My apologies if this has been posted before, but hadn't seen much info on this one:

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[The dock features] Analog Devices AD21369 32-bibit floating-point digital signal processing core and 96kHz/24-bit converters for analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog, resulting in a 110dB dynamic range with distortion of under .004 percent.

The dock will also include DSP technologies for improving sound quality: Adaptive Dynamics (restores the sound quality of compressed audio), X-Matrix (virtual surround sound for two speakers or headphones), and Extrapolator, which turns the iPod's stereo signal to 5.1- or 7.1-channel sound. All of these signal processors have separate modes for compressed, lossless, and movie audio.

Audio inputs include S/PDIF and Toslink (from CD quality all the way up to 96 kHz/24-bit). The dock outputs video in the S-video, composite, and component formats. A single control knob handles all functions, while an LCD on the front of the unit displays song information and menu items. All of these components take up a fair amount of space; it's 8.5 inches wide, 1.5 inches high, and a foot deep.

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Looks expensive at 2000.00 but it's an elegant design. I wonder how close the sound might be to a DAC3 and whether there'll be many takers at the price?

best,

k

$2000 to dock a fucking ipod.....

$2000 to dock a fucking ipod.....

But wait, it does this, "iPod's stereo signal to 5.1- or 7.1-channel sound" Seriously though, $2000.00, even for MSRP for a dock.

But wait, it does this, "iPod's stereo signal to 5.1- or 7.1-channel sound" Seriously though, $2000.00, even for MSRP for a dock.

Right .... or I could buy the Wadia and route the digital output into my HT processor and convert it to 5.1 or 7.1 there. Hmmm .... let me see which way I should go.

It also seems to be a fully functional dac, to be fair.

They use the same shape/size as the DAC3, so I figure its probably pretty similar on the inside, except with the special input crap. It could basically just be an updated dac3.

Er isn't the MSRP of the DAC3 like $2495? I might not get too hopeful that that's inside this.

I dont know. They could forgo the preamp function of the dac3 and maybe some of the inputs. It may not be that big of a difference.

The inside of the dac3 is basically 3 boards and 2 blue power supplies (elpac? I dont know the name).

The dac chip sounds like it is different, but the output stages may not be that radically different. Just speculation, obviously.

I have some photos of the dac3 somewhere, but I forget where. I cant seem to find a pic of the backside of the ultradock, so at this point there's no way to know.

Er isn't the MSRP of the DAC3 like $2495? I might not get too hopeful that that's inside this.

Apparently the MSRP of the UD is also 2500.00. From Stereophile:

"But here are the simple facts. The Ultra-Dock is planned as an upsampling 24/96 iPod dock that can upconvert lowly MP3s (via Sonic Focus processing) and draws the signal from the iPod's digital out like the Wadia iTransport.

The Ultra-Dock is planning for a Q3 2009 ship date at approximately $2,500."

It's that "sonic focus" thing that makes it the business, Robert Baird thinks. I haven't come across this before, but I'm a bit leery of any technology that claims to upconvert MP3s. Also any technology called "sonic" anything.

k

garbage in, polished turd out.

I'm wondering: out of the people who might consider buying this thing, how many even fuck with mp3s? Seems like they're trying to hit 2 separate crowds at once...

I'm wondering: out of the people who might consider buying this thing, how many even fuck with mp3s? Seems like they're trying to hit 2 separate crowds at once...

BINGO. Give this man a prize. They have a whole raft of technologies in there but they pointed at very different market segments. The Wadia represents a simpler and more flexible solution. However, this is coming from someone who has no interest in either the Bel Canto or Wadia dock.

Look at it like an expensive dac, with a free ipod dock, instead of an expensive ipod dock with a built in dac.

Or a dac with an spdif out

Look at it like an expensive dac, with a free ipod dock, instead of an expensive ipod dock with a built in dac.

Or a dac with an spdif out

Except the DAC3 is a $1000 DAC selling for $2500 IMO.

I think it might sound better if they didn't call it ultradock as that makes it sound more like a dedicated dock. Maybe DACDOK would work better

Look at it like an expensive dac, with a free ipod dock, instead of an expensive ipod dock with a built in dac.

Or a dac with an spdif out

...with surround?

I'm wondering: out of the people who might consider buying this thing, how many even fuck with mp3s? Seems like they're trying to hit 2 separate crowds at once...

Think of it as the Bose crowd. Maybe that helps.