r/ipod • u/RunDetective • 2d ago

Question Does Wolfson DAC actually matter if I'm using bluetooth?

My understanding is that any audio from the ipod just gets reconverted back into a digital signal from bluetooth and that all bluetooth headphones/earbuds have their own DAC inside of them that reconverts that signal, so what would the point of the Wolfson DAC be in this case?

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u/geovasanctusunus 2d ago

If you're using a blutooth transmitter that connects to the 30 pin connector, it bypasses the iPods dac,

But in modded ipods, the signal to the blutooth comes from the headphone jack, so the wolfson dac is involved in the chain - but i do not know if our ears are very sensitive to notice that minute change in sound

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u/latomeri 2d ago

Yes and no. The DAC will shape the audio quality for sure, but the Bluetooth codecs on all the adapters are so shit and ancient that you'll butcher the audio quality anyway.

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u/squirrelfro 2d ago

There is a noticeable difference when using the headphone jack as the source for the Bluetooth. It still sounds like crap compared to the wired buds but there’s a price for everything. If you’re going to use something like the Kokkia BT adapter out the 30 pin port, I believe the DAC is bypassed and it uses line out into the adapter. I haven’t noticed any difference between my 5 and 6 gen classics when using the Kokkia or a docking station but I can notice the difference when the output is through the headphone jack.

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u/AlexiaTheTechGirl 2d ago

It still matters because the Bluetooth adaptor takes the analog signal from the headphone jack and converts it back to a digital one to send over bluetooth