[monolith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by psikey /img/forum/go_quote.gif I did yesterday in the Apple store. Only recently gone to high quality Shures usually using my iPod Nano or W960i Walkman phone. Soon as a tried the 530's with the Nano I realised why people say iPod sound quality is poor. Seemed to be no base (& yes, I insert them properly) while with my W960i they sound great. Was looking to get the 3g iPhone so thought I'd give themm a try and basically I found sound quality to be same as Nano, lacking decent base. Don't normally use EQ settings but thought I'd try the base boost on the Apple devices and while I get the base it distorts the sound to my ears. I then went into the Sony store & tried my 530's with a Walkman A828 and sound was absolutely stunning without any EQ. Made me realise the Walkman W960i phone I use is also pretty damn nice sound quality. Very unlikley I'll get and iPhone now even though it looks stunning.

I don't know what kind of bass you're looking for, but my Nano, my Touch and the 3G iPhone I've tried created head-shaking bass with my UM2s, and they're generally thought of as less bassy than the Shures, no?

 

[psikey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by monolith /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know what kind of bass you're looking for, but my Nano, my Touch and the 3G iPhone I've tried created head-shaking bass with my UM2s, and they're generally thought of as less bassy than the Shures, no?

Well I'm no audio expert I'll admit and the Shures are my 1st & only expensive headphones I've had. Previously coming from £30-50 Sony brand which I believe people say are bass heavy which is what I'm likely used to now.

With the Shures in my (ex) Nano & the iPhone it just didn't sound like there was any "guts" to the sound while in my W960i the bass is nearly as much as my Sony ones but much clearer defined, less muddy & doesn't overpower everything else.

Not being into audio lingo/discriptive talk I'd say the Shures in the iPod/iPhone was like listening to music without a woofer while my W960i & the A828 Walkman sound like I've got the Amp in my head with sound waves feeling physical.

I'll give them a try again with my wifes Nano. I'd really love to stick to Apple because I really like the sync with iTunes and finding non-ipod doesn't have same 2-way sync for autoplaylists & star raings.

Also is it general knowledge that EQ on iPod/iPhone are crap? As an example "American Boy" bass is severley distorted if I use bass boost EQ on iPod but great on the Walkman phone/mp3 player??

 

[nc8000]

Yes I think it is fairly well accepted that the iPod eq is not all that good and can distort. The solution for this for some (myself included) is to use mp3gain/aacgain to lower the gain of the music files and then use (sometimes) the iPos eq at wich point it is a fair bit better

 

[moseboy]

Wow, that is so ridiculously disheartening. I didn't realize the sound quality was that bad out of the iPhone. I'd take more hiss if it meant I'd still like the sound signature. I mean-....

I love how Sony's players sound. I have personally never heard any players out there that, to me, match or beat a Sony in terms of sound quality. But I at least thought an Apple product would come somewhere close. Maybe within viewing distance(?). What besides bass is lacking in the overall sound of the iPhone, specifically the iPhone 3g (because it has a different audio chip than the original iPhone)? What does it really sound like with high quality earphones like Shures, and how does it compare to other players out there such as Sony's players?

 

[knights]

Wolfson DAC is confirmed...

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knights /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wolfson DAC is confirmed...

Mmmkay, thank you iLounge

....

 

[shigzeo]

iphone is a good sounding player: no sure where you get the idea it is not. well, this is headfi and anything ipod unless used with an amp etc is complete rubbish of course. forgot that part. forgot also that people do prefer a player than you can sqeeze every opportunity to get sound different from the original out of it. ipod does not do that. no ipod has ever done that.

 

[jordanross]

Flush headphone jack FTW!!!

I would always run into a situations with my old iPhone where I couldn't use it, because of the recessed jack.

 

[moseboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jordanross /img/forum/go_quote.gif Flush headphone jack FTW!!!

Yes, that's nice (even though it should have never been recessed in the first place). I'm just still concerned about sound quality.

In comparison to better sounding dedicated mp3 players, is the iPhone 3G just less detailed? Less balanced? What really makes an actual mp3 player like a Sony sound better (or for that matter, what actually makes an iPod's sound inferior to other better sounding players on the market)? I just want to know how much of a difference I will be able to detect between the Sony I heard a while ago and my iPhone 3G if and when I get it.

 

[EEXO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, that's nice (even though it should have never been recessed in the first place). I'm just still concerned about sound quality. In comparison to better sounding dedicated mp3 players, is the iPhone 3G just less detailed? Less balanced? What really makes an actual mp3 player like a Sony sound better (or for that matter, what actually makes an iPod's sound inferior to other better sounding players on the market)? I just want to know how much of a difference I will be able to detect between the Sony I heard a while ago and my iPhone 3G if and when I get it.

IMO, it's the lower spectrum that the iPod loses out

 

[shigzeo]

the sound of the sony is good for buds and iems/canals as it powers very well low ohm phones which are ridiculously hard for a portable to power. that is the case for 95% of all portable players. there are only a few exceptions. the iphone can utilise an er4p to s adapter for 25$ to make it out do everything that the sony does.

the sony is just lucky like the original shuffle from having push pull output: nothing better just an inclusion of one more cap for output. but like the shuffle: it has no where near the dynammics of the ipod with headphones. i too own the 828 and the sony 615: they hiss like nothing with canals or iems but they do sound very good. however, the iphone only has bass roll off: it has excellent separation and as always, loads of power and for a portable player, the bass roll off is still among the best... no like nano, d2, zens or most cowon

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidhunternyc /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know this is crazy, but why is Apple using "glossy" scratchable surfaces on the backs of their phones? They know they will be messed up in no time. Well, my Motorola Razr 2 has a black rubberized back and it doesn't have one scratch on it after months of use. Who ever thought that Apple could ever take a lesson from Motorola...

Style sells.

 

[shigzeo]

honestly, i like the look, even scratched. even scratched, it is impeccably crafted.

 

[ricthaman]

well,

I thouroughly tested my iPhone 3G against my iPhone 1.0, Sony NW-Z516, iPod nano 3rd gen and iriver clix and must say the iPhone is my favourite right out of the headphone jack, maybe a tie with the sony, but it sounds really, really good. I was stunned.

Once one did a good listening to the iPhone 3G you'll see that the 3G has a real nice output. A tad better then the 1.0 iPhone imho. So now I have a very good portable rig, if I don't wanna carry around the amp.

I didn't really A-B the Line-out, but the 3G Line-out sounds absolutely terrific, as usual. When coupled to my 2Move through a Qables LOD it sounds like heaven!!!

All this was done with the use of my tusty UE Triple.Fi's.

Rgds,

ric

 

[yourtoys7]

and its only getting better :>