[AficionadoZone]

I was thinking of getting an iPod photo (40GB) on one of the closeout specials and was wondering if the sound quality was as bad a speople say. Anyone?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[earache]

yes it sucks. worst ever. millions have been deceived.

On a serious note, try and listen for yourself. I think the ipod sounds fantastic through the line out-> coda -> ath-CM7ti.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by earache On a serious note, try and listen for yourself.

2nd that. go listen to one, they aren't hard to come by. if in america, you can go to apple stores, best buy, compusa, etc and have a listen yourself. bring own headphones, if you have any. judge for yourself if you like it.

 

[elrod-tom]

In my opinion, given that one makes some allowances for portability, it's pretty good. I'm not going to replace the source in my home rig with an iPod with a line-out, but it's pretty good for a portable source that can carry a lot of tunes.

Again, go find one and give it a listen...use 320K files for best results (or even Apple Lossless).

 

[insomniac]

I've owned the NJB3, Dell DJ, Rio Karma, iRiver H320, iRiver H140, and Zen Micro and the iPod sounds no worse than any of them. Each has a slightly different sound, but I don't find any one "better" than the iPod.

 

[blessingx]

I think the iPod has around here the most over-rated 'sucky sound'.
Strip away the hype and the 'sucky' part may disappear. As others have said, test for yourself. Don't follow the majority, then again don't be afraid of them (except on election day).


Okay, this is turning into the opposite of thread 108259, but that's not surprising.

 

[necropimp]

most of the negative comments about ipod sound quality is about the sound quality of the headphone out... i hear alot of "lacks bass"

 

[KenW]

The ipod won't work miracles but the sound quality isn't bad at all. Depends on your level of expectation. It is, afterall, a portable unit and subject to limitations as compared to home gear. You'll like it. No doubt about it. Nice player.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Does The Ipod sound suck? Horrible sound. It sounds worst than the coby mp3 players.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[size=small]No I am kidding[/size]. [size=medium]The Ipod actually sounds very good[/size]. It is very detailed, and clean. I prefer the sound of some other players, but the sound of the ipod is of about the same quality, tough in a different way. Ipod's sound very good, however listen to one before you buy one.

Note. Ipod's don't sound nowhere bad like I would expect from the COBY players. In fact the ipod has a very good sound, that rivals the other players at the same price range.

 

[RockCity]

I have a Coby mp3 player. I know it sounds bad...but don't make fun of it =/.

 

[doomlordis]

The shuffle sounds very good - to me

 

[aki]

Use your own ears is the best advice. Music taste varies widely. What matters to rock fans may not matter to classical fans and vice versa.

IMO, the iPod is one of the best sounding players with the right gear. That is, with the right headphone, mod, or using line out to an amp - you can achieve subjectively better sound than other DAPs.

However, if you intend to use stock earbuds or cheap earphones like MX300's, then i think it is flawed for this usage, and bettered by other players.

 

[Rodent]

Does anyone know how well the md33s go with an ipod mini?
I figure the md33s would help make it a little more fun. Anyway, I'll know in a couple of hours

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aki IMO, the iPod is one of the best sounding players with the right gear. That is, with the right headphone, mod, or using line out to an amp - you can achieve subjectively better sound than other DAPs.

Exactly. It's a matter of synergy. Pair the headphone out of the iPod (Mini, in my case) with some KSC-75's and it sounds plenty bassy, yet still crisp. And with something like the V6/7506, it sounds clear and detailed, with a good deep, non-boomy bass. I'm perfectly happy with the headphone out of my Mini.

 

[edog]

After trying quite a few setups, these particular ones give me a good combination of bass and detail, along with isolation:

- iPod -> HD-25: nice for going amp-less; definite bass impact and reasonable level of detail; good isolation
- iPod -> SIK line out -> SuperMacro amp (with 75 ohm impedance and bass boost switches on) -> Etymotic ER-4P: extremely NICE detail with quite a bit of bass to go around; isolation is miraculous; still pretty portable

The lack of a reasonable EQ on the iPods definitely limits your choices on headphones, but I feel that the iPod makes up for that in many other areas.