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iPod 5gen rockboxed a good source?

post #1 of 13
4/22/10 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
I'm probably going to be picking up a 60 or 80GB 5th Gen iPod pretty soon and I was wondering whether one of these will be good as a portable source. I'll be using either Hifiman RE0 or Fischer Eterna depending what I decide to buy and will probably get a FiiO E5 amp as well.

Are there any particular things I should to to get the most out of an iPod as far as quality goes? I hear getting an adapter for the dock port is better than the standard audio port.
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post #2 of 13
4/23/10 at 12:47am
I'm relatively new to the world of Hi-fi, and have been on the site doing research and upgrading my portable rigs. Other experts will of course chime in, but here is my experience:

I bought a 5th generation IMOD - 4th and 5th generations can be modified so that they get a better sound. Do a search on this site or Google for RWA - Red Wine Audio or ALO also has information. Also I do not run anything out of my headphone jack and but use a LOD - Line Out Dock - again do a search on this there is lots of info out there. And finally I have an ALO RX amp that drive my Shure530s. And finally I have Rockboxed my IMOD rather than running the original firmware so that I can load it up with FLAC files. It is truly an amazing sound. A bit spendy, but a fun and interesting hobby. I spend a lot of time commuting in Tokyo for my job so it is worth it.

I would go into more detail on this stuff giving you exact links etc, but my experience has been that besides the pleasure of listening to quality music, we enjoy the research as well.

Hope this helps a bit.

Skoog
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post #3 of 13
4/23/10 at 1:25am
i'm curious about this as well:

Which line out sounds better: the 5th gen, 5.5 Gen or Ipod classic?

How would line-out with a good amp compare to the s:flo2 headphone out, the Zune HD and most current computers onboard sound card?

Can itunes convert FLAC to ALAC on Windows?
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post #4 of 13
4/23/10 at 1:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dazed&Confused718 View Post
i'm curious about this as well:

Which line out sounds better: the 5th gen, 5.5 Gen or Ipod classic?

How would line-out with a good amp compare to the s:flo2 headphone out, the Zune HD and most current computers onboard sound card?

Can itunes convert FLAC to ALAC on Windows?
Dazed ... cannot speak about which line out sounds better or comparing the s:flo2, but I can say that you can convert FLAC to ALAC using dbpoweramp or better yet rockbox your IPOD and you can use FLAC files directly without having to convert at all.

Rockbox - Open Source Jukebox Firmware

Skoog
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post #5 of 13
4/23/10 at 1:39am
Thread Starter 
I would get an iMod except the mod alone costs $250USD which is more than the combined price of me getting the iPod and a new set of IEMs.

I'd most definitely be looking at getting a LOD, but iMod just doesn't seem worthwhile to me at that price. My main question here is, I guess, is a 5th gen +LOD+Rockbox better than a 6th gen (classic) + LOD?
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post #6 of 13
4/23/10 at 4:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spud of Doom View Post
I would get an iMod except the mod alone costs $250USD which is more than the combined price of me getting the iPod and a new set of IEMs.

I'd most definitely be looking at getting a LOD, but iMod just doesn't seem worthwhile to me at that price. My main question here is, I guess, is a 5th gen +LOD+Rockbox better than a 6th gen (classic) + LOD?
Maybe not right away, but one thing to keep in mind ... if you get a 5th gen, in the future when you have cash you can always get it imodded.
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post #7 of 13
4/23/10 at 10:00am
Thread Starter 
I managed to snag a deal on a 80GB iPod which looked to me in all the photos to be 5th gen. Good working order with few scratches for $110USD. Should be arriving in the next few days.
If it's 5th gen I'll get rockboxing right away and load up some FLACs. If it's 6th gen I'll need to get some kind of interface software since I hate iTunes, but I really can't complain at that price.
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post #8 of 13
4/23/10 at 10:01am
get the 80 gig.. and mod it at RWA
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post #9 of 13
4/23/10 at 10:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iPhone4G View Post
get the 80 gig.. and mod it at RWA
Better yet buy one of the 120 or 240 gigs from ALO in the thinner IPOD body already modded along with the ALO LOD and ALOs RX amp ... it's the perfect combo!
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post #10 of 13
4/23/10 at 10:24am
is a 5th gen +LOD+Rockbox better than a 6th gen (classic) + LOD?
-------------

My understanding is that the 4th and 5th generation iPods used the better quality DAC's. than the previous gen and the future gens.

But, someone WILL confirm that. These guys on here are smart )

EDIT... from RWA webpage

'Please Note — The iMod is only offered for the 4th Generation and 5th/5.5 Generation iPods, as they contain the high-quality internal Wolfson dac chip that makes doing the iMod worthwhile.

We DO NOT and WILL NOT modify any of the other iPods, including the new 6th Generation iPod Classic, iPhone, iPod Touch, or any of the Nanos'
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post #11 of 13
4/23/10 at 12:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carlosfandango View Post
is a 5th gen +LOD+Rockbox better than a 6th gen (classic) + LOD?
-------------

My understanding is that the 4th and 5th generation iPods used the better quality DAC's. than the previous gen and the future gens.

But, someone WILL confirm that. These guys on here are smart )

EDIT... from RWA webpage

'Please Note — The iMod is only offered for the 4th Generation and 5th/5.5 Generation iPods, as they contain the high-quality internal Wolfson dac chip that makes doing the iMod worthwhile.

We DO NOT and WILL NOT modify any of the other iPods, including the new 6th Generation iPod Classic, iPhone, iPod Touch, or any of the Nanos'
4th, 5th and 5.5 g have the better chip but that is relevant only if you are going to IMOD it.
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post #12 of 13
4/23/10 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skoog5600 View Post
4th, 5th and 5.5 g have the better chip but that is relevant only if you are going to IMOD it.
I've read that the 5th gen and 5.5gen sound better than the classic even without the Imod

but,

I've also read that the classic sounds better through line out due to having a better line-out signal path

So that brings the question, whats more important for the sound quality: DAC or audio signal path?
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post #13 of 13
4/23/10 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah I've heard the classic does have a better line-out but I don't plan on using it anyway. I would get iMod done but it comes out as over 2x the cost of the player itself, which just really doesn't seem worthwhile for me, especially as my headphones are only ~$100. Although I guess this way I'm somewhat futureproofed if I get some more advanced gear later on and get iMod done.
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