With its microfiber diaphragms, “Acoustic Optimizer” sound pressure balancing technology, cloth-wrapped cable, gold-plated connectors, magnesium frame, as well as leather ear pads, this headphone will be sure to turn the head of any audiophile!

But a work of art like the AH-D7000 must also be adequately protected… Which is why these Denon headphones come with a fancy box to house them in.

But do they sound good? We don’t know yet… But with its 2-inch drivers, the AH-D7000 will be sure to impress! And with Denon’s reputation for excellence in delivering products with exceptional sound quality, you can bet that these headphones will sound just as good as they look.

First off, what is a DAC (or in French, un convertisseur de signaux numériques en signaux analogiques)?

There are DACs in almost every piece of equipment that carries digital information. For example, a compact disc is a digital storage format where information is recorded in the form of binary code, with “1′s” and “0′s”. This information has to be read, decoded and interpreted as an electrical signal (analog signal) to be able to continue down the path all the way to the speakers or headphones. Today, HD televisions, DVD players, CDs, Blu-Ray players, computers, MP3 players, camcorders – that is, any kind of equipment that works with digital signals and produces visual or audio output – has to have a DAC.

The essential idea behind Wadia’s 170iTransport is to allow the iPod to attain the level of performance of a true “audiophile-grade” piece of equipment.

Millions of people around the wold have gotten an iPod since the release of the first generation in 2001. With 19 different models spread out over seven generations, all iPods have always had the same problem; when used to play audio through a sound system, the fidelity and quality of the sound is always a far cry from what a music buff or audiophile would expect. Wadia is offering THE solution to this problem in the form of the 170iTransport.

With capacities nowadays of up to 160 gigs, you can now record up to 245 hours of music in uncompressed CD format (WAV) which requires no alteration to the data of the original recording. Therefore, by docking the iPod on the 170iTransport and connecting the transport to an external DAC via its digital coaxial output (S/PDIF), or to one of your own units that has a digital coaxial input and handles digital to analog conversion, you can take advantage of the full quality of your music with the same accuracy and detail of the original disc.

In the end, after running the transport through several tests, there were two interesting points that came up for me. Initially, like many other people, I found that the product really does allow you to achieve a level of performance that comes incredibly close to the same musical experience you’d get from playing the original compact disc, given that your files are recorded in WAV format. But I noticed afterwards another interesting thing- when the 170iTransport is connected to a unit that has an “upsampler”, even files that have been purchased and downloaded from iTunes become more interesting to listen to. When you do this, you don’t necessarily achieve the same quality of the original recording due to the fact that the downloaded files are so enormously compressed, but all the same, it’s still much better than the standard audio output of the iPod.

In closing, Wadia is the first company in the world to have developed this type of transport for the iPod. Yet keeping in mind the popularity of the iPod since the beginning of the new millennium, it’ll be interesting to see what other rival companies will have to offer in response to this first initiative…

Happy listening!

The Zeppelin from B&W will floor you. It’s almost a work of art. (I’m not exaggerating, take a look!). The seductive design makes the Zeppelin a tremendously beautiful decoration piece for your living room. It’s a compact music system that is astonishingly capable of delivering an incredible level of audio performance in any room it’s in. We’ve already cited all the technical details of this marvel (http://fillion.ca/blogue/manufacturiers/bw/bw-et-ipod-du-style-a-revendre/). And though we don’t want to overstate the fact, this really is THE iPod station of the moment. Even the demo doesn’t stay too long on our shelves. It’s a great investment for $650. It’s worth noting, in addition, that the electronics were developed by a Quebec company, Classé Audio, right here in Montreal. How about that!

But the elegance of the Zeppelin might not be as exciting to you as the “high tech” features of the Music Cocoon 4 from Roth Audio. The name speaks for itself! Roth has developed an iPod dock with an integrated tube amplifier. Wow! The design is mind-blowing and the sound quality is equally impressive. It comes with two auxiliary inputs for television and computer. The speakers are purchased separately and I recommend that you pay special attention when choosing them as they shouldn’t consume a lot of power. Take the advice of a professional and head straight for B&W or Focal/JmLab speakers amongst others. This station, in the $700 mark, is geared for music lovers. Your MP3 player might even become the weak link in your ensemble depending on the type of compression used for your digital files. Nonetheless, it remains one of the best options that I can recommend!

So, will it be the Zeppelin, or the Music Cocoon? Either way, hours of aural and visual pleasure await you.

It’s funny, but some of these mini systems remind me of the “boombox” style stereos that were popular when I was younger. You can easily bring them wherever you go, but when it comes to audio quality, needless to say, it isn’t always there. Nevertheless, mini stereo systems from Sony and Panasonic are good for listening to the radio, and they are generally equipped with a CD player, auxiliary input for MP3 and sometimes even a bluetooth connection. However, these types of units don’t have iPod docks. You can connect your MP3 player, but you won’t have the same user-friendliness nor esthetic of an iPod dock. On a positive note, the option for bluetooth in some of the Sony models, allows for the usage of wireless headphones.

In order to make the right choice in this entry-level price point, ask yourself the question of durability. Often, these systems have a pretty short lifespan. Better to invest a little more and keep your equipment for longer. There are many choices out there. We’ll go into more soon.