iPod

Fredrik

You made an error, you should have listened to the iPod Nuno.

Fredrik, I don't understand your post.

If you bought the nano on the assumption it was an audiophile device then you are wrong.

If you bought it for convenience so that you could carry 1000 tunes about with you or podcasts then you made the right decision.

You can get vastly improved sound from any ipod (apart from shuffle) by plugging it into a dock and using the line out.

Frederik

Your post is perfectly understandable. You listened to an iPod Nano through your system and anti-climatically it sounded like AM radio.
That's a very apt description, even given a lot of messing around with codecs, power supplies, magic wires and the like you won't get much better than "stereo AM". Plus you'll get plenty of clicks and pops and marvelous little gaps between continuous tracks.
I own two iPods, a 10G I and a 20G IV, they're good for music on the move and background listening but not much else - but then they were never meant to be anything else. They will never replace the front end of a music system.

Well, it's not a £2800 CDX2 front end, but it's not AM stero either. If you use the Apple Dock, you get a direct line out, and, within limits, using the standard set up, it sounds fine for what it is, a £2-300 portable player, with hundreds of hours of music at the whirl of a wheel.

When CD's first came out, a lot of people thought they were crap, but look where they are now. HiFi hard disk storage, is on the way, for sure.

Dear friends,

The little iPod was a friends. I was glad to have to chance to listen to one in known surroundings. But the sound was far worse than I was expecting. Not unpleasant, but nothing like as good as a good tape cassette in a Walkman, and quite similar to AM radio...

What I find a surprising therefore is all the fuss that hass been made over the concept! A sort of must have accessory for the young...

Fredrik

Fredrik

You can record on to most iPods in a variety of formats AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), Apple Lossless, WAV and AIFF. The Apple Lossless is about the best, as it lets you record quite a few songs in high quality. If your friend used MP3 to squeeze on the most tracks then it'll sound at its worst.

The other problem is that the supplied headphones are mediocre (that's being kind). You can get reasonable results with an IPod if you use Apple Lossless and much better headphones. That said, I've tried it through my headphones (Stax 4040) and it doesn't sound right - asked the Stax guys and they said they were not surprised.

Even with Apple Lossless, if I try to listen to King Priam on an iPod and compare it with my original vinyl box set then the results are disappointing - I'll stay with vinyl, thank you. However, recording from Radio 7 and listening to Hancock's Half Hour through the car stereo while driving to a meeting is great fun.

Moreover, the iPod can also synchronise with my calendar and I can store a presentation on it - so it is quite versatile.

Can an iPOd outperform a Sony Walkman PRO in terms of sound quality? IMHO - no.

Rotf

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik H:
Dear friends,

The little iPod was a friends. I was glad to have to chance to listen to one in known surroundings. But the sound was far worse than I was expecting. Not unpleasant, but nothing like as good as a good tape cassette in a Walkman, and quite similar to AM radio...

Sounds like something was broken tbh. I'm no expert on the subtleties between iPod families, but given a decent quality file to play, and decent headphones, I'd say that to even the most subjective listener they're better than a walkman or an AM radio?

Paul

Dear Paul,

To be honest I thought it sounded broken. But he seemed delight by it, so what can I say. He then worked out it was far better than my aged CDS2 on the principal it cost about a twentyfifth of the price! That also misses out about 800 CDs!

Young ones for you, Hey?!

Fredrik

Paul

Although, I'm not convinved my iPod sounds better than a well recorded cassette, I can put a lot of music/radio podcasts on my iPod; I just can't carry around the equivalent number of cassettes. Added to that cassette recorders in cars are becoming a thing of the past and they don't put DAB radios in cars, but they do put iPod dock points in - so if you want Radio 7 on the move then iPod wins.

Rotf

Dear Friends,

I listened to my friend's iPod again yesterday, and it has now got some proper downloads on it. Well it is what it is: a quite remarkable miniature thing that makes a telerably pleasant source. Much better than when I heard it before.

The conclusion for me is that I would not now ever a get a car CD player, but some arrangement with an iPod. I am pleased that is capabale of a reasonable quality, though it is hardly a listening seesion machine for all that.

Fredrik

Fredrick it is what it is.

Its not an audiophile product, I don't believe they ever advertised it as such.

I heard a few MP3 players before buy my iPod. For me the iPod is the best!And the iTunes software make easier to work with it.It is a product for hear music on the move,is not a audiophile product,of course!

Well I have listened to the Nano carefully and at length with several different sets of headphones, and I think it is staggeringly good. The real issue is quality of download and choice of headphone, get those right and is superb.

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
Fredrick it is what it is.

Its not an audiophile product, I don't believe they ever advertised it as such.

Agreed - it is good at what it does, but it is not intended as an audiophile device,

Rockingdoc, what headphones have worked best for you?

I there any chance of Apple doing a joint venture with the Scottish comapny and bringing out the iP12.

This would come in black ash with the trademark white arm board.

It would be capable of two bit rates, 33 and 45 rpm and would come in two models with different song capacities, 12 inch and 7 inch with a limited etidion U2 model in a 10 inch picture disc, this one would of course have a red platter.

The only trouble you would have is that when using it on the tube, you would have to make sure it was very level on your lap and you would have to sit very still.

Simon

Would Naim react and bring out an iARO ?

I've just ordered the new iPOD 30gb in black along with some Sennhesiser px100 headphones through Amazon.

What's the best way to play though my Naim?

I belive Cord do a cable?.

Thanks, Andy

You need the apple dock if it does not come with the iPod, or similar, this will give you access to line out.

Connecting to the system via the headphone socket is a poor option.

quote:

any chance of Apple doing a joint venture with the Scottish comapny

They would have to find Scotland first and then work out what a comapny is

Chris

Or they could resurrect Strathearn and fabricate the dOpi which occasionaly plays songs backwards.

Seriously though, my 3G 40G iPod sounds pretty damn good going through the DBLs and associated hardware-including an iSupply. But it is mainly used on my nightstand plugged into a Headroom Micro headphone amp that is powered by the optional high capacity power supply ($400!!)via the docking station and a Cardas mini-mini cable. Earbuds are the Etymotics E4S. I also have some Shure E3c and E5c-in that order of preferance. I probably spend more time listening to this rig as I do the CDS3 upstairs.

The best sound I got from the iPod was when I powered it not from the iSupply, but instead from the powered output of the 552. Rather more dynamic and punchy than the iSupply, but had some 60Hz hum in the not-so-far background that I couldn't seem to get rid of.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Kelly:
Rockingdoc, what headphones have worked best for you?

I use Etymotic ER4Ps on the move, and Sennheiser HD650s through a headphone amp at my desk.

The local Apple Store (Bluewater) demonstrate with several types of phone, and I was impressed by the cheap Sennheiser HD212 pro.

Much depends on the bitrate rate and the headphones used but I have been surprised at the sound quality difference I noted between my Sony Vaio VGF-AP1L and a friend's 60 Gb i-Pod, even when playing tracks encoded at the same bitrate. The Sony never sold very well and has recently been discontinued (so it's available quite cheaply). In my view it does sound better than any other media players I have heard and I guess that relects Sony's pedigree in the audio arena.

I'm using it with some Sony in ear headphones at present but am keen to upgrade those. I have also found a rather interesting travel speaker system called the Virgin boomtube EX which should arrive later this week from the USA. Will be interesting to hear what the combination sounds like. My aim is to have the best possible music system for when I'm away travelling or in hotels.

A question about the iSupply.

Does this work with the new NANO? I was under the impression that it was firewire specific and I didn't think the NANO had that capability.

Does the iSupply make a big difference?

and finally: has anyone noticed a difference between the sound quality of the new flash memory versus the original hard drive memory?

Thanks in advance.

tw

Tristram

I do not know much about the iSupply, but I am a nano owner.

You are half correct about the firewire vs nano question. The nano can only synch by USB but it can charge via the apple firewire charger.

I also have an ipod mini and this came with the ipod charger which connects via a firewire to ipod dock connector plug. This charges the nano no probs, this is even confirmed on the Apple website somwhere I think. If the iSupply has a firewire plug, it will probably charge the nano as well.

Simon