3G iPod Touch SQ.. Move over Clip+!

[ericinmd]

I love my Clip+, I really do. But after spending quite a bit of time now with all my current daps (3G 32GB Touch, 4GB Clip+, and returned 7G 160GB iPod and 5G Nano) I have to say that the 3G touch is the king of SQ (in my lineup anyway). I don't have any high dollar cans, just KSC75's. That combination is really working for my ears. How a more experienced person would term it's sound signature I'm not sure? Warm, rich, and natural but definately not fake and definately not cold or flat. It just seems to have the right amount of whatever the heck it's got and it is by far the best sounding iPod in this years lineup. Considering the Clip+ receives so much praise for it's SQ and the iPods are many times looked down upon, I just found it funny. I'm not a apple fanboy either... I'm open to any kind of player and like to hear as many as I can.

Just want top say that if anyone is on the fence about the 3G Touch and are concerned about the SQ, I don't think anyone would be disappointed. I'll admit I have no idea how it sounds with anything but my KSC75's so take that FWIW.

I'm keeping my clip+ for certain portable situations, but this Touch is definately good enough as my main player I no longer need to stress about dap shopping, which is nice.

The clip+ has very good SQ don't get me wrong, and it's an amazing device for $39, but for me it's just not as fun to listen to.

 

[Armaegis]

Hmm, ipod touch vs mortgage payment...

 

[estreeter]

As I've said before, I could have a very nice amp or the new Onkyo digital transport for the price of the 64GB Touch, and I still wouldnt have 160GB of storage to play with. That said, horses for courses and the ability to fire up a browser at airports etc (I have the 1G Touch) has served me well in the past, and some of the App Store stuff is very cool.

Enjoy your new toy.

 

[ericinmd]

I wasn't willing to sacrifice SQ for any amount of storage. That's why I took a pair of 2009 classics back to the store for refund. There won't be a third. Plus the weight of it, and the non responsive click wheel (slow to respond, both of them), plastic screen, etc...

Not to mention the classic can't hold a candle to the Touch as far as video. I've had a 4GB Nano for 2 years so I certainly don't feel crippled by only having 32Gb of space.

Best $275 I ever spent on this hobby.. we can't all like the same DAP. I can honestly say I tried a handful before I settled on the touch.

When the capacity of the Touch doubles in the next year or two, bye bye classic...

 

[tstarn06]

You just hit the nail. The Clip+ is $39 and the Touch is $275. I liked my Touch 2G as well, but never used the functionality much (so I sold it). Are the 3G Touch models much better SQ-wise over the 2G? I read that the 8GB 3G Touch is the same as the 2G for the most part, but not sure if that is SQ too. I know the 32 and 64 GB Touch models have different innards than the 8GB model, so they probably do outperform the Clip+. But it's $39 vs. $199/$299/$399 (though they are discounted), right?

 

[estreeter]

tstarn06, here in Oz the RRP on the 64GB Touch is $549, per xe.com, thats almost 500 USD - can anyone here justify paying that much money for a 64GB DAP ??

ericnmd, I accept that you dont like the SQ on the Classic and that you dont need 160GB of storage : horses for courses. I still believe I will get a good result with the Classic into the Onkyo ND-S1->Topaz combination, but its all hypothetical until Onkyo finally starts selling the thing in Oz.

 

[BBY03evo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericinmd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love my Clip+, I really do. But after spending quite a bit of time now with all my current daps (3G 32GB Touch, 4GB Clip+, and returned 7G 160GB iPod and 5G Nano) I have to say that the 3G touch is the king of SQ (in my lineup anyway). I don't have any high dollar cans, just KSC75's. That combination is really working for my ears. How a more experienced person would term it's sound signature I'm not sure? Warm, rich, and natural but definately not fake and definately not cold or flat. It just seems to have the right amount of whatever the heck it's got and it is by far the best sounding iPod in this years lineup. Considering the Clip+ receives so much praise for it's SQ and the iPods are many times looked down upon, I just found it funny. I'm not a apple fanboy either... I'm open to any kind of player and like to hear as many as I can. Just want top say that if anyone is on the fence about the 3G Touch and are concerned about the SQ, I don't think anyone would be disappointed. I'll admit I have no idea how it sounds with anything but my KSC75's so take that FWIW. I'm keeping my clip+ for certain portable situations, but this Touch is definately good enough as my main player I no longer need to stress about dap shopping, which is nice. The clip+ has very good SQ don't get me wrong, and it's an amazing device for $39, but for me it's just not as fun to listen to.

I don't understand how the three ipods sound so different from each other, when they all use cirrus logic DAC's.

 

[estreeter]

BBY03evo, theres the rub - some who have 2 or 3 of them (Classic, Touch, 3GS) claim that they hear no difference at all. Others blame it on poor quality control at various factories, but my theory is that the Apple engineers spent time massaging the sound on the iPhone (an expensive device that has made Apple a lot of money) to be instantly attractive, and the 3G Touch simply reaped the rewards with the revamp. In 12 months, I have no doubt that people here will be raving about the 'new' Classic and asking when Apple is going to get its act together with the Touch : as the owner of a 1G Touch, I believe I've even asked that myself ....

 

[d_headshot]

Maybe apple got some sense knocked into them and started using better amplifiers?

 

[Armaegis]

More like they finally smartened up and started playing catchup.

 

[Jack Mono]

3g Touch $300, clip + $ 39. And you think it may sound better?

 

[cujobob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBY03evo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't understand how the three ipods sound so different from each other, when they all use cirrus logic DAC's.

Modern DACs are all (or should be) very high quality...there is more to the sound than what type of DAC is used. Skimping on parts quality elsewhere in the circuit is where a lot of issues come up. Amplification is obviously also huge...not sure how these differ in various IPod versions.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cujobob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Modern DACs are all (or should be) very high quality...there is more to the sound than what type of DAC is used. Skimping on parts quality elsewhere in the circuit is where a lot of issues come up. Amplification is obviously also huge...not sure how these differ in various IPod versions.

Yeah, these newer multipurpose chips are much better than even just a few years back. Just look at how far the integrated audio on motherboards and laptops has come. As for the varied reports of sound quality, there's too many factors that are at play. I have yet to see consistent comparison between just about any devices, let alone using the same exact music.

As for price, well, with the clip, you're buying solely a music player, with a tiny screen, and its all plastic on the outside. The Touch you're buying a mini-computer, with a much larger screen, covered by glass and metal. In many ways, both are actually quite amazing. Considering the convergence of features, the fact that sound quality has not actually taken a step back is definitely a positive.

I could be wrong, but I think that amplification is actually built into the same chip that is serving as audio processor and DAC on many of these players now.

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Mono /img/forum/go_quote.gif 3g Touch $300, clip + $ 39. And you think it may sound better?

you forget that 39$ for a clip does not get you 16gb as does the touch 3g. add in 12 gb worth of card and the price difference between the two isn't huge, not in terms of ability.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkswordsman17 /img/forum/go_quote.gif As for price, well, with the clip, you're buying solely a music player, with a tiny screen, and its all plastic on the outside. The Touch you're buying a mini-computer, with a much larger screen, covered by glass and metal. In many ways, both are actually quite amazing. Considering the convergence of features, the fact that sound quality has not actually taken a step back is definitely a positive.

Agree 100%. Still have issues with the price Apple are charging for the 64GB here in Oz, but as an all-rounder I think its a triumph. One of the guys here has the HTC Touch, but it seems dinky compared the Apple's GUI, and they've done tests to confirm that transferring the iPhone internals has made the new Touch significantly faster.