Is the Ipod good enuf for audiophiles?

[Jones710]

big no for me, maybe in the future who knows?

[ESaudio]

As to how "good" is the sound quality provided by the iPod? This is a frequently-asked-question and Apple says:

http://everymac.com/systems/apple/consu ... lity.html/


And as to the sound quality of the iPod compared to other audio devices using its line output to a hifi equipment, this is what i have read:

http://homepage.mac.com/marc.heijligers ... rison.html

I don't have an iPod yet and i may try to experiment with it in the future.

[dimfer]

snip

However, if your main drive for looking at better gear is the thrill of exploration and being open to new discoveries, then I think that's a much better motivation.

Minsan naman yung sinasabing improvement ng ibang tao in audio quality is a placebo effect. Other times, it's not necessarily better, just different from what they're used to. Although sometimes, oo nga better talaga. Hehehe. Kaya useful din maki-audition at maki-pakinig sa system ng iba

agree. parang golf, you can read all the theories, take lessons and hit 50,000 balls in the driving range, pero iba pa rin talaga ang "on course" coaching. sa audio, little things add up, and one of the best ways to find those little things is through visiting fellow hobbyist's (audiophile's) system.

[JackD201]

Lotsa heavyweights saying no. Interesting. I guess I'm not an audiophile then

[bb3]

Before you guys start shooting from the hip and begin beating the ipod to a pulp, might I suggest a little experiment which I’ve done a couple of times.
Pick out an album which you have both in LP and regular CD*
Record the analog LP to your pc/mac, save it as a wav file into your itunes or whatever music jukebox you’re currently using. Synch to ipod.
Compare your recorded analog track on ipod with the redbook CD and you might be in for a pleasant surprise and rethink whatever misconceptions you may have against the “lowly” ipod.

So, is the ipod good enough for audiophiles?
Can’t really say.
For the meantime, I guess I belong with Jack’s non-audiophile camp.



-----------------------------------------
Some suggested albums for comparison:
Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection (Love Song) -
Isaac Hayes – Shaft (Café Regio’s and Ellie’s Love Theme)
Michael Franks – Art of Tea (Pospsicle Toes)
America – America (Three Roses)

Although the converted analog to wav file is still a far second to the original LP, I feel that listening to this wav file on the ipod has a little edge over the regular CD in terms of air, focus, and overall bloom. The CD wins hands down in dynamics though.

Directly ripping Cds to the pc is definitely a much more convenient process. And manually converting all my analog collection for my ipod use would be such a pain
I guess I’m not that audiophile enough yet to undertake such a task at the moment.

[vintage_dog]

same here

...
for me, in a properly set-up system (like those we have heard during the hifi show), the iPod is good enough (translated to tagalog as "puede na" or pasado na") for me? my answer is YES. is this my preferred source for music? NO. as i said earlier, i like the iPod's portability and convenience. i have 3-hour massages and i don't want to get up every 20-mins flipping LPs. (i'd much rather have my masseuse flip me over every 20 mins instead). the iPod is king in my massage room and the vinyl is the queen in my music room.

[JackD201]

bb3, that reminds me. I've got to get myself a decent LP of Michael Franks – Art of Tea, mine is graded NG/DNG Not Good/DEFINITELY NOT GOOD.

OT

[iceman_md]

By the way, I setup that Ipod Nano + Wadia iTransport + Bryston BDA-1 DAC + Jeff Rowland Continuum 500 + Focal Electra 1037Be at the Hifi Show.

Since I plan to go "digital" & since iDevices are integral part of my music life, I'm thinking of getting a setup just like this (or something better & cheaper)...

& for me, it's good & convenient enough...

[muypogi]

Yes, since I've had an ipod playing in my office and in the car. Key to having nice music from an iPod:

1) decent files: 320kbps AAC or Lossless
2) decent connection: you mst use the dock connector, either for analog output or getting the digital stream
3) decent speakers/amp/DAC/headphone: whether you use a DAC or straight analog out, the end system also matters

What I have in my office:

iPod/iPhone --- connected via dock connector using Apple-branded output cable (dock connector to 2 channel RCA + composite video out + USB for sync/charging) --- JojoD tube buffer --- Dai-Ichi BK515A powered studio monitor (surprisingly good sounding, OEM daw kasi nila Akai Singapore monitors, me Mic input pa para pwede Karaoke!).








Sound at moderate levels is surprisingly similar to the setup I started with years ago (NAD 320BEE + Wharfedale 9.1). . . pwede na!

[JackD201]

Ah, how much can change in three years! My personal driver's car went from a BMW M3 to a Mercedes C63 AMG and my passenger car went from an e-class to an X-5 (tipid eh). I no longer have any iPod connectivity whatsoever in my main listening room for an iPod. I have an iMac loaded with PureMusic playing the entire iTunes Music Library synced to the main server using iCloud. Sonos distributes music from the main server to 5 separate systems throughout the house.

Funny thing is I have more iPods now! Every car that has on-dash iPod control has it's own dedicated Classic 160 and I have another that lives in my Camera Bag for trips. My latest toy is a Nano I put on an after market watch strap. It's loaded with 2,000 songs, plays the radio and saved my eyeballs from turning white when I accompany my wife to the mall.

So one thing hasn't changed. The iPod is still good enough for me.

[iceman_md]

Yes, since I've had an ipod playing in my office and in the car. Key to having nice music from an iPod:

1) decent files: 320kbps AAC or Lossless
2) decent connection: you mst use the dock connector, either for analog output or getting the digital stream
3) decent speakers/amp/DAC/headphone: whether you use a DAC or straight analog out, the end system also matters

Sir muypogi, I've been ripping my CDs using ALAC for archiving purposes (taking your advise #1)... I choose to go digital (for the time being)... What dock connector would you advise me to checkout? Will saving up & purchasing a Wadia I-transport be a good investment?

[rvc]

[/quote]

Sir muypogi, I've been ripping my CDs using ALAC for archiving purposes . . . [/quote]



i agree. ALAC definitely makes it sound better.

but seriously . . . with my ipod (lossless files) on the dock connected to a decent setup, it's all back to enjoying the MUSIC.

if that's not "audiophile" enough, i don't know what is.

[muypogi]

Yes, since I've had an ipod playing in my office and in the car. Key to having nice music from an iPod:

1) decent files: 320kbps AAC or Lossless
2) decent connection: you mst use the dock connector, either for analog output or getting the digital stream
3) decent speakers/amp/DAC/headphone: whether you use a DAC or straight analog out, the end system also matters

Sir muypogi, I've been ripping my CDs using ALAC for archiving purposes (taking your advise #1)... I choose to go digital (for the time being)... What dock connector would you advise me to checkout? Will saving up & purchasing a Wadia I-transport be a good investment?

Depends on how committed you are sa iPod mo as the transport. Wadia dock needs a companion DAC ha, so bibili ka pa ng DAC. May mga iPod dock na may built in DAC din. Peachtree has an amp na may built in DAC.

Since ALAC files, baka mas maganda mag HRT streamer ka na lang kung gusto mo ng outboard DAC for your iPod. Check out Ferd's site here (Sounds and Images) as WS.

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=25283

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=25519

Kung sa opis lang, the apple dock connector is a cheap and sure way to get one. Tapos pwede mo pa plug sa computer mo so you can charge and sync while playing music, tapos may composite video or component out pa.

Check out the apple store:

http://store.apple.com/ph/product/MC917 ... MTY1NDA0OQ

http://store.apple.com/ph/product/MC748 ... MTY1NDA0OQ

[TheAnalogSource]

onkyo nds1 @ 11k is a nice transport if you have going with the external dac route.

[endrik35]

Try the Imod option for Ipods. Roy(Blackwing) of headphiles modifies the Ipod to improve its SQ. I heard that the 4th gen Itouch has good SQ too. Burning files using apple lossless is another option too!

[Voltraizer]

onkyo nds1 @ 11k is a nice transport if you have going with the external dac route.

indeed,onkyo nd-s1 is a nice digital media transport ipod docking station.

here's mine: