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ipod :)

ipod :)

Posted Nov 28, 2005 19:50 UTC (Mon) by b7j0c (subscriber, #27559)
In reply to: ipod :) by ncm
Parent article: The Grumpy Editor's guide to music managers

>> iPods consistently rate near the bottom in blind comparisons.

my readings on this indicate that the ipods have competitive if not high quality:

http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/934/index.html

http://home.comcast.net./~machrone/playertest/playertest.htm

(linked from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1777890,00.asp)

cruising google for links on this topic does not indicate a glaring deficiency in ipod sound quality.

can you provide a link?


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ipod :)

Posted Nov 28, 2005 20:54 UTC (Mon) by tomsi (subscriber, #2306) [Link]

I think the results of the these tests depends more on the quality of the music files and the headphones used...

The iPod got better ratings a few yars ago, so I suspect that either has the sound quality sunk on the new iPods, or the competition has caught up.

ipod :)

Posted Nov 28, 2005 21:00 UTC (Mon) by b7j0c (subscriber, #27559) [Link]

the machrone comparison is quite recent. and i have not yet seen definitive data telling me the ipod quality is low. so far this is just conjecture.

ipod :)

Posted Nov 28, 2005 21:06 UTC (Mon) by tomsi (subscriber, #2306) [Link]

True enough. The best is to do the listening yourself.

I chose an iAudio X5 myself, because of ogg and flac. The good sound quality I got from it was an added bonus.

...after I binned the crap plugs that comes with it and replaced them with something good, that is...

ipod :)

Posted Nov 28, 2005 22:55 UTC (Mon) by piman (subscriber, #8957) [Link]

> The best is to do the listening yourself.

This is bullshit. The best is to do ABX tests. "Just listen yourself" is what audiophiles tell themselves to justify their thousands of wasted dollars.

ipod :)

Posted Nov 28, 2005 23:41 UTC (Mon) by tomsi (subscriber, #2306) [Link]

Oooh! Flamebait ;)

"This is bullshit. The best is to do ABX tests. "Just listen yourself" is what audiophiles tell themselves to justify their thousands of wasted dollars."

Not everyone uses the "Just listen yourself" approach to justify wasting money. I use a simple approach that has always worked.

1. Listen to a music that you are very familiar with.
2. Select recordings that are known for their good sound quality.
3. Set EQ to off.
4. Listen to the whole song on on kit.Then repeat on the other one.
5. Things to listen for: s-sounds in voices, murky sound, depth and firmness of bass.

Usually, it is easy to tell the difference. Sometimes there is a difference, but you can't tell which is better. Or the differences are very small. In that case, it's time to try an ABX test.


ipod :)

Posted Dec 5, 2005 11:38 UTC (Mon) by Los__D (subscriber, #15263) [Link]

Hmmmm, ABX testing is a tool to help in listening tests, not to replace "listen yourself" tests AFAIK

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