A premium product for the serious MP3 user. Very good sound quality for a portable

I have to admit that I have been an avid MP3 user for years; however up until purchasing this Ipod Classic 160gb I had completely avoided Ipod and Apple all together and as you will soon read that was my loss.

Why did I buy the Ipod ? In short because I tried several different competitors MP3 players and grew very frustrated. I don’t use the headphones at all; I use my MP3 players exclusively for playing either in my home, boat or car and most every unit I tried had a very weak pre-amp section and generally bad sound. Finally I decided to try the Ipod.

The first thing I noticed was that the Ipod has a massively better pre-amp section. What this means is that when you hook up your Ipod to whatever external device you are using; you do not need to turn up the volume to nearly full blast in order to hear music at a decent level; this is something that I have found with every other MP3 player and Ipod is unique in this regard.

I must also comment on the sound quality when played through external devices; it is much fuller and richer sounding. Other devices I tried always sounded hollow and tiny; even at times mechanical. I attribute this to Apple having a better onboard DAC converter.

On the quality front I should also mention that Apple offers a “lossless” option when you “rip” (upload) all of your music files; this massively improves the sound quality. I would also like to point out Itunes + a format where you can download songs in a vastly superior quality format than most typical MP3’s. This is an advantage when your burn songs to disc as well. Bottom line is that better quality music leads to greater enjoyment of your portable listening device !

The screen is one of the largest on the market and that is helpful given the size. The controls are very easy to use; I was able to figure everything out without even once reading the owners manual. One thing I really enjoy about Apple controls and software is that it is very intuitive; for example they know that sometimes you would like to randomly play ALL of the songs in your collection and they make it really easy to do so with one simple step. Other MP3 players make this very difficult requiring several steps or more.

Lastly is the fact that so many quality aftermarket components and accessories are available for the Ipod make it a win/win. I have been able to buy aftermarket; cables; holders and docking stations at half the price of Apple licensed products and they perform as well or better. I have to say that the Ipod is a great device and I am really pleased with the performance. It is a step up above everything else I have tried. If you are after the best quality product in an MP3 player the Ipod is the player of choice.

I also love the size of the hard drive. I now have close to 1300 songs on my Classic; most everyone ripped in the larger; higher quality “lossless” and “Itunes +” formats and I think the player is barely half full. What is really great is the hundreds of CD’s that are now buried away in storage freeing up all kinds of bookshelf space. I have even got rid of two CD changers so I have more room in my audio rack as well. The Ipod classic is the only way to go and worth every penny in my books !