The Audiophiliac

America may not make world-class cars anymore, we don't build plasma TVs, or iPods, cameras, or all that much technology of any sort, but in high-end audio, we rule!

Come 2009 I'd love to see the best of the best American audio installed at the White House. The sort of system that the President could, after a hard day's work solving the world's problems, use to kick out the jams with a few James Brown or Parliament-Funkadelic tunes.

I'll volunteer my services to assemble such a system (donated by the manufacturers), with the following components:

The X-2, in all its glory.

(Credit: Wilson Audio)

For CDs I love Wadia's 781i player, its state of the art technology will shine with all kinds of music (I have a review coming up real soon in Home Entertainment magazine). It's built in Saline, Michigan. And when the President wants to spin some vinyl, he'll get groovin' with a VPI HRX turntable hand crafted in Cliffwood, New Jersey.

The 300 Series amplifier

(Credit: Jeff Rowland Design Group)

New Jersey's best turntable

(Credit: VPI)

Based in Boulder, Colorado Jeff Rowland Design Group builds stunningly beautiful electronics. I like their Criterion Preamplifier and Model 300 Series Amplifiers. A lot.

Coming out of Provo, Utah Wilson Audio may very well be the most successful high-end speaker manufacturer in the world. Its Alexandria X-2 Series 2 speaker absolutely deserves a place of honor in the White House.

Just say the word Mr. President and I'll get it done.

A Nano docked into the Wadia 170i Transport.

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm starting to think the iPod is a true high-end audio component. What's changed? I heard it in my high-end system, docked into Wadia's 170i Transport ($379). I can now testify to the iPod's bona fides.

Thing is, an iPod, even one loaded with uncompressed AIFF or WAV files, isn't all by itself a high-end component, but teamed with Wadia's 170i Transport, aka, dock, an iPod is elevated to high-end status. The transformation takes place when the Wadia transmits the iPod's zeros and ones to an outboard digital-to-analog (D/A) converter in your A/V receiver, or even better, a standalone high-end D/A. Wadia's claims that the 170i is the first and only "dock" to extract a digital output from an unmodified iPod.

The 170i's digital out sends a 16 bit/44.1 kHz PCM digital signal to a D/A. The 170i does that for MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV files, but just be aware that it converts all but AIFF and WAV to 16/44.1. It can also pass 16/48 PCM, but in most cases 16/44.1 is what you'll get.

According to Wadia's national sales manager, Martin Cooper, iPods store MP3, Apple Lossless, and AAC files in Apple's own digital language, and when an iPod is nestled into a 170i it converts those files to 16/44.1 PCM. That way, the signals can be processed by the D/A in your A/V receiver or high-end D/A. MP3, Apple Lossless, and AAC files will sound "good," just not quite the same as the original CD. In other words, only AIFF and WAV files can be heard with bit-for-bit accuracy over the 170i.

Audiophile gear is always really expensive.

Not true. While there's no shortage of stupid expensive audio toys, there's lots of affordable stuff too, such as Rotel's beautifully built RA 1062 integrated amplifier ($699).

(Credit: Rotel)

Audiophiles rarely embrace new technology.

Guilty, with an explanation. Audiophiles don't jump on every new tech gizmo that comes down the pike, so we steered clear of iPods for the longest time. But now that we can get uncompressed digital directly out of the little buggers with devices like Wadia's 170iTransport, audiophiles are getting with the program. We were just waiting for them to sound decent.

All audiophiles are really old.

You got me, there are very few under 40 'philes, and I wish I knew why. That certainly wasn't true when I was in my early 20s. Please don't write and whine that younger people can't afford the good stuff. Good stuff was always expensive, but if you really wanted it, you found a way to buy some. Second hand high-end gear is a good way to get in.

Audiophiles are all anti-digital.

No way. Sure, there's a lot of hard-core vinyl junkies reveling in analog bliss, but at least three or four times as many audiophiles are into digital and steer clear of vinyl. Most stick with CD and some mix CD and SACD/DVD-Audio discs into their collections. Some go both ways, and savor the best of analog and digital.

Audiophiles are weird.

True, but no weirder than guys who obsess about watches, cars, baseball cards, or boats. Audiophiles have a passion for sound and music. Is that such a bad thing?

Just received a preview from next week's CES show in Las Vegas--Wadia Digital, a high-end audio company will be demonstrating the first digital player dock to retrieve a direct digital signal from iPods. As a result, the iTransport will provide CD-quality resolution from full-resolution file formats such as .WAV and AppleLossless.

The iTransport (SRP: $349) will turn any currently available iPod player into a high-end media server by providing a bit-perfect digital audio output to an audio/video system. The really cool thing about the device is that it can bypass the player's internal D/A conversion and output stage. The iTransport is compatible with all currently available (Q1 2008) iPod players, as well as iPhone and iPod Touch models.

The iTransport can also access video content stored on currently available iPods, and the video signal will be available over high performance component outputs that provide up to DVD-quality video. The iTransport measures 2x8x8 inches (H/W/D), making it an easy addition to most racks and entertainment centers. Connectivity runs to S/PDIF digital audio output and high-resolution component digital video output, as well as analog audio and video outputs. Wadia Digital's iTransport will be available in February 2008 at select high-end audio specialists and the Wadia Digital Web site.