Presenting The "Gmod"!

[tonedef 0]

we've actually managed to put in a set of hiQ wima low tolerance matched pair smt caps on the ipod pcb itself, thereby negating the need for any "special" cables. its totally plug n play!!! you can used any dock + cable combo you wish.

 

we working on turning the headout into the Gmod out and have been somewhat successful. however due to the fact that the headout of the 5G/5.5g 'pods resides on the separate backplate portion, anyone opening their 'pods mite accidentally sever the Gmod cable. thats the $99 problem. other than that, headout to Gmod-out isnt much of an issue.

 

infact we just shipped our 1st production unit to a local s'porean headfier and is anxiously awaiting his review of Gmod vs normal ipod lineout and Gmod vs 4g imod. we're super confident the Gmod will acquit itself with honor

 

O and the Gmod's SQ is pretty spectacular IMO (although i must admit my opinion isnt entirely unbiased ). as to the Gmod's SQ being equal or better than imod, i leave that to others with better ears than mine

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Hmm. I don't quite understand. You've put a set of capacitors on the ipod pcb, so we can use any dock + cable combination... But once we've installed the Gmod, why would we want to use a dock + cable combination? Surely we should use the headphone out to a good quality mini-mini to a portable amp instead? :? <confused>

 

I also don't own an ipod 5g (yet)... What do you mean by opening ipod might sever the Gmod cable? an internal cable, or the external mini-mini?

 

Btw, do you have any pricing estimates for the Gmod?

[scottiebabie 0]

ok how do i put this simply. the Gmod out takes the place of the reg. 5g ipod's lineout which means that a lineout dock plus IC cables are still required to hookup to your favourite amp. the RWA imod + ALO special imod IC cables (with output caps built in the dock) are NOT required. you can use any reg. ipod lineout dock with your favourite IC cables. i hope that clear enough.

 

re. headout, the headout of a 5g ipod resides in the back plate portion that separates from the PCB/HD/LCD portion into 2 different pieces. a special factory ipod detachable cable runs from the PCB portion to the back plate portion for the headout and lockout section. due to the Gmod extracting a pure signal from the DAC, we have to mod in a new signal wire which cannot be attached to the original ipod detachable backplate cable. anyone attempting to open up their ipods (eg.for new battery installation) can if careless or otherwise, accidentally sever/cut the special Gmod signal wire. thats as simple as i can make this without pictures.

 

anyways, with the Gmod, the normal ipod lineout is modded to a Hi SQ "Gmod" lineout. the original 5g 'pod's headout remain intact and can be used as such. hope you're much clearer now.

 

pricing to follow.

[tonedef 0]

ok how do i put this simply. the Gmod out takes the place of the reg. 5g ipod's lineout which means that a lineout dock plus IC cables are still required to hookup to your favourite amp. the RWA imod + ALO special imod IC cables (with output caps built in the dock) are NOT required. you can use any reg. ipod lineout dock with your favourite IC cables. i hope that clear enough.

 

re. headout, the headout of a 5g ipod resides in the back plate portion that separates from the PCB/HD/LCD portion into 2 different pieces. a special factory ipod detachable cable runs from the PCB portion to the back plate portion for the headout and lockout section. due to the Gmod extracting a pure signal from the DAC, we have to mod in a new signal wire which cannot be attached to the original ipod detachable backplate cable. anyone attempting to open up their ipods (eg.for new battery installation) can if careless or otherwise, accidentally sever/cut the special Gmod signal wire. thats as simple as i can make this without pictures.

 

anyways, with the Gmod, the normal ipod lineout is modded to a Hi SQ "Gmod" lineout. the original 5g 'pod's headout remain intact and can be used as such. hope you're much clearer now.

 

pricing to follow.

 

Excellent. This sounds good!

[Singapura 0]

Sooo, any news on this?

[aloy 0]

yup. seem that the hype kinda died out and stuff. not much news about it still. if it provides a cheaper alternative to the Imod and provides sound which is good enough, there'll be stiff competition!!! lol.

[tonedef 0]

Sooo, any news on this?

 

Oooh. I thought you were the well known head-fi'er who was reviewing it... hmm....

[Singapura 0]

I would very much like to review it but I haven't had the opportunity yet.

[scottiebabie 0]

sorry to bust some bubbles here but no Gmod funeral procession as of yet !!! as you boyz and gurlz mite guess, r&d isnt quite the calkwalk we would have liked. believe it or not, although we weren't original we infact are developing this on our own so a misstep or two along the way is part and parcel of life in the audiophile fastlane

 

so here the most recent gossip. we did infact ship a Mk1 Gmod unit lastweek to one your compatriots and after some intense auditioning, certain conclusions were formed. it seems that the Mk1 Gmod unit while much better than a normal 'pods lineout, fell a tad short when compared with another "ahem" mod unit from way wayy across alot of ponds. not having the "ahem" mod unit inhand, we ofcoz took your compatriots word and went back to the design board.

 

here's our conclusions: after some testing, we finally pinpointed the culprit to the onboard smt caps we installed. it seems that while HiQ by smt cap standards, they do NOT perform as well as normal tantalums not to mention the venerated BG NX HiQ. it would appear that our desire to be flexible in NOT making people buy a special dock+cable combo isnt quite the best solution for supreme SQ.

 

at this very moment im listen to my Mk2 Gmod unit (with the onboard smt caps substituted with regular tantalums in the dock)) with an ear2ear smile on my face. my Tomahawk > mod iM716/mod&recabled Ksc75 have never sounded so good. its definitely a coupla rungs upwards and i still havent tried the BG HX HiQs!

 

so its official - our final production Gmods are going to be DAC direct to lineout (shortest distance with the best quality wiring we can do) + special dock (installed with BG HX HiQ caps) so you can use your favorite ICs or special dock+cable combo. thats the best SQ to come out of a 'pod! PERIOD!

 

our noted s'porean headfier is reshipping his Mk1 Gmod back to us as we speak for Mk2 refit. will definetly provide a final and happy update next week. plz hold your collective breaths for just a moment longer

[PPkiller 0]

cheers!

[tonedef 0]

Thanks scottiebabie.

 

Just to confirm, does this new development also mean that the Gmod can't be used together with other equipment that use the ipod lineout connector (ie, similar to the other "ahem" mod unit)? eg. lineout stereo, radio, etc. I don't quite understand why they can't be used, or what bad thing will happen.

 

[PPkiller 0]

i think it depends on whether they have capacitor in their line in to block the dc voltage the gmod or imod give. if they have i dun think there will be a problem..

[Singapura 0]

It's very commendable that you guys put so much serious work into it. I can't wait to try this mod

[aloy 0]

yup. the effort you all put in is seriously woah! not like the all talk no action types. not many will be that willing to sacrifice their ipod.

 

lol, looks like you people really wanna do asia proud. lol.

[tonedef 0]

gambatte! i look forward to the day i can go to <insert favourite retailer> and say gpod my ipod.

[scottiebabie 0]

thanks for all the encouragement and kind words guyz. its nice to be appreciated for the work. anyways i can fully report that while waiting for the BG NX HiQs to arrive, the tantalums im currently using have burnt in nicely. my mod iM716s have serious deep, tight and impactful bass with all the accompanying accolades higher resolution and clarity brings. and this off an Ety-type sound signature of iM716s (which isnt exactly famed for its bass impact as most of you know). i cant wait to test the Mk2 Gmod with the BGs

 

we may provide the Mk1 version (with onboard smt caps) for those who demand full ipod mating flexibility based on custom order. though not as good SQ as the Mk2 (with dock mounted BG NX HiQs), the Mk1 Gmod is still heads and shoulders above the normal ipod lineout IMO. we will also doing some R&D on other Apple models and certain other makes and may offer the mod service if demands are viable. another hoorayy for asian ingenuity

 

i should be recieving your compatriots Mk1 Gmod on WED and he should have it back in his hand by the end of this week. stay tuned for further updates

 

 

PS:to answer tonedef, inline coupling caps are needed because of the constant DC voltage outputted by the 'pod post DAC. not many amps are designed for direct full-DC coupling and care must be taken that no DC offsets reaching downstream amps are over 10 millivolts or this may cause them to overheat & could damage the amp and or speakers. thats why coupling caps are needed and since no space is available onboard the 5g 'pod for normal caps (excepting smt caps ofcoz), special cap mounted docks are required.

 

this is the best explanation i can give based on my limited EE knowledge so any other EE sifus are welcome to chimed in with more info. as noted in my 1st post, Gary's the EE genius. im just the mouthpiece

Edited June 25, 2007 by scottiebabie