I'm glad my first post on Head-Fi is a success! It's a very difficult, long process to get good comparative information on Head-Fi (of course, you won't find this niche information anywhere else). Most of my beyond-the-iPod knowledge so far has come at least as much from people making comparative references in threads I've searched for that sent me reading on something else other than what I came to the threat to read about. I'm Googling old posts from years ago all the time. With that in mind, I'd like to be thorough and give anyone reading my posts the full picture, as best as I can. So that "what is the best portable audio equipment for my budget and needs" becomes a shorter easier process. Not like I've experience over the last few months, combing through dozens of old threads. Of course for some people there's fun in the chase, but I'd rather socialize if I want to once I've completed my objective and found (and ordered) what I'm looking for.
With that in mind, I want to write a few more things. I might be writing some things you already know, but as you can probably tell by now I'm writing for future readers as much as for you. I've considered editing my first post tomorrow, merging in this information (if I do that, I'll provide a basic changelog at the bottom of the post). But now that this second post is so long, it might not be easy or worthwhile to do that.
Before I go off on my own tangents, though, I will respond to your question. Yes, you can buy a 850mAh iPod battery that is really 850mAh. You could spend anywhere from $4-30 on a battery, double that if you get it professionally installed. Red Wine Audio
recommends $25 batteries from
ipodjuice.com. Their 580mAh battery (I'm unsure of the capacity of the original battery, but 580mAh is at least 20% larger) is compatible with the thinner-backed 30GB. They sell a 850mAh batter for thick-backed models (such as the 60GB and 80GB). I'm sure their batteries of very high quality (but you read all this in the FAQ and already bought one you sent in to be installed for free with your iMod, right?). My personal belief is to buy cheaper batteries (I require confidence that they will work and not damage my iPod) and just replace them more often. I could buy several of the batteries I'm currently using for $25 (this one came with my 240GB hard drive). My cheap battery even had a double-sided sticker to attach it in place (Apple uses glue). If my iPod was a valuable iMod, though, I think I might feel differently and want to buy batteries I really and truly trust, spending a little extra dough for extra peace of mind. Before you buy, check to make sure the vendor you buy it from says it's compatible with your iPod model. You won't have a problem finding one that is.
ipodjuice.com says:
Compared to the original Apple battery that came in your black or white 5th Generation iPod Video, our 580 mAh 3.7-volt Lithium-Ion battery provides 12 to 16 hours of music or 2 to 3 hours of video between charges and our 850 mAh 3.7-volt Lithium-Ion battery provides 17 to 21 hours of music or 3 to 4 hours of video between charges.
Other World Computing also offers
batteries as well as professional installation services. Their batteries are a lower capacity than ipodjuice.com and the 800mAh isn't compatible with a 5/5.5G iPod with the "slim" back (such as the stock 30G 5/5.5G). My favorite thing about them: they have a
great, very useful iPod battery installation video. I should have included it with the links above, it was my third primary guide to the process of opening and upgrading my iPod, even though it only went as far as changing the battery. Very helpful and I even enjoyed the music.
I also recommend ordering one of those little backup external battery packs for $5 from Hong Kong off of eBay. I've got one sealed in a package on my lap right now. "PORTABLE MOBILE CHARGER 1900mAh". It plugs into the bottom connector of your iPod and charges it. It uses a regular iPod charger to charge itself. The "1900mAh" is the best value. I don't know if it really is 1900mAh (it's $5!), but it will fully charge an iPod at least. It also has a mechanism with four LED lights to display the charge level at the presss of a button. At this price point, I would have purchased it even without that feature, but having makes me actually like this cheap thing. They work well. Here's what the one I use looks like:
front,
back.
Now, theres a few things I feel I should have included in my previous post. Rockbox resamples 96kHz/24bit audio, and everything else, to 44.1KHz/16bit stereo. This should be accurate: it is the
statement of a Rockbox developer two years ago. If you want a digital audio player that can actually output 96kHz/24bit audio without resampling or seriously compromising it, there is only one player that does this: the HiFiMAN HM-801. The HM-601
cannot output 96kHz/24bit. It downsamples to 48kHz/24bit. Here is
a comparison by Head-Fier warp08 with more information.
raymundu999, I don't mean to pry, and there are legitimate reasons one might prefer the default firmware to Rockbox. I've just given up iTunes myself (it's been a long time coming) for Rockbox, Exact Audio Copy, FLAC, and a self-organized folder directory structure, and let me tell you, everything does indeed take more effort. Ripping CDs in iTunes and having it automatically sync everything (which with only 80GBs you can't do anymore) is as fast as it gets and super easy. I have to do a lot of upkeep and renaming. I do it because being locked into iTunes ended up costing me more time overall. I had to jump through hoops every time I wanted to convert FLAC to ALAC or take music from my iPod to my computer. Now I feel that with the extra effort I put into making perfect (and I do mean perfect) FLAC rips, I'll never be unsatisfied with my files, they'll always be flexible and compatible (or easily converted), and I'll save time and frustration in the long fun. Plus I still have my iTunes library synced for now, there's plenty of space on my 240GB and I can switch between Rockbox and it's FLAC library and the original firmware with it's iTunes library (still synced with iTunes) just by sliding my hold switch at startup. There are other themes
I like- some with
huge cover art!- but right now I'm able to interact with Rockbox using an interface almost identical to what I'm used to while I get used to it. I just want to point out the
iVideo theme. It's like being introduced to an alien assuming human form for your comfort. At a glance, it perfectly replicates the original "Now Playing" screen, with one change I toggled on myself: I have a percentage number next to the battery icon, for a more precise idea of how much battery power I have left. There's also an
iClassic theme (also available
without slanted art) if you ever wanted to try the iPod Classic (6G) interface on your iPod Video (5/5.5G). Here's the
menu. I installed all of the themes I thought were good, which was most of them, and I can switch between them on-the-fly, even midsong. If I want a better look at cover art, for example. But I mostly stick with what works. It's fine to stick with the original firmware if that works for you and you enjoy your music- with a CD that isn't very scratched iTunes vs. well-configured EAC FLAC is not going to make a noticable difference- but I'd like you to know about Rockbox so you can make an informed decision that it's not what you want.
I also want to mention something that is difficult to pick up, with information spread thinly all over: I stick by my claim that from what I know the iMod is blow-for-blow overall the best commercially available DAP for most audiophiles (although best supplemented with something lightweight for when lugging isn't practical), satisfying all but the most unreasonable audio quality and capacity demands. I don't mean "unreasonable" in a pejorative sense: this is Head-Fi, after all. I feel I should mention the Whipmod, by Whiplash audio. Head-Fiers seem to be in agreement that the Whipmod is superior to the iMod (but not by that much). However, it seems to have been discontinued. I say "seems to" because I saw a comment from the last two months to the effect that contacting Craig at Whiplash audio might yet prove fruitful for anyone looking for a Whipmod, but it is probably gone for good: it's not mentioned on the Whiplash audio website, and a few posts here on Head-Fi state that it is no longer being manufactured. It seems dead. To clear up some confusion out there (I myself was not fully informed until very recently): iMod, Whipmod, and DIYmod are all similar iPod mods that do the same thing: bypass or replace the original audio components in the iPod for superior sound quality. Generally you end up using a line-out from the bottom connector and attaching that to an amp. iMod came first, it is still professionally done by Red Wine Audio. Whipmod came later, it was professionally done by Whiplash audio. Both are very similar. Some cabling is different. DIYmod is a term for do-it-yourself mods that have the same goals. A iMod or Whipmod setup with everything you need to make the most of it (at least a line-out cable and headphone amp) can easily cost over a thousand dollars, not including headphones.
I don't use a headphone amp. I'm at a stage where I'm ready to transition from my iPod, but going straight to anything but a heavily-compromised iMod setup (or a used Whipmod) would bankrupt me. I haven't a headphone amp. With my high-end universal-fit canalphones ("IEMs") (Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10s, a level below custom-molded professional in-ear monitors), I haven't felt a need for a headphone amp. Generally it seems that the headphone amps don't make a big difference to canalphones ("IEMs"). The expense of getting a DAP that demands fancy cables and a very good headphone amp- both of which can cost more than the DAP- makes some DAPs prohibitvely expensive, and definitely financially intimidating. The iMod mod itself is $250. For the 5/5.5G iPods (with which produce a DAP with superior audio quality to 4G iMods), a $195 cable is mandatory. The spending can't stop there. You need something to plug your headphone into. That'll be hundreds more for an appropriately good headphone amp if you don't have one. This is all very intimidating for the uninitiated with little money to waste. I'm looking to upgrade for a $150 Teclast T51 (or successor) because you can just buy it and stick your low-impedance headphones (oh man, that's another technical term that throws neophytes for a loop) in and get great sound. And my Rockbox FLAC library is as compatible as it gets. I'll just drag one folder into another, and then I'll have my music.
How's that for a second post? All my posts will be this long! Hahahaha! OK, that's not going to happen. I hope, for my own well-being. What I've wrote could indeed be one or more articles. It's wide-ranging and not exactly focused, but if there's demand I wouldn't mind the work.
Edit: I edited this post an hour after posting because I forgot that the "thick" iPod batteries for the larger thick-backed models won't fit into the slim-back cases. But if you get a wider case, you can use them (that's what I did).
