Ipod Nano sound quality???

[LFF]

Can those who have the Nano please post thier impressions on the Nano's soundquality. Also, are you using an amp? What kind of cans?

 

[sno1man]

I have not had lots of time to do extensive tests since I picked my 4g white one this afternoon. (It's great/sucks that I have an Apple Store 3 miles from my house...lots of impulse buys like today)

Anyway sound quality wise with my superfi pros the sound is almost identical to a second gen 6gb mini and extremely close to the 60GB photo. I still think that the best ipod/headphone sound combo is still the shuffle with shure e4, that I own anyway

I am away from home tonight so all I have is the nano with me. I'm amazed how freaking thin it is.


They are going to sell a boatload of these things though. The cool factor is off the charts. The apple store got 50 each of the white and black 4gb today and they are already sold out of the black and only had 11 of the white ones left.

 

[kloan]

Can you do a comparison with the Shuffle when you get the chance?

 

[The Monkey]

Thus far I am disappointed to hear that the SQ is not improved.

 

[sno1man]

I don't know if I am or not mainly because other than improving bass response with some headphones (shure e4) I don't know what they could/should do.

I dont like the canned presets that the eq has (though a parametric equalizer might be nice).

The problem is that something like that or even a radio or recorder increases the geek factor and drives away the broader consumer which is who they are after anyway.

To me the ipod is a medium-fi device that looks good is portable and is easy to use. If i really want the best sound i use my home system.

I do suspect that there is a higher performance higher fidelity DAP in the future from some company with a correspondingly high price ($1000 plus). I might even buy one if the sound is that much better. Until then the ipod is what it is and is a good product for the price and I am happy with mine.

Did I mention how freakin thin the nano is

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sno1man I dont like the canned presets that the eq has (though a parametric equalizer might be nice).

I agree. Is there any way to hack the EQ on the ipod?

 

[kelvinz]

I've had my nano for one day now and comparing it with my shuffle on my E4C's I find little difference in SQ


Where I found a large difference in SQ between my 30gig photo and Shuffle

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey I agree. Is there any way to hack the EQ on the ipod?

Not yet. Several have tried to no success. Best bet is to MP3/AACgain the files so the presets become less dramatic. 'Acoustic' actually sounds pretty nice when it's not distorting (if nano sounds like iPods).

 

[titaniumx3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelvinz I've had my nano for one day now and comparing it with my shuffle on my E4C's I find little difference in SQ Where I found a large difference in SQ between my 30gig photo and Shuffle

So you have no problems with the bass straight out of the headphone out? If I'm gonna get the nano I want deep solid bass for my ER6i.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkey Thus far I am disappointed to hear that the SQ is not improved.

No one knows at this stage. It could very well be improved. The DAC chip it uses has an output capacitorless mode. It's unclear if it uses it or not. I don't think the two capacitors Doobooloo pointed out are 220uF -- they look too small for that, though it's possible -- so the verdict is still out until someone tests it.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelvinz I've had my nano for one day now and comparing it with my shuffle on my E4C's I find little difference in SQ Where I found a large difference in SQ between my 30gig photo and Shuffle

i guess this is a good sign. I think they knew they did something right with the shuffle and use it in the Nano.

 

[warpdriver]

From PCmag.com http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1857405,00.asp

Quote:

Subjective sound quality is nearly identical to that of the final-generation iPod mini, which is to say, excellent. Music is clear, with very solid bass and crisp highs. The stock Apple earbuds perform adequately, though the player can definitely handle high-end headphones with aplomb (the plug of our Etymotic ER4P canalphones, however, is actually slightly wider than the player itself!). There are 22 preset listening modes, so we think most users won't miss a customizable equalizer. The bass booster provides enough extra depth for thundering bass such as that found in some electronic music, though we heard significant harmonic distortion on the low end that noticeably altered the music. But the sound is plenty good enough with the EQ off. On our formal tests, the iPod nano actually outperformed the 6GB iPod mini, with a slightly cleaner signal and better response in the lowest octave than its predecessor. Our square-wave test also showed that the output stage is significantly stronger than the mini's when loaded with Apple's stock earbuds but not as strong as that of the iPod shuffle, which has a different type of output. Apple rates the battery life at 14 hours of continuous audio playback, and it can fast-charge to 80 percent in 1.5 hours.

 

[donunus]

I wonder if the people at apple even care about what we think around here, I wish they did and finally fixed the sound quality of their DAP to meet our standards

It would make me an instant buyer. Even though creatives products are not as good looking or as ergonomic as the IPOD, I got the zen micro instead because of it's slightly better sound. I just confirmed it recently with the grado sr60. the zen is definitely better. It drives the sr60s with more grip and makes it better experience. The zens rated power is only 7mw too. what a shame for apple

Apple Hurry Up and make your IPOD sound good already.... I want one!

 

[discord]

Does it distort like some(or all?) of the 4th gen color ipods with certain types of music?

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by discord Does it distort like some(or all?) of the 4th gen color ipods with certain types of music?

None of the ipods (as far as i'm aware) distort unless you use their crappy built in eq.