recommand me an iPod, please....

[AudioCats]

finally getting into the iPod world, and I am all confused about this 1G nano, mini, 4G, 5.5G, classic, video, click-wheel, etc etc....Can anybody (iPod experts) explain to me? or point me to a link with comprehensive info? and maybe recommand me a good one (price/performence ratio)?

Storage size isn't that big a deal, even the nano's 8G will be plenty enough for me. The only reason I don't want to go for the Nano is that I prefer a larger machine so I can get a larger display, Plus, the iPod will be connected to a Stax 001 system which is not particularly small, so I'd prefer a large iPod to match it.



Thanks!

 

[scytheavatar]

Right now there are 4 ipods:

Shuffle: Small, no led screen.
Nano: Basic no nonsense flash-memory device.
Classic: Larger, hard disk instead of flash. More storage, less reliable.
Touch: Nice large touch screen. And WiFi.

So which ipod you want depends on what you need. If you want a large screen you can get a touch but IMHO it's price/performance is rather **** (just like any Apple product) unless you want something more than an mp3 player. If you want to watch BBC in McDonald's and have a Nintendo DS emulator then the touch will be worth more. If you really want a large screen you can also consider the Samsung P2, Cowon A3, ZEN Vision W.

 

[Oya?]

If you're looking for a larger display and don't mind low-ish flash-based capacity, I think you should get the Touch. I got to play around with a Touch yesterday and it's really amazing. Lots of cool features to boot. If you're thinking of grabbing a Classic, the UI of it's predecessor (the Video) is a lot less cluttery and more reliable, but it is much thicker.

This guy has a Touch and Baby Stax rig, thought it might interest you.

 

[shigzeo]

i love the touch for everything including sound. the nano 3g is the most pocketable and audiophile for balance. it does all the usual apple goodness: aac, gapless and excellent id3 tag support and album art stuff. love it.

but the touch is my favourite as it has power, good stereo separation, decent low ohm phone performance (better than average) and looks that it will with extra apps be able to do any codec and well: anything. it is not cheap but for what it does it is far more worth it than other players that have similar feature sets.

 

[fjf]

Get a 5.5G and Rockbox - Open Source Jukebox Firmware it!

 

[3X0]

I had the iPod Touch and it was bloody cool, easily worth the money if you're going to exploit all its capabilities (PSX emulation, remote for iTunes, etc.). I wasn't really a fan of its sound but then again I rarely am for iPod models.

If you need the capacity, the Classic model is the most popular option in 160GB. The 5.5g iPod also was a nice, balanced unit.

 

[shigzeo]

yeah: if you don't like ipod sound, then none will be for you as there is little to hype. there are no sfx and no hyping of bottom end or top. you get a very sterile frequency response etc.

if that is your style, then ipod is great, but if not, it will be nothing good for you at all. personally, i have preferred my ipods to my other players unless i want a really deep bass experience (sony) or amazing eq (meizu). usually, ipod and 75ohm resistor is fine for me (perfect - by the way, i use that wire with every portable source i have)

 

[krmathis]

I suggest you read the iPod page on Wikipedia. Pretty much all you need to know about the iPod's.
iPod - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Bonthouse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif usually, ipod and 75ohm resistor is fine for me (perfect - by the way, i use that wire with every portable source i have)

Please pardon me for the thread-jacking, but what does the 75ohm resistor do to the sound?

 

[shigzeo]

in the smallest of nutshells: makes it better. depends on the player and the phones but: eliminates hiss in all but the most hissy players: sony, my meizu sp, older irivers to name a few.

it will put less stress on the headphone out: similar to an amp. but it is cheaper, smaller, stealthier, pocketable. no hiss: amps have hiss, even the best of them.

for sources that are terrible with stereo separation, it adds up to 10 db of separation even with hard to drive phones like sp5 pro, and many 16 ohm phones.

bass deepens though that too is dependent on many factors. for players without bass roll off (count all 4 on one hand) then it makes little difference but for those with it (95% of all daps out there), it allows frequencies of less than 30hz to at least resonate even if you cannot hear them. as for frequencies you can hear, they come alive: so less boom and more resolution in the lows.

cons: if your source is really underpowered: it will be quite a bit quieter. but for all of my players (nano 3g is the closest to being unusable) i get ample volume for all my iems/canals and buds.

if you are not adroit with diy
from head-direct.com
direct link

 

[tds101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonthouse /img/forum/go_quote.gif Please pardon me for the thread-jacking, but what does the 75ohm resistor do to the sound?

I thought it solved the issue of bass rolloff that the iPods' have (as does the D2)?

 

[AudioCats]

Thanks guys, looks like I will either go for the the Nano 8G or the touch.

of course the Vision W seems to be very interesting to

 

[krmathis]

You're welcome.

They are both really nice players, and safe choices.

 

[joneeboi]

Vision:W? Why not try the Zen X-fi?

As for which iPod model, I would personally go with an iPod 5.5G 80GB. You have features like Rockbox with all its lossless and graphic EQ glory; decent screen; diyMod-able

; upgradeable hard drive to either 100GB or 120GB should your heart desire; easy to repair relative the classic, fat nano and touch; it's all good. I had the iPod touch for a while, and carrying that around with my smartphone was nice until they were impossible to manage in one pocket. I eventually got an iPhone, but I know someone else who manages (for now

) with an iPod touch and BlackBerry Pearl. I stayed away from the classic because of its early firmware problems, which I'm assuming are all cleared up, but it seemed so poorly done by Apple that I stayed away altogether.

The biggest hurdle you'd have to overcome is the jailbreak community behind the iPod touch/iPhone. I've recently received my very own brand new copy of "The Art of Electronics," and one purpose of the book was to somehow consolidate electronic techniques into one reference book in response to the rapid explosion the field of electronics has seen for the last few decades. From what I've seen, despite coming much later on the scene, the jailbreak community fits right into the heart of that explosion with millions of jailbreak users and hundreds of programmers exploiting the full capabilities of such powerful devices as the iPhone/iPod touch. As aforementioned, the iPod touch can emulate PSX ROMs, and was said to be just as powerful as the Sega Dreamcast and more powerful than the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP combined. Though emulating ROMs is one thing, it's encouraging to see the community efforts in such apps as iPhysics, a game that makes full use of the iPhone's processing ability, with very different games drawing from the same engine. Now you have the App Store with a different cailbre of programming available for free or at a small cost, though I don't know that it compares to what the jailbreakers have done. I could go on for days about this, but I don't want to.

We'll just leave it at the point that jailbreaking your iPod touch will be an interesting and exciting experience.

 

[Moontan13]

To your criteria, the 5.5 should be adequate to your needs.