Ipod Nano Or Buy Something Else Instead?

Hello,

I've been spending vast amounts of time looking at various other mp3 players other than the Nano which still is my number one choice so far that is. I have been reading about various issues regarding the sound volume being limited on European models and resulting in it being too quiet and I'm concerned that buying a nano may not be suitable for use with my £85 Shure E3c in ear earphones even though they have different covers to use from foam earplug like, to soft silicon tips. I've seen a program that can hack the limiter, does this work for the 2nd generation of Ipod Nano's??? I work in a fairly loud enviroment at work, so having something that's too quiet is no use to me sadly :-( but at the same time, it needn't be like thunder!!

My other concern is regarding the EQ. Does the nano have decent adjustable EQ settings that provides plenty of bass? I have tried several other mp3 players and they all seemed to either lack bass or have too much resulting in a garbled mess whilst pounding your ears!!! My other interest was the Sandisk Sansa E280 but I've seen various stories that it's a pain to work with the mac as it won't always be recognized when plugged into the mac's USB port, not to mention other issues.

So should I take the plunge?

Michael.

My general experience with iPod sound quality so far has been positive. The iPod and iPod nano do both have customizable EQ settings, but I find the default setting on my 5G iPod to be quite sufficient for good bass, particularly when paired with a nicer set of headphones.

Judging from the headphones you already have, as well as the fact that you have a Mac, I'd recommend the nano. If the volume for some reason turns out to not be high enough (which I sincerely doubt), headphone amplifiers can be had for relatively low cost.

FYI...and i'm not sure which Nano you plan on getting, but here in the states the 8GB is the same price as the 30GB video.

The onboard EQ works well, but there are a few small downsides to it:
-It does use up a bit more battery life, as the iPod needs to process the sound according to the EQ settings if it's not set flat.

-I've heard instances of some albums clipping slightly with certain EQ settings. Granted, i'm a musician and have REALLY picky ears. My girlfriend, for instance, can't hear it. But on the few records I witnessed it on, it was definitely there, though not very prominent.


I don't have a Nano, I have a 30GB video. But I know a few people with Nanos. They have the advantage of being a little more robust due to the absence of a hard drive, and longer battery life due to the lack of a HD and smaller screen. They also don't scratch as easily from what I can tell. The larger models obviously hold much more music though, and have some capabilities (like video) that the Nano doesn't.


Sound quality is good, IMO. AAC's (the default file encoding) are a great file format as far as sound vs file size is concerned. Apple Lossless can also be used if you don't want compressed files. Though on a Nano, you won't fit a lot of music on there in Lossless format. Most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference though. AAC's do sound pretty good. Noticeably better than MP3's of similar bitrate. Hence, the iPod does have a little edge above other MP3 players, IMO, as far as sound quality is concerned.

-Nick

why dont you just get sound canceling headphones? You can have your ipod without hacking it, be able to hear your music, and you wont blast anyone around you at work.

Having good earphones will make a big difference. Funnily enough of the 3 ipods I own the original shuffle has the best sound quality.