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iPod touch Best way to connect ipod to a stereo system?

P

Parallel 01

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 6, 2013
7
0
I've read a lot online but I'd like some more opinions. The 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA sucks... I want better sound quality.

Should I get a composite AV cable (30-pin to RCA)? Or would it be better to get a dock? Any other suggestions?
 
Parallel 01 said:
I've read a lot online but I'd like some more opinions. The 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA sucks... I want better sound quality.

Should I get a composite AV cable (30-pin to RCA)? Or would it be better to get a dock? Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Without knowing how good your stereo equipment is, if you're serious about really, really wanting to improve the sound quality of your music either in iTunes, or from your iPod, check out these links: http://highresolutiontechnologies.com/music-streamer-ii-plus
http://www.audioquest.com/usb_digital_analog_converter/dragonfly-dac

Warning: there's no going back, once you've heard these.
 
macs4nw said:
Without knowing how good your stereo equipment is, if you're serious about really, really wanting to improve the sound quality of your music either in iTunes, or from your iPod, check out these links: http://highresolutiontechnologies.com/music-streamer-ii-plus
http://www.audioquest.com/usb_digital_analog_converter/dragonfly-dac

Warning: there's no going back, once you've heard these.
Click to expand...

Neither of those will work with an iPod touch.

Best thing to do is get the best RCA cables you can afford, and audioquest makes an adapter to 3.5mm.
 
Parallel 01 said:
I've read a lot online but I'd like some more opinions. The 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA sucks... I want better sound quality.

Should I get a composite AV cable (30-pin to RCA)? Or would it be better to get a dock? Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Have you thought of an Airport Express or Apple TV connected to your stereo? Both offer optical audio out (3.5mm on Airport Express or TOS-Link on Apple TV). So you can plug them into your stereo with an optical cable and have 100% digital audio -- no RCA cables required. The audio quality will depend on the DAC you have in your stereo, which is generally better than the one your iPod Touch.

Plus, they offer Airplay. I really like the convenience of Airplaying music to my stereo so I can control music from my device in hand, remotely. And it works great with Macs, too (Pro tip: alt-click the volume menu bar item in Mountain Lion or Maverics to route system audio to any Airplay device).
 
macs4nw said:
Without knowing how good your stereo equipment is, if you're serious about really, really wanting to improve the sound quality of your music either in iTunes, or from your iPod, check out these links: http://highresolutiontechnologies.com/music-streamer-ii-plus
http://www.audioquest.com/usb_digital_analog_converter/dragonfly-dac

Warning: there's no going back, once you've heard these.
Click to expand...

how would you connect those to an ipod? Would you still have to get special cables?

I might eventually get something like that anyway because the sound on my laptop sucks. Thanks for sharing
 
The Music Streamer is a USB DAC, won't work with your iPod.

Cheapest AirPlay device is either the Pioneer A1 (Best Buy $40 if you can find it) or an Apple Airport Express.
 
jtk13 said:
Have you thought of an Airport Express or Apple TV connected to your stereo? Both offer optical audio out (3.5mm on Airport Express or TOS-Link on Apple TV). So you can plug them into your stereo with an optical cable and have 100% digital audio -- no RCA cables required. The audio quality will depend on the DAC you have in your stereo, which is generally better than the one your iPod Touch.

Plus, they offer Airplay. I really like the convenience of Airplaying music to my stereo so I can control music from my device in hand, remotely. And it works great with Macs, too (Pro tip: alt-click the volume menu bar item in Mountain Lion or Maverics to route system audio to any Airplay device).
Click to expand...

hmm... I'm using an older stereo system so I'm not sure it would work. It doesn't have an optical input :(
 
blueroom said:
The Music Streamer is a USB DAC, won't work with your iPod.

Cheapest AirPlay device is either the Pioneer A1 (Best Buy $40 if you can find it) or an Apple Airport Express.
Click to expand...

I had no idea what an Airport Express was so I looked it up... seems like a pretty cool product. It's probably unnecessary for what I'm looking for atm though (because of the price mainly).

likethesoup2 said:
Already told you: neither will work with your iPod touch.

Both will work with your laptop.
Click to expand...


yeah, got ya. :p

Ended up getting a rocketfish 30-pin to component today for about $15. It's kinda bulky but it seems to work well. Are there any benefits of getting the apple version? It looks overpriced...
 
Use an RCA and plug the aux into this to make it bluetooth.
Anker® Bluetooth Adapter 3.5mm Audio Music Receiver with USB Wall Charger for Home Stereo Sound System
http://amzn.com/B00DLZOG2E
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
likethesoup2 said:
Neither of those will work with an iPod touch…..
Click to expand...

blueroom said:
The Music Streamer is a USB DAC, won't work with your iPod…..
Click to expand...

likethesoup2 said:
Already told you: neither will work with your iPod touch. Both will work with your laptop.
Click to expand...

They have at least half a dozen different models, and the iStreamer is specifically made for iDevices. From their website:

"The HRT iStreamer-Alternating Current (AC) is a product that makes the music coming out of your iPad, iPhone, or iPod sound dramatically better when connected to a music entertainment system in either a home/office setting or in a vehicle. The iStreamer AC is not designed to be used with PC or Mac computers like the other HRT Music Streamers. Rather, it is a high performance external sound card/audio interface that has been specifically designed to exclusively interface with modern iDevices such as the iPod Touch® (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th gen), iPod Classic®, iPod Nano® (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th gen), iPhone 4®, iPhone 3GS®, iPhone 3G®, iPhone®, iPhone5®, iPhone5S®, iPhone5C®, iPad®, iPad (3G)®, iPad 2®, the New (2012) iPad®, and the iPad Mini®. The iStreamer AC redirects the digital music stream from the iDevice to itself, bypassing the iDevice’s own internal Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) and uses its own DAC instead, taking over the job of decoding the digital bits into analog music, allowing a far higher level of sonic performance than if listening directly from an iDevice."
 
Parallel 01 said:
how would you connect those to an ipod? Would you still have to get special cables?
I might eventually get something like that anyway because the sound on my laptop sucks. Thanks for sharing
Click to expand...

No need to buy any cables; all the cables, and even the power supply are included with the iStreamer, which is the specific model for iDevices. Hook-up couldn't be simpler or more straightforward. Here is the specific page for the iStreamer: http://highresolutiontechnologies.com/istreamer Also check the post immediately above this one.

Glad to help. Happy listening!
 
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Why do you think 3.5mm to RCA sucks? Because that's not true. You don't even need to get gold-plated cables or anything, that's largely BS.
 
iPod Touch Gen 4, 32gb here.

I am testing both cable options right now, and I hear better overall sound quality using the spiffy Apple brand 30-pin to RCA cord ($40 at MicroCenter in Atlanta GA) vs using the 3.5mm headphone jack to RCA.

The item is called Apple Composite AV Cable. Part number MC748ZM/A. This cable is nifty because you can connect your iPod Touch to a TV and show your photos or videos (or play your mp3's) on any TV (or stereo) that has RCA inputs. And it has a USB cord built-in so you can charge the iPod.

If you appreciate 'good' sound on a nice stereo, you will hear better quality using the 30-pin output. I definitely hear a difference. It's kind of like comparing a 96k mp3 file to a 320k file. Significant spaciial clarity is how I describe it. Listening to Pink Floyd's "On The Turning Away" the sound is just (oh my) compare to just 'hey neato'. If that makes sense...

Try it on a nice stereo system, and you will hear it.
 
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