[no name]

​​Looking into buying a new iPod, preferably the classic 7g because of the hard drive space.
I currently own an iPod nano 3rd generation, iPod shuffle 2nd generation (2008 model), iPhone 3GS, and an iPhone 5. I also previously owned an iPod video 2nd gen a while ago, but sold it because I prefer the sound on my 3GS. My preference of these models goes Iphone 5> ipod shuffle 2g> iphone 3gs> ipod nano 3rd gen.
 
i prefer the cirrus chips > the wolfson (on ipod models) because of the detail difference, means more to me than the warmth. (not the right thing to say here but true lol) also i find my nano 3g to be pretty distorting.
 
i listen to dubstep / electronica for the most part, a little hard rock, punk rock, heavy metal.
using all with fiio e17 and audio technica pro700mk2 / file format 320kbps, will be higher if i get more space, currently using up almost my whole 64gb iphone 5
 
main reason for getting a new ipod is that i bought a new iphone mostly for music but cannot use the LOD because of the lighting connector (what a hassle that is). 
 
also, good replacement pads for pro700mk2? i was going to buy dt770 velour pads but heard they drastically reduce bass, to a ridiculous point. wouldnt call myself a basshead, but then again i did buy the pro700mk2 and that says a lot. still havent decided if i like them better than m50.
 
anyways whatever opinions you may have on the different ipod models would be great, cant seem to get a straight answer here on which models have the best sq but in my opinion the cirrus chips sound much better.
 
Thanks!!

 

[Achmedisdead]

If you prefer the sound of the Cirrus chip, it's a no brainer for you.....get a 7G Classic. Plus it still has the 30-pin connector so LODs work.

 

[Sefelt103]

Your headphones are of the extended bass type but you say you're not a 'basshead'. I used to have a 6th gen iPod Classic which I found gave low bass amplification with over the ear headphones but did sound quite good with IEMs. I however much prefered the 5th Gen with the Wolfson DAC although really I didn't particularly like either of them. Perhaps something like a Cowon X7/S9 would more suit your headphones as these players have options for drastically increasing bass as well as being rather loud. Apple tend to go for a fairly balanced sound although bass and especially the lower frequencies don't feature too much. Modern music players tend to be optimised for IEMs/battery life and grade of components. As for the massive capacity 7G Classic this player has always been an enigma to me. You could fill it with lossless files but its sound quality won't make them shine. It could be useful as a data storage device or for rich people with 30000 song music collections. Perhaps it is intended as a video music player, although it's not great for watching videos because of the small screen. I suspect many owners of them have vast blank areas on the HDD.

 

[no name]

Thanks guys! As for the cowon line, which one has the best sound quality in your oppinion? I'm open to other options for music players, just can't seem to find one that I'm too amazed by. Also I'm hearing a lot of hype about the Sony players, how do they compare to the cowon?

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

. As for the massive capacity 7G Classic this player has always been an enigma to me. You could fill it with lossless files but its sound quality won't make them shine. 

I disagree...use an LOD and a decent amp and the sound is quite good! I do slightly prefer the older Wolfson equipped one, but either puts out quality sound.
Quote:

Thanks guys! As for the cowon line, which one has the best sound quality in your oppinion? I'm open to other options for music players, just can't seem to find one that I'm too amazed by. Also I'm hearing a lot of hype about the Sony players, how do they compare to the cowon?

Cowons sound ordinary unless you play around with all the built in sound effects....it is possible to get pleasing sound if you find the right combination of tweaks, but it's also easy to end up with an unnatural sound as well. If you go Cowon, avoid the Android models, D3 and Z2.....they're buggy with bad battery life. The other models have a less than intuitive UI.
 
I think the Sony players sound very nice, better than the Cowons.....but no expandable memory, no gapless playback, and the highest capacity is 64GB if you can find one.

 

[no name]

Yeah that was a big concern to me about the sonys, and I am currently using a fiio e17 think that'll be good enough?

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Yeah that was a big concern to me about the sonys, and I am currently using a fiio e17 think that'll be good enough?

Sure! I use a FiiO E11 with my iPods.

 

[no name]

Alright thank you very much! I will be getting the classic then I guess, maybe ill even get a lightning to 30 pin connector for my iPhone just to see which is better.

 

[Sefelt103]

I disagree...use an LOD and a decent amp and the sound is quite good!

I recently got an amp (a Fiio E9) and tried my old Classic 5G, it sounded much the same which I was surprised by as I had heard the Internal amp. was not great.
For the OP it depends on whether you want purity of sound or the ability to taylor the sound with players that exhibit certain tonal characteristics. I personally like cold pure sounding players with minimal harmonics and very neutral. To others sounding good means midrange colour or more or less bass. Some dislike the classic's hard drive but they are very reliable and quick from what I remember of my 6th Gen.

 

[saratoga]

Quote:

I recently got an amp (a Fiio E9) and tried my old Classic 5G, it sounded much the same which I was surprised by as I had heard the Internal amp. was not great.
For the OP it depends on whether you want purity of sound or the ability to taylor the sound with players that exhibit certain tonal characteristics. I personally like cold pure sounding players with minimal harmonics and very neutral. To others sounding good means midrange colour or more or less bass. Some dislike the classic's hard drive but they are very reliable and quick from what I remember of my 6th Gen.

 
It has trouble with low impedance loads.  An amp is a high impedance load, so if you amp it, the player sounds fine.  Thats basically what an amp does, convert a low impedance load (headphones) into a high impedance load using gain.  
 
If you plug in a pair of really hard to drive 16 ohm headphones though, you'll get bass roll off and more distortion.  

 

[Sefelt103]

saratoga you've confused me. I thought hard to drive headphones would be 300ohms. My Sennheiser HD555 are the low impedance version at 50ohms I think. I thought by adding an amp. you make it easier to drive high impedance headphones and not futher increase the resistance that causes bass roll off, distortion etc.

 

[no name]

Yeah, that confused me too.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Low impedance requires  more current....I think that is what saratoga is referring to.

 

[no name]

Quick question to anyone who may have some imput on this, but which setup would you prefer? E17 for all use, or e11 for mobile and e10 for desktop?

 

[H20Fidelity]

Quick question to anyone who may have some imput on this, but which setup would you prefer? E17 for all use, or e11 for mobile and e10 for desktop?

Possibly E10 for desktop use and C&C BH for portable. Smaller than E11, better sounding. longer run time (80 hours) This way your on the go section has great battery life and convenience in size and overall better sound quality.

You can read up on the C&C BH here.