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IPod to vintage receiver

Zolton

Zolton

Well-Known Member
Having spent my teen years in the 70's I love the vintage gear. However I'm not really up on the current stuff out there. I'm getting my kids into the audio world and of course I'm exposing them to the good old vintage components. My daughter is getting a Yamaha CR-640 and being 17, all her tunes are stored on her IPod. How does one hook an IPod up to an old receiver? Is it as easy as an adapter from the IPod headphone jack into the receiver's aux or tape input? If so, I think I already have the adapter somewhere in my pile of cables. Or will this manuver let the smoke out of the old Yammie? :tears:
 
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The method you mentioned all work fine. I do that sometimes. You will need to turn the volume up on the iPod to at least half way. I turn mine to max.

Now with this method, you are using the dac and amp inside the iPod, which is not optimal for great sound. Best way is to go from the line out connection, which is burried in the connectpoint on the bottom of the iPod. (the place you plug in when you sync or charge). The audio signal comes out at line level unchanged at that point. Like a cd player Line out. When doing all of this, you shiuld use lossless files.
 
Ok.
The cable I currently have looks like a small headphone plug at one end and splits into two RCA jacks at the other. I'd imagine you can purchase an adapter to go from the line out connection on the bottom that you mentioned, to a couple of RCA jacks. Yes?
I have no idea what lossless files are.
 
you are correct on the type of adapter you need. here is a quick link to one I was going to get till I went another direction. there is this one, and there is another just like it for like $7. not sure of the differences. you can check that out.

Ipod LOD USB connector

The inexpensive version of the same

lossless files are non compressed digital music files (wav, aiff, flac, apple lossless on itunes). If you want the best sound, you go lossless. most compressed files are fine for people with portable setups who arnt really sitting down and listening closely. but for people who care about quality sound, lossless is the way to go for digital music. If your running it through a nice stereo, I would go lossless. The only downside is that lossless files are larger and take up more space on your digital player. its a compromise I find worthwhile. but I dont waste lossless space with pearl jam either.
 
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There are a few ways to do it, at different budget levels:

1. Use a stereo mini to stereo RCA cable such as this to connect the iPods mini stereo out to any one of you line in inputs: http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Stereo...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1299740941&sr=8-4

Obviously, depending on brand and quality of cable it can be as cheap as $1 for generic or $400 for ALO cables.

2. Next step up would be to use any one of many iPod docks, including Apple's own Universal Dock. The iPod sits on the dock and charges while the dock itself has a mini stereo out to use the Y cable above, to connect any of your line in inputs.

3. Next would be to use a dock that bypasses the internal DAC of your iPod to send the signal straight to an external DAC. Either a Wadia 170i ($380), Wadia 171i ($600) or an Onkyo ND-S1 ($200 including shipping from Japan) will do this. You'll also need an external DAC and a coax or optical cable on top of this.
 
keithpgdrb said:
The method you mentioned all work fine. I do that sometimes. You will need to turn the volume up on the iPod to at least half way. I turn mine to max.

Now with this method, you are using the dac and amp inside the iPod, which is not optimal for great sound. Best way is to go from the line out connection, which is burried in the connectpoint on the bottom of the iPod. (the place you plug in when you sync or charge). The audio signal comes out at line level unchanged at that point. Like a cd player Line out. When doing all of this, you shiuld use lossless files.
Click to expand...

Must be why my ipod through my HK 430 sounds like crap to me. I have been running from the headphone to a RCA left/right splitter and it sounds awful. I'll have to find a dock or something similar. Thanks.
 
I actually have the first generation Ipod and connect it from the headphone jack
to the AUX. I recommend turning the volume slightly pass half on the Ipod ( Max volume tends to distort the music when applying volume from the receiver).

I then use the receiver as my (Master) control for volume. Be sure to turn OFF the loudness on the Ipod equalizer:yes: So that the sound is not "boomey" coming through the speakers. I set the EQ to flat or Latin, And use the tone controls on the receiver for the best sound:music:
 
trhee said:
There are a few ways to do it, at different budget levels:

1. Use a stereo mini to stereo RCA cable such as this to connect the iPods mini stereo out to any one of you line in inputs: http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Stereo...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1299740941&sr=8-4

Obviously, depending on brand and quality of cable it can be as cheap as $1 for generic or $400 for ALO cables.

2. Next step up would be to use any one of many iPod docks, including Apple's own Universal Dock. The iPod sits on the dock and charges while the dock itself has a mini stereo out to use the Y cable above, to connect any of your line in inputs.

3. Next would be to use a dock that bypasses the internal DAC of your iPod to send the signal straight to an external DAC. Either a Wadia 170i ($380), Wadia 171i ($600) or an Onkyo ND-S1 ($200 including shipping from Japan) will do this. You'll also need an external DAC and a coax or optical cable on top of this.
Click to expand...

Choice numer three is probably the best but is the least likely to happen in my case. The whole stereo set-up I'm giving my Daughter (speakers and all) didn't cost me as much as one of these.:no:

I think choice number two is the way to go here, for my wife's iPod too. Either through her Logitech dock or a Pocket Dock as in keithpgdrb's link.

This is all great info guys. I'm sure this stuff is well known by most folks out there accept some old farts such as yours truly.:music:
 
I use an Apple dock. It keeps the iPod charged and makes a clean, line level connector.

There are lots of other brands of equivalent docks in various price ranges.

And it comes with a decent remote control.
 
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I just did that very thing yesterday. I connected the Ipod to the Marantz 2385 by way of Tape Loop one in. I purchased a DYNEX, Home A/V Dock for Ipod from Best Buy. It comes with a charging docking stand, Ipod connector ( not the headphone jack ) to A/V RCA connectors, AC power adapter, and a REMOTE CONTROL so I do not have to get off the couch. Over 6000 songs at my fingertips and the Marantz fixes that hard, cold digital sound problem. :music: :D
 
The dock or dock cable connector does NOT bypass the internal DAC, if it did your analog aux connector wouldn't know what to do with the digital signal.

It DOES bypass the internal amplifier, which is a good thing.

I've not had good luck with aftermarket docks, but apparently some folks have.

The signal from the Ipod is lower than most sources so be prepared to turn up the volume on your amplifier.
 
Get a Pure i20 Doc with digital out for $99 to connect to a dac at later date.
http://store.pure.com/store/pure/en_US/pd/productID.221628800?resid=TXa9gQoBAlcAABmRdwsAAAAe&rests=1299785019120
i20.jpg


The head-fi crew are all over this.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/529956/pure-i-20-ipod-iphone-dock-as-a-dac
 
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I measured the voltage output of one of these music devices and it could deliver a lot higher than the 2V line level from CDP's. Not sure I want to put this kind of voltage in a DC amp. Accident waiting to happen. Docking station is a better solution than the cable.
 
P. Shivers said:
This is the cable I use. No need to mess with, or be hampered by the iPod's amplifier.
Click to expand...

These buggers seem to be hard to find around here. Even on the web they are elusive. Your link shows them as "currently unavailable", Crutchfield doesn't even list them. My local Futureshop big box store has never even heard of them. I can get something similar through Apple but it's $50 plus shipping ($10 less in the US of course). It's for audio and video connections. Reviews state that it's overpriced (no kidding) and flimsy to boot.

http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MC917ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA0OQ&mco=MjAyNDIxNTE
 
I got the apple ipod dock for my girlfriend (now wife) years ago. it would absolutely fit the bill for what your looking to do, but I dont think much of the cable quality. In your situation, I would still go for one of the separate connectors that I listed, and use the 3.5 to rca adaptor you already have. You lose the recharging feature, but as you see, thats really what your paying for. the dock connector is not expensive.

Try this if you want to keep costs very low
 
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keithpgdrb said:
I got the apple ipod dock for my girlfriend (now wife) years ago. it would absolutely fit the bill for what your looking to do, but I dont think much of the cable quality. In your situation, I would still go for one of the separate connectors that I listed, and use the 3.5 to rca adaptor you already have. You lose the recharging feature, but as you see, thats really what your paying for. the dock connector is not expensive.

Try this if you want to keep costs very low
Click to expand...

I could be wrong but I think that one has a usb cable port. I believe the type I'm after would have the mini headphone type port. One of these two would probably fit the bill. I'd have to get a male to male adapter though in order to use my mini plug to RCA cable.
Anyone know what the difference between these two adapters might be?

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-L1-Line-Cable-iPhone/dp/B003G8GZV6/ref=pd_cp_e_2

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-L3-Line-Cable-iPhone/dp/B003UCESP8/ref=pd_cp_e_0
 
Zolton said:
I could be wrong but I think that one has a usb cable port. I believe the type I'm after would have the mini headphone type port. One of these two would probably fit the bill. I'd have to get a male to male adapter though in order to use my mini plug to RCA cable.
Anyone know what the difference between these two adapters might be?

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-L1-Line-Cable-iPhone/dp/B003G8GZV6/ref=pd_cp_e_2

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-L3-Line-Cable-iPhone/dp/B003UCESP8/ref=pd_cp_e_0
Click to expand...

I thought it was USB only as well, but the description says I has the 3.5 line out as well.
 
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