Connecting an iPod to Carver gear...........

AFAIK, the Wadia is the only dock that takes the DIGITAL out of the iPod and does its own conversion to analog (using its own DACs). All others that I know of take the analog off the connector, thereby using the crappy DACs in you iPod.

The Wadia does not itself do any digital to analog conversion.

The Wadia 170i and 171i docks bypass the iPod's own built in DAC (analog being what you get when using almost any other iPod dock) and takes the digital signal from the iPod and outputs that digital signal via coax digital out (170i) or coax or Toslink for the 171i.

So you need a DAC to convert the signal to analog. Or just use a Sunfire preamp.

Everything in the chain makes some difference I guess. Don't have an ipod, but it seems that if you can load tunes on it in high resolution and pull them off digitally to a better DAC and better earphones or speakers -- it should sound very good.
It might not be the best or last word in reproduction, but what is?

I do a little on the treadmill these days to prolong my beer drinking days.

Once I was a real runner, doing many miles every week. Distance training is a lonely sport, there are no days off. I often ran with others, but actually in a group, you are going too fast or too slow to train. I used to get my work out in early and then jog with people in the park for company.

I found that on long runs, especially on those rainy cold days, a music player could make a 20 mile run fun, and could get you out the door for the many 10 mile ones. Over the years my cassette players were replaced by CD players and then the truly wonderful MiniDisc.

An ipod would have been great. Music is what it is and where we find it. I have truly enjoyed many tunes through ear bud things, and if an ipod moves someone, I am for it. The time for Carver type audio will show up at some point for all who like the music.

Yes the Wadia dock and a good Dac will perform wonderfully, as good as a Mac Mini music system.
Here is a smokin' iPod system that will shame many of cd based systems.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl ... eyw&zzipod

or this one...

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl ... eyw&zzipod

Yes the Wadia dock and a good Dac will perform wonderfully, as good as a Mac Mini music system.
Here is a smokin' iPod system that will shame many of cd based systems.

I'm sure those simple systems sound great with almost ANY source that is high-quality--ipod, digital, vinyl, whatever--but the fact is that you don't have to spend six figures (which is what these "simple" systems are) to get good sound from an iPod or iPhone.

Using Apple Lossless compression when you rip your CDs into iTunes goes a long way. The Wadia dock allows you to use an outboard DAC (and is the ONLY dock that allows for that, currently). I rarely listen from my iPhone through my rig, but I do frequently listen to music off my computer. My DAC (a Benchmark) has a USB port, ad music from my laptop from iTunes sound pretty good.

Probably not as good as the guy on Audiogon running Wadia DACs, Goldmund amps and $10,000 worth of cables and tweaks into speakers that cost more than my Chevy HHR, but pretty good none the less...

BTW, why is it that the super-rich high-end audio guys always seem to be such slobs with their cabling and their listening rooms? Why is their cabling always a rats nest, and their listening room floors always such a mess? If I were going to post pictures of my six-figure stereo for all the world to see, I'd tidy up a bit...

Well, a Benchmark DAC is no slouch, and you've taken a big noisemaker out of the equation, Richard. That noisemaker is the PCI bus in your computer. Most people buy a great soundcard, an plunk it onto the PCI bus and wonder why it sounds like crap, after all that care to rip your music in lossless. It's the bus mostly, but the conversion to S/PDIF is also problematic. The USB bus is much quieter and, IMHO, THE way to get music out of your computer. There is almost no conversion done in the computer (except lossless to PCM (WAV)).

Yes the Wadia dock and a good Dac will perform wonderfully, as good as a Mac Mini music system.
Here is a smokin' iPod system that will shame many of cd based systems.

I'm sure those simple systems sound great with almost ANY source that is high-quality--ipod, digital, vinyl, whatever--but the fact is that you don't have to spend six figures (which is what these "simple" systems are) to get good sound from an iPod or iPhone.

Using Apple Lossless compression when you rip your CDs into iTunes goes a long way. The Wadia dock allows you to use an outboard DAC (and is the ONLY dock that allows for that, currently). I rarely listen from my iPhone through my rig, but I do frequently listen to music off my computer. My DAC (a Benchmark) has a USB port, ad music from my laptop from iTunes sound pretty good.

Probably not as good as the guy on Audiogon running Wadia DACs, Goldmund amps and $10,000 worth of cables and tweaks into speakers that cost more than my Chevy HHR, but pretty good none the less...

BTW, why is it that the super-rich high-end audio guys always seem to be such slobs with their cabling and their listening rooms? Why is their cabling always a rats nest, and their listening room floors always such a mess? If I were going to post pictures of my six-figure stereo for all the world to see, I'd tidy up a bit...

I posted the audiophile iPod system to show what is capable with an iPod. I'm not offended by it, but inspired at the greatness. The point being that an iPod Classic is a serious contender for music reproduction.
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An iPod Classic 160 gb> Wadia 170i > Cambridge Audio DacMagic (or Grant Fidelity Tube DAC-09) would work for me.

I posted the audiophile iPod system to show what is capable with an iPod. I'm not offended by it, but inspired at the greatness. The point being that an iPod Classic is a serious contender for music reproduction.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not offended by this guys system, I'm offended by his "cable hygiene"...

I LOVE seeing super-high-end gear married with consumer-grade devices like the iPod--when done well, they can sound surprisingly good. I applaud this fellow for finding a good solution to his situation--limited space for media and gear, and--and still putting together a system that although compact, probably sounds very good.

I'm just saying, this is the Carver forum, and the example you gave doesn't have a single piece of Carver Gear. We all WISH we could have mega-bucks systems with all the latest gadgets and doodads, but many of us can't (for various reasons), and so we make do with what we have access to. I was just saying that using Carver and Sunfire gear we can, with the right accessories and front-end gear, get pretty astounding sound from a source like the iPod that most "audiophiles" don't consider to be "worthy".

And THAT is a big part of the fun for us "budget audiophiles"--getting "gee-whiz" sound out of a rig that costs a fraction of the cost of these "dream systems"...

I'm just saying, this is the Carver forum, and the example you gave doesn't have a single piece of Carver Gear. We all WISH we could have mega-bucks systems with all the latest gadgets and doodads, but many of us can't (for various reasons), and so we make do with what we have access to. I was just saying that using Carver and Sunfire gear we can, with the right accessories and front-end gear, get pretty astounding sound from a source like the iPod that most "audiophiles" don't consider to be "worthy".

Sorry, I'm not a Carver devote and only recently picked up Carvers smallest receiver for FM listening. I was addressing the issue that the iPod done right is more than a basic MP3 player. Thank you, I will move on.

I'm just saying, this is the Carver forum, and the example you gave doesn't have a single piece of Carver Gear. We all WISH we could have mega-bucks systems with all the latest gadgets and doodads, but many of us can't (for various reasons), and so we make do with what we have access to. I was just saying that using Carver and Sunfire gear we can, with the right accessories and front-end gear, get pretty astounding sound from a source like the iPod that most "audiophiles" don't consider to be "worthy".

Sorry, I'm not a Carver devote and only recently picked up Carvers smallest receiver for FM listening. I was addressing the issue that the iPod done right is more than a basic MP3 player. Thank you, I will move on.[/quote]

Don't move on because of something that was said/written.

As far as the Ipod goes it can be an excellent source especially if you can get the digitaL output. It will be as good as any.

As far as being a Carver devotee...well here, we all are & I would urge you to give Bob's gear a second look if you are shopping.

Especially the Sunfire amps. My experience is thay are as good or better ( better really) than anything you will find (and this is important) at ANY price. They will drive any speaker and barely get warm doing it. And sound excellent.

Anyway, thanks for your input.

As far as being a Carver devotee...well here, we all are & I would urge you to give Bob's gear a second look if you are shopping.

Especially the Sunfire amps... They will drive any speaker and barely get warm doing it. And sound excellent.

My point, exactly...