ipod wonder

[pdm4606]

I finally got my ipod working and I am amazed. I never put much hope in the sound of this thing. The real surprise came when I finally got spotify up and running. I am now listening to a great sounding setup. I have an Apple ipod touch 4th gen., hooked to my recently recapped Marantz 1060 feeding into a pair of NHT super zero speakers. I am using the earphone output to feed the amp. The sound is fantastic. A little light on volume but great otherwise.

Paul

 

[njcanuck]

Buy a line-out cable (approx. $5) to hook it up with and the quality will improve even more.

 

[onemug]

Congrats on finding a great way to listen to music.

I'm doing about the same thing, using the same iPod to stream MOG to some vintage Marantz.

If you feel like you want to squeeze any more quality out of it, there is a product called the Pure i20 that sells for less than 100. Use a pair of interconnects from its analog out to your 1060 and there should be a noticeable improvement plus it charges the iPod so it's always topped off.

Beware though...it could be a gateway drug . It has a digital out also that you could now buy the DAC of your choice. Such are the choices.

 

[RamblinE]

Example of a line-out docking cable:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=834106&Q=&is=REG&A=details

 

[pdm4606]

L10 cable

I just ordered an L10 cable. It should be here in a week. Thanks for the advice about the cable.
At 70 yrs. my ears can still enjoy a little sonic candy and this is a box of bon-bon's.

Paul

 

[pdm4606]

dragon fly?

Do you know if a dragonfly will work with this setup?
It seems to be a good price and if it as good as the reviews it should be something.

I am hooked.

Paul

 

[BayouTiger]

Congrats on finding a great way to listen to music.

I'm doing about the same thing, using the same iPod to stream MOG to some vintage Marantz.

If you feel like you want to squeeze any more quality out of it, there is a product called the Pure i20 that sells for less than 100. Use a pair of interconnects from its analog out to your 1060 and there should be a noticeable improvement plus it charges the iPod so it's always topped off.

Beware though...it could be a gateway drug . It has a digital out also that you could now buy the DAC of your choice. Such are the choices.

Even better, get an AppleTv to feed the Dac and cut the cord with Airplay!!! For me the $99 AppleTV is my all time favorite bang for buck A/V device!

 

[he11fire]

Even better, get an AppleTv to feed the Dac and cut the cord with Airplay!!! For me the $99 AppleTV is my all time favorite bang for buck A/V device!

This is definitely true if you use other Apple devices. If nothing else, Apple is awesome at integrating their products. For example, I use the "HomeShare" feature of iTunes quite a bit. I just leave my Mac open somewhere in the house and stream my entire music catalog from my iPhone.

Ah, convenience.

 

[RamblinE]

Do you know if a dragonfly will work with this setup?
It seems to be a good price and if it as good as the reviews it should be something.

I am hooked.

Paul

The Audioquest Dragonfly? That unit has to be plugged into a PC/Mac. If you're making a small laptop full of music part of your main setup or you want to improve the digital output of a desktop setup the Dragonfly would not be a bad way to go at all. While having not heard one myself everybody else feels the little thing is a home run.

 

[Taowolf51]

Congrats! That's a neat little setup you have there.

The Apple TV is a good choice, though if you want to use Spotify you may have to get a Sonos (very similar to the Logitech Squeezebox you'll here others talk about). Spotify on an Apple TV can get a bit complicated, since it's not fully supported.

Also, be sure to try out Spotify Premium, your ears will thank you.

 

[uofmtiger]

With the iPod Touch and the AppleTV (includes video) or Airport Express (audio only), you can wirelessly stream music to them from most apps using Airplay. This would include Spotify, MOG, Pandora, etc..

If you want to just dock the Touch and play directly from it, I would suggest the Pure i20. It has its own DACs for sending out analog and digital outputs for sending to a separate DAC, if you prefer.

 

[BayouTiger]

Congrats! That's a neat little setup you have there.

The Apple TV is a good choice, though if you want to use Spotify you may have to get a Sonos (very similar to the Logitech Squeezebox you'll here others talk about). Spotify on an Apple TV can get a bit complicated, since it's not fully supported.

Also, be sure to try out Spotify Premium, your ears will thank you.

I tried them both and once I discovered Mog, Spotify went away really quickly. No comparison, especially in SQ to my ears! Even their app was better and the offline downloads are nice as well. But I guess there are mony other threads comparing such services (though I've never searched them out.

 

[Taowolf51]

I tried them both and once I discovered Mog, Spotify went away really quickly. No comparison, especially in SQ to my ears! Even their app was better and the offline downloads are nice as well. But I guess there are mony other threads comparing such services (though I've never searched them out.

Did you try Spotify Premium? It has the higher bitrate and offline downloads. I think the user experience is better on Spotify's app/website, though I like the look of MOG's UI more.

 

[BayouTiger]

Yes I had the premium, It wasn't bad, I just liked MOG better as they had 320kb streaming and much more of what I was looking for. It is possible that Spotify has upgraded their bitrate. I think it was 256K at the time, but still sounded thin to me.

 

[uofmtiger]

Spotify has updated their bitrates. Many people were worried about how they got to 320kbps, but they are supposed to be using 320 at this point.

The main reason I have MOG is because they were the first to have 320, the first to stream 320 to the iPhone, they beat Spotify to an iPad app, etc. I am not interested in the social aspects of sharing my music tastes with friends, which I believe Spotify works well for that purpose. I fear that if MOG goes unsupported, we will kill the service that sets the standard for the industry.

I do have a free version of Spotify, but rarely use it. It is mainly for playing music I can't find on Mog, but typically the same music is missing from Spotify.

 

[pdm4606]

my setups

I have several "setups" around the house. The Marantz 1060 I have connected to my mac mini also has a Sony playstation (schp 1001) hooked up too. Along with my ipod touch 4th gen. and spotify the music sources are endless.
The output is going to 2 NHT super zero original speakers or Sony V-600 cans.
My 2nd system is my diy setup. Dynaco PAT-4(rebuilt) feeding my Yamaha M-50 power amp(rebuilt) along with my JBL sub. Also setup are a Crown FM-1 tuner, Sony cassette deck, another playstation schp 1001(rebuilt) for cd's, a diy TT(see avatar) from old ROK motor, table and tone arm. Another tonearm is setup for changing carts. as I do often, and to top things off a Akai RTR deck 4000(rebuilt). The akai has been modified for 15 ips. or 7 1/2 ips.
The speakers are a pair of AR-18(rebuilt), and a pair of JBL's and a set of shack tweeters for the upper end.
Our living room system is a Onkyo older surround recvr. connected to a pair of JBL L-100, and AR 7(rebuilt) speakers and some other JBL's.
The inputs are from a Dish recvr, via optics, a Sony 390 blue ray wi-fi for netflix, and a old VHS player of some brand. Top this off with a Hitachi 60" using HDMI. Also capable of wi-fi.
Wi-fi is handled by a Cisco router.
The old Onkyo is counting days before it will be replaced with a wi-fi capable recvr. that is undecided for now.
Our bedroom has an older Vizio 47" for video with a Sony 390 blue ray wi-fi for netflix.
Most of the audio stuff is used and rehabbed.

Paul

 

[RamblinE]

I like the sound of the NHT Superzero/Sony V600 setup.

One of my non-audiophile friends inherited V600s from his father who used to have a home recording studio (his mother still uses a pair of Beyer DT770s too) and I was surprised at how good those puppies sound! They're killer 'phones.

 

[pdm4606]

dynex ipod dock

I found an ipod dock on GW on-line for $5+sh. Brand new.
It is a dynex and says it was sold by best buy. I hooked it up and am using it with my ipod touch 4th gen. feeding into my Marantz 1060 then driving my NHT super zero's. Really nice.
The dock is not only a dock but also must be doing some signal boosting. It also has a remote control and a wall wart to charge the ipod.
The remote is able to select tracks, start/stop playing and adjust the sound level.

Paul

 

[pdm4606]

soft sound

I wonder what type of audio process is required to create a soft sound from the instruments.
My ipod touch has today been mated to a dock made by dynex. I am listening to it and amazed at what I call a soft sound.
Is the sound exceptionally clean and clear allowing the music to take on a soft sound or is there something else working?
By soft I mean that the instruments don't sound harsh. Almost muted on loud passages. I am not familiar with this.
My listening has not produced any listener fatigue or other malady.
It is easy listening to the fullest. Certainly not detrimental, almost relaxing.

Paul

 

[pdm4606]

new car digital ipod player

Our new KIA Sorento is a giant ipod player. Great sound and blue tooth for phone. The dash of the KIA can be set up to control the ipod with out touching the ipod by using a single cable to connect to the car.
Same with the phone. Hands free connection with verbal commands to pick numbers. Very verbal on all aspects.
Also many features I am learning about.

Paul