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Ipod Problems... (1 Viewer)

CraigL

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So I bought my Ipod 2 days ago and these are the problems I'm currently having...

I've been using my own headphones for my Ipod because here in NYC, there's been a rash of Ipod thefts and apparently they're looking for the tell-tale white headphones. My headphones worked great with my Sony CD walkman and always sounded good enough for me. But on the Ipod, the sound is REALLY thin. I've transferred a bunch of stuff using the lossless and the compression sounds better but the sound has lost most of it's punch and I think that's because of the headphones at this point. Am I wrong? Is this just the "sound" of an ipod or should I try a different type of headphone?

And here's another thing...I've had it sitting on my desk all day today, not being used. I just went on my lunch break and the battery life was 2/3 of the way gone. Should I always have it on hold...even if the screen is blank??? I don't understand what the problem is. My battery was dead even before I got home yesterday and I didn't use it all day.
 

Brian L

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I don't think my iPod (3rd Gen 40g) has a "sound", but it does sound different depending on what I am using for headphones. I would not consider it thin sounding under any circumstances.

In fact, with my Senn PX100's, I find I at times I will even engage the bass reducer EQ setting. This is of course also hugely dependent on the music.

Not sure what iPod you have, but I would try the EQ settings...there are perhaps 20 presets that hopefully will let you dial in your sound to your liking.

As for battery life, at least with my 3g, the battery gauge is known to be inaccurate. Not sure about the mini or the click-wheel Pods.

The earlier models were not known for long battery life, but I find that my 14 month old iPod will still go 5 hours or more depending on what I am doing with it.

Go to Apple's web site...there are several useful pages devoted to battery issues. If you have a bad battery, they should be covering it, assuming your iPod is new.

You might also take a look at ipodlounge and also Apple's support page for iPod and the forums there.

BGL
 

CraigL

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I just bought mine 2 days ago and got the 30 gig version so I'm assuming I shouldn't have any problems. I guess it's very possible that the battery guage could be completely wrong and I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens today with it. I could be over-reacting but I just didn't expect that.

As far as the sound is concerned, there is a heavy difference between listening to the CD player for the last 10 years and using an Ipod and it's not for the better. If anything, the presets make it sound worse or more tinny. It just completely lacks any sort of bass or punch.
 

Brian L

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I would say that something is seriously wrong then. Mine has no lack of bass at all, and I usually use 320K AAC as opposed to lossless.

As for the battery, there is some mention of the gauge inaccuracies at the Apple site.

Good luck with it! I enjoy the hell out of mine (actually bought the wife a mini, and I and my daughter also have Shuffles), and hate to see it when someone has problems with them.

BGL
 

CraigL

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It's broken. My battery was dead when i left work today. I used it for probably around an hour total all day. :frowning:

I'm going to have to bring it back to Best Buy tomorrow and get another one.
 

Ted Lee

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it's possible your cd player's headphone output was higher then the ipods - that could account for the softness you detect.

my mini sounds okay to me...i'm (apparantly) one of the few who actually like the stock headphones. i've tried etymonics and shures -- didn't like either.

---

as for the battery, it certainly shouldn't die that quickly. definitely get a new one and see what happens. also, make sure you check out the battery faq at apple.com.
 

ChuckSolo

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Hey, just bought an iPod Shuffle today, the 1 gig model and I have to say, it is the coolest thing. I can load about 20+ CDs on this little thing. It acts as a flash drive too. I really can't believe how cool this thing is.;)
 

Brian L

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Yup....loving my Shuffle as well! Funny thing is, I NEVER run my 40g 3g in shuffle mode, but having loaded my 512m Shuffle with a selection of my favorite tunes (almost all at 320K AAC), its great to just hit play and see what order it plays things.

What's your take on the SQ?

I read a piece in What HiFi? that suggested that the Shuffle is the best sounding iPod yet. I am not 100% sure about that, but I can say that I frequently use the EQ settings in my 3g, but have never really felt the need with the shuffle. Great sounding stuff sounds great, and bad sounding stuff sounds bad.

All things considered, the Shuffle IS a sweet sounding player. Note that I do not use the ear buds....they physically hurt my ears after a short time (not due to the sound, but they just don't fit my ears well). I listen exclusively with Senn PX100's...superb sound for cheap $$$.

BGL
 

ChuckSolo

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I think the SQ on the Shuffle is excellent. I just filled it up and have about 15 hours of music on the thing. I can't believe this thing is so SMALL!!!!! I have various portable players, CD, Tape, DVD, etc., but this thing blows them all away. NO skipping, take it anywhere and unobtrusive; it fits in my shirt pocket. I downloaded 15 tunes from the 1960's last night and I couldn't believe how easy it is to buy from iTunes. I am using the earbuds, but you're right I have never been a fan of earbuds. I'm gonna get a good pair of headphones as all I have right now besides the earbuds is a pair of 10 buck Cobys. The Shuffle deserves a good set of EPs. Has anyone used this with a car cassette adapter?:D
 

Scott Merryfield

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That's surprising, Ted. I found the Apple earbuds very uncomfortable and of marginal sound quality. The Sony EX71's that my wife is now using on her iPod mini were much more comfortable, and the Shure E3C's I'm using for my 4th gen 40 GB are both more comfortable and sound much better than the Apple buds, IMO. I am using the smallest soft sleeves, though, so maybe my ear canals are smaller than yours (for comfort).
 

Ted Lee

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yeah, i actually think that is the problem. i guess i have big-ass ears or something...so i can't get a good seal (therefore bass).

my wife's got really small ears and she loves her e3c's.
 

CraigL

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Just an update...

My ipod ended up COMPLETELY freezing yesterday. Couldn't get songs in or out of it. I had loaded it up with about 1200 songs...tried to charge it. It would tell me it was complete charged...and then when I tried to turn it on, it would tell me the battery was dead. Just hideous.

So now I'm starting from scratch with a new one. I'm about ready to go to best buy and buy the plan to get 3 years coverage on this thing. But regardless, I'm left with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

It seems like this is pretty typical as well. Everyone that was on the line heard my story and started laughing because it happens with so many Ipods. The batteries just crap out.
 

Ted Lee

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there's a reboot you can do to it. hold down the play and menu buttons for about 10 seconds...or something like that. i had to do it myself...but i don't remember the exact sequence. the info is on apple.com for sure.

oh yeah, after the reboot, my songs were still intact on the ipod.
 

Pamela

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My first iPod had a battery problem, so Apple gave me a new one. After that, it's been fine. It hasn't soured me on the iPod experience. I don't know what I'd do without it.

Just picked up the Shuffle last month, and I love it!
 

ChuckSolo

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To tell you the truth, that is why I opted to get the iPod Shuffle 1 gig model. The bottom line is, I don't trust tiny hard drives, particularly when they get that large of capacity. No hard drive, no need to keep messing with it. The tolerences in HDDs that small makes them prone to issues such as these. This is also the reason I bought a Nintendo Gamecube and not a PS2 or Xbox. Hard drives can be flaky even in full size. The iPod with a hard drive is no different from a PC in having to be rebooted now and then. I can see myself spending hours uploading my 300+ CDs only to have a hard drive crash and waste all that hard work. With no hard drive, I just load it and keep the battery charged, no muss, no fuss. Did I mention that I have loaded the Shuffle to capacity, listened to it since Friday last and still haven't heard the same song twice!! I'll take reliability over capacity any day.;)
 

Ted Todorov

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Considering that every subway car seems to contain at least 4 people with those tell-tale white headphones, (mine included) I don't think that there are enough thieves to go around :D

BTW, I too prefer the stock earphones. I bought a pair of Senheisers (sp?) and found them to be wretchedly uncomfortable. On the other hand I routinely fall asleep with the Apple ones in my ears on various modes of transport...

So far as broken iPods, Apple has a tendency to replace'em with new ones. You send them in for repair, and a brand new one comes back. Call AppleCare, tell 'em it's busted and the DHL mailer will be there the next day and your replacement a day or two after you send it in.

Of course some of us have better luck -- my 20GB gen 2 iPod which is 3+ years old at this point still works fine, after spending most of last year with a friend on a humanitarian mission in northern Ethiopia with its 110F+ temperatures. I have a friend with a Gen1 5GB model, and his battery is fine as well.

Ted
 

CraigL

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Well I returned mine to Best Buy and the new one is working perfectly. Haven't had to charge it in about 3 days.
But I still can't get used to the sound. I've been having Panasonic/Sony CD walkmans for the last 10 years I'd say and they all have the T-bass system in there which sounded powerful and FULL. The Ipod just sounds really weak and almost tinny by comparison and I'm having a hard time adjusting. Does anyone know what I mean? Any way to fix it? I've tried futzing with the EQ but they all sound pretty much the same or even worse. None of them really seem to "bass" it up.
 

Scott Merryfield

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The iPod has a pretty neutral sound, IMO. If you are used to the "megabass" settings on Sony CD players, you may find the bass lacking in comparison. Personally, I've never been a big fan of the bass-boosting on portable players (I also do not boost the subwoofer on my home system), so the iPod sound appeals to me.

The iPod's equalizer is mostly a waste of time. It adds little except distortion, IMO.

One thing that may help is different earbuds. I was using some Sony EX71's for awhile, and they are quite bass-heavy. I've since upgraded to Shure E3C's, which are more neutral (with a midrange emphasis). My wife is using the Sony's on her iPod mini and likes them.
 

CraigL

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Scott,

Thanks for the advice. Like i figured, it's probably that I'm just really used to having all that bass for my music and I tend to prefer it. Oddly enough, I don't really want it for my movies. The ipod seems so "neutral" (as you put it) that it almost gives me a headache because it's too level I guess. Maybe I'm just making it louder to compensate....who knows.

Any idea if there's a place that lets you test out headphones before you purchase?
 

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