[mbriant]

I've been searching through past threads but can't seem to get much real-world info about this. I really don't have much use for a portable player as I don't commute, I rarely fly now days, and I definitely don't jog....but who knows, once I get one I might wind up listening it to it through my Shure E4c's. I do however like the idea of having a convenient way of easily hooking a playlist of songs up to my car stereo as well as the option of getting some sort of iPod docking boom box for certain occassions.

While the ability to hold photos/videos/games etc. sounds like nice features, I doubt I'd have much use for them. Music playback will be it's primary and most likely it's only function.

80 or 160 gigs of storage would be nice, but since I don't need to carry aroung my entire music library, 8 gig would give me enough space to hold the amount of selected music I'd require for my needs.

My car stereo has rca line-in connections so I'd rather use that than transmitting through FM. It's my understanding that the iPod Classic offers line out, while the Nano would use headphone out .... is this true? I've also read something about these new units not working with old, especially non-Apple accessories (car cradles/cables etc. ..... is this true?

I''m thinking that the Nano with a flash drive would hold up in the car (vibrations and extreme temperatures) better than a hard drive driven iPod Classic ... is this true?

Which one of the two would offer the best best sound/less hiss etc.? Since it'll be used in the car and through a boom box, I'm not expecting audiophile grade sound, but obviously the best possible sound quality would be preferable.

I've never owned an iPod so any advice would be appreciated.

 

[buddha911]

The best DAP (out of ipod mini, zune, and ipod classic) I've used in the car is my ipod mini, my car stereo always sounds muffled with inputs besides cd's or the radio. The mini seemed verly bright and kinda hollow so it was able to conteract the gigantic veil of my car stereo. So, I would say the closest sounding ipod to the mini would be best. I hope that helps.

 

[GreatDane]

SQ aside, I say get the 80 or 160 GB because you will get hooked on it and desire a larger portable library than what 8 GB can offer.

I use my 5.5 G 80 GB in my work truck which is a bumpy ride and no problems.

 

[Bushwacker]

i agree too with the mini. I love the mini in my car. Then again, the sound quaility in a car isn't what we can say audiophile grade.

 

[nsx_23]

I normally use my 3G Nano in the car, and it sounds decent enough through my stereo system (Doesn't beat the sound of the engine though =p ).

I disagree with Bushwacker. Having been extremely lucky enough to sample many high-end cars thanks to some good friends and connections I made when I worked briefly in a friend's tuning shop, the stereo systems in modern cars sound absolutely amazing.

The standouts for me include the Lexus LS and Audi A8 with is amazing B&O sound system, but car stereo and entertainment in general is evolving quiet a bit now. Useful for the traffic jams caused by crap traffic management these days.

 

[uraflit]

if i were you, i'd just get a refurbished 4G or 5G ipod and use that. as long as it can produce Ok sounding music with good battery life right?

 

[Mittermeier]

Flash based played is better, the continuous vibration while the car is moving may do hard to the hard disk.

 

[Quaddy]

the one with the bigger screen for use in the car no?

 

[nsx_23]

You don't really need a large screen in the car, since you'll be hardly looking at it for most of the time whilst you're on the move (if you're looking at your MP3 screen instead of the road, you don't deserve a license).

I have an Alpine head unit with ipod integration, and I really love it. Its simple to use, sounds decent enough and looks nice, but its a bit on the pricey side when I bought it though.

 

[Orcin]

I use a 5G via lineout with my Lexus ES350 & RX350 and it sounds great in both vehicles. I have been using it for year or two with no problems from vibration. I have it velcro'd to the console so it won't fly around if I have to stop quick.

I think the nano via lineout (yes you can use it that way) would sound fine also. Any lineout connector should work ok. You can get the popular ones here on Head-Fi (Turbodock, ALO) or just go with a something like a SiK.

 

[The_X]

On the practical side, I think the Nano is better for the car because the click wheel is SO much more responsive and accurate than the classic. I vastly preferred my 4G over my 5G in the car because I could find songs so much faster on the clickwheel, instead of "overshoot, lag, overshoot, try slower, lag".. you get the idea! I don't know what the hell Apple did to wreck the click wheel's incredible responsiveness.

 

[nsx_23]

I've always thought that touch-sensitive controls lack tactile feedback, which make them harder to get used to.

 

[mbriant]

I spent 1 1/2 hours this afternoon at a Mac Store comparing the Nano, Classic, and iTouch through a set of shure E4c's. (The only half decent buds I own). To be honest, I found the sound from both the Nano and Classic,while detailed enough, to be somewhat harsh and brittle .... also lacking in bass. The iTouch sounded much better to me than the other two. I imagine the choice of headphones has a bearing on this, and to be honest I didn't make any EQ adjustments, but based on what I heard, the SQ of the iTouch, for me at least, seemed way better. Unfortunately, as I've said, I doubt I'd be doing much headphone listening with it anyway, but I didn't have any way of comparing line-out signals. And of course, the cost vs. storage capability of the iTouch is a factor. Plus, I don't see myself using all or any of it's other many features. I found the Nano's control wheel to be a little on the small size for my fingers ... the Classic's was much better ... but the screen lag on the Classic was equally annoying. Then again, neither of these problems would be a deal breaker because in the car I'd probably have playlists playing in shuffle mode anyway.

I think my next move will be to borrow my friend's 5g iPod and 2g nano and listen to them hooked into my car stereo. I might find that an older, used model will do the job and at less cost to me. Or I might discover that the drop in SQ from using CDs isn't worth the convenience of a portable jukebox and forget about the entire thing.