[dancekat59]

Which has better SQ - iAudio7 headphone jack or iPod nano line out?

 

[HardHeadCase]

Please let me know if you get an answer, id love to know as well.

 

[uraflit]

iPod nano line-out? to what? and from which generation nano?

 

[dancekat59]

Was I mistaken thinking that the nano's dock connector can be used as a line out in the same way the larger iPod's dock connector can?

 

[chesterqw]

eh...
if new ipod nano = joke.

if old ipod nano 1th gen = possible fight...

but an iaudio7 doesn't need an amp most of them time and sounds good already.

 

[shigzeo]

love the great support on this site - makes me wonder sometimes. yes the nano with a lod can be used as a line out. the nano has always been and always will be a good performer whether you like its very very neutral and sometimes anemic sound. i have never seen it perform poorly to the vast majority of players.

also, i haven't seen any hardware tests of the iaudio 7 but i know its big brother the d2 does perform quite well, so it may be that the iauio 7 will be good as well.

at leat in terms of overall thd, the nano is among the very best. with line out it should be better but then you have to use an amp, then it should destroy the iaudio for overall performance because as good as an audio processor as the iaudio has it should not be able to stand up to a dedicated amp. that said, if you can actually hear the differences, that has yet to be really explored.

 

[chesterqw]

yeap... all lies in whether you are going to use an amp or not

 

[shigzeo]

i didn't get that last one.

 

[dancekat59]

I think what chesterqw is saying is that if you use the nano lineout then one would also be using an amp... which would beat the iAudio7. Conversely, the iAudio7 w/ amp would beat the nano w/ headphone jack. Is this correct?

so, how about....
iAudio7 + amp v.s. nano lineout + amp ?

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dancekat59 /img/forum/go_quote.gif so, how about.... iAudio7 + amp v.s. nano lineout + amp ?

When I first bought my i7 I tested it with ER4P/S. I compared the i7 headphone output(of course there's no line out) to my 5.5 G 80 GB iPod(using the headphone output). I easily gave the win to the i7 for overall cleaner sound/greater detail. Later I tested with full size headphones with less devastating results due to the inability of either to faithfully drive them.

When I compared the i7(unamped) to iPod using line out into my Porta Corda I gave a slight advantage to the iPod/Porta Corda combo using ER4.With the iPod/amp combo I heard a slightly more open soundstage. Using much higher impedance headphones the amp is a must and there would be no competition there.

The i7 can drive my 250 & 300 Ohm headphones to low volumes for non-critical listening. The i7 headphone output works very well as a line out.

I haven't done a comparison using i7 headphone output as line out vs. iPod line out (into the same amp) but based on what I already know it will be very close if not favoring the i7.

 

[Pangaea]

I had both a nano 2nd gen which I used line out to T2 and an iAudio7 at the same time. It was no contest the iAudio7 on its own wiped the floor with the nano (+ line out + amp). The nano on its own (2nd gen anyway) is the worst sounding stand alone DAP I have owned.

 

[dancekat59]

Cool. Thanks for the feedback everyone! Seems like the iAudio7 betters the nano (w/ & w/out lineout) in SQ, with and without an amp.

 

[Fungi]

I've read that the first generation nano has a better DAC (and thus a better line out) than the subsequent generations, but I can't confirm that. It's also not as easy to get a first generation nano, the battery life isn't so hot, and stuff like that kind of excludes it from competing against current portable players.

 

[WalkGood]

Let me say that I agree with everyone who’s stated the SQ from the i7 is far better. I’ve owned an iAudio 7 for over 8 months and I've had the opportunity to compared it to numerous ipods at work; I haven’t seen one that comes close.

The i7 has enough power (26mW + 26mW, 16ohm, rated at 52mW) to drive my 300 Ohm HD650’s and they actually sounded good. But as you know to really make the HD650’s cook you need a good amp. Additionally the i7’s firmware includes JetEffect - various EQ and Sound Effect settings (BBE) that truly give the users all kinds of nice sound adjustments/enhancements. UMS/MTP user selectable, id3 or file browsing, 60 hour battery life......Anyone could easily go on, hands down the i7 ftw ^_~

 

[dancekat59]

Thanks to everyone's help on this, I just placed an order for an iAudio 7!