About 2-3 years ago I finally broke down and bought a 1st Gen iPod Shuffle for cycling. Being one who likes to go against the grain, it was something I had put off for a long time. If it's pop culture it's not for me, but I soon realized that there's actually something to this "Ipod thing."
Well 2-3 years later I have a bunch of headphones, a 1st Gen Shuffle, a 2nd Gen Shuffle, 1st Gen Nano (Rockboxed), 6th Gen Classic 80GB, Sansa C250 and finally a 5th Gen Classic 30GB.
I've heard ad nauseam the debate about the best source gear on this site and although the reviews are always insightful, it can be a bit overwhelming to make a decision based on someone else's ears. So, like many of you, I go and purchase another iPod when I have more of them already than I have brains.
So, the 5th Gen Classic arrives today from Woot.com for $99. My taste in music is mostly Hip-Hop, Soul and Jazz. I throw a few good tunes on the new Classic from Madlib's Beat Konducta album (mostly Jazz and Soul sampled instrumental Hip Hop -- GREAT album BTW). I pop the newly deflowered Classic into my iPod dock, which is connected to my Onkyo receiver, which is connected to my Energy Speakers. To my amazement, it sounded great. In fact at the high bit rate that I sample my MP3s, my ears couldn't distinguish a difference between that and the actual CD fed through my Oppo DVD/CD player.
I then wondered how good this really sounds in comparison to my 6th Gen. So, I fire up the same song on the 6th Gen, check the EQ settings to make sure everything is the same as the 5th Gen and pop that bad boy in the same dock. The difference was amazing; dull, flat, less spacious with a loss of punch in both of ends of the spectrum. The mids were there and accurate, but it just lost its soul. If I could describe the difference in one word it would be, "lifeless." It then hit me, I now see what all the fuss is about. The Wolfson chip in the 5th Gen IS clearly better. I expected a modest difference, but it was much more than that.
30GB is more than enough to fit my favorite albums. My 6th Gen will now be relegated to beach listening and God knows what. It just doesn't compare to its predecessor.
In the words of Ferris Bueller, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
Well 2-3 years later I have a bunch of headphones, a 1st Gen Shuffle, a 2nd Gen Shuffle, 1st Gen Nano (Rockboxed), 6th Gen Classic 80GB, Sansa C250 and finally a 5th Gen Classic 30GB.
I've heard ad nauseam the debate about the best source gear on this site and although the reviews are always insightful, it can be a bit overwhelming to make a decision based on someone else's ears. So, like many of you, I go and purchase another iPod when I have more of them already than I have brains.
So, the 5th Gen Classic arrives today from Woot.com for $99. My taste in music is mostly Hip-Hop, Soul and Jazz. I throw a few good tunes on the new Classic from Madlib's Beat Konducta album (mostly Jazz and Soul sampled instrumental Hip Hop -- GREAT album BTW). I pop the newly deflowered Classic into my iPod dock, which is connected to my Onkyo receiver, which is connected to my Energy Speakers. To my amazement, it sounded great. In fact at the high bit rate that I sample my MP3s, my ears couldn't distinguish a difference between that and the actual CD fed through my Oppo DVD/CD player.
I then wondered how good this really sounds in comparison to my 6th Gen. So, I fire up the same song on the 6th Gen, check the EQ settings to make sure everything is the same as the 5th Gen and pop that bad boy in the same dock. The difference was amazing; dull, flat, less spacious with a loss of punch in both of ends of the spectrum. The mids were there and accurate, but it just lost its soul. If I could describe the difference in one word it would be, "lifeless." It then hit me, I now see what all the fuss is about. The Wolfson chip in the 5th Gen IS clearly better. I expected a modest difference, but it was much more than that.
30GB is more than enough to fit my favorite albums. My 6th Gen will now be relegated to beach listening and God knows what. It just doesn't compare to its predecessor.
In the words of Ferris Bueller, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
