Rockboxed Ipod and Wadia iTransport with 24/96 FLAC

[Lornecherry]

I have a Wadia iTransport coupled to a Chord DAC64 and reasonably high-end tube preamp/Stax headphone system. It is very good with Apple lossless.

I want to use a 2nd Rockboxed iPod in the system so that I can play downloaded HDtracks 24/96 high rez or, rip my DVD-As to high rez. So, some questions:

a) Will this even work? ...is the Wadia compatible with a Rockboxed iPod?

2) Can Rockbox handle 24/96 FLAC

3) If this whole project blows up in my face and audio Gods laugh at me, can the Ipod be reverted to normal iTunes

My goal is the often superior audio of 24/96 through the Wadia (which bypasses the iPods internal DAC and amp). 

[saratoga]

a) Will this even work? ...is the Wadia compatible with a Rockboxed iPod?

Probably not, unless it just needs simple line out.

2) Can Rockbox handle 24/96 FLAC

Yes, by resampling them to 44.1/16.

3) If this whole project blows up in my face and audio Gods laugh at me, can the Ipod be reverted to normal iTunes

Sure.

My goal is the often superior audio of 24/96 through the Wadia (which bypasses the iPods internal DAC and amp). 

For what its worth, I do not believe this is possible on any Ipods Rockbox actually supports.  They have no digital connections except USB, and Apple doesn't appear to support USB audio on them. 

[Llorean]

On that last point of saratogas, what he means is "you're still getting the iPods DAC, as it's an analog audio line out, but you might have some improvement since you're using an external amplifier."

[Lornecherry]

Wadia has a license from Apple for circuitry which bypasses both the internal DAC and amp in the iPod, giving you bit perfect digital (not anlaogue) out of the LOD into the Wadia. This much is known, as the Wadia iTransport uses optical out to my DAC. It is the current, de facto standard for using the iPod as a high quality transport with bit-perfect digital out.

But if Rockbox won't pass 24/96 without downsampling (don't forget we are bypassing the iPod internal DAC), then this is all for not and won't work.

[saratoga]

Wadia has a license from Apple for circuitry which bypasses both the internal DAC and amp in the iPod, giving you bit perfect digital (not anlaogue) out of the LOD into the Wadia.

This certainly won't work in rockbox, and I suspect if you use it on an older ipod even in the retail firmware, you're probably just getting line out.

[rockbox_dev123]

I placed a bid for a Wadia 170i on eBay before searching this forum.

It's a shame that the digital audio bypass is not supported by rockbox. I think it will still be an interesting dock if I do win the auction!