Is there a project here somewhere that builds a high quality DAC with an iPod input? I understand this might be difficult due to licensing and bypassing the iPods On board DAC. I would love to build a DAC that is part of a simple tube preamp sort of like the peachtree products but without the power amp.
EDIT: I realized that licensing apple products is impossible for my needs. In this case, a simple USB DAC into an integrated tube preamp would be sufficient. I've been wanting to build something very high quality like the Burr Brown DAC, if a simpler and easier (and economical) yet comparable DAC exists please steer me into the right direction.
Any help would be appreciated.
Any help would be appreciated.
The best, and also cheapest afaik, way to get direct digital ouput from Ipod is the Onkyo ND-S1 dock. There is a good thread or two about it on here. It's quite a lot better than the Wadia dock, and rather better than the Cambridge, and lends itself most easily to upgrades, which it responds quite well to. It's not a dac, but it gets you a quality spdif output.
There is a new dock with digital output called the Pure i20. Costs about US$100, has coax and toslink output, and also a Cirrus CS4353 A/D converter for analog out, which is supposed to be fairly decent.
I haven't heard it, but it's a great deal for the money. Thinking about ordering one. Don't know where you are, but that Onkyo is about $300 as I recall and not generally available in the US.
For a simple tube stage, try this:
NEW tube pre-amp MKIII 12AU7 fully assembled | eBay
I built a dock (not digital) using this, and it does improve iPod sound, IMO.
--Buckapound
I haven't heard it, but it's a great deal for the money. Thinking about ordering one. Don't know where you are, but that Onkyo is about $300 as I recall and not generally available in the US.
For a simple tube stage, try this:
NEW tube pre-amp MKIII 12AU7 fully assembled | eBay
I built a dock (not digital) using this, and it does improve iPod sound, IMO.
--Buckapound
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