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Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter

Crutchfield Hi-Fi 2.0

For some time now, we've been offering two tips to people who want to get great sound when they connect their iPod to a home audio system:

  1. Import (rip) your music at a higher bit rate, preferrably in the Apple Lossless format.
  2. Bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter (DAC), by means of the Wadia 170iTransport. It's the only home dock that lets you send music directly to your receiver or outboard DAC in the digital realm. When the digital-to-analog conversion is done by the receiver's DAC or a high-end outboard DAC, you get much cleaner, fuller sound.

It's about time we offered the same advice to car stereo fans.

There are quite a few car stereos on the market now that come with a high-speed USB connection designed to work with most iPods. This includes many of the newer car stereos from Alpine, Pioneer, JVC, Eclipse, Kenwood, Dual, Sony and Clarion. Like the Wadia home audio dock, these car stereos bypass the iPod's built-in DAC, which does a decent job for listening with earbuds, but can't match the performance of the advanced DACs found in some car stereos.

Here are links to a few stereos that include both the high-speed USB connection for iPod and a high-grade 24-bit DAC:

Alpine iDA-X303
Alpine iDA-X305
Clarion VX709
Clarion Z709
Eclipse CD7200 mk II
JVC KD-PDR80
JVC KW-AVX720
Kenwood KDC-HD942U
Kenwood Excelon KVT-819DVD

Posted Tue, Apr 21 2009 9:03 AM by Jim R
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Comments

dmob wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Wed, Apr 22 2009 3:07 PM

If you are using an external amplifier does the 24 bit DAC converter still work or does it process only from the internal amp?  I'm looking specifically at the Sony CDX-GT630UI unit.

dmob wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Wed, Apr 22 2009 3:48 PM

Jim,

Does the car stereo 24 bit DAC work using external amps or is it only active using the internal amp?  

Particularly on the Kenwood KDC-HD942U and the Sony CDX-GT630UI.

Marc wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Thu, Apr 30 2009 12:58 AM

The answer can vary somewhat, but generally the head unit will bypass the iPod/iPhone's DAC and send THAT signal onto the amp. Any secondary DAC will process the audio that is sent out from the head unit. If the HU only sent out the original signal, it would be generally useless to even have the DAC.

I almost bought the 630UI but went with the HD942U. I like how the 630UI looks over the HD942U, but I prefer the sound stage controls on the Kenwood over the Sony.

tim wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Wed, May 6 2009 7:11 PM

how do u know if your car stereo is bypassing the ipod's dac's...apline x305 dont use a high speed adaptor....its got a direct connect usb connection to your ipod....u claim the kenwood kvt 819 bypasses the ipods dacs but it dont got a direct connection to the usb input....kenwood claims u need an extra high speed cable to get full functionality of the ipod.........that not connected directly like the apline x305 is........whats goin on

MegaWatt wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Wed, May 6 2009 9:26 PM

Jim, can I plug my mac directly into my Kenwood KDC942U and play Itunes? I also have Kjams on my mac and it would be awesome for a Karaoke party out of my Jeep Wrangler. Thanks

tommyd wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Wed, May 6 2009 9:51 PM

Same question regarding internal/external amps for the Alpine units - is the DAC's output available via the pre-amp outs?  Also, Alpine (and Crutchfield) have made a big deal about the Burr-Brown 24-bit DAC that is included in the CDA-9887, which I have been considering as a replacement for my older Alpine deck.  The 9887 isn't mentioned in this article, nor does the info. on the iDA-X305 say much about the DAC.  Does the 9887 process the ipod signal thru the DAC?  Is the X305 DAC on par with the 9887?  Bottom line is that I want the best sound from my lossless files, and I'd give up either the interface convenience (in the X305) or the CD player (in the 9887) to get it.

Jim R wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Fri, May 8 2009 11:35 AM

Thanks for all the comments. I'll do my best to answer the questions here, but remember, you can always call 1-800-555-8260 to speak with an expert.

1) Does a car stereo's DAC work with preamp outputs, as well as the internal amp? Yes.

2) How do you know if your car stereo is bypassing the iPod's DAC? If you have a newer head unit that connects directly to your iPod via USB, it is most likely bypassing the iPod's built-in DAC. Our research team verifies this for the head units Crutchfield sells, and we will soon begin to consistently display this data in our product presentations. Meanwhile, if you aren't sure about a specific head unit, call 1-800-555-8260 and speak with one of our Personal Advisors.

3) Can you plug a Mac into a car stereo via USB? I've never tried it, but I assume the answer is no. Just because a car stereo has a USB input doesn't mean it supports any device that has a USB output.  Some car stereo owner's manuals specifically say that you can't connect a computer.

4) Neither the Alpine CDA-9887 nor Kenwood KVT-819DVD has a direct USB connection for iPod. They do not bypass the iPod's DAC. The Alpine iDA-X305 does.    

Matias wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Sat, Jun 13 2009 12:28 AM

EXCELLENT article. Alpine iDA-X303 looks sweet, it's not expensive and does the DAC job. I guess he's the one. Thanks!

Marcelo wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Tue, Jul 7 2009 2:19 PM

Thanks a lot for the info, Jim! What about using the Alpine CDA-9887 with the KCE-422i cable? It connects to the Ipod using the Ipod's dock connector. I've read it bypasses the internal amp, but does it bypass the internal DAC either?

My intention is to connect an Ipod Touch 2nd gen to the CDA-9887 with as much sound quality as I can.

Thanks in advance.

Jim R wrote re: Car stereos that bypass your iPod's built-in digital-to-analog converter
on Tue, Jul 14 2009 10:20 AM

Marcelo,

Using the CDA-9887 with the KCE-422i cable would not bypass the iPod's DAC.

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