How to get a digital signal out of an iPod

Rocker

A friend of mine uses his iPod as a music server.  The headphone output goes into a line input on his stereo amplifier.  It works but the sound quality is way below than from his CD player.  Is there a cable that plugs into the iPod and outputs the digital signal which can be routed through a DAC and into his hi-fi?

Thanks.

jellyroll

bluetooth

ROOG

Hi @rocker I use my iPhone into a chord mojo dac via an Apple  lightning to USB 'camera' cable and the USB cable included with the mojo. No drivers required with iPhone, not sure if this would work with an iPod.

Rocker

My friends' DAC has only an SPDIF input and no USB, if I understand your post correctly @Roog.  There are USB to SPDIF converters available but this adds another 'box' which with the DAC, the optional external clock and the PSU, begins to look a bit complicated and silly just for playing a few songs on his hi-fi.  He is not into hi-fi (yet), so I am trying to keep everything as simple as possible for him.

@jellyroll, his DAC has no Bluetooth capability.  Good suggestion though.

octatonic

Which iPod does he have?
I used to have a dock with spdif output on it, can't remember the brand but Google should sort you out.

Fretwired

Rocker said:

A friend of mine uses his iPod as a music server.  The headphone output goes into a line input on his stereo amplifier.  It works but the sound quality is way below than from his CD player.  Is there a cable that plugs into the iPod and outputs the digital signal which can be routed through a DAC and into his hi-fi?

Thanks.

I have a couple of iPods and I have the iPod dock which has  line out which I connect to my hi-fi via a stereo cable. Sounds very good. The headphone output can be used, but you need the right stereo cable. His issue could be the quality of the cable he's using.

Sporky

Rocker said:

A friend of mine uses his iPod as a music server.  The headphone output goes into a line input on his stereo amplifier.  It works but the sound quality is way below than from his CD player.

What format is he playing? If it's old, heavily compressed MP3 from a crap codec then it probably won't sound as good as CD. If it's uncompressed, or sensibly compressed with a modern codec, it will sound as good.

Also are the levels the same? Only takes about 0.2dB difference for the louder source to sound better - without sounding louder.

Rocker

Thanks guys, the iPod dock is a good suggestion. I will forward this idea to him.

starwarsnosebleed

I use a 3.5 mm jack from ipod to stereo input.
sounds great.

Rocker

That is how he is using his iPod @starwarsnosebleed. TBH the sound is poor enough but good from his CD player. IPod docks seem to output analogue only which is a pity as he has a decent DAC

Rocker

It has been pointed out to me that there is no output digital signal at the output socket.

http://pinouts.ru/PortableDevices/ipod_pinout.shtml

Apple did some things right, the iPod is not one of them.......