So I bought an Ipod, need help/advice from other iPod owners please! (1 Viewer)

[Angelo.M]

Anyone using their iPod for jogging/running? Is it feasible?

 

[Michael*K]

Anyone using their iPod for jogging/running? Is it feasible?

Well, yeah. I wouldn't have recommended the case I have or the iPod for runners and joggers if I hadn't used it for that myself. The case is very secure and I have yet to get my iPod to skip.

Checked out the Marware cases when I was in the market for a good one. I thought the thing was a little bulky unless you removed the lid and the anchor for the belt clip didn't seem terribly secure compared to the one on the leather XtremeMac cases.

 

[Tom Koegel]

I just picked up the new 30 GB iPod for my wife. The version of MusicMatch that ships with the new iPods (7.5) seems to allow variable bit rate encoding.

I have a few questions of my own, as a newbie to the MP3 thing.

1. MusicMatch lets you change the processing rate on the MP3 encoding. This is not a method of changing the bit rate--it seems to change the quality of the encoding itself. On a 1.7 GHz Pentium IV, using the default setting the CDs rip and encode at about a 12x rate with a CPU utilization of about 25%. Changing to the "high" setting, the encoding drops to about 5x and I get 100% utilization on the CPU. Does anyone have any opinions on whether this slow down is offset by better quality in the resulting MP3?

2. How much better is the new MPEG4/AAC encoding? I don't think that iPod users for Windows are going to get access to this until either MusicMatch is upgraded or Apple gets around to releasing iTunes for Windows (supposedly in November this year). I've got a fairly massive CD collection and would rather not waste several days ripping CDs if I'm going to have to do it again this fall.

3. If I stick with MP3, what do I need to do in terms of bit rate setting? I'm disinclined to play with VBR, just because I'm dubious that the software algorithms that MusicMatch uses are going to be sensitive enough. That, and with a 30 GB iPod I don't feel like I really need to save space that badly. I expect that the default "CD quality" (I doubt that description) will be fine for Rock/Pop, but I presume I ought to bump up the bit rate for classical.

4. Anybody play around with audio books from Audible.com? You need a separate file manager from Audible (it's built in to iTunes for the Mac, apparently), and I've seen reports that it doesn't work and play happily with MusicMatch.

Any other thoughts would be appreciated, too!

Tom

 

[Camp]

2. How much better is the new MPEG4/AAC encoding?

It's pretty good. Comperable to OGG in many ways.
I've decided 160kbps (VBR) is my AAC sweet spot. At 160 kbps it sounds as good as a LAME encoded MP3 (using --Alt Preset Standard). However, the file size is significantly smaller. About 25% to 30% smaller. You'll be able to fit a lot more on your iPod once iTunes for Windows is released.

 

[Tom Koegel]

Camp,

Thanks for the reply. I posted a similar inquiry on an Apple forum and got very similar, but not as detailed and clear, explanations.

On the "Processing Level" thing, open MusicMatch and pull down the Options menu. Select "Settings". Click on the "Recorder" tab. There is an "Advanced" button. Clicking on that gets you to another set of options, one of which includes a pull down box for "Processing Level". The default is "Medium"; there are High and Very High options. The help file is somewhat cryptic; basically suggests that using the higher options results in a more accurate encoding at the selected bit rate. What you notice when you change this is that ripping slows (on my P4 1.7GHz) from 12x (medium) to 5x (high) to about 1x (very high). I really need to play around with a test of music with real dynamic range in order to tell if there is any discernible difference. I was curious to know if other here had played with this setting, but I'm getting the feeling that those concerned with audio quality have switched away from MusicMatch as an encoder anyways.

If you make that switch, do you still get all the handy-dandy simple features of MM regarding holding artists, titles, track info, or do you then have to do it yourself?

Tom

 

[Camp]

What you notice when you change this is that ripping slows (on my P4 1.7GHz) from 12x (medium) to 5x (high) to about 1x (very high).

Thanks for the explaination. I missed that last night.
Looks like it's just slowing the disc speed during a rip. I guess the thinking is that by ripping a slow spinning CD might be more accurate. I don't know.
There is another free CD ripper called EAC (http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/) that is known mainly for it's excellent ripping abilities. It reads each track twice then compares each read and will only convert to MP3 if the comparison is favorable. Due to that it is slower than CDex and it's a little more complex.

I keep both CDex and EAC installed and use both frequently.

 

[Brian Perry]

I read that there are 20 equalizer settings on the Ipod -- are there basic tone controls as well or are you stuck with the presets?

 

[Tom Koegel]

Brian,

No basic tone controls that I see. Some of the equalizer settings seem to have limited tone functionality (Bass Boost, for example), but there aren't conventional bass and treble settings. If you get the new iPod with the dock and use the line out feed, you can of course supply tone controls with your amp.

Tom

 

[Tom Koegel]

Camp,

I looked at the help file again, and it really doesn't explain that difference between Normal, High, and Very High "processing level." Reading between the lines, though, and watching what it is doing to the resources on my machine, I think that the higher settings activate a more processor intensive encoding algorithm rather than merely slowing down the CD transfer rate. I found a couple of things around the web arguing you should set this to "high" or "very high", but nothing that really justifies that decisions scientifically.

I'm going to run a classical track that I know well through with a number of different settings and see if I can detect any difference.

Thanks again

Tom

 

[Patrick_S]

I've been interested in the Ipod but I do have one question for current owners. If the batteries fail what do you do? Send it back to Apple for a repair?

Thanks in advance for the answer.

 

[Camp]

There's a company that sells replacement batteries for ~$50. You can get the link over at www.ipodlounge.com
Much better than sending it back to Apple as they charge well over $150 for the fix.

 

[MikeM]

You can replace the iPod battery.

Here's a step-by-step diagram with photos of how the installation/replacement process works:

http://www.ipodbattery.com/ipodinstall.htm

This example is for the "classic" iPods. I know, I know, it's still pretty new, and not a "classic" yet, but it's for the original series.

A replacement battery for the new models will be available shortly.