Is new iPod Classic really that bad?

I thought the latest classic was supposed to sound good

The late 2009 one is generally liked (160gb) compared to the older 120gb one from 2007 or 2008 or whenever it was made

It's not really considered to be bad, as it has a huge storage capacity, good UI, good customer/software support, Line-out option... It does it's job pretty well, I'd say.

Yes, I'm well pleased with mine and don't find it in any way worse than my iPhone 3GS

Actually, it's so GOOD it's bad.

I don't think that the ipod classic 09 version is a bad sounding player. In fact of all ipods, it might be the best and strongest sounding. The problem is that Apple is light years behind Sony in terms of SQ. It's really baffling that apple has not bothered with getting the sq of the ipod on par with the best sounding players on the market.

Not everyone agrees the sonys sounds better. Sony has a history of manipulating the sound to be more pleasing for some music at the expense of accuracy.

Sony has that traditional Sony-ish taste, it tends to put more colors on the music to somewhat get you attracted to the music. Really, the XK is tuned in a way to be used with its own earbuds, while the Pods (newer ones) are not tuned at all (i.e. extremely flat response) and could be used with a variety of aftermarket 'phones.
However, the Pod has a flat responce only when zero-loaded. At around 25 Ohm the bass lacks considerably, and that's pretty much why an XB700 can sound anemic on a Pod. Line-out takes the load down considerably and allows for a better bass response.

All very true. I have friends who think I'm an idiot because I don't like the ipod sound. It's like headphones...it's subjective to the listener's hearing and tastes. I have a new ipod touch, but would never listen to music on it. I like apps, video and podcasts. I have A/B'd it with my S639 and it's just not close for me. When they are both set to flat, it's not THAT big a difference. It's when you start using EQ that the Walkman takes off. But, then again, I have been an EQ fan for over 30 years, so it does make a difference.

I have also listened to the new ipod classic, and I personally think it's certainly at the top of the ipod spectrum for SQ. It seems to a more adequate job of pushing headphones also. Didn't have to kick up the sound as loud on it as I do my touch.

All in all, I say if you like to listen to music w/ EQ off, then take advantage of the space and get the classic. The difference isn't enough to justify almost the same money for 160GB as opposed to 16 or 32 GB. I know I'm starting to get frustrated with my lack of space on my Walkman. I am going to need 5 of them if I carry all of my music. For now, I have to basically add and remove as I'm feeling the mood for different music.

Considering the range of the ipod's EQ, the ability to connect with a LOD and bypass the amp and the ability to bypass both amp and DAC with a couple of docks, you can only define the ipods sound in relation to how and what you you use it with.

To say the ipod sounds good or bad without a reference is meaningless.

Very true. While I like Sony, they do everything to make their sources sound better than the real thing. They have cheated and lied openly for a long time and it has worked. Audiophiles are among the easiest to catch especially when marketing tantrums which mention product A sounds the best serve as trap-alls.

Actually, the Apple iPod touch 2G onward has no bass roll off even with 10Ω dynamic earphones. This I have tested over and over with both equipment and ears. Nothing at all. In all areas, it outperforms the Sony. Of course, that means little in terms of sound preferences. Where the iPod starts to fail is driving balanced armature earphones. Most DAP cannot even drive dynamic earphones, so it is hardly a concession, but the Sony does drive Balanced armatures a bit better. The Fuze, too, does, but both do so with other artifacts. Whether a person does or does not like the sound has nothing to do with actual sound quality - nothing at all.

I thought the latest classic sounded quite good actually.

Well, shoot. I had written out a very detailed description of my testing between my ipod 3g and walkman s639 and X series. I guess it took me so long to write it that I was timed out. When I hit send....poof it was gone.
so without going back into all that detail, I will say that I agree with that point completely. I should have clarified my findings and how I arrived at my opinion and did not.

Basically to make my earlier long post shortened so I won't get timed out again. I did run all 3 from a headroom total bithead amp. the ipod was running from the line out while the X and S were running from the headphone out. With all sources running from flat EQ setting and set to 1/3 volume capacity, I still found the Sony's to perform better in sound. Not by much. When I EQ'd them, the Sony's took off.

But when I talk about a portable source for me personally, I am talking about just the source. I NEVER carry amps and cables with me. So, it's important for me to find the best sounding player (for my ears) without all the extra gear. I also prefer my Sony over the ipod when I run the ipod with the lineout and the sony straight out of the headphone jack.

I currently only own 2 ipods. the 1G shuffle, as I find it's SQ to be as good as any ipod I have ever owned, and the 3G Touch. I have owned every generation Shuffle, Nano, Classic (09 version excluded) and Touch since the first day they hit the shelf. Although I do not own the current Classic, I have heard it from a friends and I do find it to be as good a sounding player as ipod has to offer. It was certainly cleaner than my previous classics.

Ultimately I also got rid of my X. It sounded a bit better than my S, but in the end, the lack of a dedicated shuffle button and the lack of SensMe channels made me dump it. Poor oversight on Sony's part IMO. And since they are not big believers in firmware updates, I decided those 2 things were deal breakers.

I don't mind the fact that Sony tries to manipulate audio. Audio is manipulated in every step from the time a singer sings into a microphone until the time it is run through any number of thousands of sources and speakers and headphones to the time it hits your eardrum. I just look for what sounds best for me with the least amount of equipment that I have to drag around with me.

I want to buy one too for its size but I've done it 3 times in the past and regretted it and sold them all pretty quickly. The really really old ipods that had a different design sounded pretty good from what I heard at the shops. I just wish these new ones sounded more Apple-y. That would be a fun unique concept. They just sound lifeless and metallic.