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Peachtree Audio iDecco & iPod/iPhone Compatibility

Just recently bought the Peachtree iDecco to set up a bedroom system. I'm feeding it mostly Apple Lossless files through my iPhone 3G and CDs through an Oppo DVD player via coax. Along with my Totem Mites, it's making great music! I think when I move to house with a bigger bedroom in the near future, I'll add a separate amp and use the iDecco mainly as an iPod dock, DAC, and preamp. One quick question, so far based on my extensive Google search, I've seen people using it as a preamp with amps such as PS Audio Trio A100 and Jolida JD-1501P. Any other good reasonably priced power amps people have tried with iDecco? Please post.

Anyway, the main purpose for starting this thread is to post compatibility result with various models of iPod and iPhone. Here's what's listed on Peach Audio website:

"Made for iPod Touch (1st & 2nd generation) iPod Classic 80G, 120G, 160G only, Nano 2nd-5th generation"

Well, I don't have any of the models listed above, currently I have a iPod Nano 1st generation and iPhone 3G, neither one is listed as compatible. I figured why not give it a try anyway. Here's what I found. 1st generation iPod Nano did not work at all, when I placed it on the dock, "Okay to disconnect" message popped up on the iPod screen, pressing any of the buttons would not do anything. One the other hand, iPhone 3G (with iOS 4.01) worked! When I first docked it, a message box would pop up stating that the device is not optimized for iPhone; however, I was able to close the message box and lauch iPod app without any problem. Music would play smoothly, and I was able to use the iDecco remote to start, pause, skip forward and skip backward.

Hopefully this information is helpful to someone since I searched extensively on Google and different websites and couldn't find any info about compatibility between iDecco and iPhone before this.

Please post here if you had tried iDecco and any other models of iPhone and iPod not listed above. For example, has anyone tried it with the original iPhone, iPhone 3GS, or iPhone 4? What about 3rd generation iPod touch (the new 32GB and 64GB models)?

Thanks.
happybob
br3098
660 posts
 
My 2 cents worth:
1- As your experience shows, the iPhone is not an iPod and works like crap for anything except MP3 files. IMHO if you need an iPod use an iPod. Better yet, use your laptop or an iMac as a music server.

Your iDecco will work very well in conjunction with a power amp. I use an original Decco in my office hooked to a GTA SE-40 tube amp and it sounds great - OK, as great as an SE-40 can sound. But it is an order of magnitude better than the integrated Decco amp.

I have also tried other power amps and prett much anything that sounds good to you will work well with the Peachtree units. I wouldn't go overboard, for example, and buy a pair of Shindo Lafon monoblocks just to power my Decco. But if you have a SS or tube amp that you like, try it.
happybob OP
33 posts
 
one main reason that i bought the iDecco was for the convenience of a bedroom system. a dedicated ipod makes sense, but unless i get the ipod touch, i wouldn't be able to listen to internet radio like pandora (not the best quality, but again very convenient). not sure the sound quality from a iphone is necessary worse than a ipod touch or the other ipod, especially through iDecco (Wadia iTransport) that extract digital signals directly from iphone/ipod and bypass the internal DAC. so the iphone is basically just serving as storage. plus, almost everybody has an iphone, and why buy the ipod touch or another ipod when iphone pretty much does the same thing and more? that's why even wadia came out with their new iTransport 171 and advertise "iphone compatibility" as their selling point.

if i want to use my computer as a music server, i would've saved myself $200 and buy the Decco 2 or splurge and buy the Nova or something fancier like the Wyred4Sound DAC2. putting a computer in the bedroom is not ideal, especially with all the extra heat it can generate. i do have a computer-based system already in my office using the MHDT lab Paradisea DAC and Celestion speakers with pretty good result.

anyway, for other iDecco users, please post other iPod or iPhone models that you've tried on the iDecco without any issue despite that it's not listed as one of the compatible model.

please also list the power amp you are using to drive it if you are using a separate amp.

thanks.
br3098
660 posts
 
Happybob,

My comment re: the iPhone had less to do with sound quality than the limited data storage on the phone. There is simply not enough space to store enough ALC files to make it worth the trouble, at least for me.

If your music server is in a home office did you consider a Squeezebox or Sonos unit? Both work very well feeding into a Decco/Nova or iDecco.
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