iPod vs. Hi-fi Portable Audio Players

[merkaba8]

I currently use a iPod 5G modded to flash memory to store my music files. Most of my audio is saved as 320kbps MP3. My headphones are Shure SE315 which I am mostly pretty happy with.
 
I know there are a lot of parts in between sound files and headphones that affect sound quality (DAC, chips, amp, headphone jack, etc) and I was just wondering how much of a difference a hi-fi audio player would make (like say for example, FiiO X1, or even something higher end if necessary) given that I am starting from 320kbps MP3 and have no intention of going lossless (I just like to be able to have my whole collection with me).
 
Has anyone compared FiiO X1 with iPod on MP3? I am guessing that the high end hifi players are overkill for MP3?
 
 
Thanks so much for any advice. 

 

[mysticstryk]

320kbps is almost indistinguishable from lossless codecs, particularly on a portable setup. The Fiio X1 won't provide much more over your iPod other than getting away from the awful iTunes software and better EQ settings.

 

[merkaba8]

Thanks,
 
I am considering ditching the iPod mostly because it is old and the headphone jack has started going a bit wonky.. it cuts out / is very sensitive to the position of the headphone wire. I know the headphone jack on the iPod can be replaced, but I was wondering if it would be worth spending a bit more money and just getting a new audio player. 
 
So what you are saying is that in a 320kbps MP3 -> iPod -> SE315 setup, the iPod is not the SQ bottleneck? Make the decision based on other factors?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
So what you are saying is that in a 320kbps MP3 -> iPod -> SE315 setup, the iPod is not the SQ bottleneck?

 
Nope. The iPod would have to be dealing with much lower sensitivity or much higher impedance for its output to be an issue.
 

 
Make the decision based on other factors?

 
A worn out iPod is one such factor, on top of which, an X1 and 128gb microSD card costs a lot less than an 80gb iPod 10yrs ago.
 
That said, do you like iTunes? Because if you do, chances are you wouldn't like manual tagging, organization, drag n drop...

 

[merkaba8]

Well, I like iTunes in the sense that it organizes my library for me without me having to do it..
 
I don't like it in the sense that I am not particularly tied to the UI, I don't use Ratings or any of those types of features, etc.
 
I would be willing to do the work of manual organization for an upgrade in SQ or upgrades in other areas (and just having something that isn't 10 years old and getting loose everywhere). Is there anyone who actually prefers manual organization though?

 

[mysticstryk]

Thanks,

I am considering ditching the iPod mostly because it is old and the headphone jack has started going a bit wonky.. it cuts out / is very sensitive to the position of the headphone wire. I know the headphone jack on the iPod can be replaced, but I was wondering if it would be worth spending a bit more money and just getting a new audio player. 

So what you are saying is that in a 320kbps MP3 -> iPod -> SE315 setup, the iPod is not the SQ bottleneck? Make the decision based on other factors?

If your iPod is degrading, it's probably much cheaper to get a Fiio X1 plus an SD card. Just don't expect an increase in sound quality. Maybe if you got an X3 or X5, but even then you might not notice the difference when using the se315.

I'd recommend using MusicBee if your really used to iTunes and you make the switch out from iPods. It will detect and auto tag your albums and such just like iTunes and has a pretty user friendly UI.

Edit: I actually enjoy some of the manual aspects. But like I said, MusicBee is pretty great and will auto detect and tag for you.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Is there anyone who actually prefers manual organization though?

 
That was one of the reasons why people asked for Fiio players (and later Ibasso) to be very different from iTunes - it's a PITA to figure out to override when you need to. Plus when I rip in MediaMonkey everything gets organized into folders at the start. For multi-disk albums I always override what MM grabs online so I can have them tagged for the album title to be plan (ALBUM TITLE) on both instead of the default ALBUM TITLE_Disc0x, and have what is normally Disc02 start for example at Track 16 (Disc01 ended at Track 15), so they appear as a single long album.
 
Alternately, you have people in the Fiio and Ibasso threads tearing their hair out because they can't wrap their heads around manual tagging, or even just manual folder organization (I have mine set to Artist/Album), because these were details they didn't know about that iTunes did for them. This is why I caution iTunes people about non-Apple devices - these were made with feedback from people specifically to not work like that because these are primarily bought by people who were tearing their hair out over iTunes.

 

[merkaba8]

Thanks for the detailed answers.
 
I don't mind learning a new tagging system if necessary. I already have my albums organized as Artist/Album and I am happy to deal w/ messing with options and doing some manual labor as necessary. I am a programmer and into photography so I am used to dealing with those types of issues.
 
I guess then I need to consider the advantages of the X1 vs. fixing the iPod and if I wanted an upgrade in SQ I would be looking at upgrading headphones, music quality, or both?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
I guess then I need to consider the advantages of the X1 vs. fixing the iPod and if I wanted an upgrade in SQ I would be looking at upgrading headphones, music quality, or both?

 
On the SE215 and most IEMs, there's not a lot of difference between those two players. The X1 though produces 100mW at 32ohms vs AFAIK 15mW at 16ohms for the iPod, which gives you a lot of upgrade options. Grados, despite the high sensitivity that means they won't benefit a lot from more expensive amps, still manage to sound a markedly better than iPods with nearly all portable amps and also the X3 and X1.

 

[bierdc]

One thing you might want to consider before fixing your iPod is that while Apple tends to use higher-quality batteries, no rechargeable battery lasts forever (in worst cases, my mother had a Samsung that would barely hold a reasonable charge after just one year). Depending on how much it costs to fix the jack, it would be unfortunate to fix it and have the battery start deteriorating the next week. Just something to consider, if the battery isn't replaceable on your iPod.
 
I don't know exactly how the Fiio works, but Windows Media Player (and some others such as, I believe, Winamp and JRiver) can recognize removable storage devices and treat them somewhat like  iPod/MP3 players. I use a USB stick for music in my car, and that is what I use to sync playlists. Very convenient, considering I use WMP as my main media player anyways. In terms of tagging, it offers automatic tagging, but I can't speak to its accuracy as I turned mine off. In the program, you can individually (or batch) select files, right click, and there's a "find info" button, through which you can vet the information before you hit apply or cancel. Once you get used to the interface, WMP is actually quite powerful.

 

[merkaba8]

Good point re: battery. I think battery is likely to be a nonissue since I can replace the battery in the iPod and also switching the iPod over to flash seems to have increased the battery life pretty substantially now that it doesn't have to spin hard disks. 
 
For the moment, at least for this portable setup, I am rather married to IEMs for the sound isolation while commuting. Is there a level of IEM where the DAC or Amp differences between the iPod and the hifi players begins to matter more? I guess I am not quite understanding if it is the SE315 that makes the difference neglible/non-existent, or if it is the fact that IEMs simply require less to power to drive and so the amp matters less?
 
I guess another benefit of moving away from the iPod would be if I decided to get a separate pair of headphones (not IEM) for listening at work or at the computer at home.