Getting more out of your iPod

[JohnnyB]

The Apple iPod has revolutionized the ways people listen to music. Most people use 128 kbs (or worse) lossy compression to cram as many songs on their iPods as possible. But the iPod can also be used as a true high quality compact music server. A $239 120 GB iPod Classic, using Apple Lossless Compression, is equivalent to a 220 GB CD-quality music server. You can rip about 375 hours of lossless music at full CD Redbook quality onto an iPod Classic. If you get into lossy compression, you can fit far more. But you have to decide what your quality threshold is. The higher your playback quality, the more you will notice the loss in resolution. I mention this because the higher the resolution of your music files on your iPod (or computer), the more sound improvement you'll get from aftermarket enhancements. If you've overcompressed, higher quality downstream components may just reveal how lossy your source files are.

On the other hand, many people don’t realize that with lossless encoding, an iPod can produce better sound quality than most people’s CD players.

What if you had a second small component that mightily expanded the iPod’s versatility and sound quality, both at home and for portable use? The Noforce Icon Mobile, available in red, black, silver, or blue, does just that by being both a headphone amp/preamp booster for your iPod or computer, and an outboard USB DAC for your computer.

Nuforce is a pretty cool company. On the one hand, they manufacture a slew of extremely high quality home audio components that cost well into the thousands of dollars. They also have a trickle-down division, Nuforce-Icon, which offers very high quality and ingeniously designed products for computers and iPods, including a desktop integrated amp/DAC, stylish desktop speakers and sub for computers, and the Nuforce Icon Mobile for iPods, at very affordable prices.

The Nuforce Icon Mobile is sort of a Swiss Army knife for iPods. It functions as a power booster, preamp interface, high quality headphone amp with two outputs, and a USB DAC for your computer, all in a unit 1/3 smaller than an iPod. It can run full-tilt for 13 hours on its built-in rechargeable battery.

Here’s what it can do for you:

• It can match the iPod’s output level to a wider variety of headphones and components. The voltage behind the iPod headphone jack is understandably wimpy. The Icon Mobile adds a bunch of oomph. Not only will this make your current earbuds sound better and more fleshed out, but will enable you to connect higher quality on-ear headphones that require more juice than the iPod can muster on its own. And there are two outputs on the Icon Mobile, so a friend can plug in, too. Perfect for airplanes.
  
• It has a built-in USB DAC, which is presumably better than most DACs built into computers. Connect a USB port to the mini-USB plug on the Icon Mobile and let it decode the bitstream and provide the power to drive your headphones, desktop speakers, or provide output to your home audio system.
  

This product is extremely well thought out. It has a stereo analog mini-plug input and a digital mini-USB input. The analog input takes precedent over the USB input. So... if you normally keep the Icon Mobile on your desktop to provide DAC and preamp duties for your computer and want to listen to your iPod instead, just plug the mini-plug cord from the iPod into the Icon Mobile and it takes precedence over the USB connection. No conflicts, no switches, it’s automatic.

Secondly, if you’re wondering how you’re going to juggle TWO little deck-of-cards sized components on the go without dropping one, the Icon Mobile comes with a silicone rubber band to strap it together with your iPod.

At this point, if you’re primarily looking for an outboard USB DAC for your computer, you may want to research the growing number of USB DACs available before getting this. I plan to have a survey of USB DACs coming soon. But if you could use both a headphone amp AND a USB DAC that is highly portable, I know of no other that does both, is this portable, AND costs a mere $99.

If you want more information, here are some online reviews from people who evaluated these hands-on:

• Playback Magazine, Issue 19. This is the online arm of The Absolute Sound. Review starts on page 126.
  
• 6 Moons Audio, reviewed just this past March.
  
• Unplggd, a gadget review online mag, which has a very nice description and enlightening pictures.
  

The Icon Mobile is one of the safest and easiest purchases you can make, as it is carried by Amazon for $99 in all four available colors--black, red, silver, and blue. Amazon has a 30-day satisfaction guarantee in addition to the mfr’s warranty, and if you really don’t like it, return shipping would be cheap for something so small.

[cmatthes]

Now THAT is cool!

[BubbaVO]

It is cool.

Is there a way get a protective housing to keep it from getting banged up if one were to fall while jogging?

I wonder how it would do in an car stereo system. In the Prius and Odyssey, I can listen to the iPod through an AUX jack. The sound quality was weak. I ended up replacing the speakers on the Prius as the stock were little more than coffee filters. But I also added a subwoofer/amplifier to beefen up the sound. Sounds excessive, but at the time I had a 100 mile round trip commute so I wanted decent sounding tunes.

In the Odyssey, I'll replace speakers but it would be cool if I didn't have to add the additional components. Now I know the system wouldn't be as good as what I have in the Prius, but given that on average the car is driven 10-15 minutes at a time the music isn't that big of a deal.

Any thoughts?

[edgar_allan_poe]

+1 on everything Bubba said. I am fortunate to have a very good sound system in the Caddy, but was wondering if this would help in the car as well. I would also appreciate some sort of protection for both units while working out.

[mathman]

It is cool.

Is there a way get a protective housing to keep it from getting banged up if one were to fall while jogging?

I wonder how it would do in an car stereo system. In the Prius and Odyssey, I can listen to the iPod through an AUX jack. The sound quality was weak. I ended up replacing the speakers on the Prius as the stock were little more than coffee filters. But I also added a subwoofer/amplifier to beefen up the sound. Sounds excessive, but at the time I had a 100 round trip commute so I wanted decent sounding tunes.

In the Odyssey, I'll replace speakers but it would be cool if I didn't have to add the additional components. Now I know the system wouldn't be as good as what I have in the Prius, but given that on average the car is driven 10-15 minutes at a time the music isn't that big of a deal.

Any thoughts?

I'd be interested in knowing this also. I have an Honda Element with the ipod input and the upgraded stereo with sub and tweeters. It sounds really good. I haven't felt a need to replace speakers but I have to have the ipod at nearly full volume for the best sound.

[JohnnyB]

Is there a way get a protective housing to keep it from getting banged up if one were to fall while jogging?

I wonder how it would do in an car stereo system.

First, the Icon Mobile should be considerably more rugged than an iPod. The brushed satin anodized finish is only on one surface. The other five surfaces (including the other side) are an easy-grip rubbery material, which should also keep the two components from slipping around when strapped together. So far there isn't a dedicated case that I know of, but there may be something out there. Also, notice that one of the pictures in the post shows an adapter cable that goes from the iPod pinout to a stereo mini male jack. That's because the line-out in the bottom socket is a better output signal for boosting than the iPod's headphone jack. If you go here, you'll see that that cable and some other goodies are in the works at NuForce.

Second, good idea! That's exactly the kind of thing this Icon Mobile is made for--adding a boost to the signal coming off the iPod before sending it off to headphones, a stereo, or a car system. For anyone with this sort of problem in a car, try an Icon Mobile to see if it fixes your problem before adding amps and swapping speakers. A stronger signal coming in to the car amp is easier to amplify to the level you want, sounds more full-bodied, and keeps the car electronics' noise level low. The Icon Mobile has both a volume thumbwheel and an adjustable overall gain setting to get it into the best voltage zone for the component it's driving.

[doody]

I had the low output problem running my computer audio through my home stereo. Most soundcards just don't have enough output. You end up maxing the cards output which adds noise to the signal plus you have to turn your receiver up when changing to the PC source and then down again whenback to TV etc. There are lots of aftermarket soundcards with great signal to noise ratios that fix this to an extent. I finally went with an ATI video card that also sends 5.1/7.1 audio through the HDMI output and it is exactly what I have been looking for. Finding the right drivers was a pain to get the audio to work but that is always the case with a windows machine and new video cards. I can't believe how much better my music files sound. Not to mention how much better movies are from netflix streaming, amazon video, etc.

[ajoso]

On the other hand, many people don’t realize that with lossless encoding, an iPod can produce better sound quality than most people’s CD players.

With all due respect, no. I conducted some A/B tests and my 120GB classic sounds considerably worse than my $50 discman, despite running both apple lossless and full .wav files. I've heard that Apple changed the algorithm on the new classics which resulted in poorer sound as compared to the earlier versions.

While it may be a convenient way to listen to music, high fidelity it is not. If you're looking for fidelity, I'd seriously consider your options before buying an iPod.

[JohnnyB]

On the other hand, many people don’t realize that with lossless encoding, an iPod can produce better sound quality than most people’s CD players.

With all due respect, no. I conducted some A/B tests and my 120GB classic sounds considerably worse than my $50 discman, despite running both apple lossless and full .wav files. I've heard that Apple changed the algorithm on the new classics which resulted in poorer sound as compared to the earlier versions.

While it may be a convenient way to listen to music, high fidelity it is not. If you're looking for fidelity, I'd seriously consider your options before buying an iPod.

How do you have the iPod connected to the stereo, and what are the components and cables in the stereo? Are you using iTunes 8.0 or later? iTunes 8.0 was a significant improvement in the sound quality and several HFC-ers noticed it at the time.

I heard an open house demo at my town's premier high end store, using both a Classic and a Nano encoded with ALC files docked to a Wadia 170iTransport (the only product licensed to extract the digital stream from the multi-pin socket on an iPod) feeding a Peachtree Nova integrated amp with built-in DAC, feeding a slew of Bryston amps driving several Magnepan panels, and the sound was absolutely stunning, certainly some of the best digitally-based sound I've heard.

At home I have an iPod Touch loaded with ALC files feeding an economical but fairly high resolution 2-channel system, and the results are easily the equal of (and, I think, a bit smoother than) a $500 Sony ES SACD/CD player sharing the same system.

Besides, the point of the original post is that the quality of the lossless files on the iPod is fine, but there are compromises in cramming all that functionality into such a small unit. The NuForce Icon Mobile offers a way to drive a stronger, wider bandwidth signal to better headphones or to use it to provide a better line-level signal to a quality audio system. Later I'll be posting about the Wadia 170iTransport, which extracts the digital stream to send on to an external DAC. That rig can sound seriously good.

Also, there are now adapter cables that extract the analog line-out from the multi-pin docking socket, which is reportedly a better line feed for stereos than the iPod's headphone out jack. I've also read that the iPod Classic went to a Cirrus DAC chip vs. the Wolfson used in previous generations, which may have affected sound quality. I'll look into it further, but the ones I've heard have been very good, and were definitely better than budget CD players I've heard.

[edgar_allan_poe]

JB...what bitrate would you recommend for getting the most out of your music without creating a 40mb file? I have been using 320 but was curious to hear if you suggest something higher.

[mathman]

When I replaced my early clickwheel 40 gb ipod with a new 80 gb classic I was amazed at how much better the sound quality was, especially in my car. I wonder how much this will help. Did something change in the ipod classic when they dropped the 80gb and made it 120 gb?

[Punkavenger]

a couple of Ipod questions that i hope are not too far off the mark ...

I have a Ipod mini blue 4GB ... how is the sound quality on that model? I've only used it with the stock earbuds

What small portable speaker unit would you recommend? i need something for work thats made of indestructrium... heavy duty ... preferably impervious to being dropped and paint splattered.

Thanks!

[mathman]

a couple of Ipod questions that i hope are not too far off the mark ...

I have a Ipod mini blue 4GB ... how is the sound quality on that model? I've only used it with the stock earbuds

What small portable speaker unit would you recommend? i need something for work thats made of indestructrium... heavy duty ... preferably impervious to being dropped and paint splattered.

Thanks!

This is not a top end unit but it has decent sound with some bass response in a water resistant case. The ipod goes inside with a ipod connector. The outside controls will skip to next or previous song and adjust volume. I got mine clearance price at walmart. A pretty nice unit overall for $30 to $60 bucks. Mine was $15 at clearance price.

ihome portable

[JohnnyB]

JB...what bitrate would you recommend for getting the most out of your music without creating a 40mb file? I have been using 320 but was curious to hear if you suggest something higher.

Isn't 320kbs the highest you can go with lossy compression? Personally I don't deal w/lossy compression, but word is you get significant improvements over 128. As I mentioned in the original post, the difference gets more noticeable as you improve the quality and resolution of the downstream components, from earbuds to external DAC, amplifier, and speakers.

This tip sheet from Klipsch may be helpful. Basically, if you're happy with your current bit rate, stick with it. Your new Altec earbuds should reveal whether 320 kbs works for you.

If, however, you ever decide to use upgrade your home stereo and use iTunes as the source, I recommend you create test playlists of lossless and 320kbs files. Don't try to a/b them to determine the difference. Just play the music and go about your business. Then see how you feel after 2-3 hours of 320kbs vs. the same amount of time playing lossless. In my experience, the higher the resolution, the lower the listener fatigue.

When I replaced my early clickwheel 40 gb ipod with a new 80 gb classic I was amazed at how much better the sound quality was, especially in my car. I wonder how much this will help. Did something change in the ipod classic when they dropped the 80gb and made it 120 gb?

Apple changed from the Wolfson DAC chip to a Cirrus with the 120GB Classic. Some people complain that the Wolfson was warmer, whereas others say the Cirrus is much quieter and more resolving.

I have a Ipod mini blue 4GB ... how is the sound quality on that model? I've only used it with the stock earbuds

I suspect the mini is similar to the Nano of today, but not as small. I've heard a Nano make sounds you wouldn't believe. Personally, I think the diskless iPods may have a sound advantage over the Classic because there are no moving parts to create motor noise and jitter. Anyway, a mini or Nano should sound at least as good as a Classic; it just won't hold as much music. And the more you compress, the more that sound advantage goes out the window.

What small portable speaker unit would you recommend? i need something for work thats made of indestructrium... heavy duty ... preferably impervious to being dropped and paint splattered.

Looks like mathman's recommendation has you covered. In your situation where you're using paints and stains, the most important feature is to keep the iPod and especially the docking connection safe from airborne contaminants. It looks like mathman's recommendation does that.

Only consider dockable boomboxes that protect your iPod and seal the dock connection from the external environment.

[HAMERMAN]

>Only consider dockable boomboxes that protect your iPod and seal the dock connection from the external environment.

I hate how it is very standard to have the iPod sitting on top of a device swinging in the breeze, it looks hi-tech and all but it really makes no sense for portable device!

[mathman]

>Only consider dockable boomboxes that protect your iPod and seal the dock connection from the external environment.

I hate how it is very standard to have the iPod sitting on top of a device swinging in the breeze, it looks hi-tech and all but it really makes no sense for portable device!

That is one of the things I like about the ihome. The ipod is zipped up inside with a foam support to set the ipod in with an elastic strap. Their are adapters of foam for the smaller nanos to keep it from bumping as you carry it. Also has external power inputs, a regular mp3 player input and headphone outputs.

[JohnnyB]

>Only consider dockable boomboxes that protect your iPod and seal the dock connection from the external environment.

I hate how it is very standard to have the iPod sitting on top of a device swinging in the breeze, it looks hi-tech and all but it really makes no sense for portable device!

That is one of the things I like about the ihome. The ipod is zipped up inside with a foam support to set the ipod in with an elastic strap. Their are adapters of foam for the smaller nanos to keep it from bumping as you carry it. Also has external power inputs, a regular mp3 player input and headphone outputs.

They're not easy to find. There used to be one called the iSplash, but it was offered by Sharper Image, and they went out of business.

For a lot more money than your suggestion, Bosch Tools makes the Power Box, a ruggedized jobsite boombox, but it's primarily a CD/Radio type. It does have a mini-jack input, however.

The do offer an iPod solution as an accessory--the iPod Dock for Power Box. It will keep your iPod safe, but it's not an integrated solution like the iHome.

[cordroad]

wow JB, that Bosch unit looks like something right outta Lost in Space...danger Will Robinson...