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Upgrading Wadia 170i IDoc to new 171 IPod dock

I have owned for about a year now the first Wadia 170i IPod dock and the $280 ICAudio upgraded power supply and lastly am using the Kimber illuminations D60 cable going to my DAC, which is actually a Cambridge AZURE 840C CD player. my question is has anybody upgraded to the latest 171i IPod dock and was it worth it? My current setup using lossless files sounds pretty good, but not quite as good as a CD. So please, with my current configuration and your experience with the new dock, is it worth the investment - Thanks!
Rpg
rpg

Showing 3 responses by brianmgrarcom

brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Wadia's iTransport has always garnered a wide array of opinions and, it seems, results.

I have had a 170 since the day they were available and like a couple others here, I have had zero issues with using it, I use an iPod Classic.

Also, some report not getting as good results as they do with their CDP. When I purchased my 170 I was using a Meridian G08 CDP and spent a lot of time comparing, in various ways. In the end I could not distinguish between the two if blind folded. My personal opinion is that results vary based on the DAC used and one is best served by using a DAC that does a great job at re-clocking the signal, if so one will garner great results. (My opinion.)

I can't imagine having to go back to a stand alone CDP again.

Disagreements about function and performance of the iTransport have been around since day one, I do not see that changing.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Rpg, I have had the exact same questions as you about it, with my thoughts being, given paired with a good re-clocking DAC and if it does sound better, why? That said, the better remote does interest me, but it would be a heavy price to pay for a better remote.

When you say, "...leaves me with the interpretation that it would sound better than the CD, maybe it's possible, but it leaves me with a sense of doubt."; I am not sure what you mean by that.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Rpg, I follow you now.

Was the review apples-to-apples? Was he reviewer using a separate DAC or the one in the CDP for compare.

Also, a thought is that you can store the music via iTunes using error correction and receive consistent and possibly better results.

There is much more to digital than I know for sure; I recall a reviewer reviewing a very expensive transport, around $15k I believe, and he found that without question a transport can make a difference, I don't know the "why's", but like you have questions.

What I do know is that I achieved equal results using my 170 and DAC when compared to my CDP, enough for me at this point.

Thanks for the tip on the remote.
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