EFN
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2006
- Posts
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When my much loved iMod 4G died on me in that dreadful accident, no words could describe how depressed I am. I almost lost all interest in music because nothing that I have ever listened to can come close to that rig that I carry with me day in day out without fail.
I an unprecedented act of kindness, I was shocked and overjoyed when Vinnie offered to have my 4G iMod repaired - I was ready to send it to him but after having some discussion, we decided that the poor thing may be beyond repair because the main board suffered severe concussion. Not to be deterred, Vinnie offered to mod me a 5G iMod instead (if I can send him a 5G that is) - because that could prove easier than attempting to revive a dead 4G - I never known such kindness before from anybody that I ever purchased an item - NEVER!.
So here I am with my new spanking iMod 5G 30GB - yes I know, why not 80GB?, well I was running low on cash at that time and I can only afford a used 5G
Most of you know how much I loved my 4G iMod, so much so that I did not entertained the idea of getting a 5G....until that fated accident. With my 5G in hand, she has a dreadful task of climbing a mountain which my 4G iMod scaled with liquid ease. I am a 4G iMod hardcore; my 5G will have to work really hard to impress me, so it begins.....
Firstly, I'll talk on the look. Being a 5G, no doubting that she looked sexier than my fatty 4G. On top of that, I have to sate my stinging itch to mod my rig - to get rid of that iPod bling and make them all black and non shiny. So began the process of tearing my 5G iMod apart the very second day I received her from Vinnie - a good 3 layering of ACE Hardware Epoxy paint did not fail to satisfy me - the result is a clean matte finish with slightly rough surface - just the way I like em, no fingerprints will mar the bling look anymore. For the record I am quite adept at painting - a trait I acquired during my days of modding my rides. The painting process is painstaking; the surfaces must be sanded and prepped accordingly. And the third layer of paint has to be sprayed in a special technique to get that Powder Coat look.
Next, I proceeded with reviving my semi crushed XIN SuperMicro-IV, she suffered severe concussion too but I count myself lucky to get away with just one loose solder joint on the input jack, a broken power switch and a half destroyed case. With some soldering the joint was fixed, but I had problem with the power switch because I can’t find a replacement small enough - so instead I retro fitted in a new switch which is almost double the size of the one Xin put in. The most difficult part was to reconstruct the case, with almost 50% ended in shattered pieces, I was forced to super-glue them all back ONE BY ONE. And to accommodate the new big power switch, I carved an opening on the left side - pretty ghetto I say but I liked it.
Next, now that I have a 5G iMod, I needed a dock. I was tempted to get a readymade iMod dock from Ken (ALO) but again due to shortage of cash, I decided to make my own. I have been making docks before for various iPods so it's not a big problem to me. For sentimental reason, I choose to re-use my well burned in Black Gates cap from my 4G iMod. With some advice from Vinnie, I spent two days experimenting with my iMod Dock. The result as shown in the pics will speak for itself
- and oh, my dock are made using Solid Core 24 gauge Silver Plated Copper and SwitchCraft Right Angle. I prefer the sound of SPC over pure Silver, analytical but warm.
DIY iMod dock is not easy at all, come to think of it, I don't mind paying Ken to go through the headache of making one. This will be a one time DIY for me
Lastly, to complete the customization, I installed RockBox and have all of my FLACs copied over. I modified the WPS screen for my 5G iMod. Very simple, just use Adobe Photoshop to modify the BMP backround file for the color and title that I like. I use the default Rockboxxed WPS for this one.
Okay now for the comparative review.
1. Firstly, I was utterly relieved that 5G iMod retained that legendary RWA silent and black background. This this perhaps the most crucial attribute for any audiophile grade rigs. No matter how good they sound if the background harbors noises, hisses or hums, it's bad
2. Secondly, I am impressed that 5G iMod also exhibit superb Soundstaging much similar to my 4G - Honestly I could not recall if my 4G was wider or narrower - the most important thing is that they both sounds very wide
3. Next, I am also impressed that 5G iMod offers silky smooth highs - most notably 5G iMod offers less treble sparkle compared to my 4G - what this mean is that 5G is a little bit forgiving with treble energy. But this does not mean iMod 4G is harsh - NO, not at all, the differences is very-very subtle. Both extend very well and both will satisfy any treble junkie. There's no grain or roll off that I could bitch about.
4. BASS! Now we are talking. Notably iMod 5G have that slightly stronger authority with bass slam, punch and impact. In comparison, both 4G and 5G offers mind boggling quality bass - the sort of bass that most Audiophile loved, deep, tight and definitive - never flabby or booming. So 4G and 5G offers the same amount of well balanced bass but because 5G offers more audible slam, the overall tonality leans towards warmer presentation, which suited my rig perfectly.
5. PRAT is virtually identical on both 4G and 5G, nothing much I can tell here, both exhibit the pace and speed to feed my SuperMicro-IV which in turn will drive my finicky ER-4S.
6. Dynamics and transients are identical on both. Music flowed with liquid ease - the body well shaped and full sounding. The very same reason I loved 4G iMod in the first place was because despite being a DAP, iMod sounds very analogue to my ears - the same can be expected of my 5G iMod
7. Now to the most interesting part. For some reason I think I can discern even more micro details on my 5G. I am talking about super micro details here. For example, when listening to "Jimmy Jazz" by The Clash, at the beginning of the song there's a short intro where I can pick up sounds of a guitar being softly strummed, not picked but strummed with fingers - that particular part wasn't so audible with my 4G iMod. Hell, I am beginning to hear some studio noises on some of my Interpol songs. For me this is not a big deal because 4G iMod detail level already surpassed my expectation by miles, having all this very refined details is just a bonus.
8. Oh I forget about mids, well both are quite identical actually - perhaps 5G a bit more forward sounding - just a little bit. And here I still prefer the slightly distanced mids of 4G - quality wise, no complain from me - both will not fail to impress - just a matter of taste.
So to conclude, I did not regret having my 4G iMod crushed after all, my 5G filled that emptiness with graceful stride. And to think that a small part of my 4G iMod is still alive in my new rig further cements my love for 5Gs.
Aside than the items listed above, the appeal of a 5G is that now I have wider options to explore, bigger HDD, more accessories, native gapless playback (but I hate iTunes) etc.
Finally, a BIG thank to Vinnie for being such a kind and caring person. He never holds anything back when it comes to servicing his customers.
Long Live RWA!!!
I an unprecedented act of kindness, I was shocked and overjoyed when Vinnie offered to have my 4G iMod repaired - I was ready to send it to him but after having some discussion, we decided that the poor thing may be beyond repair because the main board suffered severe concussion. Not to be deterred, Vinnie offered to mod me a 5G iMod instead (if I can send him a 5G that is) - because that could prove easier than attempting to revive a dead 4G - I never known such kindness before from anybody that I ever purchased an item - NEVER!.
So here I am with my new spanking iMod 5G 30GB - yes I know, why not 80GB?, well I was running low on cash at that time and I can only afford a used 5G
Most of you know how much I loved my 4G iMod, so much so that I did not entertained the idea of getting a 5G....until that fated accident. With my 5G in hand, she has a dreadful task of climbing a mountain which my 4G iMod scaled with liquid ease. I am a 4G iMod hardcore; my 5G will have to work really hard to impress me, so it begins.....
Firstly, I'll talk on the look. Being a 5G, no doubting that she looked sexier than my fatty 4G. On top of that, I have to sate my stinging itch to mod my rig - to get rid of that iPod bling and make them all black and non shiny. So began the process of tearing my 5G iMod apart the very second day I received her from Vinnie - a good 3 layering of ACE Hardware Epoxy paint did not fail to satisfy me - the result is a clean matte finish with slightly rough surface - just the way I like em, no fingerprints will mar the bling look anymore. For the record I am quite adept at painting - a trait I acquired during my days of modding my rides. The painting process is painstaking; the surfaces must be sanded and prepped accordingly. And the third layer of paint has to be sprayed in a special technique to get that Powder Coat look.
Next, I proceeded with reviving my semi crushed XIN SuperMicro-IV, she suffered severe concussion too but I count myself lucky to get away with just one loose solder joint on the input jack, a broken power switch and a half destroyed case. With some soldering the joint was fixed, but I had problem with the power switch because I can’t find a replacement small enough - so instead I retro fitted in a new switch which is almost double the size of the one Xin put in. The most difficult part was to reconstruct the case, with almost 50% ended in shattered pieces, I was forced to super-glue them all back ONE BY ONE. And to accommodate the new big power switch, I carved an opening on the left side - pretty ghetto I say but I liked it.
Next, now that I have a 5G iMod, I needed a dock. I was tempted to get a readymade iMod dock from Ken (ALO) but again due to shortage of cash, I decided to make my own. I have been making docks before for various iPods so it's not a big problem to me. For sentimental reason, I choose to re-use my well burned in Black Gates cap from my 4G iMod. With some advice from Vinnie, I spent two days experimenting with my iMod Dock. The result as shown in the pics will speak for itself
DIY iMod dock is not easy at all, come to think of it, I don't mind paying Ken to go through the headache of making one. This will be a one time DIY for me
Lastly, to complete the customization, I installed RockBox and have all of my FLACs copied over. I modified the WPS screen for my 5G iMod. Very simple, just use Adobe Photoshop to modify the BMP backround file for the color and title that I like. I use the default Rockboxxed WPS for this one.
Okay now for the comparative review.
1. Firstly, I was utterly relieved that 5G iMod retained that legendary RWA silent and black background. This this perhaps the most crucial attribute for any audiophile grade rigs. No matter how good they sound if the background harbors noises, hisses or hums, it's bad
2. Secondly, I am impressed that 5G iMod also exhibit superb Soundstaging much similar to my 4G - Honestly I could not recall if my 4G was wider or narrower - the most important thing is that they both sounds very wide
3. Next, I am also impressed that 5G iMod offers silky smooth highs - most notably 5G iMod offers less treble sparkle compared to my 4G - what this mean is that 5G is a little bit forgiving with treble energy. But this does not mean iMod 4G is harsh - NO, not at all, the differences is very-very subtle. Both extend very well and both will satisfy any treble junkie. There's no grain or roll off that I could bitch about.
4. BASS! Now we are talking. Notably iMod 5G have that slightly stronger authority with bass slam, punch and impact. In comparison, both 4G and 5G offers mind boggling quality bass - the sort of bass that most Audiophile loved, deep, tight and definitive - never flabby or booming. So 4G and 5G offers the same amount of well balanced bass but because 5G offers more audible slam, the overall tonality leans towards warmer presentation, which suited my rig perfectly.
5. PRAT is virtually identical on both 4G and 5G, nothing much I can tell here, both exhibit the pace and speed to feed my SuperMicro-IV which in turn will drive my finicky ER-4S.
6. Dynamics and transients are identical on both. Music flowed with liquid ease - the body well shaped and full sounding. The very same reason I loved 4G iMod in the first place was because despite being a DAP, iMod sounds very analogue to my ears - the same can be expected of my 5G iMod
7. Now to the most interesting part. For some reason I think I can discern even more micro details on my 5G. I am talking about super micro details here. For example, when listening to "Jimmy Jazz" by The Clash, at the beginning of the song there's a short intro where I can pick up sounds of a guitar being softly strummed, not picked but strummed with fingers - that particular part wasn't so audible with my 4G iMod. Hell, I am beginning to hear some studio noises on some of my Interpol songs. For me this is not a big deal because 4G iMod detail level already surpassed my expectation by miles, having all this very refined details is just a bonus.
8. Oh I forget about mids, well both are quite identical actually - perhaps 5G a bit more forward sounding - just a little bit. And here I still prefer the slightly distanced mids of 4G - quality wise, no complain from me - both will not fail to impress - just a matter of taste.
So to conclude, I did not regret having my 4G iMod crushed after all, my 5G filled that emptiness with graceful stride. And to think that a small part of my 4G iMod is still alive in my new rig further cements my love for 5Gs.
Aside than the items listed above, the appeal of a 5G is that now I have wider options to explore, bigger HDD, more accessories, native gapless playback (but I hate iTunes) etc.
Finally, a BIG thank to Vinnie for being such a kind and caring person. He never holds anything back when it comes to servicing his customers.
Long Live RWA!!!
