, I like your speculation on the buffer.

Sonicbeauty, I read/liked your review of the iD100. It's the dock I'm using. Agree with what you said about it.

Time Warner gave me a G router (bless their little hearts). In the very near future I will be getting an N (maybe the Apple Airport Extreme). I get full strength to the Pod/Pad with the G now so coverage is not as issue. Do you think the extra "speed" of the N will make much of a sonic difference?o
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
I get full strength to the Pod/Pad with the G now so coverage is not as issue. Do you think the extra "speed" of the N will make much of a sonic difference?
My guess is that it will not. But if it does I would expect that it would be because of differences in the kinds of digital noise, jitter, and possibly RFI effects that I referred to above. Which in turn could result in sonics that are either better or worse, with little predictability.

Those are the only mechanisms I can envision by which changing from G to N could result in a sonic difference, given that the G-link is working reliably.

Best regards,
-- Al
davide256's avatar
davide256
400 posts
 
Faster processor speed and OS efficiency greatly improve jitter reduction for playback. Power reserves for audio output (bigger battery) improve fidelity for transients.
onemug OP
784 posts
 
Thanks again Al,

Davide256, Makes sense. Thanks.
rex44
64 posts
 
I guess the only advantage of the iTouch is the portability. I have one itouch, but havent compared vs iPad.
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