[chrisby]

anyone using one of these yet as a budget  "high-end" digital source?

http://www.wadia.com/products/170i/170iTransport_home.htm

[floobydust]

 Well, they cost more than the iPod... however, they do seem to work as advertised. Stereophile did a test and matched an audio file using ALC via SPDIF to the same file on a DAW. It would appear that the line out is from the iPod itself. It was noted that the SPDIF has a fair amount of jitter... so depending on what you feed with it, quality might vary a bit. I'm sorta tempted, but I keep a full backup of my digital library on a machine that has SPDIF output.

 Regards, KM

[BrassEar]

I think they are great if you can get one that works. I went through two brand new and defective units.

I will wait for this technology to mature and I am sure there will be other vendors with more quality at even cheaper prices.

[DARTH AUDIO]

Check out the Apple TV. I had both the 170i $ ATV. The ATV was better sounding and more user friendly. And they are close in price.

[chrisby]

The AppleTV device is probably fine for folks with an iMac, MacBook, etc, but I was really thinking more about the docking feature of the Wadia ( and no doubt soon to follow similar gadgets at all sorts of price ranges) for those using an iPod/phone in conjunction with a PC based system.     
 

 

[floobydust]

 Hi Chris,

 IMHO, the only real benefit of the Wadia is the ability to obtain SPDIF out from the iPod, implying you're using an external DAC. From what I've read, the analogue out is just from the iPod itself. Yes, it's a nice fancy dock and all, but it becomes a fairly expensive media setup for a fancy removable hard drive (aka the iPod) once you have the iPod, Wadia 170i and an external DAC.

 I did some playing around back in September when I was home with the MacBook Pro. Picked up a DVI to HDMI cable for driving the widescreen digital TV (second display) and used optical out from the MBP to the Mytek DAC. This sounds excellent with 24/96 wav files. With computer driven digital I/O, jitter can be a real problem, so re-clocking may be  important depending on how good your digital out is. The Mytek DAC does a superb job on clocking so jitter in the source is not an issue. Not all DACs are capable of doing this internally.
 
 Optical is the lowest quality, second to SPDIF on coax. AES/EBU is much better but that always requires a specialized (read expensive) digital card. I use a RME Digi96 for AES/EBU I/O to ensure low jitter between the DAC and ADC. It's a superb setup, but also an expensive setup. if I were simply going for a digital media setup, I would be more inclined to use one of the newer Mac Mini (intel based) with a large firewire drive and use the digital optical out to an external DAC. Just my $0.02.

 Regards, KM

[chrisby]

Kevin:

Thanks,  I assumed the Wadia's analog out was via the built-in DAC,  using the iPod's digital signal stream, and as such "should" be at least the equal of any of the lesser Pod-docks on the market

The question is really moot, as I don't currently own an iPod, and continue to waffle over whether I really need yet another toy for my music, but the Touch and latest iPhone certainly look pretty damned cool.

[Crimson]

Optical is the lowest quality, second to SPDIF on coax. AES/EBU is much better but that always requires a specialized (read expensive) digital card. I use a RME Digi96 for AES/EBU I/O to ensure low jitter between the DAC and ADC. It's a superb setup, but also an expensive setup. if I were simply going for a digital media setup, I would be more inclined to use one of the newer Mac Mini (intel based) with a large firewire drive and use the digital optical out to an external DAC. Just my $0.02.

Very true. And, as with all setups with a computer as the source, USB and firewire ports are available as additional audio i/o options.

[denjo]

Then why does my optical (Nordost WhiteLight) sound better to my ears than coaxial?  :scratch:I have tried several RCA cables (Stereovox XV2, Neotech silver, KCI Pegasus, Beldens), but try as I may the optical sounds more liquid and smooth.

[Crimson]

Then why does my optical (Nordost WhiteLight) sound better to my ears than coaxial?

Because it sounds better to your ears.

Other than subjective preferences, there is a lot going on in the numerous interfaces between the optical pickup (CD/HD) in the transport and the dac analog output. In your particular instance, optical gives you the best sound. System synergy.

[floobydust]

 Could be that the circuitry for your optical has less jitter than your SPDIF. It could also be that your SPDIF I/O is not transformer isolated. Without any information relative to the specific components (and some internal knowledge about them) you're using, it's impossible to give you an answer. For some additional clarification from the master himself:

http://www.digido.com/faq/10-J/66.html

 Regards, KM

[dcstep]

anyone using one of these yet as a budget  "high-end" digital source?

I'm using the 170i with great success, driving it with the iPod Classic 160G as a transport, running it through my upsampling Playback Designs MPS-5's DAC via digital coax, into my Rowland Continuum 500. The files are Lossless with error correction applied.

Comparing the iPod/Wadia/MPS-5 output to the original CD played through the MPS-5, they sound exactly the same. The same files played through the ATV are not near as clear sounding and have a touch of digital glare. The difference is most likely the DAC I'm using vs. the ATV. If you have an excellent DAC, then the Wadia is a super device.

Dave