Tube amps and iPods

Again with the troll thing Tvad? My major concern would be I've had capacitive discharges and stuff zap me putting my computer into tube pre's. I know Manley's not-quite-out-yet MantaRay is supposed to have an iPod (more gain maybe? grounded differently?) "special" RCA connection. So maybe you could go hi-end. Problem with that kind of docking station seems to me to be low quality plastic melting on you, and really low B+ capacitor stuff.

if (a) your music is saved using apple lossless and (b) you take the data from the line out of the ipod rather than earphone jack, you have the start of a HDD-based digital source that is at least in the same ball park as other HDD systems. i am convinced that, with a good USB DAC (e.g., Wavelength), you can achieve results that are undeniably "high end."

i have no idea whether the tube ipod dock discussed in the NYT today would achieve the same results, but i don't think it's fair to say that an ipod can't be part of a high end digital front end.

I've seen a tube amp docking station at a local Mac store. It was black and silver but I don't think it was one of the ones in the picture accompanying the article. Cute as a button. It waas hooled up to an equally cute little speaker system like youfind with PCs. I don't know how it sounded. I think it's funny that the NY Times story has the category title "Novelties" in the header.

Some posts above suggest that a "lower" fidelity source cannot be assisted by a better component downstream. If this is true, then it logically follows that the source should always be the best component. Sounds like Tvad is a true "Linnie" like myself.