Now my iPod is really pimped!
Posted by: Cosmoliu on 13 September 2006
Some on this forum may remember that I am particularly enamored of my portable listening experience, most recently an iPod linked to a Porta Corda through a Send Station Pocket Dock and Cardas mini to mini cable to Etymotic ER4S cans. I won't go to the gym or board an airplane without it.
Well,
hereis a link to an excellent way to bring iPod performance up to big rig standards. Vinnie of Red Wine Audio is highly professional and very responsive to any queries you might have. An Aussie friend, Mark R. from this Forum put me on to the iMod several months ago, but I just acted on his advice two weeks ago. The major thrust of the mod is bypassing the op amps in the iPod and simplifying/shortening the signal path, including bypassing the line out at the dock connector. He converts the jack at the top to a line level out, so the iPod must be played through an external amplifier for control of volume. It is worth the time to follow some of the links in his web site to several HeadFi Forum threads to read feedback from some of his many happy customers.
Part of the thing is that Vinnie only works on Gen 4 iPods, whose Wolfson DAC sounds better than the current Gen 5, and I had to locate one. I was lucky to find one new(!) at MacMall, and at a decent price, since they were supplanted about a year ago. Anyway, Vinnie cautions new owners to withold judgement until the Black Gate Caps he installs have had some 200 hours of burn-in, but even after only several hours of use, the modded iPod has deeper, more tuneful bass, better high frequency extension, a total lack of high freq. grain, and great "air". The improvement is well worth the $200 investment and truly brings the iPod's performance up to a level where it competes very well with big buck CD players. I won't say that it rivals my CDS3, but the iModded iPod is perfectly at home sitting next to one. In its intended application, it has bumped my portable listening experience by several levels. One nice thing about getting rid of the Pocket Dock is that the dock connector at the bottom is again available to external battery packs for long airplane trips. Highly recommended.
Norman
Posted on: 13 September 2006 by Phil Cork
Am I missing something? Converting the headphone socket to a line out means the iPod is no longer portable, and condemned to a life connected to your hi-fi.
Why then wouldn't you simply connect your PC to the hi-fi, as it already has the music on it?
Phil
Posted on: 13 September 2006 by Cosmoliu
quote:
Originally posted by Cosmoliu:
In its intended application, it has bumped my portable listening experience by several levels.
This can be viewed as a exploration into how far the portable music playback process can be pushed, and the Etymotics are more than up to the task of passing high resolution audio. Alluding to the quality of the modded iPod approaching what we might accept in our living rooms was primarily for comparison purposes, though I have given serious thought to getting rid of the CD player in my office system.
Norman
Posted on: 20 September 2006 by Adrian F.
If you only need a line out, this can be done without having to modify the internals of the iPod. Plug one of those PocketDock variants in the dock connector... you can have them as line out with FireWire or line out with USB.
Not cheap, but works. It let's me continue to use my accessories from the old 2G iPod with FireWire connector with the newer 4G with dock connector (e.g. car power adapter). And I don't have to put the volume fully up to use it with a compact cassette adaper in the car - and even more important - don't forget to put it down before using headphones afterwards (ouch)!
http://www.sendstation.com/happy listening
Adrian
Posted on: 21 September 2006 by Rockingdoc
quote:
Originally posted by Phil Cork:
Am I missing something? Converting the headphone socket to a line out means the iPod is no longer portable, and condemned to a life connected to your hi-fi.
Why then wouldn't you simply connect your PC to the hi-fi, as it already has the music on it?
Phil
Yep, you are missing something. The Porta Corda is a little battery operated external headphone amp which is sooo much better than the output fron the i-pod amp that it is hard to go back. I'll go further, it is impossible to go back to listening without. Using Apple lossless files from the dock-slot output into a Corda or Airhead and ER4-Ps or S phones is the only way for portable listening. My Corda batteries ran out the other day and the sound straight from the i-pod headphone socket was so disappointing that I prefered to turn it off and not bother.
I'd love to explore these upgrades, but not sure how practical it would be from UK.
p.s. you don't need to use a pocket dock. You can usually buy dock plugs from E-bay and make up your own dock-plug to mini-jack lead for the amplifier. The soldering is a bit fiddly though.
Posted on: 22 September 2006 by Cosmoliu
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
[I'd love to explore these upgrades, but not sure how practical it would be from UK.
QUOTE]
Mark R., the forum member who put me on to the iMod is Aussie, so Vinnie definitely does overseas business, and from postings I have read, a fair amount of it.
I ran across this
link the other day. It looks like this guy makes some VERY serious dock to mini/RCA cables that would outperform the Send Station Pocket Dock Line Out. Something of a half way measure that might interest some.
BTW, the Black Gate caps in my iMod have just about 200 hrs on them now and I am even more impressed with the iMod. Like Rockingdoc said about listening sans Porta Corda, I now would never go back to listening sans iMod. I tried my 20 GB Gen4 iPod the other day and the music was so flat and dimensionless as to make the experience almost painful.
Norman
Posted on: 25 September 2006 by Rockingdoc
Thanks. I think my 60GB Gen4 may be going on an expensive holiday soon. I hope DHL don't mess up the Duty on the way back.
Posted on: 25 September 2006 by Cosmoliu
quote:
Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
Thanks. I think my 60GB Gen4 may be going on an expensive holiday soon. I hope DHL don't mess up the Duty on the way back.
Email Vinnie; he is very responsive. Maybe he knows how to deal with Customs on units that have already been purchased and are being returned to their owners in the country of origin. The more I listen to mine, the more I am blown away at how good it sounds. The iPod definitely is elevated from "toy" status to serious music source.
Let me know how it works out.
Norman
Posted on: 27 September 2006 by Rockingdoc
Thanks Norman, I will.
The Customs people here can be a pain. I sent my Etymotics back for a new cable ( they won't supply a cable without fitting it) and the bloody Customs hit me on its return. When I questioned them and produced the original Duty paid reciept for its purchase, they said they didn't care and that high rates of Duty are applied to "repairs" to discourage sending work out of the UK.
Posted on: 28 September 2006 by Cosmoliu
Hi Rockingdoc,
I had a couple of thoughts you might consider: I believe that Vinnie occasionally has a Gen4 iPod sitting around as it seems I remember seeing that he occasionally buys one off eBay; he may even occasionally have a modded one for sale. It may be worth inquiring about that: if you are going to have to pay duty anyway, you may as well pay on a unit you are actually buying, then sell yours or give it to a worthy individual. Of course, you will have to weigh the price differential between what it would cost to get a new one vs what yours could garner. I suspect that customs duty might be less than that differential. Like I mentioned above, I tracked down a new unit at MacMall; I would try there and a couple of other sources Vinnie mentioned to me. SmallDog.com at one time had 175 Apple reconditioned Gen4s and thinking that there was no hurry, when I checked back several weeks later they were all gone. They did say that they get shipments from Apple every so often, so they may be worth checking with. Let me know if you want me to check into that. Such a unit could be sent directly to Vinnie, who will check it out, and then send on to you.
You mentioned your Etys: In the last couple of weeks I have discovered that they have at least an octave of quick, tuneful bass that I never realized was there previously.
Norman
Posted on: 01 October 2006 by sonofcolin
I have an imodded ipod. The performance is nothing short of remarkable considering the cost of the ipod + mod + interconnect. It isn't as good as CDX/XPS (which I'm quite happy about) but it really isn't such a huge difference as the price disparity would suggest it should be.
I have yet to try it out with my airhead/etys, but I'm quite sure I will enjoy flying more with this combo!
Posted on: 02 October 2006 by Bruce Woodhouse
Rockingdoc and others,
Just trod on my Sure isolating earphones and broke them. Have you tried the Etymotics 4 and 6? Big difference? Other good quality in-ear sound isolating 'phones?
Just before I splash out. I'll not be using them with an amp so need to be a fairly sensitive design.
Bruce
Posted on: 02 October 2006 by sonofcolin
Bruce,
Have a look at 'Ultimate Ears' I haven't tried them but a friend assures me that they are excellent.
Ultimate EarsPosted on: 02 October 2006 by Rockingdoc
The Etymotic ER4-Ps are simply the best hi-fi discovery that I've made in the past 15 years. The "P" is the sensitve version for portables. If you don't mind a silicon plug stuck down your EAM to within a couple of mm of your TMs, these are going to offer you sound quality you won't believe.
The ear plugs took a few weeks to get used to, and insertion takes a little practice. As above, I prefer the silicon option, moistened with a bit of spit and gently screwed into the canal.
Russ Andrews seems to have the import rights at the moment, and the price has just dropped.
Ultimate Ears require you to have ear moulds made at a hearing-aid shop and then send them to the USA. Too much fuss.
Posted on: 02 October 2006 by sonofcolin
quote:
Ultimate Ears require you to have ear moulds made at a hearing-aid shop and then send them to the USA. Too much fuss.
Not true. They have a new line of phones just like Etymotic. I use ER6i's which I love, but know that they new UE's are getting a lot of good reviews.
Posted on: 02 October 2006 by Cosmoliu
I have used my Etymotic ER4S for about three years now and have been very happy with them. I have always used them with an external amplifier, so no experience with the "P" version. I heard the Shure E500s in a demo at the recent Stereophile Home Entertainment show in Los Angeles, and was so hiked up on them that I intended to buy them as soon as they were released. Gaining an octave or so of bass with the iMod, I have put that purchase off, also waiting to see if the "street" price comes down any. I would be very interested in reading any listening impressions of them from any forum members, as they seem to have taken the portable listening world by storm.
Norman
Posted on: 04 October 2006 by Rockingdoc
quote:
Originally posted by Cosmoliu:
I heard the Shure E500s in a demo at the recent Stereophile Home Entertainment show in Los Angeles, and was so hiked up on them that I intended to buy them as soon as they were released. Norman
I really should keep away from this forum. Now I've got to spend 400 quid to try these Shures out. They sound good, but I feel that routing the signal through a microphone amplifier must result in some degradation
Posted on: 04 October 2006 by Cosmoliu
quote:
Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
I feel that routing the signal through a microphone amplifier must result in some degradation
I think that they may come with two lengths of cable: one for routing through the microphone amp and the other for without. Of course, I talked to the Shure reps a couple of months before the release date, so that may have changed.
Norman
Posted on: 10 October 2006 by Bruce Woodhouse
Rockingdoc and others
Had the Etymotic ER4-P's for a few days now, have to agree-superb. They feel comfy in my ears, and a delightful balanced and detailed sound (whoops-sounding like a HiFi Corner post!). They are vastly better than the Shure's I owned before, which were not far off the same price.
Bruce
Posted on: 11 October 2006 by Rockingdoc
the cable is delicate, I've got through three, so take care.
Now let's talk about getting a Headroom Total Airhead
airhead or a Porta Corda
Corda. This is your next upgrade step. I have both and prefer the Airhead for my iPod and the Corda for my laptop.
Then you'll need a cable
pocketdock to take a line signal from the iPod dock-slot instead of using the headphone socket for your subsequent upgrade.
Go on, the Daily Mail says that you GPs earn a quarter of a million a year, so you can afford it.
Posted on: 11 October 2006 by Rockingdoc
Oh yes, I forgot the cable
ChordPosted on: 11 October 2006 by Bruce Woodhouse
quote:
Go on, the Daily Mail says that you GPs earn a quarter of a million a year, so you can afford it.
Shush, my wife might be reading this!
