Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Ok let me out guys!
I am currently selling me 10 gig gen2 ipod http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3032711758 and I am going to upgrade to a Gen3. I dont know if I should get the 10 or 15 gig. I currently have aorund 6.5 gigs of Mp3s so the 10 gig SHOULD be enough unless i start downloading everyone i even remotely enjoy. Well anyway my main questions was...IS THE IPOD DOCK WORTH IT. I can live without the remote. I can live wihtout the case as well... I really dont mind manually connecting the firewire cable into teh bottom of the ipod either...but will the dock give me a better LINE OUT?
From what I have heard the LINE OUT from the DOCK is much louder and clearer than the headphone jack. Is this true? I plan to mainly use my ipod on trips and in the car. So even if this were true...wouldnt I be stuck using the inferior Headphone jack in my car if I plug it into my car stereo?
At this point I think I am going to go with the 10 gig unless someone can convince me that the 15 gig is worth it. Realistically speaking doesnt the dock ahve to be plugged into a firewire port in order for the Line Out to work anyway?
Someone please clear this up for me!
Thanks!
[1245 byte] By [
] at [2007-11-9 12:32:12]
# 1 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Clindst,
Let me be the first to welcome you back and to wish you luck with selling your gen 2, all while waving an enormous olive branch...
My advice would be to 'Go Large', though I cannot offer any real experience of the Gen 3. I've borrowed one and used it for a day or two, but didn't use the dock.
# 2 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
I was originally going to buy the 10GB iPod (gen 3), as it was in my pricerange and I had been waiting for the updates for 4-5 months. But once they were announced and I saw that if I bought the 10GB with the same stuff that came with the 15GB, I'd be out $20 and 5GB, thus I went with the 15GB.
As for the Line Out, well duh, it's better than the headphone port. That's what a Line Out port is for...you can't begin to compare quality from a headphone port to a Line Out port. The headphone port has to convert it to analog then back, while the Line Out port remains in one form, thus experiencing no signal attenuation.
# 3 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
I was going to buy a 10GB too, but chose a 15GB last minute. I only have 5.7GB of music so far. But I thought I wanted all the extras, and you're basically getting 5GB for free. I love the dock, so much so that I bought a second dock and cable for work. I also like the line out, I think it is extending my battery life since I can turn the volume all the way down while playing at work (although maybe I'm fooling myself on this one, and only true if the dock is not plugged in to the charger). I also wanted a carrying case to protect the iPod as it is easy to scratch. I only carry it back and forth to work in my briefcase, so any case will do and the Apple case is nice enough. I have not unwrapped the remote though, doesn't seem to be well liked from what I've read anyway. I'm glad I bought the 15GB since I use all the accessories except for the remote. Good luck...
# 4 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
My advice would be to go as big as your budget allows...iPods are a nice chunk of change, the whole point behind hd mp3 players is to be able to carry your entire library around with you, switching playlists in and out is ok...but having all your music is way better, u never know when u're gonna feel like listening to something that's in your lib but isn't on your 10gig iPod...then again if your lib is only 6.5 gigs, I guess what it comes down to is how long do you plan to use the iPod for before u replace it with something new?
They also function as portable hard drives...which is something to think about.
# 5 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
I don't know why everyone hypes the line out from the dock. At home, I use the headphone out to my home audio system. In the car, same thing. Using headphones, same thing.
Never do I use the line out, maybe once I get a proper direct line in situation going in my car, but until then, I use headphone out.
# 6 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by BigBohn
I don't know why everyone hypes the line out from the dock. At home, I use the headphone out to my home audio system. In the car, same thing. Using headphones, same thing.
Never do I use the line out, maybe once I get a proper direct line in situation going in my car, but until then, I use headphone out.
It's sometimes good to remember not everyone is like you...I use the line out to my Klipsch pm5.1's and I find the sound is much better then that which is delivered by the headphone out, especially at higher volumes, there is much less distortion.
# 7 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
i'm confused. why do you need to use the dock for line out??
# 8 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by Spoonman
It's sometimes good to remember not everyone is like you...I use the line out to my Klipsch pm5.1's and I find the sound is much better then that which is delivered by the headphone out, especially at higher volumes, there is much less distortion.
Eh? Line out has a constant volume output and is not affected by your EQ setting or volume setting. I find it to be overly harsh and extremely loud in volume. It might also be distorting the mp3s sort of like the bass booster EQ setting distorts the bass signal present in mp3s in any volume position.
So unless you either drastically lowering the dB level of the headunit you're inputting the iPod lineout into, then most people will say line out from the dock is quite loud for almost all audio application.
# 9 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by torchedlh
i'm confused. why do you need to use the dock for line out??
Because there is only one output from the iPod, thru the headphone jack.
A line out jack is present on the iPod's deck, though. Line out jacks are also present on the car charger available for the iPod.
# 10 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by BigBohn
Eh? Line out has a constant volume output and is not affected by your EQ setting or volume setting. I find it to be overly harsh and extremely loud in volume. It might also be distorting the mp3s sort of like the bass booster EQ setting distorts the bass signal present in mp3s in any volume position.
So unless you either drastically lowering the dB level of the headunit you're inputting the iPod lineout into, then most people will say line out from the dock is quite loud for almost all audio application.
Not sure I follow you here...any decent amp, or soundcard should have a volume level for aux or source inputs...if you find it's too loud just lower the pre-amp...personally with my master volume set to 75% and linein set to 100% I get great volume range from my Klipsch promedia 5.1's
As for distortion...you'll get much more from the headphone amp then u will from a lineout which bypasses this.
# 11 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by BigBohn
Because there is only one output from the iPod, thru the headphone jack.
A line out jack is present on the iPod's deck, though. Line out jacks are also present on the car charger available for the iPod.
i see. i might just go with a 10gb and get the dock. no need for the extra 5gb, case (gonna get a iskin), or useless remote.
# 12 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
You'll end up paying 40 bucks extra for a dock when u could pay 100 extra for 5 more gigs a dock and a remote...u never know when the remote will come in handy...I never thought I'd use it either but I have on occasion
# 13 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by Spoonman
Not sure I follow you here...any decent amp, or soundcard should have a volume level for aux or source inputs...if you find it's too loud just lower the pre-amp...personally with my master volume set to 75% and linein set to 100% I get great volume range from my Klipsch promedia 5.1's
As for distortion...you'll get much more from the headphone amp then u will from a lineout which bypasses this.
Okay, whatever. I know the internals of the iPod are junk for low bass anyways. Read and see this thread. http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=20540#post20540
I also correct myself from a previous post at finding a fault in something I said. The EQ DOES affect the lineout signal.
# 14 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
I wouldn't know as I run my iPod with the eq off...and as for low bass...I think the iPod does an excellent job with it, keeping in mind it is a portable...there's really nothing to complain about
# 15 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by Spoonman
You'll end up paying 40 bucks extra for a dock when u could pay 100 extra for 5 more gigs a dock and a remote...u never know when the remote will come in handy...I never thought I'd use it either but I have on occasion
first off, i realy have no need for 15gbs. i only have about 2-3 gbs of mp3s. now, if the ipod could play mpegs and avis... that would be a different story. also, from what i've heard the remote is useless, clip sucks, and kinda useless without a display.
if dell has another good deal for the 15gb ipod, i'll jump on it for anything under $320, otherwise i'd rather get a 10gb for around $250.
# 16 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
So you think the sound quality coming out of the headphone port then back into a system is equal, if not better, than the line out on the iPod dock?
It may suit you, but any musician who works with digital music (or any audiophile) will tell you you're dead wrong.
# 17 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by Spoonman
I wouldn't know as I run my iPod with the eq off...and as for low bass...I think the iPod does an excellent job with it, keeping in mind it is a portable...there's really nothing to complain about
Yes, the overall sound quality is great, but if you would have read that thread I posted a link to, you would have learned that problem occurs with low bass frequencies. It's a sort of fluttering sound.
# 18 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by Justin Hancock
So you think the sound quality coming out of the headphone port then back into a system is equal, if not better, than the line out on the iPod dock?
It may suit you, but any musician who works with digital music (or any audiophile) will tell you you're dead wrong.
I'm sure it won't please an audiophile. Hell, nothing out of the iPod will please the highest standards of an audiophile who know what he/she is looking for in the sound.
And I'm sure you do.
# 19 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
This has gotten rediculous...no portable should be compared to "audiophile" standards. The line out is indeed better quality then the hp out...that's all that really matters
# 20 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by Spoonman
This has gotten rediculous...no portable should be compared to "audiophile" standards. The line out is indeed better quality then the hp out...that's all that really matters
It isn't that hard of a concept...for most.
# 21 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Ok, I have tested both, and the line out to an external source (in this case a bose wave) does have noticeably better sound than going directly from the headphone jack. It's not a huge difference, but it is definitely noticeable. That being said, let's try and keep it civil in here, it's not THAT big of a deal....;)
Otherwise, it's out with the 'yo mamma' jokes again...:D
dmt1 at 2007-11-15 14:36:55 >
# 22 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Still not retracting my opinion. With the equipment I am using, headphone out sounds a bit better than line out. I tried line out again and it wasn't as bad as I remember it being. It might work if only there was a little more bass present, even with bass booster EQ. But I generally use EQ flat or off, so I'll tweak with it and see whats going on.
Boy you guys are persistant. Leave my opinion alone! :p
# 23 Re: Which iPod do I get? Gen 3
Originally posted by BigBohn
Still not retracting my opinion. With the equipment I am using, headphone out sounds a bit better than line out. I tried line out again and it wasn't as bad as I remember it being. It might work if only there was a little more bass present, even with bass booster EQ. But I generally use EQ flat or off, so I'll tweak with it and see whats going on.
Boy you guys are persistant. Leave my opinion alone! :p
I'm not saying you're wrong...perhaps for some reason your equipment gets better sound from the headphone out...on mine the bass definition (amongst other things) is noticeably better when using line out.
