Alternative to ipod classic?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Porkpie, Feb 23, 2016.

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  1. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    My 160gb ipod classic is packing up sadly and they don't make them anymore. I don't want to follow the trend in just listening to a fee gigs on my phone - does anyone know a good alternative solution?
     
  2. sirmikael

    sirmikael Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    I bought a FiiO X5 at the beginning of January, and I love it. The interface isn't as clean/nice as the iPod Classic (in my opinion), but it handles high-resolution audio very well, and I used two 128GB memory cards, bringing it up to 256GB.
     
  3. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    It depends on how tech-savvy you are, but there are a number of options for replacing the storage media inside of old iPods. I've been kicking around the idea of modding mine to be solid state using an mSATA drive, but you can get adapters for things as simple as Compact Flash cards. I believe the 160gb iPods are the easiest to mod because they have the fewest limitations. You could probably mod it and give it 256gb of storage if you were so inclined.

    Do some googling around and see what you can find, but it's certainly been on my radar as a rabid iPod classic fan (I have and use two daily).
     
    segue, Gaslight and myles like this.
  4. grouploner

    grouploner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    A few years back, I had upgraded my old 80gb iPod Classic (on it's last legs) with a 128gb Compact Flash card & adapter. Used it for my car and it's still working really well.

    I believe I got the adapter from this guy.

    I'm not a klutz or anything, but I wouldn't consider myself particularly tech-savvy. If you're careful it's not that difficult. The hardest part is getting the iPod case open without damaging it, actually. Patience and care is all that's needed.

    There are plenty of instruction videos around youtube and other places. Get the drive and adapter (not a bad idea to put in a new battery while you have the case open) and you'll be all set!
     
    Runicen and myles like this.
  5. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    This may be unconventional, but maybe try to get an old android phone with expandable storage. Galaxy S4's can be had for under $100. Pop a 200gb microSD card in there (be patient but they can be had for under $100), and then get the music player app Poweramp ($5). You can play hi res FLAC files, adjust the sound with the ten band EQ, or if you really want to get crazy, root the phone and get Viper4Android, an amazing free application that can make a phone get scarily close to audiophile grade. You'll be spending about $70-$100 less than the FiiO X5 mentioned above (adding in the two 128gb SD cards), and you get a really great display with the S4, along with some pretty amazing audio. This is certainly not to take anything away from the X5, which looks like a beautifully made and engineered piece of kit.
     
    Darksyde likes this.
  6. myles

    myles Argyle, before you ask ....

    Location:
    Plymouth, UK
    Thanks to both of you. I dropped my 160Gb Classic a while back, and have kept hold of it hoping that this exact thing could be done. I'll do some googling tonight.
     
    timind likes this.
  7. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    An alternative is the Sony NWZ-A17, a high-resolution audio player (supports MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, Apple Lossless, and AIFF). It also plays videos and displays pictures, but its main focus is on playing music. It has 64GB of internal storage, and can accept 64GB MicroSD memory cards. I've been using Walkman players for years and the interface is basically unchanged (but with some minor improvements) and I've found it easier to use the the iPod Classic. The following is a quick review of this player so you can see what it looks like.

     
  8. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    I'll definitely second the recommendation above to change out the battery while you have the thing open. It's been a while since I looked, but there were a ton of sellers in China offering new casing AND battery bundles. You may need to mind the seller as I've heard stories about people getting crap batteries, but I've never had a problem myself.

    Oh, and the swap isn't hard, except for swapping the hold switch and headphone jack. They're held in with wee, tiny screws that can be a little tricky to work with, but nothing unmanageable and I've got clunky, coal miner hands - so if I can handle it...

    But if you're going to go to the trouble of opening the thing, I'd almost suggest planning on wrecking the old casing and replacing it. I'm sure there are ways to not damage the casing while opening an iPod, but I've never been able to manage it, no matter how carefully I try to go about it.
     
  9. SirAngus

    SirAngus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    Pono. The battery life is poor but it sounds great and the Pono software works great with itunes.
     
  10. AleYeah

    AleYeah Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    For 100 bucks on Amazon, it's hard to beat a FiiO X1. I have one and love it. They're so cheap I'm contemplating another to keep at work.
     
    gregorya, Tebbiebear and Mr. H like this.
  11. Dennis0675

    Dennis0675 Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Ohio
  12. The7thStranger

    The7thStranger Part of the Rhythm Nation

    Location:
    An der Lahn...
    FiiO Series, but do your research first. I would also recommend the Sansa Clip Zip, or any Sansa player that support SD card memory expansion. :) If your iPod Classic's issues are minute, though, I recommend just fixing it up yourself with a new harddrive or SD adapter and battery.
     
  13. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    Have you encountered any issues with the X1? I see from the reviews that memory limits on total song count have been resolved, but I've seen some mixed reviews on FiiO players in general.

    Honestly, what stops me from going with one is that I don't believe any of them support larger than 128gb cards and I'm really itching for something that can be set up to carry 256gb.
     
  14. GreenDrazi

    GreenDrazi Truth is beauty

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Sansa Clip w/ Rockbox and a 128GB flash memory
     
  15. Damien DiAngelo

    Damien DiAngelo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan, USA
    I use exactly this. Works & sounds great. The screen is very tiny, but the nice thing about Rockbox is that you can change the screen font to make it bigger.
     
    The7thStranger likes this.
  16. AleYeah

    AleYeah Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    The only issue I've encountered so far- 10 months of ownership- is the wheel oddly becoming less sensitive to the touch for scrolling, if that makes sense. A firmware update fixed that, though.

    256gb capacity would be amazing.
     
    Runicen likes this.
  17. colinu

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

    I agree with modding the classic to a solid state and replacing the battery. That said, I wonder how long they will last - one year, five years? I also wonder if Apple will eventually drop support for older devices in itunes.
     
  18. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    Their loss. We're seeing the first devices out now that are around the same price point as the Classic which have expandable storage, company support and which aren't tied to a given software ecosystem in order to function. They'll presumably still be functional long after the company is gone if USB support is still there. If anything is going to unseat their market share, it's going to be alienating those who actually dig collecting in favor of phones and streaming.
     
  19. pfink

    pfink Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I've got a 200GB microSD card in my first gen FiiO X3 and it works fine.

    AFAIK 200GB is currently the highest capacity for microSD. The X5 has two microSD slots so you could potentially have 400GB in storage.
     
    LivingForever and Mr. H like this.
  20. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    Wow... Good to know.

    And, apparently, as of July last year, they came out with a 512gb microSD card. I don't care to know what it costs, but it's out there, apparently.
     
  21. grouploner

    grouploner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I've had mine for at least 3 years, and it's still going strong.
     
  22. FlatulentDonkey

    FlatulentDonkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    +1 for the X5 although a new buyer may as well go for the 2nd gen version as the X5 is no longer supported by Fiio.
     
    sirmikael likes this.
  23. FlatulentDonkey

    FlatulentDonkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    I have 200gb mSD cards that work a treat in my X5.
     
  24. FlatulentDonkey

    FlatulentDonkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    Mustn't be widely available yet as I haven't seen 512gb mSD cards on sale anywhere
     
  25. grouploner

    grouploner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I have an X1 as well, and I've had issues with mine. It's a nice little player but I'm not sure what's going on with it. When I play files, every once in a while the sound will 'break up' (for lack of a better word) for a second or two. Hard to describe, but it kind of sounds like playback of a cassette that's been eaten up and damaged, if that makes sense. The funny thing is, it's in random places...if I rewind the song and replay it, there's a good chance that section will be fine when I play it the second time. It does this regularly, on different songs, and with different cards. It's gotten to the point that I don't enjoy listening to music on it, which is a shame as the device feels nice and solid, sounds good (other than the issues described) and is quite an attractive player at a good price.

    If anyone has any suggestions I'd be open to hearing them...anyway, back to the topic at hand...
     
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