[joeling]

For the last few years, I have been using an IPOD classic 160Gb + a Shure entry level sound isolating earphone for travel use. Been thinking of getting something better.
 
While browsing for cables for the Audeze LCD-2 (again, a recent aquisition still on the way from far away), saw on the Alo site that the latest iteration of IMOD has a SSD + some modification. I hope to use these with an external amp & something better for earphones. How will it compare with the Solo ?
 
I like non aggressive top end.
 
Regards,
Joe Ling
Malaysia

 

[tnmike1]

First: I have both the iPod Classic and a 5.5g iMod.  Love them both but when amped properly there is a very noticeable difference between the iMod and the classic.  I'm not sure, though, of this new iMod generation.  First, it's still an older iPod with newer guts.  And while I know nothing about electronics, I'm wondering if Vinnie at Redwine is just using the "shell"--click wheel, body, etc--of the older iPod then putting all new internals into the unit.
 
Also don't forget you're going to need the ALO dock which is about $200 so now you're talking about a significant investment in the whole project.
 
That said, it looks to be a wonderful unit and less bulky than the iPod, Algorhytm combination.
 
Will be interesting to see others' impressions of this.

 

[joeling]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm kind of new to headphones although I've had a Grado SR60 for many years (hmm, sounds like a contradiction). I find myself travelling more often nowadays & would like something less bulky for places like the airport. Although if I have choose between heft & sound quality, sound quality will win.
 
Regards,
Joe Ling

 

[Rico67]

Hi,
i own since several years Imod from RWA.
I love the sound of this unit.
I have made the jump and place an SSD inside...
The gap in sound worth the value.
The sound amelioration bw imod and regular ipod is like the difference bw Hard drive and SSD !
I don't know while, maybe something like jitter...
But the result is really great and i think SSD Imod are one of the best portable source available.
I haven't heard algorythm, but don't need one because I in love with my Imod and SSD imod.
i use the last LOD from ALO or a personal imod dock and an XP7 or an Hornet ( first generation) from RSA.
My Headphones are Grado GS 1000 or Westone UM3, or PX 1000.
Have great time with your Imod.
Eric

 

[ZARIM]

I will recommend one single DAPs which come close or on same level of sonic quality is HM-801. But no doubt the iMod sound so good if pair with highend portable AMPs and Solo maybe sound even better because it has better DAC than iPod internal DAC( i think you can use Solo with iMod iPod too).

 

[fdhfdy]

A fellow here sold his rwa imod/imod lod to me after he bought a hm-801. I sold the imod 2 days after I got my hm-801. sq from lo on 801 is much better imo. Whats the piont throw in a ssd to replace the original hd of an ipod?. I hardly hear any noises from the little machine even at late night. Seemed ssd also consumes more power than the normal hd.

 

[High_Q]

I replaced mine because of speed.  Seek time should be quicker with SSD.  Also, my unit was pretty old, so I was thinking my HDD was going to fail sometime soon.  Relly?  SSD consume more power?  I would think the opposite.
 
Quote:

A fellow here sold his rwa imod/imod lod to me after he bought a hm-801. I sold the imod 2 days after I got my hm-801. sq from lo on 801 is much better imo. Whats the piont throw in a ssd to replace the original hd of an ipod?. I hardly hear any noises from the little machine even at late night. Seemed ssd also consumes more power than the normal hd.

 

 

[TheAwesomesauceShow]

SSDs don't have moving parts like HDDs.  So an SSD will consume less power but it is hardly noticeable.  Reason for changing your hdd to ssd is weight and faster boot time.  I only have a normal Ipod classic with its traditional hdd so I can't comment on boot time since the ipod doesn't have one except if you're resetting it(hold center and menu buttons at the same time for a few seconds).

 

[tankman]

 
Seriously I really doubt paying near 800$ for a imod with ssd will make prominent improvemnet on sq.

 

[joeling]

Thanks guys for the comments.
 
Regards,
Joe Ling

 

[triodesteve]

I recently replaced the HD on my diymod with a CF card. The idea was just to get longer battery life and make it lighter, faster, and more reliable (not to mention a little more capacity than the original 30g).
I didn't plan on saying anything about sound quality until I saw this thread, but I swear it has improved and by a pretty serious margin. It's possible that the Fostex headphones that I've been listening to lately have broken in while I've been listening I suppose, but the things I'm hearing seem really to be all about improved digital source. Who knows?
 

 

[keroro]

how does a different type of storing medium improve sound?? interesting...

 

[mukumi]

Quote:

how does a different type of storing medium improve sound?? interesting...

This is theorical since I do not know at all how all that **** works, but might it be that the difference of power consumption with a SSD or Flash memory is put into the amp ?

 

[kiertijai]

Hi,
i own since several years Imod from RWA.
I love the sound of this unit.
I have made the jump and place an SSD inside...
The gap in sound worth the value.
The sound amelioration bw imod and regular ipod is like the difference bw Hard drive and SSD !
I don't know while, maybe something like jitter...
But the result is really great and i think SSD Imod are one of the best portable source available.
I haven't heard algorythm, but don't need one because I in love with my Imod and SSD imod.
i use the last LOD from ALO or a personal imod dock and an XP7 or an Hornet ( first generation) from RSA.
My Headphones are Grado GS 1000 or Westone UM3, or PX 1000.
Have great time with your Imod. 
I have made the jump and place an SSD inside... 
Dear Eric, did you do it yourself or do you have to send it to RWA to do that?
What is the cost of the SSD 256 GB or higher?
Can we use it with ipod of 6 th gen or 7th and have the similar SQ?  with external DAC like CLAS or Fostex HP-P1?
 

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

how does a different type of storing medium improve sound?? interesting...

A spinning hard drive produces noise. Anything that produces noise affects sound quality. Also a spinning mechanism also is more prone to jitter. That's why high end music servers don't use mechanical hard drives but ss drives instead. Now it's up to the user to decided if that increase is worth the huge, and I mean huge premium over mechanical hard drives. For me, not yet. Larger capacity ss drives just cost too much. And smaller ones just don't have enough space for me. Once you get use to have your entire music library on a small portable device you just can't go back to converting, making numerous playlists, and going through thousands of songs just to put a few on a portable. But I'm really looking forward to the day when they become more affordable.