[montell]

No ipods actually have great soundquality. They just sound cold and analytical and their bass is a fast, sharp but accurate thump wich does not linger on at all. The clarity is just amazing though.

Other audio players only shine in SQ when you are using the EQ to pump that bass too insane levels. Turn of the EQ and they will all almost sound like each other.

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by montell /img/forum/go_quote.gif No ipods actually have great soundquality. They just sound cold and analytical and their bass is a fast, sharp but accurate thump wich does not linger on at all. The clarity is just amazing though. Other audio players only shine in SQ when you are using the EQ to pump that bass too insane levels. Turn of the EQ and they will all almost sound like each other.

I disagree and would be curious to know what players you're comparing and with what phones..

 

[aris]

IMHO I can't tell the difference a portable player makes. I have a 1g shuffle, 30gb zune and a rockboxed h10 with FLAC all with EQ off. They all sound the same to me
I guess I'm lucky enough to not have golden ears (well my wallet is...) The headphones i use are in my sig

 

[ingwe]

I'm not an iPod fan boy. That said, the OP's question reminds me of the famous, "When did you stop beating your wife?"

 

[bigshot]

I compared the line out from my iPods to the output of a midrange CD player (line out amped / level matched / lossless files). The two sounded identical.

 

[davidhunternyc]

You know, many threads have been dedicated to this subject. I am still glad you started another. It is amazing that so many at Head-Fi are happy with the sound of the iPod. I mean, what ever happened to the high-end?

 

[Zombie_X]

I think the Ipod SQ is improving, but only little by little with every revision. That's IMHO though.

 

[montell]

Well think about this. Even the musicians and artists are using ipods. Have you ever seen an artist with something else like for example a pacemaker? No you havent

 

[Meta-Fi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by montell /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well think about this. Even the musicians and artists are using ipods. Have you ever seen an artist with something else like for example a pacemaker? No you havent

I can honestly say that musicians are people too and can just as easily be persuaded/disillusioned by apple hype and marketing.
Although I can't say that I've seen my favorite musicians listening to music rather then playing it..at least not often enough for me to develop an idea of the type of tech the majority of them use.

 

[tstarn06]

Really, I have a Touch 2G and the HP out is fine, very good in fact. No idea what people are talking about. It's the first iPod I own, and I do favor the Zune HP out of all my DAPs, but its hardly trash. Can't speak for the rest of the iPod releases. Also, I have a 5.5g iPod video with a busted HP out, and with the LOD cable and a MiniboxE+, it sounds fantastic. THe best DAP I own SQ-wise (though the LOD is an unfair advantage over HP to me). The EQ does stink on the iPod, but just turn it off.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know, many threads have been dedicated to this subject. I am still glad you started another. It is amazing that so many at Head-Fi are happy with the sound of the iPod. I mean, what ever happened to the high-end?

Do you own a new iPod Touch? Or iPhone 3G? Just curious if you've ever heard one of them. Not so amazing to me that people like the newer model SQ, and I am hardly an Apple fan. The high end? Move over to the High-End forum for news on that front, I guess. Begs the question: Why are you slumming it here, with the bottom feeders who might own iPods?

 

[poo]

iPod can sound great playing lossless audio via LOD into a decent amp and out through some quality phones. There are many factors that can get in the way of an iPod sounding good, but there's no reason it shouldn't in my experience.

 

[The Monkey]

When devices to bypass the iPod's DAC become cheap and plentiful (i.e., not anytime soon), then it will be a near perfect device. Unfortunately the Wadia is a bit chunky and expensive for this purpose.

 

[Meta-Fi]

I can only speak for the 16G nano that I owned, but I say with confidence that most of the other players I have bought since out shined it. It sounded distorted to me even with EQ off and I could hear noticeable hiss at low volume levels :[
I can't speak for the newer models or even the classics for that matter but this has been my experience with apple thus far.
Of course it wasn't all bad though, great interface, above average battery life and of course style were all strong points.
Who knows, I suppose it's possible I got a defective unit.

 

[pufftissue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meta-Fi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can only speak for the 16G nano that I owned, but I say with confidence that most of the other players I have bought since out shined it. It sounded distorted to me even with EQ off and I could hear noticeable hiss at low volume levels :[ I can't speak for the newer models or even the classics for that matter but this has been my experience with apple thus far. Of course it wasn't all bad though, great interface, above average battery life and of course style were all strong points. Who knows, I suppose it's possible I got a defective unit.

Meta-Fi, I will back you up on this. My 16 gb black nano 4g is not nearly as good sound quality wise as my 5g ipod video. I'm guessing it has to do with the sound chips. I'm really disappointed. The 16 gb nano sounds thin and anemic to me. I don't think that it's a case of just not being used to the new sound yet.