Folks,
I wanted to tell all you iPod/Iphone/Ipad users out there that there is a fairly new product on the market that can take your playback to an even greater level than the best docks out there. It's called the High Resolution Technologies iStreamer. I've had one for a little over a month now, and when fed alac/aiff/wave files from your i-device, this gadget can turn your portable player into a quite decent source.
This is a bit different than your typical dock or even things like the Wadia and Onkyo transports in that it intercepts the digital data stream before it even goes to the on-board dac in the portable device. It supports host mode data transfer directly to it's own built-in dac for a very low jitter line level output to go to your integrated amp or preamp directly. The unit is small, comes with a pretty typical looking dock connector cable, a small switching PSU, a pair of rca interconnects, and has two RCA outputs. It also charges your device's battery when it is connected -- something that at first I didn't really think all that important, but ave really come to like. When connected to the portable device, it intercepts all sounds and sends them through the iStreamer's dac and out the RCAs. It also automatically maximizes the volume so you get full bit-depth playback at all times -- meaning that you can't use the iPod's volume control, and why you need an integrated amp, preamp, or some other external means of controlling the volume.
At first the sound is ok, a little overdone in the bass and a bit strident, but after 20 or so hours, things are much better and then after 100-20 hours things really fall into place, and sounds as good as other 16/44.1/48 dacs that typically would sell for several times it's $199 price tag, and right up there with some 2k+ cd players. I'm sure a decent linear power supply would take that even further, and certainly better interconnects than the ones that come with it, as well.
Feed it with some carefully ripped alac aiff or wavv files and I think you'll be pretty surprised at what your little iPod/Pad/phone can sound like.
-- Jim
If you feed this dac a
I wanted to tell all you iPod/Iphone/Ipad users out there that there is a fairly new product on the market that can take your playback to an even greater level than the best docks out there. It's called the High Resolution Technologies iStreamer. I've had one for a little over a month now, and when fed alac/aiff/wave files from your i-device, this gadget can turn your portable player into a quite decent source.
This is a bit different than your typical dock or even things like the Wadia and Onkyo transports in that it intercepts the digital data stream before it even goes to the on-board dac in the portable device. It supports host mode data transfer directly to it's own built-in dac for a very low jitter line level output to go to your integrated amp or preamp directly. The unit is small, comes with a pretty typical looking dock connector cable, a small switching PSU, a pair of rca interconnects, and has two RCA outputs. It also charges your device's battery when it is connected -- something that at first I didn't really think all that important, but ave really come to like. When connected to the portable device, it intercepts all sounds and sends them through the iStreamer's dac and out the RCAs. It also automatically maximizes the volume so you get full bit-depth playback at all times -- meaning that you can't use the iPod's volume control, and why you need an integrated amp, preamp, or some other external means of controlling the volume.
At first the sound is ok, a little overdone in the bass and a bit strident, but after 20 or so hours, things are much better and then after 100-20 hours things really fall into place, and sounds as good as other 16/44.1/48 dacs that typically would sell for several times it's $199 price tag, and right up there with some 2k+ cd players. I'm sure a decent linear power supply would take that even further, and certainly better interconnects than the ones that come with it, as well.
Feed it with some carefully ripped alac aiff or wavv files and I think you'll be pretty surprised at what your little iPod/Pad/phone can sound like.
-- Jim
If you feed this dac a
