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My Ipod Nano 6g Review

post #1 of 28
10/2/10 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 

 

 

 

I posted this same review on Amazon and thought I might as well post it here as well.  This is a slightly different audience and I expect most here to want more of a review in regards to specifics concerning audio, but as you can see at the bottom, the players I have to compare it to are limited.  I like the way it sounds and went with Apple again simply because I have found that the largest improvements in sound quality are, for me, from upgrading headphones.  I don't have the means, or will, to take risks discovering the perfect sounding player, the perfect neutral amp, and the perfect IEMs that have synergy with everything to go with my now transportable portable listening experience; It's just not my thing, but kudos to those that do.

 

 

 

In order for one to understand why I rated this product the way that I did, it is important to understand what I expect from an portable music player. My needs are simple. I want a product that is small enough to be with me most of the time and not interfere with activities such as jogging, lifting weights, or doing random chores; I don't want to know if it is there other than through the music. The device has to be sufficient in the audio department; I don't want it to be a detriment to high end IEMs. I want good battery life. I want to be able to put enough of a variety(songs) on a player so that I don't have to run back and synch to my library every other day. An intuitive user interface is also important to me simply because I don't want to have to stop what I am doing in order to do simple things like change the volume or skip a track.

I knew before buying the Nano that it had the form-factor I was looking for, sufficient battery life, and adequate storage otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. I didn't expect the Nano to be so solidly built. The build quality of this new Nano far exceeds that of my first generation Nano and my first generation shuffle. The metalic(not sure what alloy or even if it really is metal) body is solid and reminds me of my fifth generation Ipod Video's back cover. The clip really surprised me. The clip is very solidly built and is strong enough I don't have to worry about it coming off so long as I don't rip the clothing it is attached to. The user interface is also very simple to use. I presume a lot of the negative reviews are from people who haven't actually used a sixth generation Nano becasue I have fat clumsy fingers and find that it is a breeze interacting with the device. Want a bigger screen? You don't need it, it only plays music. Last, but certainly not least, the sound quality surprised me. This, as with any Apple player, is probably not the best sounding digital audio player on the market, but they seem to have actually improved the quality with this outing and I wasn't expecting that. The nano sounds cleaner than any of my older Ipods and compares favorably to my old creative players. Furthermore, it is the only player I own that does not hiss slightly when I plug my Sennheiser IE8 into the audio jack. Overall, I am very impressed and might have to buy another one as a back up in case Apple listens to all of the people whining about apps, cameras, video, etc and changes the design next year.

Pros:
-Strong and Sturdy(Clip)
-Small and Light
-Easy to use
-Very good sound for Apple

Cons:
-Stock buds suck(you knew this already)
-Pricey for the capacity(Apple, I will not...hmmm, cough, upgrade to an Ipod Touch simply because you refuse to do the right thing and put out a 32gb Nano for under $200! They serve two different facets of the market and it isn't based on you customers' incomes, but their needs) Ah well, by buying this I guess I'm not really telling them anything, but allowing them to get away with it. Sue me.

Things to Consider:
-EQ(I don't use it so if you still want a five band equalizer look elsewhere casue it still ain't here).
-Almost the same thing as a Sansa Clip, but at three times the cost. You do get better build quality though.
-I have no idea how well the Pedometer or Radio work casue I haven't used them yet.
-Do not buy this in place of an Ipod Touch, you won't be happy. Myself, I owned a touch and found every extra feature to be novelties that I stopped using after about a month. I want music and portability.

Other players owned:
1st gen Nano, 1st gen shuffle, 5g Ipod Video, Creative Zen Touch, Creative MuVo, Creative X-FI2....and yes, as a complete package the new nano trumps them all.

 

On Amazon I gave it five stars in everything except audio.  The build quality really impressed me.  The UI really impressed me.  The audio impressed me, but it didn't blow me away as would qualify for a five star rating.

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post #2 of 28
10/2/10 at 2:21am

Hi there,

Very nice review. Can you compare 6g nano to 5g\4g nano in terms of SQ. I had recently heard the 4g nano & it sucked. If 6g is any better i would like to consider one. Form factor of the 6g nano is super tempting.

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post #3 of 28
10/2/10 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by oyster View Post

Hi there,

Very nice review. Can you compare 6g nano to 5g\4g nano in terms of SQ. I had recently heard the 4g nano & it sucked. If 6g is any better i would like to consider one. Form factor of the 6g nano is super tempting.



I'm not the original poster but as I've owned both 2g/4g and now a 6g Nano I thought I could try to answer your question.

 

I agree that the 4g Nano does not have the best sound. In fact, I would argue that my 2g was superior in sound.  The 6g does have better SQ than either and it is definitely an improvement on earlier Nanos.  Unlike most people, I am glad Apple got rid of all the extra BS found on the 5g Nano (which, IMHO, was the worst since the 1g).  Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a camera, video playback, and a host of other BS on a ultra-portable MP3 player with a tiny screen should be shot.

 

Anyway, back on topic.

 

I am thinking about returning my 6g despite the good SQ. The UI is a pain in the ass. It takes many repeated swipes left/right to navigate through basic functionality. For example, when I'm running, I have to take out my Nano and first tap the screen to wake it up. (More on this later....) This brings up the RW/pause/FF menu. Now, if I want to scroll forward in my mix (which can be hour+ long), I have to then swipe to the right, and use my finger to drag the play marker to the section of the mix I'd like to go to. With a 1+hour mix, the tiniest finger movement can make a 10-15 minute adjustment.  And trying to be this precise while running is impossible.  I do prefer this new scroll UI to the old "rotate the click wheel until your finger falls off" method, I just wish the scroll line was scaled better for longer MP3 files.  HOWEVER - if you don't listen to long songs/long mixes like me, this might not be a big deal.

 

A bigger gripe is that you cannot turn off the 6g Nano.  Yep, you heard me. You can't turn it off. Battery life, so far, is not as good as my 2G or 4G nano. 


Another bitch is that you cannot adjust the sleep time-out in Settings.  So if you want your Nano's screen to remain on you're out of luck. It fades after what seems too-short a period (less than 5 seconds, I'd say).


The clip is very cool but it requires quite a bit of pressure (which has to be applied to the screen, btw) to actuate the clip.  I am afraid that over time I might damage the screen or at the least smudge it up.


Dedicated volume buttons = LOVE IT.  This is long overdue. Making the stupid scroll wheel control both menu and volume was a HORRIBLE UI design by Apple and I am glad to see it gone.

 

I think 90% of my complaints stem from the fact that the Nano is just too small. If it had a slightly larger screen it would make UI navigation easier.  I'm a frequent gym rat and runner and having ultra-small size is a premium for me...but the Nano just takes it too far. If they had simply taken the iPhone 4 form factor and shrunk it to half its size I think they would have had a winner.  The square screen is just stupid.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot find a better replacement at the moment. Every competitor to the 6g Nano has other quirks that irritate me..

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post #4 of 28
10/2/10 at 12:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DefBringer View Post





I'm not the original poster but as I've owned both 2g/4g and now a 6g Nano I thought I could try to answer your question.

 

I agree that the 4g Nano does not have the best sound. In fact, I would argue that my 2g was superior in sound.  The 6g does have better SQ than either and it is definitely an improvement on earlier Nanos.  Unlike most people, I am glad Apple got rid of all the extra BS found on the 5g Nano (which, IMHO, was the worst since the 1g).  Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a camera, video playback, and a host of other BS on a ultra-portable MP3 player with a tiny screen should be shot.

 

Anyway, back on topic.

 

I am thinking about returning my 6g despite the good SQ. The UI is a pain in the ass. It takes many repeated swipes left/right to navigate through basic functionality. For example, when I'm running, I have to take out my Nano and first tap the screen to wake it up. (More on this later....) This brings up the RW/pause/FF menu. Now, if I want to scroll forward in my mix (which can be hour+ long), I have to then swipe to the right, and use my finger to drag the play marker to the section of the mix I'd like to go to. With a 1+hour mix, the tiniest finger movement can make a 10-15 minute adjustment.  And trying to be this precise while running is impossible.  I do prefer this new scroll UI to the old "rotate the click wheel until your finger falls off" method, I just wish the scroll line was scaled better for longer MP3 files.  HOWEVER - if you don't listen to long songs/long mixes like me, this might not be a big deal.

 

A bigger gripe is that you cannot turn off the 6g Nano.  Yep, you heard me. You can't turn it off. Battery life, so far, is not as good as my 2G or 4G nano. 


Another bitch is that you cannot adjust the sleep time-out in Settings.  So if you want your Nano's screen to remain on you're out of luck. It fades after what seems too-short a period (less than 5 seconds, I'd say).


The clip is very cool but it requires quite a bit of pressure (which has to be applied to the screen, btw) to actuate the clip.  I am afraid that over time I might damage the screen or at the least smudge it up.


Dedicated volume buttons = LOVE IT.  This is long overdue. Making the stupid scroll wheel control both menu and volume was a HORRIBLE UI design by Apple and I am glad to see it gone.

 

I think 90% of my complaints stem from the fact that the Nano is just too small. If it had a slightly larger screen it would make UI navigation easier.  I'm a frequent gym rat and runner and having ultra-small size is a premium for me...but the Nano just takes it too far. If they had simply taken the iPhone 4 form factor and shrunk it to half its size I think they would have had a winner.  The square screen is just stupid.

 

Unfortunately, I cannot find a better replacement at the moment. Every competitor to the 6g Nano has other quirks that irritate me..

 

I think you and I evidently use the Nano for the same purposes, but we seem to use it slightly differently.  Personally, I haven't used RW/FF since we moved from tape players to CD.  I remember feeling greatly liberated when we moved from VHS to DVD and from tapes to CDs simply because it meant that I no longer had to use RW/FF again, so; If it is a feature that is hard to access I wouldn't know about.  I can skip tracks and change volume with ease and since those are the two primary ways I interact with the Nano during workouts it is probably why I am more satisfied with it than you.

 

I could see a "half an Iphone 4" form factor appealing to a broader audience in that it would still retain interest from guys like me, but it might bring back people who miss the other features.

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post #5 of 28
10/2/10 at 12:54pm

I just came back from my friend who purchased one of these. I played around with the UI a bit and inspected the build quality (didn't bother trying out the SQ). It really is VERY small; not really suitable for my big fingers, but it does have a sort of cute charm to it. Don't be fooled, it is nothing more than a very basic mp3 player though. I suspect the sound quality is pretty much the same as it has been with Nanos so far; not really much to write home about and if real SQ is something you're after, look elsewhere - in fact, I think using expensive IEMs with these seems like a bit of a waste.

Nevertheless, if you want to have something 'trendy' to use on your daily jog, this thing seems prefect. Mind, you will pay for the priviledge, but that's nothing new from Apple now, is it?

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post #6 of 28
10/2/10 at 2:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gebbss View Post

I just came back from my friend who purchased one of these. I played around with the UI a bit and inspected the build quality (didn't bother trying out the SQ). It really is VERY small; not really suitable for my big fingers, but it does have a sort of cute charm to it. Don't be fooled, it is nothing more than a very basic mp3 player though. I suspect the sound quality is pretty much the same as it has been with Nanos so far; not really much to write home about and if real SQ is something you're after, look elsewhere - in fact, I think using expensive IEMs with these seems like a bit of a waste.

Nevertheless, if you want to have something 'trendy' to use on your daily jog, this thing seems prefect. Mind, you will pay for the priviledge, but that's nothing new from Apple now, is it?



So you didn't bother to listen to it, but it is a waste with quality IEMs and is the same as the other Nanos?  Very astute. 

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post #7 of 28
10/3/10 at 1:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by basementdweller View Post

So you didn't bother to listen to it, but it is a waste with quality IEMs and is the same as the other Nanos?  Very astute. 

 

Ok, I realize I'm being a bit unfair on Apple, but their products have always used amps which are basically designed for low-quality earbuds much like what they include with their products. Now compare that to something like a Clip, which is less than half the price and a 'budget' player, that is still the preferred choice to many SQ enthusiast over other players.

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post #8 of 28
10/6/10 at 12:31pm

Nice review... I love the nano.

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post #9 of 28
10/7/10 at 9:56pm

Just when I started considering getting the Nano, I saw Cnets review Nano vs Clip+. Long story short, in the direct comparison, the Clip+ swept every round on the Nano. I actually like the idea of the Nano and if the 16 gig went for 90 bucks I'd have one now, but as it is a 16 gig Zune is cheaper than the 16 gig Nano.

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post #10 of 28
10/8/10 at 5:00am

Mine has better battery life than the Clip+, the screen is nicer.....lol, it's hard to justify the price of the nano - the Clip+ is a better player in almost every way and for considerably less money.

 

But the nano is a nice player - even more minimalist than the Clip+.


Edited by Dreamnine - 10/8/10 at 5:02am
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post #11 of 28
10/8/10 at 8:54am

I think the CNET comparison of the clip + and the new nano was pretty harsh.  I mean they really went after the nano.  While I typically trust most reviews from CNET to be non biased, I get the feeling that this was more of a personal bash than anything else.  I know Jasmine just doesn't like the nano straight up, so perhaps giving it a non biased review was going to be difficult.  Perhaps as an overall player, the Clip + still wins this battle, but I can't imagine that it was such a landslide. 

 

I bought the new nano about a month ago, and I admit i am a little surprised I put the money up for it.  I didn't think I would.  Especially since I am a Sony fanboy, through and through.  I wanted it more for the workout player.  I have been using the Nike + system for many years, so that was more my motivation than anything.  I like the smaller form factor for working out. 

 

The screen can be a little hard to see if your eyesight isn't great.  But I don't think it's more difficult to see than the screen on the Clip +.

 

The sound of the new Nano is better than any Ipod I have had to date.  I do have one HUGE complaint about the new Nano however, and it's battery life.  I am realistically with normal use and activity getting about 8 hours out of mine from a full charge.  That's hard to swallow from a 150 dollar price tag. 

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post #12 of 28
10/8/10 at 11:00am

I only got mine the other day but I'm getting 20 something hours with normal use.

 

One thing to do is make sure you charge it for the 3 hours recommended - it will show a full charge after one-and-a-half hours or so.

 

I never pay much attention to Cnet...I think if they put Rockbox on that Clip+ then that would have surprised me.


Edited by Dreamnine - 10/8/10 at 11:07am
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post #13 of 28
10/8/10 at 12:00pm

the last 2 times I have charged mine, I put it on before I went to bed and took it off in the morning.  So it got about 7 hours charge.  I am wondering if I have just got a defective battery.  8 hours seems very very minimal. 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamnine View Post

I only got mine the other day but I'm getting 20 something hours with normal use.

 

 

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post #14 of 28
10/8/10 at 4:15pm

I take it you haven't left anything running like the radio or pedometer in the background? There seem to be a few people with battery issues on different forums.

 

If I'm not going to use my nano for a while, I just go into the service menu and shut it down.

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post #15 of 28
10/8/10 at 10:26pm



I have definitely made sure to turn everything off.  I was worried I was leaving music running.

 

As for shutting it down, I didn't even know that you could power it off.  How do you do it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreamnine-View Post

 

 

If I'm not going to use my nano for a while, I just go into the service menu and shut it down.

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