iPod Touch Sound Quality is quite bad.

[Dublo7]

So it's just come to my attention that the Touch's sound quality really isn't all that great. Distortion runs rampant, sounds are muddy and run together, and the bass sounds like ****. The bass may be there, but it's not pleasant to listen to. It's usually blurry, and once again, it's usually distorted.
In comparison to my Zune and my D2 (with exact same files/formats/bit rates), it really pales in the sound quality department.

Any other Touch users here sort of regretting their purchase?

I might see if I can palm it off to someone else. Maybe my Dad might want it

[doomlordis]

Bought it , sold it.
To be honest i didnt get rid of it because it sounded bad , just because it is a little large (footprint) and crashed a lot.
The sound quality is what i would describe as fine, not great but ok. My Vibez through my amp is clearer and the bass is better defined ...

[ricthaman]

well,

I have an ipod touch and must say that I don't think it's all that bad. I mean, My sony walkman sounds a lot better but the touch is really neutral. Bass is fine, but not bloated. So I'm satisfied. I do take in sight the fact that I can surf the web, check my email, look up the weather, use google maps and have a fully loaded agenda at hand. So I think it's fine.

What do you guys exactly not like about the sound?

greetz

[Dublo7]

The distortion mainly. I only seem to hear it on my Touch and on none of my other DAP's.

[shigzeo]

i actually have the d2 and prefer in just about every way the touch. the only thing i think it does not quite as well is treble, but, the touch is much less fatiguing.

right now, i am enjoying trance from the touch straight from the headphone jack but usually enjoy it from the lod - it is charging. the d2 i found got confused easily when it came to complicated music if there were no sound effects applied but with sound effects applied themusic became somewhat stuffy and lost focus.

the touch on the other hand isn't the best option for sound effects, but without, i find it to be a great approach to music. everything is well placed. the treble is there and not overpowering, the mids are spaced and even and never congested but never liquidy or too warm.

the bass is good. it has resolution where the d2 had oomph or just a pushing sound. yeah, i used the d2 the other day again and it really sounded like the music was going through photoshop as if cowon did not care for the original sound of the music.

still, the d2 is a nice idea. that is just me but i find the ipod touch superior for music

[SR-71Panorama]

When I first got my iphone 2 weeks after the launch, it crashed constantly. Then they updated it like 2 or 3 weeks later and I've had like one or two crashes, when playing music and accessing a website that has timed out.
I also can't complain about the sound quality, but the counter-sunk headphone jack is a beast to work with. I have cut a little of the plastic off my PX100 and JVC Marshmallows to compensate, and all is well.

I am surprised there could be that big a difference SQ wise between the touch and iphone. Then again, there seems to be screen issues with the touch that don't occur in the iphone...

[Pangaea]

I am very happy with the SQ of my touch. In fact I would say it is better than I thought it would be. Etys and iCans pair well- esp. when using a resistor.

[doomlordis]

One thing i would say to Euro Touch users is HACK THE VOLUME , it improved the delivery , attack and overall sound quality on mine.
The touch sounds fine like i said , i think 95% of people will be happy with it, i bought it for all the extras then realised they were pretty useless to me.
The crashing issue is annoying , i have had 2 touches and both behaved the same , they would be fine for a few days then they lose stability crashing back to main menu during songs, from the internet and videos.
A reset would fix it again for a few days then it would happen again.
I was also annoyed about the 1 list limit on on the go playlisting with no option to save - talk about a step back!
I am sure apple will fix it.

[ceres]

Originally Posted by doomlordis

One thing i would say to Euro Touch users is HACK THE VOLUME , it improved the delivery , attack and overall sound quality on mine.
The touch sounds fine like i said , i think 95% of people will be happy with it, i bought it for all the extras then realised they were pretty useless to me.
The crashing issue is annoying , i have had 2 touches and both behaved the same , they would be fine for a few days then they lose stability crashing back to main menu during songs, from the internet and videos.
A reset would fix it again for a few days then it would happen again.
I was also annoyed about the 1 list limit on on the go playlisting with no option to save - talk about a step back!
I am sure apple will fix it.

how do you hack the volume?

[Dublo7]

Originally Posted by doomlordis

One thing i would say to Euro Touch users is HACK THE VOLUME , it improved the delivery , attack and overall sound quality on mine.
The touch sounds fine like i said , i think 95% of people will be happy with it, i bought it for all the extras then realised they were pretty useless to me.
The crashing issue is annoying , i have had 2 touches and both behaved the same , they would be fine for a few days then they lose stability crashing back to main menu during songs, from the internet and videos.
A reset would fix it again for a few days then it would happen again.
I was also annoyed about the 1 list limit on on the go playlisting with no option to save - talk about a step back!
I am sure apple will fix it.

How do you hack the volume?

[manaox2]

Thats odd... Maybe it wasn't properly shielded from the wireless or something. I assumed it sounded the same as the 5.5g iPod, since its mostly the same DAC stage, etc. I haven't heard anyone say quite this about the touch yet.

[ho1ming]

I think my gf's touch sounds better then my video

[doomlordis]

first jailbreak it, then this

EU: How-To: Uncap the volume limit on european iPod Touch models
What you need:

- iPod Touch with Jailbreak "applied"
- a program to edit .plist files (macs come with one or you can use textwrangler)
- Cyberduck (or any other SFTP program)

What to do:

1. Connect to your iPod touch via SFTP
2. copy the following file over to your desktop: /System/Library/Frameworks/Celestial.framework/RegionalVolumeLimits.plist
3. You should see a lot of keys (F, Z, ZD, etc...) with a value of 0.82999999 (or 0.83)
4. Change the value of all keys to "1"
5. Save the file
6. Upload to the original file location on your iPod
7. Power off the iPod (using the red slider) and turn it back on.
8. Enjoy loud music.

It works, it is quite a large hike in volume as well!

[Alleyman]

How does higher volume help get rid of distortion?

[GAD]

I have no distortion on my iTouch. Assuming you have the EQ off (EQ = distortion on iPods IMO), then I'd swap it for a new unit.

GAD