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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

Showing 4 responses by edesilva

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.
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.
edesilva
768 posts
 
At some point, isn't the easier answer to just use the USB adapter to have the iPod act like a USB drive, rather than a player?
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