If you like Chinese or Tibetan folk songs, you will love this singer, 阿木乃. Her voice is fabulous in this album 爱情买卖. Link: http://www.51ctzs.com/html/320KMP3/fscd/nv/2010/2997.html
A bit off topic. If I were to listen up to 5~6 hours a day from my notebook/computer, I would want to add a Centrance DAC. This is of course add quite a bit more to your budget.
Are you sure you can tap the digital output from the iPod? There are only a few machines as far as I am aware that can receive digital output from the iPod, the Wadia, Onkyo, iDecco etc. but I never knew the Marantz KI has this feature.
The product you are looking for is the Cyberlab AlgoRhythm Solo. The only portable DAC in the world made specially to obtain digital output from your iPod.