The Wadia 170 iTransport turns any currently available iPod player into a high-end media server by providing a bit-perfect digital audio output to an audio/video system, bypassing the player's internal digital-to-analogue conversion (DAC) and analogue output stage. As a result, the audio signal remains pure and unadulterated, providing better than CD-quality resolution from full-resolution file formats such as .WAV and Apple Lossless (.m4a).
The iTransport may already be the audiophile bargain of the decade, and with so much talk about this unit we decided to see what extra performance we could wring out of it, even though some customers had already pipped us to the post.
The upgrades are primarily for using the 170i
via the digital output, although the improvements to power supply, regulation,
decoupling, etc, will also give marked improvements to the L/R Audio out. We
have three levels of upgrades available plus the option of the superb TeddyDock
Linear Power Supply to take the stock unit to top flight audiophile status.
The first level-1 upgrade kicks off with
improvements to the DC power supplies. The stock unit uses standard LDO regulators
from ROHM, the BD39350 (3.3V) and 05CC0 (5.0V). The ripple rejection of these
regulators in a poor 58 db up to 500 Hz which is reduced on the frequency range
to a very poor 25 db at approx. 22 KHz. The output noise level is not quoted
but we can calculate from the ripple rejection that noise is in the region of
60µV and increasing with frequency in the audio band. We replace these
regulators with “Super-regulators”, now in version 3 these discrete regulator’s
have excellent rejection of noise at the input and delivers a wide bandwidth,
clean, accurate DC output. Next we replace the stock Tantalum bypass capacitors
with Speciality Polymer capacitors (S-CAP), this type of capacitor uses a uses
a conductive polymer as its electrolyte and is superior to any Tantalum. The
benefits are ultra low ESR, excellent transient response. Similarly, we upgrade
the Tantalum capacitors with S-CAP which de-couple the PCM2706 chip, lowest
noise here is crucial to execute the USB to SP/DIF conversion without losses. The
next phase of the upgrades centres around the digital output. We replace the
RCA phono socket for a high grade Neutrik RCA, wired with Audio Consulting
cryogenically treated, pure Silver wire, and install a Bybee Slipstream
purifier for the digital output signal.
The level-2 upgrades the internal clock of
the PCM2706 chip with a ultra-low jitter external clock, the Superclock 4. This
removes jitter and noise at all digital processing and analogue levels of the
PCM2706 enabling more accurate, error free processing. We add a WBT
NextGen cu RCA phono for digital output to provide the best possible signal
transfer. To finish we further upgrade Tantalum decoupling with the S-CAP
capacitors.
For the ultimate Ipod dock we
have the level-3 upgrade. Level-3 replaces the Superclock 4 with the Ultraclock
mk2 reference clock. The Ultraclock is a significant step-up in performance
over Superclock 4 notably improving the low frequencies where bass is tighter,
more energetic. Musicians and instruments have a palpable feel, and you hear a
greater sense of acoustic space and venue. Additionally, we add a Bybee
Slipstream purifier to the DC input to remove noise on the incoming supply line.
Wadia 170i Level-1 Upgrade
■ Super-regulator 3 for +3.3V Supply
■ Super-regulator 3 for +5.0V Supply
■ Polymer S-CAP capacitors for regulation bypass.
■ Polymer S-CAP capacitors for PCM2706 decoupling.
■ Neutrik RCA phono plug.
■ Audio Consulting cryo, enamelled pure Silver signal wire.
■ Bybee Slipstream purifier for digital output.
Wadia 170i Level-2 Upgrade
■ Super-regulator 3 for +3.3V Supply
■ Super-regulator 3 for +5.0V Supply
■ Superclock 4 ultra-low jitter clock.
■ Polymer S-CAP capacitors for regulation bypass.
■ Polymer S-CAP capacitors for PCM2706 decoupling.
■ Polymer S-CAP decoupling capacitors.
■ WBT NextGen RCA cu phono plug.
■ Audio Consulting cryo, enamelled pure Silver signal wire.
■ Bybee Slipstream purifier for digital output.
Wadia 170i Level-3 Upgrade
■ Bybee Slipstream purifier for DC input.
■ Super-regulator 3 for +3.3V Supply
■ Super-regulator 3 for +5.0V Supply
■ Ultraclock mk2 reference clock.
■ Polymer S-CAP capacitors for regulation bypass.
■ Polymer S-CAP capacitors for PCM2706 decoupling.
■ Polymer S-CAP decoupling capacitors.
■ WBT NextGen RCA cu phono plug.
■ Audio Consulting cryo, enamelled pure Silver signal wire.
■ Bybee Slipstream purifier for digital output. Listening Tests
High performance music servers fairly
expensive, and the standard iPod sound is good if not to be considered
audiophile standard. This high performance docking station for the iPod bridges
the gap for the use of portable audio and high-end sound, although the quality
of the latter depends of the quality of the DAC. The stockiTransport is
enough to fool you in to thinking you’re listening to a high quality CD player,
by this I mean one in the four figure category. Having taken our stock
iTransport, installed the upgrades and hooked it up to a Chord DAC 64, it
strengthened its abilities as a high-end contender.
The overall sound quality is taken to another
level, pushing it several steps ahead sonically and revealing shortfalls in the
sound of the stock unit you may have considered a limiting factor of the iPod
as a listening medium. The sound opens up marvellously; the music is now
sweeter, less grainy, less ‘digital’ sounding. Tonally each note has greater
substance, depth, whereas prior it could be considered slightly bleached, or
pinched. The two D’s, detailing and dynamics are also improved, sounds that
were masked or veiled in the stock unit are revealed with the layering of
detailing less compressed.
