Thinking about a new iPod Touch - any opinions?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Time Is On My Side, Oct 19, 2016.

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  1. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    Hi everyone,

    I'm considering buying an iPod Touch 128GB. The only problem is it's $400 so I'm not really sure if it's worth it. Does anyone know if you can buy the smaller capacity ones and put a microSD adapter in it the way you could with the iPod Classic?

    Does anyone have one of these and can they give some opinions on it? I currently have the 4th Gen iPod Touch 64GB. It just doesn't have enough storage space for my music on it, and the iOS version is 6.1.6 which is too old to run a lot of apps.

    I like my Fiio X1 a lot, but I also like being able to browse the net, listen to Spotify and do some other stuff other than just listen to music.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
  3. Kingston12

    Kingston12 Forum Resident

    Are you using an amp?

    I have ended up with a couple of portable setups, one of which includes an iPod Touch 128GB. I think that it is still a good device especially if you want to use Spotify etc, but most of my use goes to my Sony A15 which has a total capacity of 216GB making it ideal for carrying a lot of my lossless collection.

    If I didn't use an amp, I'd probably just stick to my iPhone. I don't want an amp strapped to my phone though!
     
  4. colinu

    colinu I'm not lazy, I'm energy saving!

    I always check Apple's refurbished site.
    For example - an ipad mini 3 128GB for $369.
    Refurbished iPad mini 3 Wi-Fi - Apple »

    Only ipods with a spinning hard drive could be modded to accept SD cards etc.
     
  5. Apple rarely has a 128g touch as refurb. Why not get an ipod on ebay? Tons on there for not much cabbage
     
  6. Pancat

    Pancat Senior Member

    Location:
    Merry England
    I have an ipod touch strapped to the excellent oppo ha2 dac/amp feeding an oppo pm3. It's an excellent combination I use mainly for Tidal set at the hifi max setting.
     
  7. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    If you're going to spend $400, and if you care anything about the way music sounds, buy a Pono player and not an iPod. It's a music only player, so if you want internet browsing, email, music streaming, etc., use your smartphone.
     
  8. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    And you can safely disregard the above if you do care anything about music and use something other than a Pono. Comfortably.

    I've used a Touch for years and it's excellent. Use my Xperia Z5 Compact now and it's likewise. The Z5 gives me FLAC files, DSD, etc all via the Onkyo HF Player. Brilliant.
     
    superstar19 likes this.
  9. SamS

    SamS Forum Legend

    Location:
    Texas
    Why carry two things? He specifically said "I also like being able to browse the net, listen to Spotify and do some other stuff other than just listen to music."

    And if you are going to carry two things, something like an iPod Touch (with access to local music, Spotify, etc) combined with an OPPO HA-2 (or similar) is more useful than a Pono + smartphone.

    Pono's status as a one-trick pony limits its adoption. Even hard-core "local media" guys have a hard time resisting having instant access to millions of songs on-demand via streaming.
     
  10. lbangs

    lbangs Senior Member

    I have one. I use it almost exclusively as a music device.

    It streams well, and it does a fine job with music I've loaded onto it.

    I'm not the biggest Apple fan, believe me, but for what it is, it is quite good.

    Shalom, y'all!

    L. Bangs
     
    Brother_Rael likes this.
  11. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    Can the Sony use things like Spotify? I like that the iPod Touch can use apps such as that, check my email, browse YouTube, etc. But I don't like that it costs soooo much money for the storage and it isn't expandable.
     
    Brother_Rael and lbangs like this.
  12. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    The intent of my response was to give my opinion that listening to music on a Pono is far superior to listening to music on an iPod, or via streaming. I don't have a problem carrying multiple devices. My preference is hi-res music.
     
  13. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    Oh absolutely. I wouldn't argue a Pono sounds far superior. But I would like something that could use apps as well. I may just stick with my Fiio X1. I like being able to just use FLAC files instead of converting them all to ALAC (I know there is the FLAC Player app) and I guess I would just be paying again to upgrade storage capacity.
     
  14. crossroads69

    crossroads69 Senior Member

    Location:
    London Town
    I considered the iPod Touch but ended getting the Sony Walkman A17 - 64GB internal + 128GB SD card. It cost $299, has small factor, plays all kinds of files (up to 24/192), got decent/stable OS and offers great battery life.
     
  15. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I bought an AK100ii. Talk about a total waste of money. Get anything but one of those. Garbage.
     
  16. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    The Onkyo HF Player app will play pretty much any format, including DSD, on an iOS device. The DAC in an iPhone / iPod Touch will cope with PCM up to 48K/24bit. I use it on both my iPad / iPhone, sometimes with my Oppo HA2 DAC / headphone amp. Works well for me. I take the OP's point that an iPod touch is expensive and not expandable, though. There seem to be a lot of companies touting higher end music players capable of hi res playback with better headphone amps than an iDevice at the moment (Onkyo / Sony / Cowon / A&K etc) so maybe the time of the iPod touch has passed unless you are already attached to the Apple ecosystem (which I am).
     
  17. uncarvedbloke

    uncarvedbloke Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK - SOT
    I sat on my ipod nano a few weeks ago and then found the fiio x1 which I replaced it with - it really is a great alternative, no more ipods for me. Deciding between 8gb or 16gb seems archaic now.
     
  18. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    What about buying a lower capacity iPod Touch and modding it with a microSD adapter? I remember seeing people do that with the iPod Classic. I like the iPod Touch because of its form factor and that I can use apps. I may look at the Sony one above if it can do apps also.
     
  19. pfink

    pfink Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I don't think it's doable. I'm pretty sure the storage in the Touch is integrated into the circuit board so you couldn't just open it up and swap in solid-state storage for a hard drive like you could with the Classic.
     
    Gaslight likes this.
  20. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    iPod Touch is flash-based, so different than those HDD mods you've seen in the past.

    Very few people seem to be zoning in on the "I want a DAP that I can use on the Internet" aspect of your question. :shrug: with that in mind, a few thoughts:

    1- Is cloud storage an option for you? If so, you've got a few vendors you can choose from, including Apple.
    2- There are add-on storage solutions for the iPod Touch, but I'm not sure how well they work ie if you have to transfer files back and forth to actually use them. But it's something you might want to explore - I've seen them as a case / storage combo for iPhones, so it's possible that there are Touch versions.
    3- What about an Android device, even an old smartphone where you could use it as a Wifi device? Could be found on the cheap and the Samsungs, for example, have pretty good SQ as well. the Samsung Avant, as an example, is one I've heard and I was surprised at the SQ. Android device also allows for microSD expansion, if so designed.
     
  21. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
  22. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    Maybe it's better I just stay with my Fiio X1 and call it a day.
     
  23. Kingston12

    Kingston12 Forum Resident

    No, the Sony is very much an old school music player. Use mine (with a Cayin C5amp) about 70% of the time and the iPod Touch (with Oppo HA-2) the rest.

    I must admit, if I didn't feel the need to use amps, I'd probably go back to my iPhone as a decent all in one.
     
  24. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    Some of the newer players around are Android based and can run services like Spotify. The microSD card appears to have been adopted by a few of them. I haven't tried one myself, but i've just seen a review of the Onkyo DP-X1 in TAS. Decent headphone amp, up to 432GB storage using microSD cards, plays pretty much any format. I'd love Apple to produce a 256GB iPod Touch with proper Hi Res support, but Apple aren't heading in that direction (look at the iPhone 7) and there are a few devices like the Onkyo coming through targeted more towards music lovers that might prove more suited to the OP.
     
  25. Khaki F

    Khaki F Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kenosha, WI. USA
    I'm curious... Why an iPod Touch?

    There's a 128GB iPhone that has all that, and then some... and you're not carrying two devices. I know the 7's have a clunky headphone arrangement, but the 6s and 6s Pluses still have the same good old fashioned headphone jack, and they're still available.
     
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