connecting ipod to my ARC preamp - so simple
meridian Vs Ipod 
if you haven't owned an ipod before, you would never understand how the entire world goes gaga over it.
out of the blue, my friend ringo brought his ipod to my house and said he wanted to connect it to my system and gauge the sound. since having this wonderful gadget, he has downloaded (using apple lossless conversion) most of his cd collections onto it and marveled at the convenience of playing music whenever and wherever he wants. he even connected the ipod to his av system once and the sound is very decent. so he wanted to know how would it sound like if connected to a high-resolution system like mine, which is ultimately revealing of any less-than-good sources.
with the ipod-ready monster interconnect (with a pin on one end and two rca plugs on the other), connection (to my preamp) is a breeze.
the sound is amazingly clean! well, it is a bit thin and threadbare and lacking of meat but it is definitely passable. it reminds me a lot of my experience when i used my brother's marantz CD63KI signature cd player on my system, in place of my meridian.(no offence to CD63 users. it is but a very basic and elementary cd player). it also lacks the pace and rhythm. but everything is very pleasant. more than enough to please newbies who are new to the hobby. it is also an exciting way to lure the newbies into this hobby, wouldn't you agree?
the lossless format is still in its infancy. give it another 3-5 years, it is bound to mature. also with better DAC (digital to analogue convertor) chip in the ipod, we are promised of a bright future. those who claimed that the lossless format is already high fidelity are kidding themselves. you may think it is ok when played in a entry-level system but once heard it in a mid-to-high end system, all the flaws are there to be heard. but to me, it is more a crime of omission rather than commission. i heard no digital glare and harshness.
steve job is truly a genious. like the cliche goes, the future of ipod is so bright that you have to wear shades :-) hand me the rayben, please.
infrequent updates
8 years ago
6 comments:
you might able to get a pre-amped cleaner sound from lineout of ipod using http://www.sik.com/din.php.
Yes, the iPod is not exactly high-end, but the sound is definitely quite decent, especially when running Apple Lossless and compared to a sub-RM2,000 CD player (BTW, decent sub-RM2,000 CD players are pretty rare these days).
If you think about it, the iPod 30/60/80GB can be quite a good source for a RM10k system today into a tube integrated & floorstanders.
Another popular option is use pc as source using professional sound card and link them out to dac. :).
Another decent subsystem in your house and you have your whole library of music in your finger tips.
Or, if you are running a high-end system & still wish for the convenience of an iPod & only want the best dock, you can wait for the
Krell iPod Dock (KID).
Seriously, u need a dock! That way, you are running line level signal rather than the headphone jack's resistive path.
wow, the KID is no kidding! if krell is embracing it, it can't be wrong.
yes, a docking station is definitely better than the headphone jack.
i am waiting for the whole technology to mature before i spend the money :-)
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