[Eleven13]

Hi everyone,
 
I'm in the market for an iPod and I am currently deciding between the 5.5gen and the 7th gen classic.
 
I found two online that I am thinking about buying, they are:
 
1. iPod 5.5 gen 80gb refurbished (new battery) for $190.
 
2. iPod 7th gen 120gb lightly used for $180.
 
I've been reading a lot on these boards about the sound quality of both, and it seems like there is still a big debate about it. My question is, is the sound quality of the 5.5 (and capability for Rockbox, etc) worth spending 10 more dollars for 40 less gbs?
 
I just ditched the iTunes store and started buying CDs again, and currently have about 60 ripped ALAC in my iTunes library, and that number will continue to grow. 
 
What would you guys do in my position? Is it possible to upgrade the 5.5 to 120gbs inexpensively? 
 
Thank you!

 

[HCSUNSHINE90]

not sure if this will help you, but I heard the ipod touch has the best sound quality of any ipod. though, I believe the largest size capacity the touch comes in is 64gb. so if you got the dough and can sacrifice some space, go with the touch I'd say.

 

[TheDreamthinker]

I heard that the 7G and 5.5G are different (analytical vs. warmer), but both good DAPs. Therefore I would go for more capacity.

 

[MrTechAgent]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNEUJqzlqNg
 
This should help you ...

 

[Eleven13]

Thank you for all the input everyone, I was very torn between the two but now I think I'll definitely go with the 7th Gen, especially with the video you provided MrTechAgent. I will however check out all my options including the touch one more time before I make the decision, but it seems that the high capacity paired with the SQ make the 7th Gen my best option.

 

[MattTCG]

For me, the extra space would win out. I don't hear a big difference in the sound quality. I have owned both on multiple occasions. 

 

[Achmedisdead]

  Hi everyone,
 
I'm in the market for an iPod and I am currently deciding between the 5.5gen and the 7th gen classic.
 
I found two online that I am thinking about buying, they are:
 
1. iPod 5.5 gen 80gb refurbished (new battery) for $190.
 
2. iPod 7th gen 120gb lightly used for $180.
 
I've been reading a lot on these boards about the sound quality of both, and it seems like there is still a big debate about it. My question is, is the sound quality of the 5.5 (and capability for Rockbox, etc) worth spending 10 more dollars for 40 less gbs?
 
I just ditched the iTunes store and started buying CDs again, and currently have about 60 ripped ALAC in my iTunes library, and that number will continue to grow. 
 
What would you guys do in my position? Is it possible to upgrade the 5.5 to 120gbs inexpensively? 
 
Thank you!

 
1. You can find them cheaper than that, I think.
 
2. 120GB iPod is not 7th gen it is 6th gen.
 
To me, 5.5 with Rockbox is the better of the two choices....no iTunes required! plus the 10 band fully parametric EQ and theming ability, etc. Many more options are under your control than factory Apple settings will allow....I also have a 4th Gen Touch, which also sounds good, but Rockbox > iOS if you don't need apps.
 
Also the 5.5 can be upgraded to 240GB, although I don't know how much that costs.

 

[Eleven13]

   
1. You can find them cheaper than that, I think.
 
2. 120GB iPod is not 7th gen it is 6th gen.
 
To me, 5.5 with Rockbox is the better of the two choices....no iTunes required! plus the 10 band fully parametric EQ and theming ability, etc. Many more options are under your control than factory Apple settings will allow....I also have a 4th Gen Touch, which also sounds good, but Rockbox > iOS if you don't need apps.
 
Also the 5.5 can be upgraded to 240GB, although I don't know how much that costs.

Thanks for your advice, you are correct the iPod I am looking at must be mislabeled as 7th gen.
 
You are also right with the price....I've been looking mostly at Ebay but it seems Amazon also has refurbished 5.5s and 7th gens for much cheaper used. If you don't mind, could you explain what Rockbox actually is? I don't play around with EQs much because I've read that it's better to just leave everything flat, does it help improve sound quality in any other way? Also, how do iPod updates and things work with Rockbox, if that would even be an issue? 
 
I'm not concerned at all with apps because I have an iPhone, but my phone doesn't have nearly enough memory to accommodate lossless files which is why I'm looking to get an iPod. My focus is solely on music and getting the best SQ that I can. 

 

[Achmedisdead]

  Thanks for your advice, you are correct the iPod I am looking at must be mislabeled as 7th gen.
 
You are also right with the price....I've been looking mostly at Ebay but it seems Amazon also has refurbished 5.5s and 7th gens for much cheaper used. If you don't mind, could you explain what Rockbox actually is? I don't play around with EQs much because I've read that it's better to just leave everything flat, does it help improve sound quality in any other way? Also, how do iPod updates and things work with Rockbox, if that would even be an issue? 
 
I'm not concerned at all with apps because I have an iPhone, but my phone doesn't have nearly enough memory to accommodate lossless files which is why I'm looking to get an iPod. My focus is solely on music and getting the best SQ that I can. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockbox
 
The beauty of having a good EQ is that it allows you to compensate for any shortcomings of the headphones you are using....it won't make a crappy headphone into a world-beater, but it can still improve many of them, if used carefully.
There would be no worries about iPod updates with Rockbox, because the models that support it aren't getting official Apple updates anymore.
 
What your Rockboxed iPod would look like in Windows....
 

 
Copy and paste your music into the Music folder....no syncing required!
 
And what do I have on my 5.5? Enough music to last me over a month....I leave the lossless at home on the hard drive for safekeeping. MP3 at a decent bitrate is fine for my needs most of the time, of course YMMV.
 

 

[Eleven13]

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockbox
 
The beauty of having a good EQ is that it allows you to compensate for any shortcomings of the headphones you are using....it won't make a crappy headphone into a world-beater, but it can still improve many of them, if used carefully.
There would be no worries about iPod updates with Rockbox, because the models that support it aren't getting official Apple updates anymore.
 
What your Rockboxed iPod would look like in Windows....
 
 
 
Copy and paste your music into the Music folder....no syncing required!
 
And what do I have on my 5.5? Enough music to last me over a month....I leave the lossless at home on the hard drive for safekeeping. MP3 at a decent bitrate is fine for my needs most of the time, of course YMMV.
 
 

Thank you for your advice! I will look into Rockbox more for sure before I decide. Just out of curiosity, would you still choose the 5.5 over the 7th even if I chose to not Rockbox it? I also found a 120gb 5.5 (refurbished battery and HD) for less money than the 80gb 5.5, so that is very tempting as-is. 
 
And since I have all of my CDs ripped ALAC in my iTunes library, if I did Rockbox it, can I still use my Mac to manage my music on it in addition to my PC, and could I drag + drop from my iTunes library into the Rockbox folder or would I need to re-rip into something like FLAC using EAC?

 

[JK1]

I'm surprised no one suggested that he save plenty of money and get a $30 Sandisk Clip Zip and Rockbox it. The Clip Zip has a microSDHC card slot
and great sound quality. It is tiny and has a built in clip.

 

[Eleven13]

  I'm surprised no one suggested that he save plenty of money and get a $30 Sandisk Clip Zip and Rockbox it. The Clip Zip has a microSDHC card slot
and great sound quality. It is tiny and has a built in clip.

Thanks for the information, I actually never heard of that before but I'll definitely check them out!

 

[TheDreamthinker]

Hi,
 
I know that what I am doing now is very impolite and i deeply apologise.
It just happens to be that creating a new thread for a simple question is quite useless.
 
Does anyone have experiences with MappleSyrup (tsandrew) and his 240GB iPod 7G?
Do the products last and how good is SQ and long-term support?
He is banned here on Head-Fi and told me that I he would repair in 'reasonable' timespans' (vague formulation, which I'm not really fond of).
 
Sorry and thank you.
 
TheDreamthinker.