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iPod Nano Sound Quality - Your Feedback Please?

My initial impression of the Nano sound quality is different than I expected. I would like to hear from others.

HOWEVER, if you don't mind, I'd like to run this as a blind collection of feedback. Instead of posting our collective impressions, discussing them, and in the process INFLUENCING EACH OTHER, please - at least at first - just drop me a short email with your impressions of the sound quality of the Nano. I'll post a summary of responses after a relatively short time, probably a week.

I will summarize the responses anonymously but after I do that feel free to own up to your opinion in this or other discussion boards.

Email to:
artmaltman@yahoo.com

In this discussion thread, for the moment, feel free to post your opinion of my IDEA of doing this. Do you think it's a good idea to initially collect feedback that is not influenced by discussion with other members, or is this too... what?

Thanks!
Art

ps: I'm not necessarily suggesting that you hook up the nano to your main audiophile system rig, although that might be interesting. My own testing has been done under circumstances that I normally plan to use the nano in; that is, with stock earbuds, a $25 pair of Sony "sports" headphones, and a $200 pair of Shure e3c. But you do your own thing, and summarize the results.
artmaltman
robm321
932 posts
 
“Well, it has to do digital-to-analog conversion, right?” – Drubin

Yes. But being a consumer product and not a hifi product, I would assume that they aren’t going to use hi end parts in that process. So, it should sound the same as other ipods. Any extra cost would go into making it small.

“it is just an embedded hard drive with information, right? Wrong! It's a flash player (like the Shuffle) and as such definitely a non hifi unit!” – Aida_W

EMBEDDED, the software is permanently set into a read-only memory such as a ROM or flash memory chip, in contrast to a general-purpose computer that loads its programs into RAM each time.
artmaltman OP
769 posts
 
I would speculate that something is dramatically different physically in the nano from the mini that makes a clear sonic difference. It could be D to A conversion, amplification, or characterist of power supply, or all three.

Also I should not rule out manufacturing variation as a source of the differences that I am hearing. These are mass produced, and they probably have pre-determined error tolerances that may or may not permit audible variations within the "acceptable" tolerance range.

Art
artmaltman OP
769 posts
 
ps: I wonder if the 2nd generation mini sounds different than my 1st gen. Hmmmm. Anyway, I will be continuing my focus in testing on migration from first gen mini to nano, 128 and 192 compression.
robm321
932 posts
 
Art,

Or maybe, it's just smaller. Clearly part of the marketing plan all along. Get people to stock up on the original Ipod, then the mini, then when sales start to drop come out with a smaller version. Continuous income.

I hope you are right Art. I would more compelled to buy one if there is an improvement in the sound quality. I will look forward to other's impressions.
mr_bill
347 posts
 
Art,
What options are there to hook a nano up to an audiophile system? Is there a line out on the Nano or the dock to hook to a preamp?
Thanks,
Bill
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