[xnor]

Quote:

 
Indeed, it now looks similar to the ED8 THD vs. frequency graph, but at lower level, as expected from the output impedance:

Yup. I guess the old images were just placeholders.

 

[jaddie]

Final draft posted....

http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-5/audio-quality.htm

Ah. Reality.

 

[Strangelove424]

Not that I don't enjoy a good photography discussion, but I'm really happy we're back to audio again. I take all the blame for side tracking the discussion earlier. Sorry, guys. The iPhone measurements, however, are still low enough to be inaudible. I wouldn't fret, and never have fretted, about using one as a source. Driving a 600ohm Beyer in my experience is a no-go, but it sounds fine with my Grados. That's my preferred combo for listening to music before I goto sleep, for practicality reasons. The only thing I feel like I'm missing compared to having them amped is jump factor, which is something I have zero problems sacrificing during bedtime.   

 

[whiteshadow001]

I take anything kenrockwell says with a huge grain of salt. My iPod touch 5th gen definitely sounds a lot better than my brothers 4th gen. Same goes for the iPhone. When I can hear a difference through all of my headphones and my cars system there is definitely something better about the new generation Idevices.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

I take anything kenrockwell says with a huge grain of salt. My iPod touch 5th gen definitely sounds a lot better than my brothers 4th gen.

 
What sort of test did you do to determine that?

 

[whiteshadow001]

Quote:

I take anything kenrockwell says with a huge grain of salt. My iPod touch 5th gen definitely sounds a lot better than my brothers 4th gen.

 
What sort of test did you do to determine that?

Listening to several different genres of music on different kinds of headphones, my home theater system, my car system and computer monitors. Its not a huge leap in audio quality, I just noticed a little bit more detail with the 5th gen. I've also read a test that Engadget has done and it has shown that the iPhone 5 has a flatter response than previous iterations of the iPhone. But I'm also wondering if the software has a major hand in making a difference? Improving the way the software handles the hardware could drastically improve audio quality

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[bigshot]

You are hearing music, not sound quality. Do a direct A/B line level matched comparison and I bet you find that the difference disappears.
 
Every Apple product I've ever had has sound specs below the threshold of human hearing.

 

[whiteshadow001]

You are hearing music, not sound quality. Do a direct A/B line level matched comparison and I bet you find that the difference disappears.
 
Every Apple product I've ever had has sound specs below the threshold of human hearing.

Everyone I've talked to can hear a difference. There is one there. Maybe not what your tests say but I've definitely noticed an overall better sound quality through my 5th gen iPod than my my brothers 4th gen. Same goes for my mom's 4S and her new iPhone 5.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[chewy4]

Quote:

Everyone I've talked to can hear a difference. There is one there. Maybe not what your tests say but I've definitely noticed an overall better sound quality through my 5th gen iPod than my my brothers 4th gen. Same goes for my mom's 4S and her new iPhone 5.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Were any of the people you talked to in this video?
 

 

[Steve Eddy]

Ah, the human mind. Gotta love it for its exquisite ability to fool itself.
 
This one is definitely my favorite:
 

 
se

 

[Eee Pee]

That was great!

 

[bigshot]

Agua de Culo!

 

[whiteshadow001]

I'm not saying I'm an expert or anything. It's just my, and others, experiences with the newer devices. To each their own though.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[bigshot]

You don't have to be an expert. All you need to do is set up a listening test that will tell you for sure. I am willing to bet ten bucks that if you did that, you'd find all iPods sound pretty much the same.

 

[Trenn]

Modern ipods have improved quite a bit. Going back to first gen ipods, you can see the second harmonic was -75 dB in this review of the first product (-3 dBFS into 150 ohms)
 
http://www.stereophile.com/content/apple-ipod-portable-music-player-measurements
 
Modern ipods have second harmonics around -95 dB under much tougher conditions (0 dBFS into 32 ohms). You can also find plots that show a 2010 vintage ipod was about 5-10 dB worse in terms of harmonics. 
 
http://www.quantasylum.com/content/Home/tabid/40/EntryId/23/Apple-iPod-Nano.aspx
 
 
I think the noise floor of modern ipods is much better too.