New iPods - anyone else disappointed w/ sound?

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by bangraman [size=xx-small]'s probably because the EQ on the zen works...[/size] Really guys, this iPod EQ has to be the biggest POS I've ever heard. It's not like I would have chosen the Zen instead, because of the size, but what's the point of having one if it distorts all the time????

Personally, I've never heard a portable player of any kind with decent equalization. To be honest, I've never used EQ on my iPods, nor have I ever felt the need for it. Frankly, I'm surprised to learn that you do.

 

[Spad]

Apparently there are some radical differences between Mac and Windows versions of the iPod. As mentioned in the previous post, I had never tried the EQ settings, so I decided to give it a go. Using a Mac 30 with a SuperMini and DT880s, I was unable to hear any distortion with any EQ setting at any level. Absolutely none.

I wonder if the distortion bangraman is hearing is peculiar to the Windows versions, or if it's a random problem affecting both.

Any Mac 'Pod users encountering distortion of any kind?

 

[Taphil]

Mac and PC ipods are, for practical purposes, identical. The distortion depends on the volume of the song being played. Volume meaning the volume it was recorded at, not the volume on the ipod.

As for the difference in sound quality between the NJB3 and iPod. The bass on the NJB3 is a bit deeper and more impactful than the iPod (thru both line-out and headphone out). The difference is small but it's there. I think this is where/why some people say the ipod sounds like crap when they compare the two. The difference in the lows isn't huge, but it's there, and IMO it's the ipod's flaw rather than the NJB3/Zen. I've compared it to an old Sony CD player I have with line-out, and I think it is indeed that iPod that's slightly lacking in that area. I also think the overall sound of the NJB3 is crisper or cleaner, which gives it an overall more open sound and more depth than the iPod. I guess you guys describe that as soundstage or airy-ness. The difference is small once again, but it's there. I guess you can call it subtle, but it's not exactly hard for me to hear the difference.

I'm inclined to believe that the difference is due more to the decoding chip rather than the other hardware.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Spad Personally, I've never heard a portable player of any kind with decent equalization. To be honest, I've never used EQ on my iPods, nor have I ever felt the need for it. Frankly, I'm surprised to learn that you do.

It depends on the phone I'm using... Frankly, I'm surprised to think that you wouldn't think of it

The EM7 in particular is in need of bass boost for a 'normal' performance. The SR-001 sometimes needs some bass reduction for the same.
Yet in both addition and reduction, the act of bringing any EQ into the game seems to POS'y-up the sound in general.
I was reasonably happy with the equaliser on my E10, and for the EM7, the D-EJ2000's Mega Bass worked OK. The same can't be said for the iPod.
And my iPod is marked 'For Mac and Windows'.

 

[andrew3199]

Quote:

Originally posted by maczrool I guess no one is interested in commenting on the clips I posted, and I thought you guys would be all over it! Anyway, I am going to try to get an exchange and see if the problem persists. Stu

Just thought I would let you know I listened to the clips and could hear a real big difference beetween the mp3 and I pod samples, the distortion was very evident on the I Pod sample the origin MP3 sounded much cleaner, What are you using to transfer the files to your I Pod, I hear the bundled softwear sucks, It could be that..???

 

[maczrool]

Quote:

Originally posted by andrew3199 Just thought I would let you know I listened to the clips and could hear a real big difference beetween the mp3 and I pod samples, the distortion was very evident on the I Pod sample the origin MP3 sounded much cleaner, What are you using to transfer the files to your I Pod, I hear the bundled softwear sucks, It could be that..???

Thanks for taking a listen. I used both ephpod and Music Match to transfer the file. No matter how many times I transfered the song, it came out the same every time. I have since returned the Ipod for repair/replacement. Hopefully that will fix it.

Question if you don't mind, did you hear the distortion in the 2nd track from the other mp3 player I have?

Thanks,
Stu

 

[pikawel]

Creative's products are a better buy for the money as far as sound quality goes while it's portability takes a little step behind the Ipod. If you want the size, you pay with precious compromises to sound which some say is more than tolerable.

If the Ipod had a line-out (*ahem* on the player), it would be on the same sound quality playing field as the JB3 / Zen when you throw an amp into the equation. *Sigh* Now you're sacrificing portability again. It's whichever compromise you're willing to make; pick what's important to you.

The interface of the JB3 doesn't get to me. I listen to full albums at a time and don't need to deal with playlists. It's portable enough for my needs (transport large amounts of music to work where I sit and listen). Also, I use an amp out of my line-out... thus I own a JB3.

What do you meen by portability? What do you consider acceptable pseudo-audiophile?

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by pikawel Creative's products are a better buy for the money as far as sound quality goes while it's portability takes a little step behind the Ipod. If you want the size, you pay with precious compromises to sound which some say is more than tolerable.

For the record, this is a *major* matter of opinion. I and many others think the iPod sounds just as good as the Creative models. Some people say the iPod sounds better. Having heard both, I feel the two sound different but neither is clearly better than the other. So I disagree that you "pay with serious compromises to sound."

 

[Mat Bon 0013]

Hi,
Has anybody ever tweaked the inside of the iPod?
Is it possible to improve the sound of the 1st generation iPod??
That would be very interesting.......
Regards
Mat

 

[maczrool]

My 3G iPod was returned to Apple for distortion problems, but it looks like they are returning it back to me unrepaired. After the Unit received status message, the only other status they posted was "Original Product Returned." Sounds to me like they didn't do anything.

Stu