ipod and dac?

Everyone knows that the iPod is both an MP3 player and a portable hard drive, but for audiophiles, it's a pretty versatile unit.

iPod is compatible with WAV and AIFF, so you can dump your CDs directly to iPod at full quality. There's no need to compress your music at all.

To adjust the compression settings in the included iTunes software, go to Edit-Preferences-Importing.

Granted, you might only fit 25 albums on the 20 GB iPod, but this is a very easy choice if true "CD Quality" is essential.

If you're still interested in pursuing compression, iPod supports:

AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 (32 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF (Mac only) and WAV

iPod Specifications

Using a high-quality MP3 encoder such as LAME, you may find that at very high bit rates (256 Kbps) you can achieve sound quality that you're comfortable with.

I haven't tried the AAC format that Apple touts as a higher-quality alternative to MP3, but that might work for you.

AAC, which sounds much better than MP3, at 320 kbps, will give you very good sound quality. At that rate, one CD takes up about 100 Megs. On a 40 Gig i-pod, you could fit 400 CD's.

Using AIFF, which rips the CD to your hard drive, uncompressed, one CD takes up about 500 Megs. On a 40 Gig i-pod, you can fit 80 CD's.

I am ripping my CD collection, which is over 1,000 CD's, to external
hard drives, ucompressed, using AIFF. With the cost of external hard drive space coming down, capacities going up, and the hardware getting
more and more compact, I figure it is better to rip my music uncompressed. I'd rather have 80 uncompressed CD's on my i-pod than
400 compressed. Using my external hard drives, I can circulate music
through the i-pod -- and carrying 80 CD's around is enough to keep me happy. Just a few years ago, the idea of having 80 uncompressed CD's in the palm of your hand was unthinkable.

You can also set up your car stereo to connect with an i-pod. In that sense, having 80 CD's beats the hell out of any 6 or 10 CD Changer.

Do you really need to have access to your entire music collection on a
typical commute?

Even on a long distance trip, 80 CD's can go a long way.

Plus, capacities will keep going up.

If you can't wait, buy two or three i-pods and carry them with you,
rotating them for variety.

Also, Alpine is coming out with a car stereo that will interface with an i-pod, take over it's functions, and keep it charged.