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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
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
edesilva
768 posts
 
Hmm... I think I've heard the dock uses a line out that byplasses the audio amp in the iPod, but the iPod is still doing DAC duty. From what I gather, however, the amp in the iPod is pretty compromised, so the difference bewteen the headphone out, which uses the iPod amp, and the line out from the dock is pretty noticeable. Me, I use a highly suspect Nano with 128 kbps AAC files, just because the only time I ever listen to it is on the plane or on the metro. In either case, there is so much other ambient noise that the iPod is just kinda background music.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
The iPod could probably be modded to bring-out a digital interface. I2S is probably available in there, but not S/PDIF, so a chip would have to be added to get S/PDIF. If it is too tight, the chip may not fit.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer/modder
hepl
147 posts
 
Jax2,

I tought of the same, what I ended up doing is the following since as you said it the product doesn´t exist:

1. Burning all of my cds into a 1,000 GB external drive using the WAV format.

2. Using a Xitel Pro-Link from my laptop USB to send an optical cable (Kimber) to my Bel Canto DAC2 and into my system.

The optical connection sounds better that the coaxial, my feeling is that there is way too much digital noise inside the computer. Another option is to use an Apple Airport Express to send the data from your computer to your dac via the optical output (you will need to buy the Monster cable kit to get the 1/8 to toslink optical cable). Hope this will help.
Hector
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