ipod classic 7th gen specifics - Page 3

For those wondering the difference in the 3 iterations of the classic are as follows.  1g ipod classic came in 80 and 160gb. These were the first classics. They added genius functionality and released the 2g ipod classic with a 120gb drive, then they released the 3g ie 7g ipod classic which is the same as the 2g but larger hard drive. So only difference between the first classic and the last classic is genius capabilities The circuitry and chips are the same in all the classics, only difference is hd size and genius..

In all honesty thats what i thought.

One thing I forgot starting with the 120gb ipod classic you could use a mice and remote through the 3.5mm headphone jack to record audio.

That's no true nor accurate. I had the first 160Gb and i have the current 160Gb (MC297) model and it does sound far better than the thick 160. And it also measures far better:

 

http://sonove.angry.jp/ipodclassic6th.html

(Note: the engineer talks about current model MC297 even if he calls it 6G)

 

And now let's check the thick 2007 160Gbs

 

http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/classic/data.htm

 

In both cases i talked with the folks that measured the devices. They are skilled folks no average Joes. Their findings match what i've been hearing for years.

 

Actually the current Classic sounds better than the iPod Touch but people always talk better about the Touch because it does not carry the stigma that surrounds the Classic since in 2007 a mysterious guy called Heijligers posted some half baked measurements, a worse interpretation of them and built the long lasting Wolfson myth. I came to the conclusion that the folk worked in Wolfson because his explanations can only convince  naive readers.

 

And i have at this very moment an iPod 5.5 (on a loan) and its headphone out is noticiable worse than the 7G Classic. Worse in harmonic distortion, worse in intermodular distortion, worse in crosstalk and worse in frequency response (highpass filter when driving low impedances). Tested on Westone UM3x.

 

@Anybody who claims that all Classic iPods sound the same: what is your source of information? where are the measurements? Why do you think so?

 

I have not found a single hard data the leads me to think that all Classic sound the same. On the contrary i've found plenty of evidence that it's not the case and current model is pretty much an iPhone 4 with 5 ohms of output impedance (Versus the 1.1 Ohm of the iPhone 4).

 

Edited by elfary - 11/11/11 at 1:17am

I pay $68 a month for my iphone 4. Smart phones are expensive.

Problem is you have different people measuring each model.Get both measured by the same person with same equipment, pr better yet open them up and ell us the difference in components used.
 

 

 

 

 

You don't trust the data that bring to the table even if they have been carried out by skilled people running trusty equipment. I respect that.

 

You don't trust my subjective impressions owning a current Classic and having the 2007 one. I respect that.

 

What i hardly respect is the lack of data that you bring to back your views.  Wikipedia? Huh pretty scientifical data.

 

Have you owned the different iterations of the iPod Classic ?

 

Your authority paired with your lack of information is a dangerous and naive concoction.

 

I have owned every iteration of the ipod from gen 1 all the way through all 3 of the classics, nanos, mini, and a few touches. Everything minus the shuffles. I have also owned several zunes, creative zen products, and many others. And yes technically we are currently in ipod classic 6g iteration 2, but I can accept and do refer the current ipod classic as a 7g. I am not saying there is not a possible sonic difference or possibly a different dac used, I am just going off what apple released. I just want to see proof from the same reliable source comparing the 3 versions both physically opening it up and measuring them with proper equipment. I dont know the sources of the charts you posted so I dont trust them. I trust Vinnie at Red Wine Auido, KB at alo audio, Ray Samuels, Justin W from Headamp, Jeremy Glover(Qusp) Jude, and a few other people. I am currently developing a relationship with Sunny from Fiio and someday I might trust him. I will have a few products here this week or next week from them to review and compare to high end amps.
 

 

@elfary - I really want to believe you - the Classic has the best UI of any DAP I have ever used and you just cant beat it for storage capacity, but RMAA ?

 

When I look at the extensive measurements done by he-who-cannot-be-named (ok, Voldemort .).on the Clip+ and his 3G Touch (actually 2G, as the 8GB model was simply carried forward in the model refresh ..), its obvious that he used an scope to get numbers that RMAA simply wont give you. He then posts a few RMAA graphs which, mostly, line up with his numbers on the Touch - it all looks pretty good to me, even if the Clip+ is much cheaper. I know many here have an issue with Voldemort, his methodology etc, but I havent seen any other attempts to measure an iPod with a 'scope - for now, his numbers are the best guide I have and he certainly isnt the only audio bod to express serious reservations about the way RMAA results are posted willy-nilly as 'gospel'. Voldemort's measurements confirm what my ears tell me - that the 8GB Touch isnt a complete loss as an audio source - this is a stark contrast to the opinions expressed here, loud and often, that anything less than the 32GB 3G Touch is a waste of money. I havent heard the current Classic, unfortunately.

 

I dont want to turn this into a discussion of voldemort or RMAA - I just want to see something more conclusive numbers from someone with more than a $50 soundcard and the ability to install RMAA on their desktop. If I have a personal bias here, its simply that I loathe iTunes for Windows - again, I'm not alone there.

 

I hope you will accept this in the spirit in which I'm posting it - as I said, I would be more than excited if you can link me to more credible data.

 

Cheers,

 

estreeter

 

(Note to mods -I'm  not trying to invoke the name of the Dark Lord for its own sake)

@estreeter you can trust me when i tell you that Sonove is the japanese Voldemort and owns very expensive equipment. Actually if you put some time through his blog you will finde impulse response measurements, output impedance. I have exchanged emails with him a few times and he really knows what he's talking about. Thus when he RMAAed the Classic ( i asked him to do it) he used top end gear and deemed it as splendid.

 

Just plug a pair of UM3x into a 7g Classic and tell me it's not splendid. The only real flaw is the 5 ohms of output impedance which can cause problems with wild armatures like the TF10.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by elfary - 11/11/11 at 12:15pm

I agree the 7g iPod is bread. I use customs. I have used ue-11 pro and ue5c currently. I have also used Weston's es5 with the classic. I used Weston's es2 and my ue5c with 5.5g and 5g ipods and many universals. You should look at my list to see e a lot of what I have used now and in the past. I don't currently use full size cans but have used senheisser and grados in the past. I have had quite an eclectic assortment of audio gear and love it. Right now I am using my 7g ,p51, and ue11pro and it is a killer rig.

sent from my HTC thunderbolt using tapatalk pro.

 

OK, but that output impedance remains a sticking point for me, particularly when Sandisk were able to produce the Clip+ with near zero output impedance. I believe you 'pay' for that in terms of output volume, but for folks with reasonably sensitive IEMs I dont know if its a major issue with the Clip+. I guess a lot of it will come down to which sound signature you prefer. Appreciate your offer of a free pair (!) of UM3x to further my listening education, but my next IEM purchase will be GR07, Hippo VB or RE272. 

 

The 6th and 7th is "not" the same. I have owned a 6th, 6.5(120gb) and now the 7th. I have had all of them opened side by side and they are different boards(6th and 6.5 is the same). Also the 160gb hard drive in the 6th and 7th is different. They are also by different manufacturers. The logic boards are very different. There are too many posts on here that are mere guesses that are posted to be facts when they are not. I've also compared the sound and it's different. Before I bought the 7th, I read somewhere because of the poor sound quality of the 6th, apple went with a circuitry similar to what's in the iphone/ipod touch. I don't know if that's true, but I will say that I found the 6th generation unlistenable from the headout and only decent from the line out. I had asked a question about the sound quality of the 7th on here before I bought it, but there weren't many who had done direct comparisons. I will tell you to my ears the 7th is a huge improvement from the 6th. The 6th sounded boring and lifeless to me. The 7th doesn't suffer nearly as bad with the bass roll off, and sounds much more dynamic, with a more airy sound. There also more micro details present as well as a wider and deeper soundstage. It's superior in every way. In fact, I would rate the 7th over my iphone 4 from both the headout and line out. And I really like the sound of my iphone 4. I've been extremely happy with my 7th generation, but I was very disappointed with the sound of the 6th. My old iphone 3g even sounded much better.

Wikipedia clearly needs to update their iPod entry

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod#Hardware

 

They dont even list a 7th Gen Classic:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_iPod_models

 

Mac Rumours tells me 'Dont buy - updates soon' and lists the last release as Sep, 2009, 2 years after the 'Sixth Gen' listed in the Wikipedia article. If I look at the developments among other iPod models over the last 5 years, its pretty clear that Apple havent invested too much into upgrades for the Classic - its all about getting kids onto the Shuffle/Nano as gateway drugs to the Touch or, better yet, an iPhone.