[swilly]

I recently bought an Ipod Gen 5 30 GB off a friend for $50. It is in good condition. However, being an owner of a Sony NWZ-A816, I realized that the sound quality of the Headphone out on the Ipod was audibly inferior to the headphone out on the Sony.

The 30 GB of storage is definitely useful for me, as I have about 24 GB of music ranging from v2/192 to v0/320. But the inferior sound quality nags me a bit.

So I have a question to those with this setup or those who have experienced it.

Does the ipod gen 5 rockboxed + LOD + Fiio E5 synergize well and how much better does it sound compared to the headphone out? I want to keep this setup pocket-friendly, both in regards to my wallet and my actual pocket.

I'll be using my AKG k81dj with this set up, and maybe yuins in the future.

Also, with Line-out, I can have the sound (through the spin wheel) off, right? Doesn't the Line-out have its own volume?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Dominat0r]

you might notice a slight difference...but dont expect a night and day difference.

I mean, try it out...its really not a huge investment since rockbox is free, the lod depending on what you buy is 20$ and 20$ for the amp. For 40$ i dont think you could go wrong. =)

I would consider a small CMOY instead of a E5...thats just me.

 

[ZarakiSan]

Better yet, look into the iBasso T4. It's very small as well, and should do more than an E5 can.

 

[aloksatoor]

go for the mini 3..mixterx or ybm audio can build ya one for around 100 ish $.. heard a colleagues fiio amp and prefered the direct hp out of my sony s639 any day

 

[swilly]

Thanks for the responses, guys. However, my budget is probably $50 or less, which includes the LOD and the amp, therefore limiting myself to a Cmoy or Fiio e5.

The reason why I want to get an amp with volume control is so that I can use the line-out from the ipod. I don't necessarily need something too expensive, it's just that the only amps I know of that have volume control and sound decent are the fiio e5 and the cmoy.

Any other low-priced suggestions?

 

[tstarn06]

Just a thought. Get the E5 and see if you like the sound any better using mini to min and E5 (after Rockbox). Rockbox can really improve SQ and add that great EQ. So maybe the $20 amp via HP out will be enough. I would not buy a cheap LOD, and the good ones, even the DIY ones here, are $80. I have one and love it with my Touch. But I use the MiniboxE+, so way out of your budget.

Just get the amp, rockbox the iPod and see what you think. Add the LOD later, if it's not working for you.

Funny, I just sold an ipod 5.5g 30GB. And it had rockbox on it.

 

[swilly]

Isn't the issue with the ipod the noise and garbage between the DAC and the headphone out? If i used an amp through the headphone out, wouldn't that just amplify the noise?

By using a LOD, i would go past the noise b/c of a cleaner path, right?

But yes, that does sound like a good idea if the amp doesn't amplify the noise in between.

 

[LingLing1337]

Buy a nice LOD then wait till you can afford a proper amp.

 

[Meloncoly]

If I had that small of a budget, I would rather buy a CMOY and a LOD from iBasso or someone here on the forum. But if it were me, I would just wait until I can spend more cash and spend it on a better amp.

 

[swilly]

alright! thanks guys. I guess ill wait a bit for more money for a better amp...

A friend of mine is getting the fiio e5, so i'll test it then. Only thing im "concerned" with is how long i'll actually use the LOD for (especially if i end up investing a lot into it). I do have a ipod gen 5, but i don't know how much longer that will last, and I heard the new ipod classic has kind of bad sq and it's not rockbox-able. and the LOD will only work with Ipod, and I don't know if i will purchase another ipod in the future...

Any thoughts?

 

[ZoNtO]

You could just get a "battery replacement" ipod from Apple by taking yours to the store and paying 60 bucks for a brand new 30gb ipod. New battery, face covers, backplate, etc... Basically a refurbished one.

I got one and it looks glorious!

 

[swilly]

of course, that is a good idea, but in regards to high-capacity players, I'm hearing more and more that the Zune has a better Headphone out. I guess if i can avoid an amp, I'll try to, and instead, get maybe a better set-up for home usage.

only concern with getting an amp as well is that if i get too good of one, will it reveal my files too much? I don't use FLAC or any other form of lossless b/c i have very limited hard-drive space, and I usually go with anything from V2 to V0 to 320.

 

[iriverdude]

The line out connector from ipods is just too fragile. I can't see the connector lasing very long.