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Level 1

65 points

iPod Photo: Poor Sound Quality - Updates

As most of us who have bought the iPod Photo already know, the sound quality IS FLAWED. The distorsion (or background crackling) of high frequency/high output sound (such as piano, high output electric guitar & some deep bass output - however the vocals seem to be fine) is there and something needs to be done about it. Some good examples of where this kind of problem occurs, from what I have found are: Radiohead (most of the OK Computer album), The Hives (the iPod Photo cannot seem to cope with their loud distorted guitar style & very high output), and Incubus (a lot of Morning View). Some people who are still using the tinny, lacklustre stock earbuds, or just don't listen to their music carefully enough, or listen niavely, may still not recognise this.

I refuse to let this issue drop, as I have spent good money on what should be, a technically flawless sound player. I do like this player though (mine is 60GB). The features are good, the photo element is excellent, the 60GB storage is unrivalled, but the main function of the player, to play music, is not good for this one issue. It is so disappointing considering Apple have obviously overlooked this issue (or simply let it slip by thinking nobody would notice), for what is otherwise an excellent piece of equipment.

I record all my music on iTunes, using the MP3 encoder. Some people think the MP3 encoder in iTunes is poor, but it is as good as most. It is all ripped at 224kbps VBR. I use Shure E2c earphones, which are also excellent, and by far the best value for money if you're looking for a warm tone & deep bass in your sound. The step up in price to the Shure E3c might be worth it if you prefer a more detailed, but possibly colder sound.

All that considered, there is absolutely no reason why the sound should be poor on my iPod Photo (when it is fine on the iPod Mini, and using Audio software on my PC), apart from there being a hardware/software glitch. There simply must be. Either that, or something in the sound has been compromised to accomodate the photo elements or colour screen.

I have sent an e-mail to Apple regarding all this, and will hopefully hear from them soon about what is going to be done to resolve this. I will keep this post updated as and when I hear news from them. I also have a case number in motion with their customer services department, and they cannot ignore this anymore.

Something must be done! Redeem yourselves, Apple!

Posted on Apr 10, 2005 10:29 PM

348 replies

DenZ

Level 2

250 points

Nov 2, 2005 2:26 PM in response to Gr1f

Gr1f, did you get a new flawless iPod photo or did Apple ship a new iPod 5th generation?

I was about to register my iPod for Apple's servicing but at the end they said something about my warranty out of a six month period (blah blah), and shipping costed 31.95$ (which I am not willing to pay, since a LOT of people said they got no repairs done).

If Apple did a solid job of fixing your iPod, I'm willing to spend another thirty bucks to fix the issue.

http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?threadid=91130

Nov 3, 2005 1:13 PM in response to DenZ

Well finally bit the bullet and phoned Apple about the distortion, especially when listening to solo piano music.
My iPod is going back for repair, so lets hope they fix it.
Bit of aggravation getting it sorted. Having rung Apple they tell me to go to a specific web site. This I do and input all the data, serial number, fault, what I have done to try and fix it etc. Only to have it tell me my iPod was out of warranty! I only bought it on the 5th. August this year!!
So had to ring Apple again and go through the hoops, but when I next tried the web site it was happy my iPod was under warranty, phew!
So I await a box to arrive for me to send it off in. Should I erase all the music on it before I send it in, do you think?
Phil

riversen

Level 3

690 points

Nov 4, 2005 4:39 PM in response to Philip Tyler

You won't get the same iPod back after you send it in if they deem it repairable. Also, they would also flash the software, so you music would be wiped clean. It doesn't really matter unless you have confidential stuff that no one can listen to... lol.

Nov 6, 2005 4:26 AM in response to riversen

Thanks, I will zap it then.

If I do get a different one what happens serial number wise, as the serial number I registered is of the one I am sending back? I suppose Apple have a grand scheme.

It must be a bit rotten for those that had an engraving on their iPod!

Phil

Nov 6, 2005 11:47 PM in response to Johnny Wood

I absolutely agree that the iPod Photo's sound quality is extremely poor! I had a regular iPod before my Photo, and it had much better sound. Considering the price I paid for my iPod, it is very dissapointing!

Nov 7, 2005 3:39 PM in response to Johnny Wood

Just got off the phone with one of Apples iPod product specialists about the distortion on my photo ipod, and she said "Apple does not recognize a distortion problem on the Photo ipod" because there has not been enough reports about the problem.

They make it very hard to report any problems, because of there one phone call policy. Everyone should report this problem is you still have your call left or if you have a service package.

They want me to return my ipod for repair. Am I wasting my time?

Phil

riversen

Level 3

690 points

Nov 7, 2005 10:16 PM in response to Phil Acker

That's crazy and wrong. Why do they not recognize it and try to fix it. It is probably a hardware issue that they cannot fix. No software update is going to fix it, so I am guessing that is the best way to address it. At least, they fixed the issue in new Video iPod.

Nov 7, 2005 10:25 PM in response to Johnny Wood

I dont know what some of u guys are talking about
my iPod sounds great it sounds better than any other mp3 player on the market
the only time mine becomes distorted is when it is turned up all the way
try messing with the equallizer

Nov 7, 2005 10:55 PM in response to riversen

I have to agree with riversen. I'm a huge audiophile and have the Bose Acoustic headphones and I do not get any sound distortion from my iPod 20G Photo. I don't think it's an occurrence in all of these iPods. Maybe just a few.

Nov 7, 2005 10:58 PM in response to Johnny Wood

Ill agree with riversen and uhh that other guy
I love my music and my iPod sounds great
maybe just some have little defects

Nov 8, 2005 1:01 AM in response to riversen

I was told the same thing at the Apple Store as I was getting my 40GB ipod photo replaced for the second time for the distortion problem. Unfortunately, though better, it is still there so I am going back to the Apple store to see what they will do. When I asked them what they would do do if this one was bad too, they said that all they can do is replace it with the same model. Going back today for my 4th one, which I will probably sell unused and buy a new ipod.

Nov 8, 2005 2:04 PM in response to Johnny Wood

I realize that there are some of us iPoders that do not hear the distortion that is talked about here, and I would like to determine why that is.

I like my music with heavy Bass, and usually have the EQ on ROCK or R&B. Songs with heavy bass or kick drum suffer the most from the low-end saturation/ clipping and the distortion that Im talking about. I use a pair of Westone UM2s and never have the volume above 50%.

I know there is a problem with distortion on the high-end, but that does not bother me as much.

Listeners that keep the EQ set to Flat or None may not have this distortion problem. Has anyone tried changing their EQ setting to increase or decrease the distortion on their iPod?

Also, when I first called Apple about this problem, The had me remove all the music from my iPod, then in iTunes, turn off Sound Check & Sound Enhance, then re-import the music into the iPod. This helped, but did not cure.

DenZ

Level 2

250 points

Nov 8, 2005 7:40 PM in response to Johnny Wood

I'm thinking of getting some accessories for the iPod that might fix the issue:

1. Sendstation's Pocketdock Line-out FW
2. Headphone Amp (a CMoy amp from ebay around 50$ would do)
3. Headphones

iPod -> Pocketdock -> Headphone Amp (on line out) -> headphones

This should kill off any distortion present, I tested the headphones with the Line-out from the dock and there doesn't seem to be any distortion (probably because this bypasses the crap headphone amps on the ipods).

I was thinking of just using a headphone amp onto the existing headphone jack on the iPod to power the headphones...

Any ideas?

Nov 9, 2005 7:25 AM in response to DenZ

Hi
The problem with the iPod and its distortion is down to the output stage of the headphone amp not being able to work into low impedance loads. Impedance is made up of resistance, capacitance and inductance and, confusingly, is expressed in ohms.
The problem really manifests itself when listening to solo piano music. The piano sound is made up of things called 'overtones' and it these 'overtones' that do not react kindly to any form of distortion.
If you listen to solo piano music on one of the effected iPods with headphones with an impedance of around 16 ohms, say like the Sony MDR-EX71's the piano notes seem to take on a 'kazoo' type quality. Use the supplied Apple ear-buds around 32 ohms impedance and the effect is less pronounced, but still there and detracting from any enjoyment. If you now move up to headphones with an impedance of 320 ohms there is no audible, to me, distortion. But you are now limiting the volume you can attain.
Listen to those same tracks out of my PowerBook using the same Sony MX-71's and the tracks sound perfect no hint of any distortion at all. Which as far as I am concerned proves that the output of the iPod is flawed!!
But the reason I bought the iPod was so I could wear discreet ear-buds and listen to my Jazz and classical piano music anywhere anytime. Sadly this is something I am unable to do due to this distortion.
I have also read and re-read Apples spec on the iPod and I can see nowhere where it states it will only work distortion free when working into impedance's above a certain value! Or that it is not to be used for listening to solo piano music.
So either Apple fix my iPod, it is with them as I write this, or they give me my money back. Because "in it's present form my iPod is not of merchantable quality".
If you listen to other forms of music with a lot more going on, or with not so many overtones, you may be blissfully unaware of any distortion. But that is not to say it is not there.
I have tried many makes of ear-bud style devices some costing an-arm-and-a-leg and the distortion is present on them all.
I have got a 3.5 mm jack to 3.5 mm jack socket that raises the impedance and almost makes the Sony's perfect, but then you run into volume difficulties as you are driving into a much higher impedance.
I look forward to the return of my iPod and see where we are then.
Phil

Nov 11, 2005 6:02 PM in response to Philip Tyler

Having listened carefully to various Beethoven piano sonatas, and several Gershwin compositions, I can definately notice this. And now that I've really listened for it, I can't help but be incredibly annoyed by it. It's not quite as bad with Sony's MDRV300 earphones (though certainly still audible at higher volumes), however I don't particularly want to carry those around with me everywhere I go, as the iPod's earbuds are much more conveniently sized.

As it stands at the moment, I'm in complete agreement with Philip. Since the iPod isn't advertised as not being meant for listening to affected types of music (or needing additional hardward to do so), Apple should either replace every iPod color that's been sold, or refund the money people wasted on this thing. Or if there's a way it could be repaired with Firmware, that should be Apple's first priority until it's fixed.

Though I don't know much about the technical details of audio hardware, most of what I've read seems to imply it's an issue with the amplifier used in the headphone jack being underpowered? If that's the case, isn't it possible a firmware update could direct a slightly more appropriate power level from the battery to the amplifier? Granted, this might diminish battery life by a tiny amount but if it fixes the distortion I'd be willing to accept that.

This isn't something that's really negotiable; it's a serious design flaw. The fact that such a high-end portable audio player can't properly play audio is a ridiculous concept.

Does anyone have any suggestions how we might bring this issue to Apple's attention in a way they can't ignore? It's quite obvious that despite the attention it's garnered, a thread on this board isn't something Apple bothers to think about.

iPod Photo: Poor Sound Quality - Updates