iPod to a Benchmark Media DAC-1 D/A

The only way to do it correctly is the bottom port connector and not the headphone jack..

The bottom port connector will only bypass the ipods crappy op-amp for the headphones. It will not, however, provide a digital output (which is what the original question asked). It is, effectively, a line output (it's still utilizing the iPod's less than desirable DAC). It will definitely be an improvement over going out the headphone jack, but it is not a way to feed a digital signal to your DAC unless you enjoy silence (which some folks may actually prefer over the music an iPod provides).

I'd agree, with the next statement; why bother with the iPod? Use a laptop or a MacMini to a USB DAC. Hey, I already said that.

Marco

FYI - at last check Vinnie cannot do that...

I agree with Jax2. The MSB I link, with the MSB modified iPod, does provide a digital output directly from the iPod. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only product in production that allows for this. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a MSB dealer, and made this decision in a large part due to the release of the iLink. The iPod as a transport is an extremely capable device. We have used the iLink system as a source to a number of capable DACs with very impressive results. The MSB modified iPod will still provide analog out from its headphone jack or when installed in a standard docking station.

Ron Lapporte
Ultimate Audio Video

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a MSB dealer, and made this decision in a large part due to the release of the iLink. The iPod as a transport is an extremely capable device.

Since you did choose to be a dealer; out of curiosity, Ron, what do you think the selling point is of a $2k investment in hooking up an iPod to one's main rig via a DAC? Per my post, for that price you can buy a laptop, an 500gb external drive, and a modest USB-SPDIF converter and have your entire music library at your fingertips, not just 80gb of it. If you own an iPod it is pretty likely you already have a computer of some sort with your music library ripped to a hard drive, so you could probably invest less. The iPod is essentially a miniature hard drive. According to Toshiba, the manufacturer of the drive, the MTBF for the mini hard drive in an iPod is rated at 20,000 hours. Given the typical use/abuse of an iPod as a mobile music provider I'd guess that number is optimistic in many cases. I'd consider this to be a further argument against investing that much into a devise with a rather limited lifespan. Compared to a typical laptop where the MTBF is up in hundreds of thousands of hours, and has far more versatile applications. I'm sure the iPod is a very capable device via the MSB interface at streaming digital. It would be a great technology offering if it came down to the price of a standard iPod docking station, or was an integral offering on a stock iPod (even then, it would still be a novelty device in my view - if I'm playing my main rig via a DAC I'd rather have all my music available to me rather than just 60GB, in my case)--But $2,000?! What justifies that kind of investment in a $400 iPod? I don't doubt that implementing the technology involved to a current stock iPod takes a significant amount of time, effort and expertise, so I'm not questioning the price from that standpoint...just wonder who's buying those things and why?

Marco

I'm planning to do this, but only in conjunction with my Pace-Car reclocker that outputs I2S to an I2S DAC. I believe I can bring-out the I2S interface of the iPod on the docking connector.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Manufacturer