It is possible to get audiophile quality sound out of an iPod, but probably not from Apple’s iPod Hi-Fi boombox, says technologist Tim Bray.
“I gather that on stage today, Mr. Jobs freely flung about the word ‘audiophile’ while pitching the new iPod Hi-Fi. Well, I’m one of those: wrote for the mags, have gear from obscure British manufacturers, turn off a fridge thirty feet away to listen. I’ll look forward to giving the Hi-Fi a listen. It seems fantastically dubious that something 43 cm wide, with a listed bass floor of 53Hz (the bottom string on a bass is 42Hz), weighing 6.6kg, and costing $349, could actually produce ‘audiophile’ sound.”
Bray, Sun’s Director of Web Technologies, suggests instead plugging in a good pair of in-ear canalphones. Bray recommends Etymotics or Shure. I have a pair of Xtrememac FS1, which have heartier bass than the Shure or Etymotic. But Bray says most important of all…
… get your music off CDs and use lossless compression. The D/A in an iPod is really not bad at all; if you send all of the music through it and play it through first-class transducers, you’ll be happy.
22 responses to “Get Real Audiophile Sound From an iPod”
“The D/A in an iPod is really not bad at all; if you send all of the music through it and play it through first-class transducers, you’ll be happy”
It might be not that bad, but compared to a good cd-player the soundstage of a lossless AAC file on your iPod, hooked to the amplifier thorugh the port on the dock, isn’t really great.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPod and I wish that in the future there will be solutions where you can store and browse your music which sound as good as a first class cd-player, but iPod is definitlt not that machine (and I don’t rate myself as audiophile, but as a music lover — I just happen to have a great cd-player).
I would disagree with you on that one, Martijn. Stereophile magazine did an in-depth review of the iPod, complete with exhaustive measurements, and found that the line-level output of an iPod — accessed through its dock connector — is measurably comparable to many expensive CD players (assuming uncompressed or lossless files, of course). Perhaps there’s something about your particular setup that adversely affects the iPod’s performance, but the iPod can definitely provide higher-end sound quality.
I don’t know zip about output levels (and frankly I am not very interested in them), but my ears tell me something else.
I’ve once ripped Joni Mitchell’s album “Both Sides Now” in Apple lossless format on my iBook and then put it on my 3G iPod. I’ve compared the iPod and the cd on my Densen cd-player, and where the cd-player has a great soundstage the iPod sounded just flat.
I don’t know what happens inside iPods or cd-players and I don’t care either, but if in my home setup the source does matter that much, I stick with the cd-player.
If there is anything out there that would give me the storage and ease of use of iTunes and the sound quality of my cd-player, I’m the first in line. But so far, I haven’t heard it.
Part of the problem for many iPod users is the way they wear the Apple earbuds. The way Apple’s ads show (and perhaps the way they were designed) shows the earbuds inserted into the ear in a way that completely removes any bass or fidelity. Before I bought my Sony earbuds, I used to insert the Apple earbuds in sorta perpendicular to my ears. It gave much better quality sound, though at the expense of secure fit in the ear.
Just my 2¢
“I’ve once ripped Joni Mitchell’s album “Both Sides Now” in Apple lossless format on my iBook and then put it on my 3G iPod.”
Ah, you’re using the 3G; the tests I was referring two are with the newer models, which have different internals.
>>Bray recommends Etymotics or Shure.I have a pair of Xtrememac FS1, which have heartier bass than the Shure or Etymotic
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were u comparing shure e2c to the FS1?
since they’re priced close, it seems to be the case. I have e4c’s & they have much better bass then the e2’s or 3c’s, so i’m curious which model shure u tested against the FS1? later-
oh, & if you have the option to use foam inserts, use them. they give much wider sound. you’ll never use the rubber ones again.
start with the big foam inserts, and if they don;t fit, then move to the medium or small ones.
My Sennheiser PX-100s are pure gold. The bottom end pumps and the mid and top detail is to truly DIE for. Just like being in the same room as the performers.
DFrakes, you talking about this iPod review from Stereophile?
It was done on 3g ipods….
http://stereophile.com/mediase…