Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Source Gear › hey apple! make an audiophile ipod!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

hey apple! make an audiophile ipod!

post #1 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
apple HAS to notice that sales of expensive headphones are through the roof. they HAVE to know about the imod. they HAVE to know about portable headphone amps... how many of us would pay an extra $100 bucks to get an ipod with all the good gear in it already? let's all chime in and see if they don't pay attetion! how many folks would buy an audiophile ipod? one that is lossless through the bottom plug, and has a better amp in it? one that has the old wolfson dac? better components...

I would in a hot second...

antiman
Reply
post #2 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:04pm
The iPod is already one of the best sounding players in the market. Sure improving on it would be nice, but I'm quite happy with where it's at.
We are such a tiny demographic that it really isn't worth their time to go out of their way to improve on SQ.
Reply
post #3 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:05pm
Quote:
The iPod is already one of the best sounding players in the market
hmmm I thought it's one of the worst?
Reply
post #4 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:07pm
lossless thru the plug? apple?

the same company that spent billions (well, almost) on locking down the ipod so that that 'bad untrustable users' wont be able to copy data BACK from their very own pod to their very own disk.

that apple?

it will be a long wait before apples GIVES users the ability for bidirectional file copy on portables.

even if it allowed realtime copying of the bits (spdif) they will won't go for it.

if you want control, you don't want apple. apple keeps control to themselves.
Reply
post #5 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:13pm
Meanwhile while you're waiting I'm enjoying superb sound from iriver h140, excellent headphone stage, or optical out to a dac. More durable connector than Apple's long thin one. In lossless flac, no DRM, no need for software to sync or build database. Drag n drop like a hard disc.

Fantastic.
Reply
post #6 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:24pm
I think the only way Apple would ever make a high-end audiophile grade iPod is if their market share got threatened by another company with a superior product. This is a crack in Apple's armor, but so far, not a single company has exploited this weakness.
Reply
post #7 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:30pm
I always get a kick out of linuxworks ahistorical rants. Please keep them up!
Reply
post #8 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:31pm
The iPod is pretty good as it is - did you hear about the show where Wilson Audio ran their speakers off an iPod filled with AAC files while telling attendees that the source was a five figure CD player? Apparently, no one in attendance could tell that they were listening to an iPod.

Personally, I like the iPod with the RS-1 plugged directly into it. It's not as good as a proper tube amp with SACD/vinyl, but it's plenty good for regular listening. I don't hear any great flaws.

I think the real problem you're getting at is that there isn't a very expensive, exclusive iPod with snob appeal. If the exact same thing cost $1,500, had a six month waiting list and was made by hand by a "guru" then it would, magically, have audiophile status. But since you can get one for $250 at Target, well, sniff, *nose in air*, then it MUST be crap. Right?
Reply
post #9 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iriverdude View Post
hmmm I thought it's one of the worst?
Whilst apparently, they are one of the best... The iPod touch 2G is taken to be one of the best sounding mp3 players... And thing is, the iPod touch could be updated with firmware that allowed FLAC, OGG etc... I mean, they already have ALAC, and that's still very good.
Reply
post #10 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blessingx View Post
I always get a kick out of linuxworks ahistorical rants. Please keep them up!
if you wish, I could subscribe you to my newsletter...

Reply
post #11 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
ok folks. it was a simple question... try to stay focused. it is a fact about expensive headphone sales being up, as well as the use of outboard amps. if apple could, by installing 30 bucks more parts in the thing, make an extra hundred bucks, i'd think they'd jump at it. yes, the amp market is small, but i see people with aftermarket headphones often...

so, the question remains, IF (!) apple made the first truly killer portable player, would you buy it? yes, iriver made one, but they STOPPED making it, and you can't get one... plus, how much of a market share does iriver HAVE anyway?

if one was available, even you people who piss and moan about apple would jump on that train, wouldn't you?

antiman
Reply
post #12 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:34pm
As a former Apple dealer, I can only say that the company does what it wants, when it wants, how it wants.

They get it either really right (iphone, ipod) or really wrong (Lisa, failure to open up their OS before MS took over the world).

They also have a notoriously iron clad grip over licensing any of their technology or firmware ...I'm sure Wadia had to jump through flaming hoops of overheated Macbook batteries just to get the iTransport concept approved by Apple.

As for an audiophile version ...we'll probably see a fat Steve Jobs before that ...market is an insignificant percentage overall, and when you make a gazillion of something, every 1/4 cent you shave off production costs (that means using non-audiophile parts) saves millions.

I hope I'm wrong.
Reply
post #13 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:38pm
id rather cowan sony et al made players that were more about the music than they are about the screen. specificaly they had a hell of a lot more storage ie hdd rather than flash based
Reply
post #14 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidhunternyc View Post
I think the only way Apple would ever make a high-end audiophile grade iPod is if their market share got threatened by another company with a superior product. This is a crack in Apple's armor, but so far, not a single company has exploited this weakness.
What??? The crack in their armor is if someone makes a superior product? Isn't that pretty obvious lol. I think there's really not any crack in the armor. I think we just need to wait until people get bored of Apple. My brother, who was an avid Apple supporter when the first iPods were coming out, is bored of Apple, so it's a start
Reply
post #15 of 97
2/18/09 at 1:41pm
Other players are better suited already to drive more demanding headphones (more output power for example), file format flexibility is better on many other players as well. Sound quality will always be up for debate so I'm not even going to go there. I don't even think the interface or some of the control decisions for the iPods are that intuitive or smart, but plenty of people are used to them now.

What makes the iPod the best player? Well I don't consider it the best, but they have developed a well integrated system combining iPods with the popular (although ponderous) iTunes. They've also spent a great deal of effort designing the appearance of the iPod (although others have too). Many people care about those things but I am less concerned with what many perceive to be the iPod's strengths. I'd go so far as to say I dislike software like iTunes and players that rely on them.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Portable Source Gear
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Source Gear › hey apple! make an audiophile ipod!