[Stu Pitt]

Vinnie,

You posted this in your RMAF 2010 thread...

Cypher Labs (represented by ALO and RWA) will have the AlgoRhythm Solo!  This little guy will connect to your iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, etc. and output bit-perfect SPDIF output.  It extracts the USB data from the Apple device asyncronously, and uses an ultra-low jitter clock for both the SPDIF output, as well as for the I2S that feeds the internal Wolfson dac.  It's portable, Li-Ion powered, and we're getting close to production (just going through the Apple Certification process now and hopefully will be on our way to having the Solo hit the market very soon!).  Using lossless or wav files, this is one of the best sounding spdif transports you'll hear - there is nothing on the market like it!  No matter if your thing is home audio or portable audio - you need to listen to this! 

Can you give me some more information?  I'm very interested.  Preliminary price and specs?  Maybe a pic or two?  Are you and ALO co-developing/building this, or is this a company that you guys are distributing for?

Sorry if this has been posted/discussed.  This is the first I've seen/heard.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Stu,

Thanks for your post. 

I work for Cypher Labs and have been involved with the design and test phase of the AlgoRhythm Solo, and Ken Ball of ALO is also part of Cypher Labs.  We'll both be selling these products on our websites (I'm also in charge of the marketing).

These are all the models that are confirmed to be compatible and will be Apple Certified to work with the Solo:

- All iPod Classics
- All iPhones (3G, 3Gs, 4G)
- iPad
- iPod Touch (2nd, 3rd and 4th gen)
- iPod Nano (5th and 6th gen)

Price is $579 (see: http://www.cypherlabs.com/Products.php)

NOTE: The website will be redesigned soon enough - this is just a "rough draft." 

Dimensions are approx: 2.75" wide x 4.5" deep x 0.75" tall (same size case as the new ALO Rx mkII amp)

Official release date is still pending - we are working with the Apple with the certification process now ("made for iPod, iPhone, iPad" etc.) and this takes time, as you can imagine because of all the companies that are making products to work with Apple products), but we're moving full speed ahead and hope to have a formal release date soon.

Here are some pics - the Solo is the device on top of the ALO Rx MkII headphone amp.  So just look at the top device in each photo so see the front and back of the Solo:






There is also a preview going on 6moons: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/aloaudio2/1.html

Once we are in production, I'll try to see if I can get a "child forum" located in the Red Wine Audio forum to help answer questions and keep the two companies and products separate, but still linked together (as we'll be linking it all together between the ALO, RWA, and Cypher Labs websites).  The ALO Forum on www.headfi.com has more info as well...

Thanks for your interest, and I'll keep everyone posted.  We're getting close...

Cheers!

Vinnie

[Stu Pitt]

Looks very interesting and promising, Vinnie.  Maybe a stupid question and one that may go against what it was actually designed for, but have you guys considered a version without a built in DAC?

I'm not into portable audio enough to spend that much on a DAC and amp for my iPod.  I'm looking for something simple to use at home that doesn't start with a "Wa" and end with a "dia."  That unit is the most ergonomically inept iPod unit I've ever come across.  I'd like something where I can hold my iPod and control it, yet have a digital output connected to my DAC.

Another stupid question (hence my screen name), can any USB source be used (i.e. my laptop), or is it strictly iPod?

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Stu,

These are not Stu Pitt questions (or are they?  ).

Seriously - while we were extracting USB from the Apple devices via the async implementation, we wanted to do something with that reclocked I2S and the portable ("headfi") market really wanted a portable, high-end analog output as well.  So that was installed.  But as I wrote to Srajan of 6moons:

I am most impressed by the Solo's digital output. How it extracts USB data from Apple devices in deslaved asynchronous mode and generates a pristine reclocked S/PDIF output via coax really makes the iPod, iPhone and iPad into serious high-end transports (assuming lossless or WAV files are installed of course).  iPod and serious high-end transport no longer are an oxymoron with the portable Solo. Portability of course is primarily geared toward the headfi crowd but we will make the high-end home audio crowd aware that connecting the Solo to their home audio converter will be an ear opener. The analog output of the Wolfson chip is a standard 2Vrms out and we're not using any opamps in the output stage. Impedance out is ca. 100Ω to drive anything downstream with ease. And with Li-Ion power, there's no SMPS involved except for the battery charger.

And of course I love how it is off the grid when playing!    Playing into the Isabellina dac via the coax output - I don't think I've heard a CD transport that is better.  A really good one is the NuForce CDP-8 powered by the Black Lightning LFP (I recently made for a local customer).  Great transport - so I'm looking forward to comparing to the Solo's digital output with the same music.  But from what I'm hearing - I think the Solo has it beat and its all coming from Lossless files on an iPod, iPad, iTouch, etc. 

Another stupid question (hence my screen name), can any USB source be used (i.e. my laptop), or is it strictly iPod?

With this product, it is only for the portable Apple products (iPods, iPhone, iPod Touch, Nano, iPad) and let's not forget the "iRack": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2nkoGLhrE  - too funny!

But more goodies will be in the works,

Vinnie

[Stu Pitt]

Thanks again, Vinnie.  I'll be following it and waiting for it's release.

As a side not from someone who has no formal business training and never manufactured anything...  do you think you'd open up more market prospects if you made a home version without the internal DAC?  I think more audiophiles would be accepting of it in a non-portable version.  I can't imagine it would be difficult to make a version that didn't have the built-in DAC, but what do I know?

If you made a non-portable 'home version' (can't think of a better name) along side the current one, I'd imagine you'd get a ton of people who've had less than stellar ergonomic and sound quality results with the iTransport.

[David C.]

Hi Vinnie,

I'm on the waiting list for an Isabellina LFP-V Edition with the optional USB input, and I've just become aware of the AlgoRhythm. I'm wondering:

a) Is it possible to use the AlgoRhythm to connect my Apple laptop to the BNC input of the Isabellina?

b) If so, how would the sound quality compare with connecting my laptop directly to the built-in Isabellina USB input? Given that the two connection methods are about the same price ($500 for built-in USB input vs. $579 for the AlgoRhythm), which one would you recommend?

David

[Stu Pitt]

The input is iPod/iPhone/iPad only, as far as I know.  That was what I gathered from the HeadFi thread.

[Vinnie R.]

The input is iPod/iPhone/iPad only, as far as I know.  That was what I gathered from the HeadFi thread.

Stu is correct! 

As a side not from someone who has no formal business training and never manufactured anything...  do you think you'd open up more market prospects if you made a home version without the internal DAC?  I think more audiophiles would be accepting of it in a non-portable version.  I can't imagine it would be difficult to make a version that didn't have the built-in DAC, but what do I know?

Yes - it would be easy enough to not include the internal dac - but it is just as easy to include it as well.  This way, you all get a choice to use the Solo with your Apple Device as a very high quality transport to feed your own dac of choice, or use the internal Wolfson dac to feed the analog to your home (or portable) audio system...

Thanks for your posts,

Vinnie