[Hudson01]

I had considered buying a new Sony Xperia Z1 Mini and then adding some micro sd cards for my music, but i am not to sure now. So now i am looking at getting a new Apple ipod classic and putting my current iphone into storage (a 3gs) and maybe getting either the Z1 mini (and no cards) or an iphone 5s (16gb).
 
All my music has been ripped from my CD collection and is about 90gb, all in apple lossless.
 
Which would be the best amp for either the ipod or if i went down the Sony route and cards the Z1 mini.
 
I am a bit new to all this and have never had an amp before, i only tend to listen to my music at night through my cans (Audio Technica).
 
Thanks.

 

[treyking11]

Hey. i chose the ipod classic (160gb) because i wanted the storage, liked the interface (the ipod itself, not itunes), and wanted to stay consistent with the apple ecosystem in our home and work. actually i have always had an ipod, and wish i had kept some of the older ones with the nice DAC's instead of always wanting the newest... oh well... the ipod classic sound definitely needed help so i started with the Fiio E11 which made a big difference with my grado 225's and my bowers and wilkins P5's. that is a good place to start if you dont want to spend a lot; i think i got the E11 shipped for about $60 or so, and there are great deals on the "for sale" postings here. it also straps nicely to the back of the ipod and is the best bang for the buck. i recently got a pico slim amp it made the ipod sound amazing to my ears. much, much better than the Fiio, but it also costs several times what the Fiio costs... although sometimes "good" is "good enough"! i have a 32GB iphone 5S as well, but dont amp that. it sounds pretty good by itself and is fine for the train and my little cubicle! you really do need something for the classic; its sound is a little underwhelming... hope this helps!

 

[treyking11]

Also, buy the Fiio L9 LOD cable if you decide to get the ipod. this will bypass the ipods internal amp and keep you from amping the signal twice. they are only $10 or so.

 

[Hudson01]

Thanks for that, i am based in the UK and had considered the Fiio E17 as they go for a decent price and yes i would get the cable to by-pass the internal DAC of the ipod, i find the music via my Iphone 3gs to be decent but as always...... is there more !!!

 

[treyking11]

just so you know, it takes a special amp/dac to actually bypass the iPods dac. fostex makes a nice one, Sony makes a nice one, and there are a few others. the fiio will only bypass the amp, not the dac itself. there are several posts around here that talk abou this more in depth. I actually think the iPhone sounds better than the iPod, but I believe they use the same cirrus dac... could be in my head!

 

[In Limbo]

Hey man, where can I find this information on the DAC that you speak of? I actually have an Arrow G3. Does that bypass the iPod amp/dac?

 

[treyking11]

the fostex hp-p1 is a great one
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/HP-P1.shtml
 
the sony pha1 is another great one
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-audio/cat-headphones/product-PHA1/
 
there are others if anyone wants to chime in. they are not cheap. at all... but if you using the ipod/iphone then these could be the last DAC/amp you ever need to buy for it. i really want the fostex and have seen some decent prices on the ones that pop up here, but i am getting a good sound from a less bulky, less expensive amp.

 

[treyking11]

the G3 is a nice amp, better than the e11, but it wont bypass the internal DAC of the ipod/iphone

 

[thelonious58]

Also, buy the Fiio L9 LOD cable if you decide to get the ipod. this will bypass the ipods internal amp and keep you from amping the signal twice. they are only $10 or so.

Excellent advice! I currently drive my (supposedly difficult to drive) AKG K612 from my iPod classic 160Gb with a little Topping Nx-1 on high gain setting via an LOD L9.Because the Topping Nx-1 is such a clean and transparent amp, the resulting sound is exceptional at moderate levels. The K612 is a superbly refined and subtle headphone

 

[rubixN]

Hey guys just wondering if I could also get some advice on a potential mobile rig. Thought I'd post here instead of starting a new thread.

I ordered a refurbished iPod classic 5.5 with a 256 GB SSD. I have pair of Shure 535's already. I was considering buying the Fostex HP-P1, BTG Starlight MMCX cable, and a BTG 30 pin LOD. Does that sound like a decent combination?

I'm currently using an iPhone 6S+ with a Vmoda Vamp Verza, Vmoda Zn and Furutech lightning cable to USB.

It's just a bit too giant and I suspect I'm missing out on some sublime sonic potential. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BL33DnEaRs]

My $0.02, I originally paired a classic 7th gen with a JDS C5D. So glad I did. I have seen others Rockbox theirs, I have no issue using Itunes, or Senuti, (treats Ipod as mass storage without Itunes). I consider it still rather portable, even though it is a bit heavy. This paired with my H100s sounds so nice.

 

[Mojo65]

Hi Hudson, I also based my portable rig on an iPod, I guess it is a 7th generation.

Initially I used a FiiO E7 that made a difference but not as dramatic as I was expecting. Then after a good while I added a DAC, a Cypher Labs Solo -r that was specifically conceived for Apple devices and this one made a difference.
As an amp I bought the Alo Audio Continental V5 and the combo made a huge difference with the FiiO and/or the plain iPod. Headstage dimensions, mostly depth as like as focus and timbre precision have improved a lot. Details and transparency as well, it is a whole other story.
I then completed the job with Labkable cables to refine the result.

It cost a lot and it might not justify the use of an iPod, it is a heavy brick, I know but it sounds really good. I am currently using an Empire Ears Cerberus III for portable and a ZMF Atticus at home (or wherever I can...). I also used at home a Sony MDR1 A and a Sennheiser HD598. With any of these the result is always excellent.

The Alo V5 is really a jewel even stand alone with the iPod.

I am surprised of how much quality I could drain from an iPod, sure the partners are outstanding on their own.

Best Regards
Alessandro