Distortion on my 80GB iPod

Hello people,

For some odd reason some songs/podcasts I transfer from my laptop to my iPod come out a little "distorted". Most that were downloaded sound fine. What's wrong? Did I forget to setup "error correction"? Can you? Ideas?

Thanks.

Could a faulty USB port affect the transfer of MP3 files cleanly from a laptop to an iPod? Most of the MP3 songs are fine. Just the odd maybe 5% have distortion when played on my iPod. Sound find on my laptop or on burned discs.

Might need my USB ports looked at and replaced.

i wish someone would help with this because I am having the exact same problem. I can't figure it out. I have tried using different usb cords, changing the quality, changing the file type, but every time the song transfers to my ipod the distortion happens. It sounds perfectly fine on my computer though.

md89 said:

i wish someone would help with this because I am having the exact same problem. I can't figure it out. I have tried using different usb cords, changing the quality, changing the file type, but every time the song transfers to my ipod the distortion happens. It sounds perfectly fine on my computer though.

Click to expand...

Glad I'm not alone in this. But now I'm thinking it might have been my motherboard. I recently had another problem with my laptop. Once a day the screen would suddenly go black for 2 seconds. Then I would get the screen back. Would happen 2x in a row. So I took my laptop (Toshiba) to be fixed. They replaced the motherboard and cooling hardware. Has been good ever since (a week). Knock on wood.

Haven't tried uploading songs to my iPod yet. But if there was a problem with my motherboard then that might explain why I've been getting distortion on some of the songs on my iPod but not when played on my laptop.

I mean this can't be a common thing with iPods. Distortion withsome songs and not on others. Or it wouldn't have the sucess it's having now.

I'll post again once I've test this out. I hope this is it. Otherwise the iPod might just be a photo or podcast storage device when I'm on the road.

well i just recently got a new computer. I had a dell and now i have a macbook and I still have the same problems. yea your right, a lot of songs sound fine but there are also a lot of them that sound distorted and crackly. I have a 60 gb ipod video 5th generation.

md89 said:

well i just recently got a new computer. I had a dell and now i have a macbook and I still have the same problems. yea your right, a lot of songs sound fine but there are also a lot of them that sound distorted and crackly. I have a 60 gb ipod video 5th generation.

Click to expand...

That's not what I wanted to hear. But I will test it out still. If I still get distortion then it could be my 80GB iPod. Would be pretty disappointing if so.

Later, I might buy nother "iPod" type device to make sure it isn't my laptop and that it was my iPod. I'm into photography and might buy a "photo viewer" which are pretty much like iPods but with 4" screens. Higher resolution.

Will post again later.

Are you listening to them with headphones?
I'm sure you tried different headphones though.
Sorry i cant be any help just FYI if your headphones break take them into the Apple store and they just hand you new ones for free without any questions. Maybe bring your iPod. They did it in my case anyway.

Welp just tested my hypothesis out. No luck. Even with a replaced motherboard I'm still hearing distortion on the same songs when uploaded to my iPod. Is it defective? (Shrug)

And for the last poster...I heard distortion when using the cheap headphones that came with my iPod 80GB and with my new Shure headphones.

Maybe the iPods just don't have enough dynamic range to play certain tunes without distorting out. But as I said I'll try another MP3 playing device later. Like Epson's photo viewer and see if there's any change. Then I'll know if it isn't my iPod. Right now I sort of wished I didn't buy the 80GB model and just started with a Nano to try out the iPods.

i think that it is obviously something wrong with the ipod. ive tried with the EQ and without it and the distortion doesn't go away. there is a song that sounds the worst out of all of them on the ipod that i have used to test out all the different file types and qualities that i ripped from a cd each time. and its always the same, it sounds fine on the computer and horrible on the ipod. i tried many different headphones and it isnt the CD drive since i tried it on different computers. my brother just got an ipod nano so ill put the song on his and see how it sounds. Ill get back when i try it out.

md89 said:

i think that it is obviously something wrong with the ipod. ive tried with the EQ and without it and the distortion doesn't go away. there is a song that sounds the worst out of all of them on the ipod that i have used to test out all the different file types and qualities that i ripped from a cd each time. and its always the same, it sounds fine on the computer and horrible on the ipod. i tried many different headphones and it isnt the CD drive since i tried it on different computers. my brother just got an ipod nano so ill put the song on his and see how it sounds. Ill get back when i try it out.

Click to expand...

Looking forwards to reading your post. Would prove your point. though, it would be disappointing to know that I probabl also have a faulty iPod.

What kind of a warranty do we get? 1-year parts & labour? Though I'm from Canada. So it might be different.

Any how if I have to get it fixed then so be it.

ok, i tried it and i think i figured it out. When listening to a song on the computer, having the EQ on does not create the distortion it just does what its supposed to do. But for some reason on the ipod, if you have any EQ on, for certain songs the distortion will be present. The song that i used as a reference was noticeably crackly on both my ipod and the ipod nano with any EQ on. just make sure that on your ipod the EQ is off and you should be fine, it worked for me. if that doesnt help you probably need a new ipod, which sucks. i think Apple should fix this problem because whats the point of having the EQ on the ipod if it just cause major distortion on certain music.

md89 said:

ok, i tried it and i think i figured it out. When listening to a song on the computer, having the EQ on does not create the distortion it just does what its supposed to do. But for some reason on the ipod, if you have any EQ on, for certain songs the distortion will be present. The song that i used as a reference was noticeably crackly on both my ipod and the ipod nano with any EQ on. just make sure that on your ipod the EQ is off and you should be fine, it worked for me. if that doesnt help you probably need a new ipod, which sucks. i think Apple should fix this problem because whats the point of having the EQ on the ipod if it just cause major distortion on certain music.

Click to expand...

No luck. Nothing changed. Still had distortion on that same song.

I downloaded this song from the iTunes Store. Though, I downloaded many other songs and have never had any problems with those songs.

There must be something wrong with my iPod. I now know it's not my laptop. Since the motherboard was recently recplaced taking care of the problem I was previously having. For now anyways.

Might have to go look for my receipt and get my iPod serviced. No reason why certain songs should cause our iPods to distort. With or without EQ. I think your iPod is faulty too. Though, you said when you turn off the EQ the distortion is gone. Or is it just not as noticeable?

DarkDTSHD said:

Welp just tested my hypothesis out. No luck. Even with a replaced motherboard I'm still hearing distortion on the same songs when uploaded to my iPod. Is it defective? (Shrug)

And for the last poster...I heard distortion when using the cheap headphones that came with my iPod 80GB and with my new Shure headphones.

Maybe the iPods just don't have enough dynamic range to play certain tunes without distorting out. But as I said I'll try another MP3 playing device later. Like Epson's photo viewer and see if there's any change. Then I'll know if it isn't my iPod. Right now I sort of wished I didn't buy the 80GB model and just started with a Nano to try out the iPods.

Click to expand...

sorry dont mean to sound like a jerk but i have a nano, they're great not a single problem, maybe you could sell your ipod on ebay and get a nano?

good luck
Jordan

Mac_OS said:

sorry dont mean to sound like a jerk but i have a nano, they're great not a single problem, maybe you could sell your ipod on ebay and get a nano?

good luck
Jordan

Click to expand...

No problem. But no I don't plan on selling my iPod. Will get it looked at. I think I bought it just a little over 6 months ago so I'm covered. Won't cost me.

And as I said I will likely buy a "photo viewer" (http://www.vistek.ca/details/details.aspx?WebCode=233866) as I am into photography. And these viewers not only allow you to view pictures on 3.6-4" screens but you can play video clips and MP3. So it should be able to play tunes without problems.

i dont think there is anything wrong with my ipod since i tried it on my older 60 gb ipod and a brand new ipod nano. with the eq on the distortion was really bad but if i turn the eq off then it is fine on both.

md89 said:

i dont think there is anything wrong with my ipod since i tried it on my older 60 gb ipod and a brand new ipod nano. with the eq on the distortion was really bad but if i turn the eq off then it is fine on both.

Click to expand...

While your iPods now work without distortion with the EQ off don't you find it funny that you would have to switch off the EQ to not get distortion? I mean it sounds like you're in a better spot than me but...

Any how, as I said, I have to check my bill. I think I bought mine last summer so I should have another 6 months or so on my warranty. So it's just a hassel to take it to an authorized Apple repair shop to get mine fixed. Or replaced.

That and I will later be buying a portsble "photo viewer" which will play MP3 too.

It has to be a problem with the transfer somewhere, I assume you've all got the latest itunes? Or is there an update for the o/s of the ipod?

Is the distortion at any volume? (ie, when the ipod is turned up loud is it worse)
And also on any particularly 'loud' parts of tracks?

If it's just all the way through a song with no special quality then, if you've checked the above, it must be a faulty ipod...

Cam said:

It has to be a problem with the transfer somewhere, I assume you've all got the latest itunes? Or is there an update for the o/s of the ipod?

Is the distortion at any volume? (ie, when the ipod is turned up loud is it worse)
And also on any particularly 'loud' parts of tracks?

If it's just all the way through a song with no special quality then, if you've checked the above, it must be a faulty ipod...

Click to expand...

The transfer? I thought so but as i said I recently had the motherboard of my laptop replaced. So that's not it.

And yes I have the latest version of iTunes. I think 7.5. I have it set to auto update. And the distortion occurs at any volume. I never listen at full volume. Like to save my hearing.

The distortion appears on the same track and in the same locations. Not the entire track.

I downloaded this track from the itunes store. I haven't tested to see if there were problems with the download. I have downloaded many other tracks. Most of those were fine. But might possibly not have the same dynamic range.

DarkDTSHD said:

The transfer? I thought so but as i said I recently had the motherboard of my laptop replaced. So that's not it.

And yes I have the latest version of iTunes. I think 7.5. I have it set to auto update. And the distortion occurs at any volume. I never listen at full volume. Like to save my hearing.

The distortion appears on the same track and in the same locations. Not the entire track.

I downloaded this track from the itunes store. I haven't tested to see if there were problems with the download. I have downloaded many other tracks. Most of those were fine. But might possibly not have the same dynamic range.

Click to expand...

It's not necessarly going to be a hardware problem with the transfer. You didn't say if you had done an ipod update; it could be a conflict between the latest itunes and a slightly older version of software on the ipod that apple have overlooked. Anyways, worth updating.

When you say the distortion is on the same track, I assume if you copy it across again chances are it'll be fine? It's not always on the same track if you copy it across several times.
Is it on any track in itunes>? ie, if you rip a cd in and load it on to the ipod does it sometimes distort too?

Cam said:

It's not necessarly going to be a hardware problem with the transfer. You didn't say if you had done an ipod update; it could be a conflict between the latest itunes and a slightly older version of software on the ipod that apple have overlooked. Anyways, worth updating.

When you say the distortion is on the same track, I assume if you copy it across again chances are it'll be fine? It's not always on the same track if you copy it across several times.
Is it on any track in itunes>? ie, if you rip a cd in and load it on to the ipod does it sometimes distort too?

Click to expand...

Updating the software on the iPod? I assume the firmware is included in each new version of iTunes. I have 7.6 loaded. The newest. Or is there another way to get the firmware update?

If I upload that same track over and over the same thing happens. The distortion appears at the same points on the track.

It varies. It happens on the odd downloaded track and on the odd ripped CD. Most of them are fine.