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. Brenald79

    Brenald79 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Why get an IPad for net surfing, Spotify, etc and keep stick with Fiio X1?
     
  2. frimleygreener

    frimleygreener "It 'a'int why...it just is"

    Location:
    united kingdom
    [​IMG]
    My "antique" player....it still sounds wonderful:)
     
    Donniej likes this.
  3. pablo

    pablo Forum Resident

    Location:
    NE, USA
    You can attach a thumbdrive or memory stick to the ipod Touch lightening port. Lexar, Sandisk, etc sell devices that plug into the lightening port on one end and a USB port on the other. I'm familiar with the Lexar. Not the best solution. You have to download a utility app from Lexar. Then that becomes the space and software you play from on the ipod. You can play music directly from the memory stick, but each song must be loaded before playing and that is not very satisfactory. If you allot space on the ipod for the Lexar app and music, and download it ahead of listening, then you can play directly from the ipod. Why would you do that you ask? Well, the memory stick becomes an external library of music. Again not really satisfactory, but it does expand your music library in a small form factor (64Gb +). And you can carry multiple drives.

    As for iphone 7, and future ipods and ipads, I don't understand the so-called issue of the removal of the headphone jack. I'd rather not export an analog waveform out of the I-device. Exporting a digital signal out of the I-device allows for a more accurate signal out and the use of external DACS. I would think that everyone in this forum would be looking forward to the boutique industry that will spring up around stand-alone DACS and digital pre-amps.:agree:
     
  4. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Saweeeet!
     
  5. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    128GB ipod touch is $299 now. Is it a good investment today seen as a dap? Will it play flac with the new update and will the update slow it down? Iphone is not an option as I don't want phonecalls interfere my listening comfort.
     
  6. Madness

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

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Have you ever listened to hi-res content on anything like a Pono, with a much better DAC than what's on an iPod?

    Don't blatantly tell people to disregard somebody else's post based only on your own personal experience. Screams of lack of credibility.
     
    TimM likes this.
  7. seikosha

    seikosha Forum Resident

    If you are just going to be listening to music on it and don't care about wifi or apps, look into some of the options out there for portable digital audio players. I've got a Touch and a Sony NWA35. The Sony is clearly superior in sound quality.
     
  8. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    These days I use a Samsung Galaxy S7, which is even more fantastic. If I was going to buy a dedicated DAP, I'd have done it by now and I'd likely have gone for the Astell and Kern Jr. But then, the sound quality of the S7 is excellent.

    And I'm not so blinkered and uninformed to sit back and crow about a failed pet project, but been objective enough to call it like it is. Luddite audiophiles that can't see beyond their own noses aren't my problem, but plenty of people use their phones or iPods to good effect and enjoy excellent sound quality. The ignorance of the hifi community sometimes is staggering.

    DSD on this handset? Easy. And sounds bloody good too.
     
    lbangs likes this.
  9. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    And what if used with a standalone dac?
     
  10. seikosha

    seikosha Forum Resident

    That would depend on the DAC. The Sony is slightly better than the Touch hooked up to a Schiit Fulla2. However with a better DAC, I'm sure that could change. But then you are into a huge price discrepancy, not to mention portability.
     
  11. LEONPROFF

    LEONPROFF Forum Resident

    I think the point is don't discredit the Pono if you have not heard one. I have an iPod Classic 160. It sounds good. It sounds better with an Oppo HA-2. But even through the DAC it does not sound as good as Pono single ended. Then try the Pono balanced. Instant better mastering type sound from album in your collection.

    But the OP stated he wants internet access too so this is a moot point.
     
  12. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    And at some point, you have to acknowledge that it's pretty damn tough to get round everything on the market. Pono availability was/is poor, while i used my phone, my PHONE, at the weekend straight to my speakers as a source and it landed a home run big time.

    You can of course say, "well what about...", but the reality is that the technology caught up with our hobby years ago.
     
  13. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    At that price, I'd look at a Fiio X1 and a 256gb microSD card.
     
  14. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Generally I'd agree, but smartphones might still be hit/miss on SQ.

    Any idea if Samsung is still usins a Wolfson chipset? My old Avant does and, pairing it with the Rockbox app, it sounds surprisingly good. Only reason I still carry a dedicate DAP is for the battery life, although granted I could probably just carry a powerbank with me now.
     
  15. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Just checked and I have to say I'm not sure! There's nothing on the Web that confirms it exclusively either. If I find out, I'll post it on here.

    And I'd agree that not all phones might focus on great audio, or have weak amps onboard, but the Samsung and the Sony Xperia Z Compact range I used before it are both well up there.
     
    Gaslight likes this.
  16. Time Is On My Side

    Time Is On My Side Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Madison, WI
    I'm pretty sure the Samsung Galaxy phones use either Wolfson or Cirrus Logic DACs. Not sure which.
     
    Brother_Rael likes this.
  17. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    Man, you must be extremely popular for this to be an issue.
     
    billnunan likes this.
  18. ego1jr

    ego1jr Forum Resident

    I have a love/hate relationship experience with my Pono. Loved the sound it could produce....when it was working. Had to have the unit sent back to Pono twice for repairs. Third time Pono sent me a knew player. It lasted about 6 months before it stopped working again. I'm now searching for a replacement hi-def portable player.
     
  19. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    Say you have it plugged to your dac and someone rings. What you do? Unplug, take the call, re-plug?
     
  20. LEONPROFF

    LEONPROFF Forum Resident

    It is tough to get around to everything in the market which makes it even more curious why you would bag something you never heard because on paper it did not work for? Because you hate Neil? Because you spent $100's on different green markers and now assume smartphones are the end all be all and everything else is snake oil. :)
     
  21. Balthazar

    Balthazar Forum Resident

    I'd ignore the call. I also wouldn't use an external DAC with a phone. Even if you take Ken Rockwell's reviews with a grain of salt, you have to admit he has a point.

    Apple iPhone 6 Plus Review

     
    LarryP and timind like this.
  22. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    Can't do that always.
    Not until proven the idac is really better.
     
  23. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Easy.

    In the UK you have the right to return up to 14 days after the sale of you've bought the goods online or by mail order. Consumer law. I dislike wasting a dealer's time and I can't do a proper test in a shop for usability or too use my own music for instance, so this method works best for me.


    Not at all. I applaud his efforts and enjoy his music. But I was never convinced of the backup for Pono, it's never really been commercially available in the UK beyond overseas orders and this put me off, bearing in mind if I didn't like it, returns become an issue. The marketing and claims also left me rather cold.

    Plus, the sound quality I get and the micro-SD storage capacity on my S7 are more than enough.

    Never bothered with the green marker, always assumed that was baloney. I did buy a Peter Gabriel disc that had been marked thus (his third album I think). I smiled at the absurdity of it.

    I think there is plenty of snake oil in the audio business. I try to avoid it and focus on getting good sound, a minimalist approach and excellent recordings. I use, and favour active speakers and a single main source (the Cambridge 752BD). The Galaxy S7 is there for playlists and convenience, but not at the expense of sound quality.

    Form and functionality are no longer mutually exclusive, and haven't been for some time now. Some audiophiles might have a problem with that, but that's really their lookout.
     
    LarryP likes this.
  24. LEONPROFF

    LEONPROFF Forum Resident

    so the reason you bag on it is because it wasn't easy to get in the U.K. Thanks.
     
  25. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I didn't "bag" on it. That's your incorrect reach. And I bought something that's perfect for my needs. Simple really.
     
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