[White Lotus]

The reason I say "Honest opinions needed" is because there seems to be a large stigma about the 3GS: People, for one reason or another, refuse to believe that it can be used as a fantastic portable player, purely because "its just a phone".
 
If you are one of these people, then please read the following:
 

1. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/457463/iphone-3gs-32gb
2. http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/439633/what-s-your-opinion-on-sq-of-iphone-3gs

 
And this post in particular: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/439633/what-s-your-opinion-on-sq-of-iphone-3gs/30#post_5986810
 
 
Anyway, on to my issue. I own a 3GS, and I also own a 5.5g ipod w/ C&C box+ amp.
 
I purchased the 5.5g after the 3gs, and you can only imagine my dismay with the comparatively veiled, and thin sound. 
 
I have been doing a lot of reading about the "iMod" and  "DIYMOD" modifications available, and I am very interested in doing so. Purely because:
 
A. I _LOVE_ the rockbox interface
B. A lot of my music is FLAC, and converting to an iphone friendly format is annoying
C. Upgradeable battery and HDD
D. EQ can be useful in SOME situations
 
However, for me, SQ reigns supreme. My question is:
 
 
 
If I do a DIYmod, and use a blackgate capped LOD, would the SQ be comparable to that of the 3GS?
 
 
Please be aware, that I can understand that many people will be bias on this topic, and it might be a sensitive issue for some, with VERY good reason. 
 
"My $1000+ ipod+super dooper vcaps+amp+cables that I did so much research on MUST sound better than some phone my friend bought... Right?... RIGHT?!?!"
 
Thanks guys!

 

[haowai]

  Ok, first of all i do not have iphone, but i do own a i pod touch 3 which probably sound very similar to your 3GS.
 
  IPT3 is generally a very good portable source, but my 5g RWA  imod is just better when we talk about sound stage and the quality of bass.
The difference is very clear  when i do the A B test,and yeah i love it when i can use rockbox on it and plays my FLAC.
 
 I believe if you are serious in sound quality and have a deep enough pocket, you should really go for IMOD, not that iphone/ipt is bad, just there is a better option. For me,imod worths the extra investment.

 

[White Lotus]

Thanks for the honest reply! AFAIK IPT3 and 3GS have the same chip and/or signal path from the chip to the HP/LOD. What amp do you run with your iMod, and what headphones?
 
Most importantly, what caps/LOD are you using? 

 

[haowai]

  I am currently using RSA shadow connected with ALO Imod lod (previous flagship model). I also had a ibasso T3, very good for it's price tag and tiny size, but shadow is just better. ALO have a new imod LOD that they claims it sounds similar to their V-caps,i would like to try it in the future.
 
  About phones i use DT770 32ohms most of the time, and the IPT3 phone out isn't capable to drive it, yes the sound can be loud enough but quality is bad. With line out and shadow, IPT3 can do a pretty good jobs driving 32ohm phones, imod with shadow is slightly better on that area but still not capable to drive bigger cans .
 
 The only IEM i have with me is a sony ex700 ,i dont use it much ,since i usually would be listening music at indoor like office etc.. but i do have a jh16 coming to me soon.
 

 

[Bina]

I compared my Iphone 3G with my Diymod(blackagte caps) with Meier Headsix, Ibasso D10 and JH13 and Diymod is simply better in almost everything (speaking just about sound quality).

 

[White Lotus]

Ah.. Excellent just as I had hoped. Could you be a little more specific with what is improved exactly?
 
I'm not impressed with how much RWA charge for this service (I'm sure they do fine work, however) so DIYmod seems to be the way to go. 

 

[Bina]

With diymod you get bigger and more accurate soundstage, better detail, better extension, better tone.. Simply Iphone is great MP3 player, but diymod is more on level of home Dacs.

 

[aamefford]

I have an iPhone 3GS, and I just sold a really nice 5.5G DIYMod.  The 3GS is a really nice player, make no mistake.  I used it for a while via LOD into my Dynalo, into my D7000's.  It really is a good source.
 
The DIYMod really is an excellent source, and bettered the 3GS.  It is blacker between notes, has better detail and clarity, better bass extension.  I ran it with a custom LOD with Blackgates to my Dynalo.
 
I gave up on the high end portable system I was building, and purchased a Cambridge Audio DacMagic, hence the sale of the DIYMod.  That said, the DIYMod  gave the DacMagic a fair run for its money.  Definitely in the same league.
 
By the way, Joneeboi up in Canada does a really nice DIYMod.  He did mine for $100.  He's  true gentleman.  He's also a student, and does this as a hobby and for a couple of extra bucks, so you might need to be patient with him.

 

[ychao24]

I have an iPod Touch 3rd gen and my RWA iMod 120gb's returning to me on Tues hopefully, so I can do some comparisons if you want me to. If memory still serves the iMod has some considerable SQ advantages over the Touch, and I particularly liked the soundstage + music detail.

 

[White Lotus]

I have my Imod now, with blackgate caps. Loving it so far. I believe it is the better player in all but portability - The sound customization on rockbox is amazing. 
 
I've been told that these caps need time to burn-in - what advantages have you guys found from doing so?