Quote: I bought one 120GB HDD from this eBay seller and it works flawlessly on my ipod 5G. This HDD has the same thickness (5mm) as the stock 30GB HDD so all you need to do is to replace the HDD without the need to replace the back plate.   Don't forget to make an offer to the seller...

Quote: Sorry I should have been more specific about he hardware tweaking. By that I only meant the bass/treble adjustment from rockbox. Nothing fancy like the DIY modding.

Quote:   Now that explains why I am addicted to the 5G.

The rockboxed 5G with a little hardware tweaking for my EX1000 has absolutely convinced me this is ALL and the only gear I need. That sound staging and 3D imaging make me drunk if not sick in heaven.

Quote: Hehe, escape before the IE800 bug hits the head-fi. It's always been the music that poisons me, even when I was using the earbuds.

Quote:   Yeah that's the cause of the hifi disease and mine has been cured with the age old pod. I am now sober and want to keep that way.    Quote: I am afraid if I get the S cable I won't be able to leave, and I may end up with wanting a X cable after that. So better run...

Quote: Sorry dude if that post struck your nerves and caused any unintended psychological damage.   Quote: I am running out of time and 8 more posts (not including this one) from saying goodbye to HF. It's enough.

Quote: I like neutral sounding as well and have found the rockboxed ipod 5G's just doing that for me. It blows my iphone 4s out of water and clearly wins me over the much hyped Cowon J3 in terms of clarity, sound stage and 3D imaging. I have experienced some ground shaking sound staging...

Quote: Have you tried to fix the 1st ipod by replacing the battery and the 2nd by replacing the HDD? I am just wondering why you keep buying the classic's if you could easily fix the problems yourself.   The HDD may not be as reliable as the SSD and flash, but the SSD's cost as much...

Gee you audiophiles seem to complicate things. Why don't just plug the phones directly into the daps and call it a day?

Well without any accident if the HDD failed in 2 months I must say it was defected. I still believe that drop may have somehow contributed to this premature failure of the HDD. It's my understanding today's new HDD's are designed for 5 years' life with normal hrs of usage. I wouldn't be...

Quote: The iPod 5G is an amazing piece of DAP. It blows my iPhone 4s out of water and clearly beats my Cowon J3 to my ears in terms of clarity, sound stage and 3D imaging.   I replaced both stock batteries of my ipod 5G's with ones bought off ebay. The replacement batteries last about...

Quote: That S cable may well save me from the poisoning.

Hmm, if the screen breaking occurred even with the case I can't imagine what kind of drop that was. Maybe it was just the bad luck.   Well I have a pair of ipod 5G's each upgraded to 120GB HDD. I am NOT concerned about failure in any one of those two as long as they don't fail on me...

My stock HDD for my iPod 5G bought in 2005 still works flawlessly like new. I have used it extensively since bought and it had a few drops to the floor as I can remember. But I always had it in a case for protection against any unexpected impact. Without using a case, these naked pods are prone...

Quote:   Nah. I have even tried the silver cable yet.

Man my ie80 has been collecting dust recently. Not that I am no longer satisfied with the sound, it's just the synergy from RB'd ipod 5G (with some hardware tweaking) and the EX1000 has so far poisoned me badly.

It all comes down to synergy, quality of digital contents and personal taste for the sound. What sounds excellent to others may sound mediocre to you.   What I believe is you do NOT have to spend tons of $'s to get what you like to enjoy your music.

Can't speak for other ipods, but with rockboxed ipod 5G the only con I can think of is it doesn't last forever. I am a no-EQ/no-amp guy, but with rockboxed ipod 5G and hardware-based tweaking for my EX1000, I have found paradise in this comb. That earth shaking sound stage and 3D imaging are...

Quote: That's pretty much I have done. Not 160GB but 120GB each for a pair of pods. I intend to get one more backup pod upgraded to 240GB's. With 480GB's and 3 pods, I can enjoy my music for a llllllllllllong time. I used to think buying external HDD's for backup, then with rockbox I told...

The idea of big GB's in one drive is to 1. back up your music (especially with FLAC's and also videos); 2. no need to swap cards from time to time; 3. enjoy being within the reach for any of your music at any given moment at any given place with your player.

Others also reported no or hardly any difference in bass from the dial adjustment, BUT to my ears there is apparent difference in sub bass between the max and min. I can't stand anything more than the minimum. Does this mean I have the golden ears or faulty IE80?

Quote: Activities? I don't think I really want to listen to music with phones on for any sports activities (walking doesn't count as sports, if it does then go ahead bring with you the HDD based player). Lagging? Not an issue at all for me with my rockboxed 120GB'd ipod 5G playing...

Quote: Why refuse to buy an mp3 player with a hard drive? Is it because it doesn't sound as good as the one with flash?   You can't beat the price of an used ipod 5G with a 240GB HDD even if you need to replace the HDD every other 3 yrs. BTW my stock 30GB HDD for the ipod 5G still...

Rockbox it and play FLAC's. Make sure you pair the RB'd ipod with decent phones.   That's my suggestions if you have not done it.