iPod Classic Died, Wut Do Head-Fi, Wut do?

No ... to get a beosound

Sorry about your loss 

I love my iPod classic (though many audiophiles dislike it because it lacks the Wolfson chips found in previous iPods). It's what I use for most of my music-listening (along with my UE Triple.fi 10s).

As for the amp question, what kind of headphones do (or did) you use with your iPod? If you're using IEMs (with the exception of the ER-4S), you probably don't need an amp. If you're using an AKG K701 or a Sennheiser HD650 (notoriously hard to drive), you will need an amp to be able to hear your music at all. The reason for this is that the amplifier built into the iPod isn't powerful enough for some high-impeadance or low-sensitivity headphones.

If you really liked your iPod, my suggestion is just buy another one

iPods have a line-out and you connect an LOD (line-out dock) to an amp and bypass the iPods internal one.  You can connect it to headphone amps, integrated amps, powered speakers etc., anything with a line-in basically.

Example: Touch --> line-out to A5 speakers:

Go get either an iPod 5.5G, Rockbox it & pop in another higher capacity HDD, or go get a classic 7G. Either way you'll enjoy the ride. It's just about which you prefer. 

As for the Beosound, it's a re-branded Samsung DAP,...get a Samsung DAP and cut out the extra high price for a relabel job. The SQ is great, the added cost for the name isn't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silenceophobe 

Huh, so some headphones need much more wattage to put out a certain level of decibels?

 

I have some of those MEelectronics M6 earbuds. Plenty powerful in conjunction with a Classic. I got them mostly for jogging and working out. But I'll be getting something less ear damaging, hopefully noise cancelling. But, in the mean time, I need a new player.

 

I have my music at around 1MB/sec in WMA, and I really dislike low quality 192kb/s vomit.gif

 

I think apple has the market pretty cornered in the 80+ GB player category. I've been reading about the Cowon X7, but that thing is Brick sized, so I'm not a fan, regardless of music quality. I've handled the Zune HD, and it's really not what I'm looking for.

 

I think I'll go with the 7th generation. Thanks for the help guys!

In layman's terms, yes. Some headphones need more power than others, but some also sound better with an amp. With the M6, you definitely won't need an amp. Like I said, the ER-4 is probably the only IEM that absolutely needs an amp (most sound fine without one and don't really improve with one).

But why do you think they are "ear damaging?" If anything, they're safer because they allow you to listen at a lower volume. Much safer than conventional earbuds (since you have to crank the volume WAYY up to even hear your music in a noisy setting).

And I'd strongly suggest against Active-Noise Canceling headphones, most IEMs block more noise at a much lower price (and they fit in your pocket too!). My $50 Etymotic ER6i's block more noise than my grandfather's $299 Bose QC2's (and they sound better too).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silenceophobe 

 

I'm not a big fan of any kind of IEM in terms of ear damaging effects. I've spent time late at night listening to music with pure silence around me....And I'd only need my volume 2/5 to 1/2 of the way up to hear everything loud and clear. When I'm jogging, walking, lifting, or on the bus, I need the sound 3/4 of the way up to hear all the frequencies without major background noise pollution. I know that if I listen to music with pure silence around me, 3/4 full volume is very much ear shattering.

 

Also, the M6s are really "up in there" and have a tight fit. I've found my ear canal to actually get wider if I listen to them too frequently, and any loud noises in daily life start to get sharp and painful.

 

Inb4hearingloss :(
 

 

It's not the type of earphone that's dangerous. It's the volume at which you listen to your music. It sounds like you may have mild tinnitus. Turn the volume down.