[SEABREEZE]

Clarification to all , are you relating your list of best to worst with regards to ipod only , or with amp attached;

I am contemplating buying both ipod and amp, and was wondering the same thing, if one ipod has beeter SQ over another going through the same amp, regardless of amp brand.

Understanding portable amps will give you better SQ in and of itself.

I guess another way of rephrasing my question, when a amp is attached to your ipod, does it just boil down to the amp your using and not the source out from an ipod.

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nywytboy68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, as the LOD>Amp bypasses the DAC in the ipod headphone out completely.

It bypasses the internal amplifier, not the DAC.

 

[Logistics]

The bottom line is that the sound is going to change with a difference in load, whether you are using the HP-out or the Line-out. You could do a test using a particular external amplifier and then plugging each iPod into it to see how it reacts, but you can't sit down and say "X iPod is better than Y iPod for SQ" as an absolute because it will always be different depending on what you use for external amplification.

It's best to see if someone has the same combination as you and ask them if they've tried other iPods on said combination, but even then you also hear differently than everyone else does so creating threads concerning which products sound good is one thing, but which sound better is subject to surrounding equipment and the User in particular.

For instance, on paper the output of an SbLive! is superior to an old Sound Blaster 16, but with my particular headphones, due to the load they introduce, they are better sounding on the SB16 than the Live!... unless, you consider the hiss of the high-gain IC on the SB16 to automatically mean it is inferior. LuLz

 

[knights]

ive tested almost all ipod's availble here without amp and with amp...

unamped solution is quite handy as you wouldnt mine extra hassle with the amp.. like what most of us who tested ipods, 5.5G is the best through HP out IMO... also consider that theres a thing called synergy... ipods sounds differently when paired with dif headphone and vice versa... e.g.: i like the classic more when paired with my HD-205 and px100... you can also add personal prefrence in the equation

but like most of us here seeking for Best SQ possible in portables, amping it is the ideal one.... LO bypass the internal amp thus giving the external amp pure signals... also consider synergy here... its getting more complicated as you have 3 variables to consider; the ipod, amp, and headphone... here, ipod 5.5G synergize well with my BOA and eh-350 (my current best rig).. c

the reason why im getting P3"heron" is the ability to roll op-amps... you can tweak it to suit your prefered sound with your existing headphone and ipod...

in the end, what matter most is your EARS... try as many ipods with dif headphones combo possible if you can....

 

[pdupiano]

I think its a bit misleading if people post their ipod list of best to worse and then end it with, a ymmv post. If everyone ends up saying that its all about your preferences then we can't very well have a discussion about which ipod has the best SQ. Sorry your preferences may lead you to hate or like my post.

But honestly, I recommend the 5.5g for both headphone and for LOD, I've let a touch 1st gen and classic go because I just like the 5.5g more. My only gripe about ipods is that no matter which version you have, you will get hiss from the se530's -- it sucks but once you get over that, it plays nice and warm.

 

[knights]

i heard that 2nd gen touch and iphone 3G dont hiss with se-530...
LO with amp, i prefer 5.5 as i said in my previous post, followed by classic, nano 3g, ipod touch 1st gen... ive nver tried 2nd gen touch and iphone 3g which is thought to be the best soundin ipods...

 

[pdupiano]

Hmm, must pick up an itouch 2nd ed then I'll check it out

 

[SEABREEZE]

Since we are on the subject of SQ with a ipod, if you use lossless which supposes to give you the best SQ. Does your batteries smoke. (short shelf life.) when you load your music. Also what about from just normal play back

I read that on another thread, and was just wondering if that is correct

 

[knights]

its expected that batt will drain faster with loosless than lossy formats... lossless files needs more processing power to decode...

 

[paradoe]

To me, Classic is ok, a little better than Video

 

[roncruiser]

With my ipod touch 2G, after stopping the music, through my se530's I get hiss that lasts for about 10 seconds then shuts off with an audible click. What is that? I can also here the hiss as soon as I start the song. Not sure if it's my se530's or the touch. I suppose I can easily find out....

 

[qusp]

well for me
HPout:

iphone 3G

Touch 2G

ipod video

classic

LO

ipod video 5.5G * (diymod) unfair though with the caps i'm using in portable and transportable rigs in my sig

iphone 3G

ipod video 5.5g (stock)

classic

I dont like the classic SQ at all. there isn't any life to it. the wolfston dacs are all superior IMO notice the pattern here?? I too have just snapped up a couple of ipod video's gonna mod them too. getting a 120gb toshiba drive for one and waiting for the 240gb to come out shortly. I havent tried the touch 2G LO as yet either, but I expect it to sound on par with the iphone 3G as they use a variant of the same dac.

 

[Nuge]

I have the ATH-es7's and am contemplating either buying the 5.5 G ipod OR the 6 G ipod("classic"). Which combo would you guys think would produce the best synergy?


Thanks

 

[Kajisan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by knights /img/forum/go_quote.gif i heard that 2nd gen touch and iphone 3G dont hiss with se-530...

I have the 2 gen ipod touch and the se530, its a beautiful combination, i don't hear any hiss at all. Hopefully it will sound better when i get my e5 and LOD (never used a portable amp or lod before).

 

[PortaDiFerro]

I currently have 1g nano which I use with Atrio M5 with and without Hornet M, and in process of getting s² cabled HFI-780. I'd be wanting to upgrade the Nano for better SQ and more space, but you guys are making it really hard!

After reading about the iMod my first idea was to just buy 5/5.5g ipod for now and possibly mod it later, but now I'm not so sure anymore..

Is there really big difference in SQ and sound signature between the classic and video ipods and how much of an upgrade it would be from nano?

Also is the stock ipod line-out enough for my setup or would the modding still give reasonable value for the buck?