PeterRB
08-24-2010, 08:24 AM
Hi,
I just registered to Audio Review and wanted to say "hello" and ask for some assistance. Having recently returned from living in Germany for the past four years I wish to be able to enjoy all the music I downloaded from ITunes during my time overseas. While in Germany I purchased Apple's HiFi so I didn't have to always use my headphones. Now that I'm home I want to enjoy my acquired library on my home system which is detailed in my profile.
A local shop is allowing me to try out the Xantech XIS100 dock for the IPod. It sounds quite good but the functionality leaves a lot to be desired. An example of this is when I want to listen to a specific artist; I must scroll through every artist in my llibrary, one at a time as they are alphabetically stored, in order to find that artist. If I then wish to listen to a different artist I have to scroll through the entire library again to find that artist. If that artist's name happens to be towards the latter half of the alphabet you better grab a beer while your scrolling.
I have two questions:
1. Would I be better off ditching the Xantech and research/purchase a USB DAC? I like the minimalistic approach of simply having the IPod docked and not having the laptop in the living room but the time spent clicking through all the names, titles and genres of my library has me frustrated. When I asked the local shop this question they had no clue what a USB DAC could offer. I've done some reading and this approach intrigues me but I am not a technophile and have not found the right info yet.
2. Would incorporating a USB DAC inprove the listening quality vs the Xantech XIS100?
Any info you can provide will be appreciated. I am a member of several astronomy forums and have learned to appreciate the vast amount of knowledge that people are willing to share via this type of format.
Peter
I just registered to Audio Review and wanted to say "hello" and ask for some assistance. Having recently returned from living in Germany for the past four years I wish to be able to enjoy all the music I downloaded from ITunes during my time overseas. While in Germany I purchased Apple's HiFi so I didn't have to always use my headphones. Now that I'm home I want to enjoy my acquired library on my home system which is detailed in my profile.
A local shop is allowing me to try out the Xantech XIS100 dock for the IPod. It sounds quite good but the functionality leaves a lot to be desired. An example of this is when I want to listen to a specific artist; I must scroll through every artist in my llibrary, one at a time as they are alphabetically stored, in order to find that artist. If I then wish to listen to a different artist I have to scroll through the entire library again to find that artist. If that artist's name happens to be towards the latter half of the alphabet you better grab a beer while your scrolling.
I have two questions:
1. Would I be better off ditching the Xantech and research/purchase a USB DAC? I like the minimalistic approach of simply having the IPod docked and not having the laptop in the living room but the time spent clicking through all the names, titles and genres of my library has me frustrated. When I asked the local shop this question they had no clue what a USB DAC could offer. I've done some reading and this approach intrigues me but I am not a technophile and have not found the right info yet.
2. Would incorporating a USB DAC inprove the listening quality vs the Xantech XIS100?
Any info you can provide will be appreciated. I am a member of several astronomy forums and have learned to appreciate the vast amount of knowledge that people are willing to share via this type of format.
Peter