Do iPods just "break"?

[dustystreet]

cheers goo_mason!

 

[Mr Pig]

My son uses his Nano all the time and he's had issues with it. He gave up on it at one point and started using mine and he's quite nerdy so if he couldn't get it to play the game.

I think they're cute, nice to use, but they don't sound great and I hate iTunes. I can't believe so many people now use these things to feed their main music system.

 

[Globalti]

Unfortunately most people are not suficiently practiced to be able to tell the difference between vinyl, a CD and an MP3 recording on the same speakers. Many of these also probably drink lager thinking it's some kind of beer made by real brewers.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Unfortunately most people are not suficiently practiced to be able to tell the difference between vinyl, a CD and an MP3 recording on the same speakers. Many of these also probably drink lager thinking it's some kind of beer made by real brewers.

of course when you live in a house with noisy kids, it could sound like it's coming out of your own arse or from the artist themselves stood next to you, and it wouldn't make much difference.

if i was sitting in a silent room with no interruptions, it would be a different matter.

i don't have any major problems with itunes, but then again i'm mac based…

 

[Norm]

Unfortunately most people are not suficiently practiced to be able to tell the difference between vinyl, a CD and an MP3 recording on the same speakers.

Why is that unfortunate?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I can't tell the difference between CD and 160Gb ipod, certainly. I'm not convinced there actually is enough of a difference to make any, er, difference.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I can if the ripped file is at a low resolution, which a lot of people seem to do. I can't honestly tell the difference between CD and MP3s at 256kb upwards (which is what I do in iTunes).

Maybe that's it. The high capacity ipods convert files to 256kb automatically. I think.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Maybe that's it. The high capacity ipods convert files to 256kb automatically. I think.

it's itunes that does the conversion from cd. make sure you set the preferences correctly.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

it's itunes that does the conversion from cd. make sure you set the preferences correctly.

Yeah, right. It's all I can do to make the computer switch on.

 

[twowheelsgood]

This is widely talked about, the problem isn't the compression, it's the really dismally crappy analogue stage on ipods.

Ironically the best sounding one is acknowledged to be the cheapest ipod shuffle which has a totally different chipset and analogue stage to the others.

It shoud be pretty easy for anyone to tell the difference between a CD and a compressed format upto 256kbit and above if the source material is complex enough. Female opera singers and harpsicords ae notorious for foxing compression algorithms. Mainstream pop and R and B compresses well as does quite a lot of orchestral music.

 

[Mr Pig]

most people are not sufficiently practised to be able to tell the difference between vinyl, a CD and an MP3 recording on the same speakers.

On a crappy little stereo maybe but on anything decent it's obvious.

This is widely talked about, the problem isn't the compression, it's the really dismally crappy analogue stage on ipods.

Yes, you can't really get around that. To be honest though I've never heard a compressed format through a decent Hi-Fi that sounded any good even when supposedly high quality machinery was used.

 

[Mr Pig]

It's much better if you mount them on a £2500 stand made of pure lead apparently.

No it isn't, I've tried it! ;0)

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I use an ipod in the car - the other day it wasn't working and I fiddled around with the bluddy thing for ages before I realised the aux cable had come out!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

On a crappy little stereo maybe but on anything decent it's obvious.

My stereo is pretty good, and I can't tell the difference between CDs and ipod files. Not sure about vinyl though, I'll get back to yuo when I get my turntable set up.

 

[Mr Pig]

My stereo is pretty good, and I can't tell the difference between CDs and ipod files.

Very big difference on mine. An iPod sounds very compressed and lifeless.