[Squibbles]

Quote:

Originally posted by D-EJ915 I can't list 'em all, just go over to The Hardforums and search there, things such as random track skipping, intermittent noise, loud crackling between tracks, etc.

All fixed. The new 3rd Gen iPods have no problems whatsoever... at least for me.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally posted by D-EJ915 I can't list 'em all, just go over to The Hardforums and search there, things such as random track skipping, intermittent noise, loud crackling between tracks, etc.

That has to be the slowest site ever!

For the few pages I'm able to pull up, I'd probably avoid Intel chips because of its random reboots or never dual boot two OS's, etc. Like a lot of help sites, it's there to assist, not give a general impression of how many units have problems, etc. The iPod certainly has problems (the slight click between tracks - which by the way goes back to the 1st gen though no one discussed it until the third is an example, as is the much discussed battery drain that was fixed a few firmware updates ago), but I'm not sure any of the problems you've mentioned is widespread. If so I would suspect a lot more complaints on Head-Fi, Slashdot, iPoding, etc. These things are expensive.

 

[D-EJ915]

Yeah, I wasn't sure exactly where I saw most of the ranting, but I saw a lot there, anyway, it's a good unit, but for the price, far superior units exist, or will exist in the not so far future...and Sony is going to release a HDD player next year, if things really heat up, they might even release it this year!

 

[Rizumu]

Quote:

Originally posted by D-EJ915 Yeah, I wasn't sure exactly where I saw most of the ranting, but I saw a lot there, anyway, it's a good unit, but for the price, far superior units exist...

Name some! Have you heard them?

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by D-EJ915 anyway, it's a good unit, but for the price, far superior units exist

Where are these "far superior" players? (Besides press releases, that is.)

Right now the only shipping, available product that is fairly comparable is the Zen, and which is "better" is really a matter of personal needs and opinion (let alone one being "far superior" to the other). Some people prefer the Zen for its feature set, some people prefer the iPod for it's ease of use and size/design. I've seen people prefer either in terms of sound. I tried both using the same MP3 file and personally preferred the iPod because, like Stereophile measured, its output was flatter. But I have friends who like the Zen's more "EQ'd" sound.

(I'm leaving out the iTunes/iPod syncing that Mac users benefit from, which is far superior to anything on any platform.)


I'm just saying that your statement above is exactly what I was talking about earlier in this thread.

Again, I recommend that people actually listen. And make sure that you're not comparing 128k tracks on one to >300k tracks on the other

 

[bangraman]

Sonically to start with, the Sony solid-state players sound better than the iPod. But baby, you have to be a rich man to be able to build up a library of music on MSPro and MSDuo cards.


There's no doubting that the iPod is the best one-unit thing right now as far as cost/performance, versatility, visual design goes. But sonically the best? No. I loved the damned thing. I wouldn't have returned it if it didn't exhibit problems for me.

 

[fractus2]

Quote:

The iPod should be able to drive all but the low-impedance Grados and the AKG K1000 with impunity. I got great sound with it driving Sony MDR-7506 closed-back headphones.

I've got to try my SR80s with my 1st gen. I'm glad I never heard those neigh sayers. Imagine all of the great stuff you miss out on by following the herd. I should have gotten another 1st gen.

 

[GSTom1]

I think we all know the areas where the iPod excels and where it doesn't.

The iPod certainly has the form factor and size that's pretty much the standard in which all other players are judged.

It's interface and software is a wash since some people love it and some hate it.

Its sound qualities are debatable. Most songs sound pretty good, but songs with a lot of highs and lows (i.e. classical music) and songs with lots of bass (i.e. hard rock, rap) sound distorted and not as crisp as other players such as the Zen.

Of course the iPod's real weakness is its battery, which is rated at 8 hours, but you're lucky to get 6 hours or so. It kind of defeats the purpose of being a portable player if the battery can't even last through the day and you need to charge it or buy a $50+ battery pack for it.

 

[Anders]

Please, try to put this in a wider perspective rather than than arguing about small details. If another product perhaps is better, which is a standpoint that there is large disagreement about. Or if battery life is too short on the iPod.
I interpret the C rating in Stereophile as a judgement that this kind of product is something that is interesting also for audiophiles and has some audiophile qualities. The C rating means not that it is "good enough for the people" that someone guessed in this thread. The meaning of the C rating is that the product has "Somewhat lower-fi sound, but far more musically natural than average home-component high fidelity; products in this class are of high quality but still affordable" (April 2002 number). I think noone can question that portable components have lower audio quality than home components. If there is something to be surprised of, it is rather that the rating is so high.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by bangraman But sonically the best? No. I loved the damned thing. I wouldn't have returned it if it didn't exhibit problems for me.

bangra, you had the European model, right? I would agree with you that the European iPod sounds inferior.



Quote:

Originally posted by GSTom1 It's interface and software is a wash since some people love it and some hate it.

I think your other criticisms are fair, but this one doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I've never heard a single criticism of its interface before your post. Its interface is so superior to anything else out there that some people buy it just for that.

As for "software," I'm assuming you're talking about the Windows software, which stinks. If so, I hope the Windows version of iTunes is comparable to the Mac version, and has the same synching functionality and Smart Playlists.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by MacDEF bangra, you had the European model, right? I would agree with you that the European iPod sounds inferior.

I was using it with the volume restriction circumvented.

 

[utep10]

I maybe naive here, but I think that Stereophile has lowered its standards for it to include an mp3 player in its recommended list. I've heard the Ipod, the NJB3, and other recommended class C sources, but don't feel that either mp3 player measures up IMVHO.

 

[GSTom1]

Quote:

Originally posted by MacDEF I think your other criticisms are fair, but this one doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I've never heard a single criticism of its interface before your post. Its interface is so superior to anything else out there that some people buy it just for that.

The iPod menu system isn't that great. It can be quite hard to navigate, especially with that overly sensitive touch pad.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by utep10 I maybe naive here, but I think that Stereophile has lowered its standards for it to include an mp3 player in its recommended list. I've heard the Ipod, the NJB3, and other recommended class C sources, but don't feel that either mp3 player measures up IMVHO.

I think that Stereophile classified it that way as a result of the ability to play AIFF files, which the reviewer was unable to distinguish from the original CD. His sonic assessment of the MP3 format was not as positive.

 

[Brian Stevens]

Maybe some of you have super ears that some of us don't have, but the Ipod sure sounds good to me.