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Newbie lookin to improve ipod Classic SQ

post #1 of 26
9/8/09 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all,

I just discovered this site and was looking for a little advice please. I've recently been given a new ipod classic - my first mp3 player in fact and I'm now in the process of ripping my whole cd collection to apple lossless format to get the most from it.

I wasn't overly impressed with the SQ initially, so I've invested in a pair of Shure E530's which have improved things dramatically, but was wondering what you guys would recommend as a next step in terms of a portable headphone amp or even dac?

I'm totally new to this, and didn't even know such things existed until a week ago and am now a bit bewildered by what seems to be available! Just how much of an improvement can I expect and are there any specifics you'd recommend?

I'm not a real audiophile, but have always had reasonable equipment in the past - Arcam, Monitor Audio etc and am just looking to squeeze the best SQ possible from the ipod. A very technical friend of mine informs me that the previous version was actually better in terms of SQ, which seems odd.

Any help much appreciated,

Thanks.
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post #2 of 26
9/8/09 at 6:49pm
well theres not toomuch todo.your setup is great. Youcan EQ ur 530s, sell them and get customs, or go all cazy, buying a portable 'brick' to make your ipod able to send out a clean digital signal, into a DAC then into an amp. It will fit in ur backpack..
When it comes to IEMs ur better off upgrading ur actual headphones(iems) instead ofbuying loads of extra equipment. If you still feel like wanting to, check out some of the smaller amp,like the iBasso T4. With an ipod, theres no need to think about DACs unless u want to go all crazy..

and i almost forgot lol, you can imod ur ipod. redwineaudio.com
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post #3 of 26
9/8/09 at 6:55pm
You can't connect a DAC but lod to a portable headphone amplifier should improve sound quality. If you want a DAP with digital out you'll have to look elseware unless someone brings out "DOD"
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post #4 of 26
9/8/09 at 7:13pm
I thought you couldn't imod the classic?
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post #5 of 26
9/8/09 at 7:21pm
You can't mod the 6G classic.
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post #6 of 26
9/8/09 at 8:01pm
Get yourself a Line Out Dock ( "LOD") and I decent amplifier. A good proposition would be the NuForce Mobile Icon (small and very portable, can be used as a USB DAC with a PC/MAC) together with the NuForce Icon Adapter, that would be a $150 investment that would improve the sound quality quite drastically as the headphone jack on the iPod isn't that good...
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post #7 of 26
9/9/09 at 3:50am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the advice guys. It's a shame I can't imod my version! Is that likely to change in the near future?

So it's primarily a case of bypassing the headphone jack and amp in the ipod? I think £100 or so to improve the SQ 'quite drastically' would be money well spent! Although I see now I could end up spending a whole lot more, since there seems to be some fairly exotic stuff out there specifically for this purpose.

In your opinion, are there any others that specifically mate well with the ipod classic/shure E530 combination I have? I can push the budget if the rewards are likely to be worth it. I intend on using this set up an awful lot over the next few years.
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post #8 of 26
9/9/09 at 4:36am
an iqube goes really well with the SE530 if money is not the constraint.
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post #9 of 26
9/9/09 at 4:43am
Buy an AMP3, job done.
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post #10 of 26
9/9/09 at 11:58am
I abandoned Classic and returned to iPod 5.5G and iPod Mini. These two sound much better, even if you compare them unamped vs Classic amped. Amp does not cure the Classic faults to me.
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post #11 of 26
9/9/09 at 1:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kostalex View Post
I abandoned Classic and returned to iPod 5.5G and iPod Mini. These two sound much better, even if you compare them unamped vs Classic amped. Amp does not cure the Classic faults to me.
what faults do you find in the classic? and is it really like this that the 5.5g unamped sounds better than the classic amped?
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post #12 of 26
9/9/09 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dippyboy_87 View Post
what faults do you find in the classic? and is it really like this that the 5.5g unamped sounds better than the classic amped?
I myself don't agree with that statement. I have both and in a blind test don't think I could honestly tell them apart. The ipod was designed as a portable device and it does that well IMO. It was not designed to be an audiophile grade piece of equipment.
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post #13 of 26
9/9/09 at 3:00pm
I was incorrect using the "faults' word. There are no specific faults to talk about. It is better to say that I does not like Classic sound in a whole. It is lifeless comparing to 5.5G.
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post #14 of 26
9/9/09 at 3:47pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I tend to agree - the SQ is a bit lifeless on my Classic, but it was a surprise gift from my wife so I can't really replace it. Well, I suppose I could but the ramifications would be colourful ;-)

So that's why I immediately invested in the E530s and am interested in the improvement a portable amp may or may not provide. No doubt I'll upgrade the player in a few years - but for now, I'm stuck with it. Plus, it was a pretty nice gift to be given and I can think of worse problems to have to be honest!
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post #15 of 26
9/9/09 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anadin View Post
Buy an AMP3, job done.
Replacing a high capacity player with a 4 GB player is not much of a upgrade, even though SQ may be awesome.
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