Arcam has announced the US$299 rDock-uni — The UN-Wireless Digital Lightning Dock DAC for iOS devices (http://tinyurl.com/mnsvlmn). The device allows the highest quality and easiest connection to any AV or Hi-Fi and allows music lovers to listen at a quality level that no other dock can achieve, according to the folks at Arcam.
The rDock extracts digital audio from the iDevice and processes the music via an audiophile DAC, the Burr-Brown/TI PCM1502 and a Arcam’s de-jittering circuitry. The analogue stereo out goes straight to any form of audio system — or to improve the sound even further, the pure digital signal can be fed to a higher grade DAC such as Arcam’s $700 irDAC or $3200 FMJ D33.
No Wi-fi or Bluetooth is required. Just drop the device onto the dock and touch play or use the remote control supplied. The device is charged while playing.
Arcam uses Apple Certified “Made For” Lightning connectors with the correct authentication chip. The rDock-uni also allows users to connect any older 30-pin iDevice to the dock via a rear-mounted USB connector.