Miner42,
I just got the i170 and have my ipod classic as the source. The i170 digital out is connected to the Benchmark USB DAC and I think the sound is excellent. I have not done much A/B listening with my cdp but what I have heard leads me to the opinion that the i170/ipod combo sound is a little bit better than my (cheap?) Oppo 981. Now, I burned most of my ipod music at the default setting on my Macbook, so I reburned some of the music in lossless, and the difference is audible, especially in the bass, but overall better.
I had no problems with setup.
I just got the i170 and have my ipod classic as the source. The i170 digital out is connected to the Benchmark USB DAC and I think the sound is excellent. I have not done much A/B listening with my cdp but what I have heard leads me to the opinion that the i170/ipod combo sound is a little bit better than my (cheap?) Oppo 981. Now, I burned most of my ipod music at the default setting on my Macbook, so I reburned some of the music in lossless, and the difference is audible, especially in the bass, but overall better.
I had no problems with setup.