[bside123]

Has this happened to any of you before?

I've started ripping my Redbook CD library on to an iPod Classic in LossLess files. Temporarily, until I decide on Dock / DAC combos, I've been listening to the iPod via a cable out the bottom iPod's dock port connected directly to my preamp (single ended). The sound is remarkably good, as in "ain't bad," and I realize there is a lot more improvement to come depending on my future choices for playback.

Here's the question at hand... last night I A/B a track from some CDs that I copied onto the iPod. When playing back the exact same tracks, the iPod playback had switched/reversed the channels. For example, percussion work and solos that originally were coming out of the right channel on the CD came out of the left channel from iPod playback... and vice versa.

Yes, I checked cables, connections, polarity, etc. What's up?

[srb]

I know you said you checked connections, but it sounds like the dock connector cable has the left and right RCA connectors switched.  Are the channels also switched when listening through headphones connected to the iPod's headphone jack?
 
Steve

[newzooreview]

Do you have a test CD with a channel identification track? I would start there to have an accurate reference point. Right now you're hearing things reversed, but it's not clear which is correct.

[low.pfile]

FYI
There is a LEFT/RIGHT .wav to download here

http://binkster.net/extras.shtml

(mid page)

[bside123]

Thanks to everybody for your suggestions. This being the weekend, I will try to uncover the mystery. I will A/B between headphones directly from the iPod and my connections to the stereo. Yes, I have a test track CD, and I will double check all my connections, cables and wires for polarity and phasing. More later...

[bside123]

Okay, this morning I used a Stereophile Test CD on: 1) Hi-Fi System 2) MacBook Pro Computer
3) iPod.

1) As I was sure, the stereo is wired and performs perfectly.
2) Through the computer's external speakers as well as with headphones, the MacBook performs perfectly.
3) Using the iPod WITH headphones, the iPod works perfectly.
4) And finally... connecting the iPod out the bottom dock port > directly to my preamp via a composite cable... the channels SWITCH! This means one of two things:

1) There is a problem or defect with the composite cable, as in the leads are mismarked or the cable was wired improperly at the factory (likely as the cable is a cheap POS from China), or
2) the iPod is reversing the signal through the dock port as the internal amplification section of the iPod has bypassed. I suspect that this highly unlikely.

I have been using a composite cable from Best Buy until I decide on a more permanent solution to cabling, dock, DAC, etc. As of this morning, I do not have an additional cable to test the dock port to preamp connection. I highly believe in my "bad cable" theory, but in the meantime, I will simply reverse the leads from my iPod to preamp when I want to listen through the stereo with this particular cable. Voila!