iPod 5G DAC vs Fuze DAC

I would love to know the answer to the same question as I'm in the same boat. Can anybody weigh in on which they like better?

The wolfson in the ipod 5.5 is definitely superior.  Not too sure about if the ipod 5 is the same and don't feel like googling atm.

I was under the impression the 5g and 5.5g use the same chip. Or at least a chip that is considered superior to the Cirrus chip, that's why Red Wine Audio mod them.

 From my memory of when I had both of these some months back now, Although they both sounded good, The iPod 5g had more clarity, Wider soundstage, Better treble and more detail and -VERY- slight extra bass, Also a tad warmer sound.

   Then when I sold the 5g and got a 3g iPod touch it instantly as soon as I listened had noticeably wider soundstage than the 5g iPod, Even more clarity, Even more treble (Which over time I found to be really harsh with RE0's) and much less warmth and bass than the 5g.

   Of all 3 I liked the 5g the most probably, Then the Fuze, Then the touch 3g.   The Fuze was like a much cheaper slightly less good version of the 5g and the touch a very neutral and bright player which got annoying over time since I paired a bright treble focused DAP with treble focused neutral IEM's.

   Edit - Yes the 5g and 5.5g should be the same sound, The 5.5g just has better battery life for video, A brighter screen and comes in 80gb.  But you can also get a U2 version 5.5g in 30gb.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

The wolfson in the ipod 5.5 is definitely superior.  Not too sure about if the ipod 5 is the same and don't feel like googling atm.

ahem, they use the exact same DAC

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpk 

I just got my hands on a Fuze, and I'm wondering whether it would be worth my while getting a LOD for it. I have an iPod 5G (Video) which I plan to use with an LOD and FiiO E7, but if the Fuze w/ LOD and E7 would be noticeably better then I may consider going with that ... even though a Fuze LOD is about 3X the price of an iPod one...

So could anyone shed some light on this head-to-head? I believe the iPod 5G's Wolfson DAC is actually pretty decent?

Technically the question should be whether an iPod 5G LO is better than Fuze LO or not, unless of course you want to get a mod'ed 5G or diymod it yourself. Though the DAC on iPod 5G is good, it is not to say it will sound as good as an iMod / diyMod where all the resistors and caps have been bypassed.

Actually you can get either FiiO L3 (for iPod) or L6 (for Sansa) for around $20 on eBay.