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Is iPod Digital Output Possible?

I've been scouring through all the ipod accessories and cannot find what I am looking for. Perhaps it does not exist. I was wondering if there is any cable or dock that will allow me to extract a digital output from my iPod video (or any iPod for that matter)? There's plenty of adapters to pull the analog out, but it seems like you always need a computer interface to get digital output. Why? Is it just a matter of software to sort out the library? More to the point; I want to connect my iPod directly to my DAC or even to my Waveterminal (requires the squareish delivery end of a USB cable) to my DAC...is this possible? Has this been discussed previously? If so, where the heck was I? No, don't answer that last part! The authorities may be listening in! Just tell me how to get a digital stream out of my iPod if it's possible.

Marco
jax2
elevick
2,638 posts
 
Why bother?
The music on your ipod is most likely in mp3 format. A dac can't help with what signal is not there.
You will have to consider storing music in a lossless or uncompressed format first on the ipod and then worry about an external dac. The software even warns you before saving to the ipod that the format can not be changed back once converted. That's because it is cutting out certain "stuff". However, how much can fit on a 40-60 gig ipod anyway?
jax2 OP
3,031 posts
 
Elevick - Nothing on my iPod is in MP3 - to the mere suggestion of listening to anything compressed that way at all I'd say "why bother". I have a 60 gig ipod that holds my tunes in Apple Lossless. That's about 170 CD's which is certainly better than carrying around a box or folder with that many CD's and sorting through them every time I want to hear something in the car, or through headphones, or in a hotel, or at a friends house. It occured to me that the dock might have the potential for yielding a digital stream, but how do you tap into it other than connecting a laptop?

Marco
edesilva
768 posts
 
Elevick-

I wouldn't assume on an audiophile forum that the music on Marco's iPod is mp3 format... And, with a ALAC lossless compression at about 200 MB per CD, you can store about 300 CDs on a 60 GB iPod. More than enough for any airplane ride I'd be interested in taking...

Marco-

Have not yet seen any digital outputs for the iPod family. Its too bad too--with a little headphone amp, a waveterminal, some nice Grados, and one of those Pod 60 6Ah batteries, you would have a nice shoebox system.
edesilva
768 posts
 
Whups Marco, ya beat me to it.

You're only getting 170 CDs on 60GB w/ALAC? Seems odd. I thought I was running about 450MB per CD in WAV format, and thought ALAC was generally better than 2:1 compression over WAV.

Maybe I just listen to highly compressible music. Or short CDs.
jax2 OP
3,031 posts
 
Ed - I was only estimating based upon 600mb/CD in WAV (perhaps I'm off there. I'll have to see how many are actually on my iPod. Compression is about right though. My Alpine car rig is set up with a box that takes the iPod feed from its dock. I was thinking that that box was acting as a DAC since it is taking the feed from the iPod and running into an anlog input on the car deck. So naturally I thought there must be a way. Indeed, your thoughts were as mine: a kinder, more listenable iPod for traveling. My last trip I brought my MicroZotl and ran the analog inputs through the MZ then into a pair of Sony cans. The sound was MUCH better than straight off the ipod, but still left something to be desired in comparison to running the feed off my DAC when running a ALAC at home through the Waveterminal. There are much smaller headamps than the MicroZotl, several being made just for portable use, so yes, that's where my thinknig is going here.

Marco
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