[BossaNova31]

I'm trying to put together a modest tube system for my brother-in-law starting with a little Almarro MK1 I picked up from a fellow Circle member a few weeks ago (I'm just holding on to it for safe keeping right now  ).

Anyway, he absolutely went nuts over the pairing of that amp with my Omegas, but wants to keep his Ipod as his source despite my strong recommendation otherwise.

My question is can an Ipod be modified or docked to something to make it an acceptable source (using lossless file formats of course)? It has to be something reasonably budget minded of course - say $300. I see that Red Wine mods the Ipod for about that much. Can anyone here speak to the RWA Ipod?

I also saw this Ipod dock on musicdirect that requires no mods to the Ipod itself.

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/82178

Is a modded Ipod acceptable or should I really go back and try to convice him to get a traditional CDP?

[Jampot]

Is a modded Ipod acceptable or should I really go back and try to convice him to get a traditional CDP

Unless he can budget upwards of $1500 for a cd player,not just acceptable but superior

(IMHO, YMMV etc )

I have a Red Wine modded iPod photo and with a decent cable it never fails to deliver. Lots of very enthusiastic users here and at Headfi.

I can't speak for the later mods with the caps in the dock but Vinni Rossi says they are at least as good (i.e. better) and of course can be applied to the later models. I trust his ears over marketing hype.

Jim

[pbrstreetgang]

The modded ipods are OK. I would try the Wadia dock right off though as the Imods not quite as good as I wished they were. I have 2 BTW.

I dont agree that it comes close to even the apollo or the Cambridge units much less the Saturn or the like.

[zacster]

Given that most recordings are less than stellar anyway, I'd just let him use his iPod with a dock.  When he really wants to hear what his system will do he'll look for something better.  Here's another idea though, why not a Squeezebox with an external DAC.  He'll get the same music as on his iPod (assuming he manages it at home) with better sound.