Comments on: The AudioFile: Audio Quality Slip-Slides Away

By: Mowyjkkk

Mowyjkkk — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:25:40 +0000

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By: Rybaiero

Rybaiero — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:53:46 +0000

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By: Mike Kobrin

Mike Kobrin — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 01:35:25 +0000

Scoop! You’re all MP3 and AAC… you’ve gotta get hip to Lossless, man. It’s bit for bit identical to the CD, and with your fancy 80GB iPod, you can still fit more on there than you can listen to in a week solid.

And records may *offer* good sound quality, but you’ll be shocked at the difference a serious record player (Stantons look nice but they’re still Numark rip-offs) with a nice cartridge in there, plus a high-end amp and some great speakers. It makes a nice analogy to digital… lossless is great, but it’s nothing without a good headphone output and cans.

By: Scoop

Scoop — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:11:28 +0000

I hear ya, but does the MP3 format even allow sound quality to be good in the first place? It’s all condensed an weird. Sure, I’m an old fashioned jazz-nazi but I still haven’t heard anything better than a good quality vinyl record. I’ve heard some decent ear plugs, none of them were worth spending $400 on. I’m perfectly happy with a crappy sound doc and an ipod at work. When I go home, I put on a real record and turn the ipod off… this is about as good as it’s gonna get but like most Americans I totally accept mediocrity in it’s lackluster glory.

By: Mike Kobrin

Mike Kobrin — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:18:50 +0000

I’ve tried the Boostaroo headphone amps, which seem okay for small portable solutions, but I really dig that Total BitHead from Headroom. Still, having to carry something to amplify my player’s signal (for my Grado SR 80’s) irritates the heck out of me.

I use my player for learning music too (I’m a trumpet and electric bass player), and I actually carry my BitHead around the house for use with my Sennheiser HD650’s –very useful for honing in on some of those James Jamerson bass lines that can really get buried in the mix.

The bandleader of one of the groups I play with still has his iRiver H140 and brings it to all our rehearsals… He’s lucky I haven’t swiped it yet. ;)

By: bpm2000

bpm2000 — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 19:56:46 +0000

Those xin amps are about the only solution i would even consider for an add-on. I agree, the devices themselves are slipping. the 2g ipod shuffles has reported problems of hissing which sucks considering the quality from the 1g. I just got a iRiver S10 instead of the shuffle because of this hiss.
I mean, its somewhat understandable if a home receiver has a weak headphone selection since it is assumed that headphone listening is going to be an afterthought there but for portable use, where headphones are really the main device of listening it is inexcusable. I stopped paying $$ for portable setups as of late since the return quality on my bucks isnt as good without having to carry around a bunch of stuff. I am going to be content on my S10+Vmoda Vibe for a while I think. (bought and sold way too many headphones to seems sane to list)

By: mathew

mathew — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:43:06 +0000

Right on. I have an Xin Super Mini headphone amp with crossover, and the difference it makes to the iPod is amazing. Of course, it helps that I also tossed the Apple earbuds in favor of a pair of folding portable Sennheiser over-ear phones.

http://www.fixup.net/ for the Xin amps. The Super Mini is about the size of 4 AAA cells or a small box of matches.

By: Jim Rees

Jim Rees — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:14:26 +0000

I wonder if you could break open an iPod and replace the output capacitor, if that’s the only problem. Do they have reasonably good amplifier chips?

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:16:03 +0000

Let me tell you, I wouldn’t give up my iHP-140 for anything. It has served me so well for so many years. Sure, it’s bulkier than an ipod, and not nearly as hip and with it, but the great sound quality, the optical outputs, and the fm tuner really, really make up for it.