ipod and dac?

The iPod is a wonderful device and using an external DAC is a great idea, but here are two other problems I have had with mine:

Even using a cable into my car stereo in a fairly noisy Porsche convertible, the difference between WAV files and LAME compressed MP-3 files were clearly audible to me.

The MP3 file sounds, well... COMPRESSED. Honking and fatiguing in the midrange, and lacking in dynamics.

Another thing I realized -- even with my car stereo -- was that the MP3 files create a vague, wandering image compared to the WAV files on my iPod.

So I would also rather have 20-40 CD quality WAV files than a zillion MP3s.

On the WAV files, however, I seem to get a "skip" on every song and I also have not been able to grab the tagging information from the web, so the files are not categorized like MP-3s which is one of the main reasons to use the iPod in the first place.

Or am I missing something?

So please do let us know when WAV files can be easily tagged, they dont skip, and an output on the iPOd will handle a high end D/A.

Nonetheless, a very cool toy.

Gunbei, File fragmentation should be the least of your worries on an iPod. The unit has a 20+ minute "skip protection" buffer, and even at 10MB/minute, reading uncompressed audio shouldn't be that much of a challenge for the on-board hard drive.
That said, I'll second StefH's comment that if it's an issue for you, you can always delete and re-sync your iPod.

Here's a competitor to the i-pod that has a digital out ---

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/iriver_e.html

It has 20 Gig capacity, but it says a 40 Gig unit is coming soon.

Cwlondon, do you have the latest firmware and software updates? Downloads are available at this site.

Onhwy61

Thank you. Probably not so I will check the downloads.

To clarify my other comments, my "skipping" was not from vibration or jarring.

It is a brief pause or dead space in the music -- only on WAV files -- that seems to relate to the mechanical movement of the internal hard drive. Annoying.

Dont think this would be resolved by firmware. By the way, the chief guru I have met on this subject is a visitor to Audiogon.

Following a previous iPod thread on the tedium of ripping CD's, he has set up a service where he does this for people. UPS your CDs and he will send it all back to you, conveniently copied onto a portable hard drive.

I have no affiliation with Stuart, but have found him to be extremely knowledgable and a very good guy:

stuart@braiman.com

He, too, seems to think that tagging WAV files is not perfectly straightforward.

So I am still a big fan of the iPod device, but do look forward to progress in the lossless schemes and external DACs.