High end tube iPod?

[Holst]

It's cool, it has a pedigree, is there a real need for it?

A real audiophile-grade tube-based stereo for the iPod user. TL Audio is one of the world's leading manufacturers of professional tube recording equipment for the pro industry. For over 15 years, this British company has designed and manufactured innovative tube-based recording equipment for studio engineers and professional musicians. Fatman customers include engineer/producer Mick Glossop (Frank Zappa and Van Morrison credits), and long time Pink Floyd engineer Andy Jackson.

[Clmrt]

Seems nuts to dedicate all that $$$ for a fancy pod pedestal. I mean, get a 1/8" cable to RCA and jack it in - you're golden.

Or not?

[mhardy6647]

Here's my son's photo-essay on our (his) high-tech tube iPOD...
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=86601&highlight=iTubes

http://audiokarma.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=28827

(This is the little S5 Electronics tube stereo amp, which works dandily with an iPOD)

[marantz_marc]

couldn't you use a tube phono pre amp or maybe even a headphone amp instead? like the bellari (sp?)?

[yrly]

I believe these things are OEMed from Dared, and they contain a different DAC. I've never used one so I can't comment on how they sound.

[mhardy6647]

couldn't you use a tube phono pre amp or maybe even a headphone amp instead? like the bellari (sp?)?

No, not a phono pre per se, but yes, absolutely you could use a preamp or headphone amp like the Bellari (which you did indeed spell correctly) or Pete Millett's hybrid DIY tube/ss headphone amp/preamp.

[MatthewK]

I can't understand why people go via the headphone output - it's a tiny, cheap, capacitively coupled amplifier driving the headphones, no good even as a line level amp. At the dock connector you have a proper line out which bypasses the headphone amp altogether. Stereophile measured this as having better signal qualities than most entry level CD players, and far less jitter, and yet people persist with connecting to an output which can't even do a square wave because of the cheap headphone amp. Crazy.

[Chris Brown]

I use a Little Dot II+ (http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76755) as a preamp and I have no complaints at all. You can pick one of these up for <$200 shipped. For a bit more you can get the Little Dot III+ which can power speakers directly.

[Clmrt]

I can't understand why people go via the headphone output - it's a tiny, cheap, capacitively coupled amplifier driving the headphones, no good even as a line level amp. At the dock connector you have a proper line out which bypasses the headphone amp altogether. Stereophile measured this as having better signal qualities than most entry level CD players, and far less jitter, and yet people persist with connecting to an output which can't even do a square wave because of the cheap headphone amp. Crazy.

Good to know. My cheapie Sansa has only headphone out. So it seems Ipod users should seriously consider a proper Idock device...

[MatthewK]

Yes, in fact you can either use a dock or just hack a dock plug, since the pinout is known and you just connect left, right and shield as appropriate. It's a bit fiddly to solder though!