An Audiophile's Take on iPod and iTunes
Written: Jul 04 '04 (Updated May 08 '05)
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Pros: Outstanding ease of use and convenience — get your entire music collection into digital format.
Cons: Some sound quality issues. Limit iTunes Music Store use and avoid the FM transmitter.
The Bottom Line: Excellent device for converting your collections to digital format, with several caveats re sound quality that can be effectively addressed with the solutions discussed in this review.
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| LSMillers's Full Review: Apple iPod 40 GB White MP3 Player |
5/7/05 update: You can now easily get a direct-connection adaptor for your car for less than $300, and the attitude of the car stereo dealers has gone from laughing me out the door to telling me how quick they can do it for me! What a difference a little time makes.
Also: I've done some serious listening comparisons of the iPod on 192 kbs recording quality (the default iPod recording setting for copying CDs) versus that of a CD and here my results comparing the two in near-simultaneous playing, switching back from one to the other on my hi fi system at high volume (-2 DB):
For classical music, I used Grieg's Peer Gynt (Nielsen) and listened to the first nine movements. For the base I paid particular attention to the 5th movement. There is NOT a diminution in the RANGE of base or treble that is significant, and in the car I suspect there would be NO noticeable difference. However, there is a presence and clarity in the CD that is definitely not there in the iPod. Again, I don't think this will be noticeable in the car OR with the ear buds. However, if you want the very best audio effects, follow my advice below and set your iTunes to lossless recording.
For rock music I used Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven, and I couldn't discern a difference between the two modes. Sorry rock fans (including me), but the range of high fidelity is not as critical in this genre as it is with classical
I purchased a 40GB iPod with a third party FM car adaptor for playing my music without hauling around my CDs. I also wanted to explore the convenience of using this system for my home hi-fi system (Marantz 9200 w/ Cambridge T500 tower speakers; see my separate review).
Apple's iPod is a clear winner in terms of ease of use and convenience. It's amazing to be able to take your complete music collection with you anywhere you go. However, there are some caveats, especially for those individuals who enjoy high fidelity sound. Here are some of the issues that have emerged in my experience. This review necessarily includes iTunes, because the two are seamlessly integrated together.
1. Quality of Sound
Be aware that you must set the iTunes import preference to "lossless encoding" to get CD quality in your iPOD (or in iTunes). Otherwise you'll seriously reduce the quality of the sound, but the trade-off is that you'll get many more songs into your iPod with the lower setting. The lower setting will definitely be noticed when you play your copied CDs on your home hi-fi system, but less so with the ear buds and through your car stereo.
Also, before you become addicted to convenience of the iTunes Music Store, be aware that the sound quality of iTunes downloads is less than one-tenth that of your CD (1378 vs 128 kilobits per second, or kbs). This is about the quality of those old eight-track tapes of the 70s.
If your purpose in purchasing the iPod is to store all your music digitally, buy as large an external hard disk as you'll need for your collection (I have a 250 GB one). I've entered around 2,000 songs, which works out to about seven days of continuous listening time. I recorded these on a low quality mode (192 kbs), so I could get as much as possible into my iPod. This works out to 11 GB of storage. If I had chosen the lossless encoding mode, the memory usage would have been at least ten times higher, too small by 60 GB for the iPod.
I'm now regretting my decision to copy at low quality mode, and will need to go back and re-import my CDs into iTunes (arrrgh!). This will be a very time consuming process, especially in the high quality mode. So my advice to audiophiles is to copy with the high fidelity mode at the outset, and then only download selective playlists into your iPod to suite your listening needs.
Connection to home and car stereos
The iPod and iTunes/computer connection to your home and car stereo are best accomplished through direct wiring. With the former this is accomplished through an adapter that takes the right and left audio channels via RCA phono plugs on one end, and a mini stereo plug on the other (available at RadioShack). This is less than ideal, as it's not a pre-amplified signal, but it does the job.
I've also run a video connection (via S Video) from my Apple G4 PowerBook, and this allows one to view the "Visualizer" screen display that pulses and changes in time with the music. This is spectacular running on a 50 inch plasma TV display.
I've also tried the Belkin FM transmitter for connecting to my home system, but the results were disappointing. There was too much background noise to be heard in the hi fi system, and after a while the Belkin's AAA battery would die.
For the car connection, I purchased the FM Transport system at the Palo Alto Apple Store, which contains a cradle that fits into the car charger and allows the unit to be viewed by the driver. Unfortunately this experience has been less than satisfying.
First, this set-up can be very dangerous for a driver. It's too tempting to play around with the iPod while driving to get your favorite song, playlist, etc, and this will seriously distract you from your driving. Ten times worse than a cell phone, in my estimation.
I've disciplined myself to set the iPod on playlists while driving, and the results have been amazing under this circumstance. An eleven hour drive to take my son to summer camp recently was a breeze, as I was kept from fatigue by the delight of having my music with me. This alone is worth the price of the iPod.
HOWEVER, secondly, there is again the problem with the FM transmitter. Although I'm able to adjust the frequencies of the cradle, in both my cars (see my other reviews re these) the reception has been a problem. Sometimes it's crystal clear, and other times it's as bad as a weak FM station. Arrgh again! One solution if you must use the FM: record on the HIGH setting - this will strengthen the transmission signal and improve the sound quality. This is especially the case with classical music recordings, and they are typically set at lower volume levels and play noticably worse than other genres over the FM transmitter.
In frustration I went to a local car stereo shop and asked them if they might be able to install a stereo mini jack into my system so that I could hook up my iPod. After they laughed me out the door (literally!) I gave up on this idea, only to have it thrown back in my face by BMW recently. Their latest ads show a model similar to my own which now features a direct (NOT mini plug) connection into the iPod, which also allows the steering-wheel buttons to manipulate the iPod's menu. This is an ideal solution, and I'm hoping that I can get my BMW retrofitted to have this feature. However, I suspect that I'll get laughed out the door again, as this appears to be a fairly complex connection to one's car stereo system.
Summary
So, in summary, here's my advice to audiophiles considering an iPod.
1. Definitely buy it. It's worth it for the long car trips alone to have all your music with you.
2. Import all CDs in the lossless encoding mode.
3. Buy a gargantuan external hard disk, 200 GB or better.
4. Set aside lots of spare time to import all your CDs, as you're going to need it.
5. Limit use of the iTunes music store apropos quality, as its downloads somewhat "dumb down" the sound quality. Treat it more as a source for hard-to-get recordings, novelties and curiosities.
6. Hard-wire your iPod to your home system. Avoid the FM transmitter.
7. Also hard-wire your iPod to your car system. This may mean buying a new BMW. For you seriously deranged audiophiles out there, this will be a perfectly logical solution.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 370
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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LSMillers
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Location: California
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