[Evis]

Hi Head-Fi members. im new to this forum and is a newbie in audio stuff.

would like get a Portable Head-Fi system and would like to start with the main audio device and Headbuds. followed by amp, cable, other accessories.

im a person who cares about Sound Quality over everything.
which audio device and headbuds give best sound quality?

iPod, iAudio, iRiver, Shure, Ultimate Ear? and which models?

also would like to know about Rockbox.

Thanks.

 

[kiwirugby]

Evis,

Welcome to Head-Fi!

One option for you to research is the modification that Vinnie Rossi of RedWine Audio does of the 4th Generation iPod. This modification will require an amp and hence is not cheap.....which is one of the real downfalls of coming to Head-Fi! Many will say, "Sorry for your wallet," others will say, "run like hell and never come back!" For me, one of the great things about this site is the ability to do some"research," get lots of opinions, list what you like, and then decide what you can afford. This can be a lot of fun, and if you are patient and take your time, those posting on this site will be enormously helpful in getting you a rig that will suit your tastes......if not your budget!

All the best.........and good luck!

 

[shawntp]

Many people are very happy with the 5th Genereation iPod Video. There is a difference of opinion about the various electronics/built in headphone amp's of each of the iPods (nano/video/shuffle) ...but the 5G video seems to keep popping up at the top of this groups favorites.

Shawn

 

[Evis]

thanks for the fast replies

so iPods are best for sound quality in portable devices?
have just googled about the RedWine iMod. it doesnt support headphone jacks >_< and i dont think i will ever bring out an amp along with me on daily basis.

was sort of thinking :

for daily basis: Audio device > Shure i4c (cellphones + audio)
for biking: Audio Device > Cable > Amp > another better earphones/buds

read about the good comments of ipod's lineout over headphone jacks.
is there an adapter that connects Earbuds <-> Line-out of ipods? < Sorry for this stupid question. im noob

 

[wax4213]

The lineout of an iPod is a (rather loud) constant volume, so you pretty much only want to use it if you've got an amp to go through first.

Many people will tell you that the Iaudio X5 series, including the X5L has better sound quality out of the headphone jack. I can't confirm this, but enough people say it that it must be true

. They're made by a company called Cowon.

However, if price is an issue, I would go for one of the refurbished 5g iPods from the Apple store, which should run you about $179 for the 30 gig and $229 for the 60 if you order them soon. Rockbox works well on the 5g iPods, and with those you can use the hardware equalizer, which is supposed to improve sound quality quite a large amount. That's the route I would take if you don't want to get an amp. Rockbox isn't too difficult to use, once you get used to it, and there are plenty installation guides on its website, www.rockbox.org (there are also forums there for more assistance).

Those Shure i4c's look interesting, I don't have a clue how they sound, but you may also want to look into the Shure e4c's if you haven't already bought the i4c's. They probably sound about the same, judging by the name.

 

[K2Grey]

It will be much easier if you use the Head-Fi Forums Search Function instead of Google.

 

[sidewinder]

Spending $1000 or more on a portable rig is just overkill.

I'm having a great time using my Sony D465 combined with either Koss KSC75 or Shure E1, with a total price of $50.

 

[JefferyK]

I keep hearing that portable CD players in general have better sonics than even the fifth-generation iPods. Is that true?

 

[sidewinder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JefferyK I keep hearing that portable CD players in general have better sonics than even the fifth-generation iPods. Is that true?

Check out this massive review

 

[wax4213]

Usually, but this could be largely due to the fact that a lot of DAP's are loaded with lossy files, and CD players are playing from the actual CD (duh). I don't know about other factors, but like you, I have heard that PCDP's have better sound quality, in general.

 

[Evis]

320K MP3s is still lossy files, rite? which program/format is best for ripping CDs?

think ill get the 5th Gen iPod 30G or 60G. iAudio x5 doesnt look as sleek and looks bulky.


now i have some questions for home/biking

For Biking: Can someone recomend me an Amp(prefer sth small), a cable for the Head-fi?

For Home: i have a PC w/ SoundBlaster Audigy2 + Klipsch Thx 5.1 speakers w/ Monster cables. would want to improve the sound quality of it. will the same portable Amp improve its SQ? Setup:

iPod > cable > SoundCard > cable > Amp > Klipsch 5.1
or
iPod > Cable > amp > cable > Soundcard > Kilipsch Speakers ?

Thanks
Evis

 

[J-Pak]

EAC in secure mode is the best ripping program. You can rip straight to wav and then use any number of conversion programs to convert to FLAC/ALAC/AAC/MP3, etc.

 

[wax4213]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evis 320K MP3s is still lossy files, rite? which program/format is best for ripping CDs? think ill get the 5th Gen iPod 30G or 60G. iAudio x5 doesnt look as sleek and looks bulky. now i have some questions for home/biking For Biking: Can someone recomend me an Amp(prefer sth small), a cable for the Head-fi? For Home: i have a PC w/ SoundBlaster Audigy2 + Klipsch Thx 5.1 speakers w/ Monster cables. would want to improve the sound quality of it. will the same portable Amp improve its SQ? Setup: iPod > cable > SoundCard > cable > Amp > Klipsch 5.1 or iPod > Cable > amp > cable > Soundcard > Kilipsch Speakers ? Thanks Evis

You shouldn't need the soundcard in your setup if you're using your iPod as the source. I don't know what a portable amp would do for your speakers, but I would go iPod > LOD (Line out device, check out www.audiolineout.com) > amp > speakers. Again, I don't know how much the amp will help your speaker setup, but this same sequence of components should work as a portable setup for headphones as well.

What sort of budget do you have for an amp? There are lots of choices, and a huge price range.

 

[RooX]

i have owned at one point or another pretty much every dap that is relativly easy to buy in Canada, and of all of them two really stand out in terms of audio quality, and of those two only one has good build quality to boot, the Iaudio X5.

Get a 30gig x5L, load it with flacs, and you have a source that will rival most any portable cd player i have ever heard. As well as like 20 hours of playback time, a great gui and a nice aluminum enclosure.

The other player is of course the dis****inued karma, better gui, just as good sound (mabey a bit better even) but it is plauged with failures, and of course rio is now long gone

Both of these players sound (to me) far nicer than an ipod, be it nano, shuffle, mini or full sized.

 

[Evis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RooX i have owned at one point or another pretty much every dap that is relativly easy to buy in Canada, and of all of them two really stand out in terms of audio quality, and of those two only one has good build quality to boot, the Iaudio X5. Get a 30gig x5L, load it with flacs, and you have a source that will rival most any portable cd player i have ever heard. As well as like 20 hours of playback time, a great gui and a nice aluminum enclosure. The other player is of course the dis****inued karma, better gui, just as good sound (mabey a bit better even) but it is plauged with failures, and of course rio is now long gone Both of these players sound (to me) far nicer than an ipod, be it nano, shuffle, mini or full sized.

eeeks "far nicer than an ipod". >_<;;; rethink time... its iAudio x5L or 5G ipod or Nano now

soundquality of x5L comparable to ipod + amp?
i only listened to friend's 1st gen nano and its not really good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wax4213 You shouldn't need the soundcard in your setup if you're using your iPod as the source. I don't know what a portable amp would do for your speakers, but I would go iPod > LOD (Line out device, check out www.audiolineout.com) > amp > speakers. Again, I don't know how much the amp will help your speaker setup, but this same sequence of components should work as a portable setup for headphones as well. What sort of budget do you have for an amp? There are lots of choices, and a huge price range.

thanks Wax ^^ for explaining. my pC speakers uses mini jacks as well. and has no idea will the headphone amps will enchance the sound quality of the speakers, certainly hope so.

i like the appearance of Samuels Hornet. are there are better ones with the same/less amount of $$$? also i have absolutely no idea about the cable. it seems that there are alot to choose from. >_<

will 5G ipod be better or new nano be better for SoundQuality?
noticed in another thread "Honda" said NewNano has better sound quality than the 5G ipod thru headphone jacks.