Newbie lookin to improve ipod Classic SQ - Page 2

I also got given a 6th gen Classic. Using the line out is night and day to the headphone out. My Graham Slee amp is excellent and it's "contour" circuit helps no end with my IEM's (cheepies ATM). Expensive but I do not anticipate ever buying another portable amp. Russ Andrews LOD cables are superbly built. I splashed out on the silver version but the copper would be a bargain. My rig is still not perfect but highly listenable and way ahead of the iPod on it's own. HTH enjoy your Classic!

Well, I may suggest two options then:

1) Get an amp producing lively sound when paired with E530. From what I heard this may be:
- XIN Supermicro IV, which is rare as hell.
- TTVJ Millett Portable. This is crazy thing - portable hybrid (tubes+solid state) amp. It hisses with E530, but impedance adapter (say Etymotic ER4P-24) will help.
- Meier 3Move.
From what I read RSA Mustang also has lively sound.

2) Get Sansa Clip+ for portable use ("just for gym, honey") and keep Classic as "whole music library" solution for car, portable speakers, home stereo, etc. Win-Win?

I think if you just buy Mustang + ALO 18AWG Cryo dock with SE530 and you will get home theatre type sound experience(fuller richer and detailed).

I forgot to mention that Clip sounds more lively. Classic is more detailed and refined though.

A good cheapie solution for me was getting the ipod wired remote, which has a decent DAC (Wolfson?) built in. This can be unamped with IEMs, or amped.

Hi Leyliner, it sounds like you're in a similar situation as I am. I'm also fairly new to head-fi (1-2 months) and to getting into higher fidelity sound. Like you, I decided to splurge on a high end pair of headphones for my Ipod 5G and Cowon O2 and bought Sennheiser IE8 (after reading 250 pages of thread on them ). As you have stated, the higher end headphones alone have drastically improved my experience and I'm spending much more time listening to music than I ever have and have loved every minute of it.

Since your background is so similar to mine, I thought I'd share my plans for near term upgrades. You seem to not want to spend a fortune all at once, but you also seem willing to invest over time to get awesome SQ.

I just bought my first DAC/amp in an Ibasso D10. If you haven't heard much about it yet, it is one the highest regarded values around here for portable DAC/Amps at $275. It is truly awesome and I am LOVING it . It has optical, coaxial, and USB connections, which make it extremely versatile. I use it on my PC at home in the evenings and on my laptop at work during the day. I''ll also use it with my Ipod 5G via LOD cable when it arrives for portable use (overall impression for this forum is that it is significant and worthwhile improvement over headphone out).

I would advise you to spend a little more than the $100 options so that you get something with more longevity and higher quality. D10 is regarded as an excellent DAC with a very good amp section. The DAC section is known to scale really well and I have seen many head-fi'ers on here keep it for a long time for use as a DAC to feed more expensive desktop amps.

While I'm covered for desktop and work listening, I really want a digital out solution for bedside or living room listening through D10. I'm strongly considering buying the Wadia 170i iPod dock for $375. Although its on the pricey side, it will let me access my entire storage of loss-less music in pure digital so it won't hinder my D10's potential at all. A lot of people use old and clunky iRiver ihp-1xx players for this, but I wouldn't use it enough on the go to make it a better option for me YMMV of course.

After that, I plan to buy a pair of Denon AH-D2000s (about $250 new) and mod them over time with the popular Lawton Audio mods -- custom wood cups, upgraded cables, sound dampening and extra padding--. These also seem to be a popular option for a really high end finished product.

Sorry for writing a book here, just wanted to share anything that might help.
If you haven't yet, MAKE SURE to read Larry's (headphone addict) massive review of portable amps. I can't remember the exact number, but I think he compared 20-30 different amps (or DAC/Amp combos). Reading his review was the single most helpful thing I have ever read period. That probably includes my finance major classes as well . In it, he rates D10 number 1 with great $400-$500 options following it like Predator and Pico.

Hope this helps...

All the advice you're getting is spot on. You've another option. Do nothing, pack your lunch for the next six months, sell the Shures, and buy the new JH 13 Pro IEMs. They're game-changers. I've been down the path the other posters are describing - and, again, they're absolutely right - and would rather listen to the JH 13s from my Classic's headphone out than my best (now several) high-end IEM/iMOd/LOD/amp combinations. They're that good.

Got an iPod 5.5G 80GB... It's neutral, refined and natural.... but LIFELESS... Why? It just has a weak amplifier driving that headphone out... my E4C sounds way way better from my Ultra Micro amp.

So IEM's don't really *need an amp, but that'll improve things a lot. Also get a line-out for your IPC...if not, just make one.

EDIT: If you wish to use EQ, gain down your music.

Guys, dont get me wrong - I enjoy both my DAPs very much - but I'd ask you to think long and hard about whether building a system around the Wadia/Onkyo transports is going to give you a better result than using a netbook/laptop ? I was dead keen on these transports until I read the What Hi-Fi reviews : whether the editor felt the need to protect the market for cheap CDPs or not, I really need to see something more in-depth from folk with the whole enchilada in place (a purpose-built DAC feeding lossless to a solid HP amp). If they are still talking about 'graininess' and the sound being 'thin at the margins', then the whole 'iPod-to-flawless-bitstream' thing goes straight out the window for mine. Computers carry their own set of problems but I can get a very good result from my old Macbook Pro : its a known quantity. As always, your mileage will inevitably vary.

I have a 160g classic (2009) and I bought a cheap fix; total airhead, and I think it mad e huge difference with my cans, using sendstation charge/LOD. Although I have messed around with wearing my w3's and using amp, I don't think the amp does as much for them as it does for larger phones. Maybe this is because IEM's are easier to push?