This query is in relation to the sonic performance of the Ipod, not convenience. wondering if Imod users found it to be 'great stock & wanted it improved out of curiousity' OR were of the camp that 'the conveniece was key and the sound really needed improving'.
My Ipod is the 4th gen 40gb, non photo. i've had this same model the past few years and always loved it for the convenience and sheer fun it brings to my life, but have never been too impressed by the sound. even with a bunch of aftermarket goodies to improve the sound of my pc, for both the HD rips and transfers to Ipod the sound wasn't stellar though much improved I can easily tell the tracks that i get from friends laptops compared to mine from a tower pc also & have good cabling.
i don't listen to it everyday, but have it in the car 3 days a week...connected via the dock conn. weird thing is i only listen with headphones when i travel, and haven't hooked up the Ipod to the main stereo since purchasing a TVC preamp in October. i've use ipod as a main source for years, just not with this new preamp...in almost 6 months.
this last week i've been rocking out to Ipod constantly at home, it is sick, sick sick. one night i listened to just about every Beastie Boys tune, then Pet Sounds, then some Al Green finished up by Alice in Chains SAP...without leaving the couch or my desk. i spin vinyl 90% of the time, so this is too much fun.
the sonic performance: how it images, voices, bass presentation, depth and especially width of soundstage all impressed the heck out of me. Maybe since the only component plugged into the wall is my amp? i'm floored & really surprised anyhow. only real issue is on some tracks (20%) i have to turn the knob to 5 or 6 or even 7 oclock on the dial...only a few clicks before the end of the rotation! the other 5 sources i've used with this TVC+amp combo run fine at about 12 oclock. this TVC does volume in a weird way though. the Ipod signal drives my sub well too...
overall, now that my system is rockin', Ipod sounds insane. it hasn't impressed me like this ever though, just goes to show me...sometimes its the big things in this hobby that make profound diffs, not the little tweaky things.
the CD's made from LP's are wicked, and finally, live shows i've legally downloaded sound good. i have a 1,000 live shows that I never put on ipod...throughout the time i've owned an ipod they've sounded the worst. not no more!
i am going to get mine modd'ed by Vinnie, no doubt. just a query to see what led others to make the same decision.
for years i figured Ipod sounded so-so, and that going after difft compression ratios & filetypes was crucial. that stuff is important, but the other gear in the chain is profoundly important. the music files are all 320 aac or wav files.
matt
