[Peter J]

Bear with me here, I'm fairly Apple ignorant when it comes to audio. Oddly enough, I own an iPhone and iPad, but there's no music on phone and the iPad only controls jRiver and surfs web occasionally.

Recently I made some of Danny's LGKs which I'm giving to my sister for a little desktop system. She appears to be well entrenched in Apple, but not very technically minded. Along with the speakers, I'm supplying a Topping TP41 integrated amp. As title indicates she has a MacBook Pro and an iPod Nano which she would like to use as sources, I assume MP3s. Sound is her thing, sound quality not so much. This seems to be the case for lots of folks...I know, hard to imagine for many here, but there are those who just don't care all that much.

I'd like to set up a simple way to do this, but if I understand right taking a feed from the headphone out is least desirable. It appears that one can derive a line out signal from the 30 pin connector which is considered better. I found this cable for the Nano

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-aux-Audio-USB-charger-Cable-for-apple-iPhone-3G-3GS-4G-4S-iPod-Touch-Nano-/141067532167?pt=US_Cell_Phone_PDA_Cables_Adapters&hash=item20d847b787

Looks like it would charge as well as supply an analog output to amp. I tried to run earphone out to amp via a 3.5 to RCA adaptor and there's just not much output so it appears to need a boost to get any real volume. I have one of these, which looks like it would work as a signal booster as well as a place to plug in cable

http://www.amazon.com/TC-780LC-Stereo-Booster-BLACK-VERSION/dp/B000RZXAHI

So I'm thinkin' this would work for the Nano, am I overthinking it? Overlooking the obvious? Please chime in.

Now for the MacBook. It appears to have many ways to get audio out, but for simplicity perhaps limit choices to analog. Could (should) I use the same cable? Is there a better way?

Simple and convenient (and reasonably inexpensive)  are the guiding principals for this application, so a separate DAC is overkill, I suspect, but there's a bunch I don't know, so maybe not.

  I'd appreciate guidance from the good folks here who know better than me. Thanks!

[srb]

I've found that the headphone output on the iPod Classic and Touch usually have to be attenuated to not overdrive the amplifier it's feeding.  In other words, the amplified headphone output is usually far greater than the line out level derived from the dock connector.

I don't have a Nano, so it may be different, but check the Nano's Settings to see if a maximum volume limit has been set, which if it is, would explain why you don't have enough drive from the headphone output.  But the Line Out Dock (LOD) cable would be the better way to go.

I would expect the dock line out would drive most amplifiers to sufficient volume, but if it doesn't with your setup, then your booster device looks like it would work.

From the MacBook, you don't have an iPod dock connector, so one of those dock/audio cables wouldn't help you, but a simple 3.5mm to 3.5mm stereo audio cable would work from the headphone jack of the MacBook to your amplifier.  The only other connections, Toslink optical or USB, would require a DAC and you would be looking at a minimum investment of $30 for something like a Behringer UCA-202 (USB) DAC or a FiiO D03K (Optical) DAC, and I'm not sure there would be an inherent advantage for your modest audio requirements.

Steve

[Peter J]

I should clarify, Steve. My experiment with headphone out was with my iPhone 5, which may not be valid. Unfortunately the Nano and MacBook are in Oregon and I'm in Idaho, so this is a remote setup, trying to make it a plug and play deal for her.

Sis sent a pic and  I figured the long skinny connector was 30 pin, but doesn't sound like that's the case. I wish the stuff was here to experiment with, a $30 DAC wouldn't be deal killer...she's a good sister

What is that long skinny port?

[srb]

The long skinny port is a slot for SD memory cards (and SDXC extended capacity memory cards in latest MacBook Pro versions).

Check your iPhone 5's Volume Limit setting under Settings > Music > Volume Limit and see if the Volume Limit  is On or Off, and if it's On, was the Max Volume slider set to something less than maximum?  If so, that could explain why you aren't getting enough volume through the headphone jack.  Setting it to Off or maxing out the slider would increase the output.

The iPhone 5 has the new Lightning connector instead of the 30-pin dock connector.  Earlier versions of the Nano had the 30-pin dock connector, but the latest version also has the Lightning connector, which is only about 1/3 the length with 8 pins on each side.  You would need to know which version she has if you are thinking of using a line output from the dock connector instead of the headphone jack.

Steve

[Peter J]

A little more info. Nano is 6th gen and looks to have 30 pin connector.



I did check settings on my iPhone 5, volume limit was off. I'll  try it again to double check, but still don't know if this would be relevant info concerning the Nano. Sounds like your experience would suggest not.

Thanks for your help.

[srb]

Using the headphone out jack on an iPhone/iPod to drive a stereo system presents two potential problems:

1.  The output is first amplified through the internal headphone amplifier and the sound is often muddier with bloated bass as compared to the line out signal.

2.  The headphone jack output impedance is a rather low ~ 30 ohm, and does not match well with the line-in inputs on a stereo system which are designed for a much higher impedance connection.

The dock connector line out voltage of the iPhone/iPod is a lowish ~ 2V compared to the 4V or more output of a typical CD player, so it does usually require that the volume control of the stereo has to be turned up more.  However, I have used both an iPod Classic and iPod Mini line out with my stereo and got decent sound with ample volume (albeit with the amplifier's volume control turned up a little more).

A potential problem with the LOD cable is the compatibility with newer iPods.  Some 6th gen Nano users have gotten no sound output with a particular LOD cable, so it's important that the chosen cable specify compatibility with the 6th gen Nano.  Not want you want to hear with the idea of delivering a Plug and Play rig, but something to be aware of.

As far as the MacBook, the same limitations apply to the headphone jack there too, so the use of a small external USB or optical DAC may be a good idea.  Another idea would be to use an Airport Express if the stereo system is located with a WifFi router.  This would give good sound quality with the convenience of no wires tethered to the laptop.

Steve

[cody69]

I agree with Steve, the MBP pairs nicely with either an optical or USB DAC for driving a local amp... and the Airport Express is nice for a remote system accessible with Wifi. You can also stream to the Express with an iPhone/iPod/iPad... but have no experience with Nano.

I also built a pair of LGKs (love them) and am putting together a desk-top system to drive them from my iMac. My plan is a USB connected DAC driving a TPA3110 amp.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.