Solid State Transport - anybody heard one of these

It would be a very quiet office system.

I cannot figure out why Wadia all of a sudden got the OK to tap the digital output of a Ipod. Did Apple see Wadia and say, "ah", this will legitimize out ipods in the audiophile circle.

In theory, it would be great. Too bad Naim will never make a stand alone DAC... Would you use the volume control on the Ipod/Wadia? ( )

Add it to a SuperNait, and it would be pretty interesting alternative and very nice office system!


At $385, for the average Wadia owner, this is a "why not" purchase. I think a lot of people will fall into that category.

I would love to see some internal shots... $150 for aluminum case, $5 for internals, $50 to Apple and the rest for Wadia... Not that they are alone on this front, just seems like a hell of a big box for what it does.

What's your beef with hard discs? I think you'll find the iPod in the photo is not solid state. My 32G iTouch is not as reliable as my previous HD based iPod. Just like HDs, current solid state memory has a finite lifespan.

I am looking at one of these to replace my aging CD3.5 and as modest cost HDX alternative. The prospect of a quality jukebox for £500 including a new iPod classic is a bit too tempting.

It also leads to a semi-justified SNait next year.

Rotf Are you going to use Apple Lossless or WAV?

Jono

cjones, any company can apply for a license from apple to use the dock interface.

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
cjones, any company can apply for a license from
apple to use the dock interface.

It's just that no-one has before.

Jono

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
It would be a very quiet office system.

OK - I need to add a bit of amplification and some speakers - perhaps a Headline/Hi-Cap and some Denon headphones. Or I could play it through ye olde Linn CMS - shame I can't take advantage of its DAC, but there's no digital in.

quote:

Originally posted by Keith L:
What's your beef with hard discs?

I have several things with HD in them. Panny DVD Recorder, Yammy CD Recorder and some computers for my work (most Apple) and my own Apple computer that runs both OS X Tiger and Amiga OS 2008. They are all too noisy for my liking, but they are OK. The best computer I've owned didn't have a hard disc - Amiga A500.

My feeling is the eliminating hard disks will be beneficial in terms of sound quality, but I've not heard it to substantiate this.

However, if I am ever to use a music server then some of my, admittedly eccentric, criteria include no need for TCP/IP or an Internet connection, no use of Microsoft software, no use of hard disks.

I'd prefer my music on a solid state device that when I was happy with it I could make read only - especially during playback. Something like the old Commodore cartridges, but smaller. However, I doubt that is going to happen.

quote:

Originally posted by Jono 13:
Rotf Are you going to use Apple Lossless or WAV?

I was only considering it for music in my rather small home office - so I guess ALAC would be fine. If I were to use the current iPod Touch then it doesn't have that much storage - hence the choice. When work's done I'd head back to the CDX2/555PS.

Thanks for the comments so far - be interested to know if anybody has heard a system that uses one of these. This Wadia device is the first that has made me feel Computer Audio is something I could live with. I'd prefer it in black though.

ATB Rotf

You may want to read this thread:

Wadia iTransport

Jono

Jono, there are literally thousands of products using the apple dock interface, I have a USB hub from belkin here with one.

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
Jono, there are literally thousands of products using the apple dock interface, I have a USB hub from belkin here with one.

But they don't use the digital output, which is what the Wadia is, AFAIK, the first to do.

quote:

Originally posted by Jono 13:
You may want to read this thread:

Wadia iTransport

Jono

Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by Paul Hutchings:

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
Jono, there are literally thousands of products using the apple dock interface, I have a USB hub from belkin here with one.

But they don't use the digital output, which is what the Wadia is, AFAIK, the first to do.

I think so as well.

This is the Wadia's key selling difference.

Jono

I do not have the Wadia unit, but I am using my Macbook booting from a 8 GB USB flash drive (internal drive unmounted), 4 GB RAM and streaming from my MacPro as server with iTunes, using Ethernet.

It makes a clear difference, like it more this way than booting from the internal drive, but the difference is not night and day, I could happily live with the Hard Disc based configuration as well. It would be a kind of overreaction or overestimation, I think, to expect some miracles from Solid State drives and a huge difference. Probably with a next generation technology, but not today.

I have heard the Wadia transport played through an iPod Classic connected to a $250K+ Boulder/Wilson Audio system, and the sound was magical. Although I am not sure how much of that is attributed to the quality of the rest of the system.

The Wadia sure looks very classy. However, bear in mind that it is just a device to squeeze bit perfect digital output from an iPod. As far as I know it does not even have a DAC. Having said that, I do not think the pricing is over the top given the brand. Also, the much less elaborate iPod dock for the Meridian F80 cost about the same. And the Meridian is only good for the F80. I have an F80 and if I buy a dock I would probably go for the Wadia.

But given the amount of music most of us consume, I would opine that an Mac Mini or an HDX would be a much more viable long term solution.

quote:

I would opine that an Mac Mini or an HDX would be a much more viable

Both have hard disks in them - so not for me.

The Wadia does not include a DAC - hence it's relative low price given the brand - I need Naim to release a DAC to complete the front-end requirements.

JY - Thank for you view on hearing the WadiPod - this looks a really promising device.

ATB Rotf

*

quote:

Originally posted by jon honeyball:
American retail price (from up the thread): $385

UK retail price inc vat £345 = £293 ex vat = $513 (in round figures)

Thats a lot of P&P

Hi jon

Will a US Wadia 170i work in the UK - I notice it can be ordered direct.

Thanks, Rotf

Roft,

Actually I deleted my post within a minute or so of making it. I didnt want the thread to descend into a yahboosucks argument over international pricing -- given the current volatility in the currency markets, pricing for international distribution is a job I wouldnt take for all the tea in china.

Although the dollar has gone from 2.05 ish to 1.75 today, there is (according to friends in the know (hahahahahabonk) in the city (assuming they still have a job) that it might swing way past 2.05. Who knows? Anyway, I decided my post was unduly harsh and pulled it.

As for buying direct -- the short term gain can often be swamped by the long term cost -- eg servicing and support.

jon

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:

The Wadia does not include a DAC - hence it's relative low price given the brand - I need Naim to release a DAC to complete the front-end requirements.

ATB Rotf

Oh yes it does! But you cannot do digital and analogue at the same time.

2 Digital Out: This is a digital audio output that is compatible with the S/PDIF

3 Analog Audio: Left and right analog outputs from the iPod. The analog
audio outputs are not active simultaneously with digital audio output.

Jono

quote:

Originally posted by Jono 13:

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:

The Wadia does not include a DAC - hence it's relative low price given the brand - I need Naim to release a DAC to complete the front-end requirements.

ATB Rotf

Oh yes it does! But you cannot do digital and analogue at the same time.

2 Digital Out: This is a digital audio output that is compatible with the S/PDIF

3 Analog Audio: Left and right analog outputs from the iPod. The analog
audio outputs are not active simultaneously with digital audio output.

Jono

Thanks Jono

That makes it even better than I thought it was. I misunderstood from the article I read where it was used to feed a Chord DAC.

ATB Rotf

quote:

Originally posted by Jono 13:
Oh yes it does! But you cannot do digital and analogue at the same time.

2 Digital Out: This is a digital audio output that is compatible with the S/PDIF

3 Analog Audio: Left and right analog outputs from the iPod. The analog
audio outputs are not active simultaneously with digital audio output.

Jono

Not sure if having an analogue out=DAC included. It could just be using the iPod internal DAC just like the other iPod docks.

Regardless, whatever DAC included in the device for that price cannot be much of a DAC.

quote:

Originally posted by jon honeyball:
Rotf,

Actually I deleted my post within a minute or so of making it. I didnt want the thread to descend into a yahboosucks argument over international pricing -- given the current volatility in the currency markets, pricing for international distribution is a job I wouldnt take for all the tea in china.

Although the dollar has gone from 2.05 ish to 1.75 today, there is (according to friends in the know (hahahahahabonk) in the city (assuming they still have a job) that it might swing way past 2.05. Who knows? Anyway, I decided my post was unduly harsh and pulled it.

As for buying direct -- the short term gain can often be swamped by the long term cost -- eg servicing and support.

jon

Thanks jon - sorry I jumped in too quickly. I usually buy through a dealer in any case, but wondered if ordering direct for once might make sense.

ATB Rotf

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:

Thanks jon - sorry I jumped in too quickly. I usually buy through a dealer in any case, but wondered if ordering direct for once might make sense.

ATB Rotf

Assumming the difference between the UK and the US price amounts to $120± , I think that once you've added shipping, say $25 ?, then You are at $410. Now add, roughly, 25% import duty and VAT and the difference shrinks to $10±.

Doesn't look worth the effort, does it.

regards

Jono[/QUOTE]
Not sure if having an analogue out=DAC included. It could just be using the iPod internal DAC just like the other iPod docks.

Regardless, whatever DAC included in the device for that price cannot be much of a DAC.[/QUOTE]

The iTransport does not have its own DAC, as you suggest, it will act like any other ipod dock for analogue out using the ipods own.

Digital out, bypasses the ipod DAC and output stages and you will need an external DAC.

I've been using it for a couple of weeks now (into the back of my Linn Numerik) and so far so good.

Regarding the Wadia being the only 3rd party unit that can pull the digital stream from an iPod, the story I've heard is that Wadia, like all the other companies trying to develop a dock, applied for the schematics. Unlike the rest, Wadia received ALL the schematics including that for digital streaming from the iPod. Wadia naturally took advantage and built their dock. AFAIK, nobody else has access to this facility, so the Wadia is unique so far.