iPod Do different ipods give different quality sounds through usb?

michael31986 · Oct 20, 2009

i have a bose sounddock and idk if its just me or maybe it is the ipods, but would an ipod nano and a classic with the same exact song play them in different quality. what i mean is would my classic play the song in better quality.

mind you there the same file/song... maybe its just me. i know through headphones it can sound different but usb?

btw its an ipod classic 6g 160gb and the other is an ipod nano 5g with video.

thanks

DoFoT9 · Oct 20, 2009

you cant compare headphones to a dock because it just doesnt work like that..

but yes the nano and classic most likely have slightly different sound cards, thus producing a different output.

Gav2k · Oct 20, 2009

The sound going through the dock is unprocessed so it shouldn't sound different. Through the headphones definatly.

michael31986 · Oct 20, 2009

well i wasn't talking about headphones. i think i explained wrong. i ment to say that i know headphone outputs on different ipods can sound different, but i thought usb output was the same.. whats the verdict on whether 5g nano has better sound card then 6g classic.

DoFoT9 · Oct 20, 2009

michael31986 said:
well i wasn't talking about headphones. i think i explained wrong. i ment to say that i know headphone outputs on different ipods can sound different, but i thought usb output was the same.. whats the verdict on whether 5g nano has better sound card then 6g classic.

OH i see! mybad sorry.

i really couldnt tell you im guessing the classic would have a better sound card as there is more space to store the parts.. i have no idea though.

as a comparison, my 2g ipod mini sounds PATHETIC compared to my 5g ipod video when coming out of the same stereo source. this is via 3.5mm though, and not USB.

if its via USB the soundcard wouldnt do the processing, i guess it would sound the same then :\

michael31986 · Oct 20, 2009

So all iPods played through the same dock USB would sound the same with the same file. Interesting. Considering my classic is two years old the nano should sound better regardless considering it's new.

DoFoT9 · Oct 20, 2009

michael31986 said:
So all iPods played through the same dock USB would sound the same with the same file. Interesting. Considering my classic is two years old the nano should sound better regardless considering it's new.

hmm well there are of course other variables that come into play there.. im not sure what exactly - but im sure there are lol...

but theoretically if they still use USB and its played on the same device then it should sound the same no matter what mp3 player it is.. i guess

michael31986 · Oct 20, 2009

lol @ everyone saying i guess lol. i mean im sure comparing a 1Generation ipod from back in 2004 would sound worse than anything new, but my classic and nano are only 2 yrs apart so it should be roughly the same.

DoFoT9 · Oct 20, 2009

michael31986 said:
lol @ everyone saying i guess lol. i mean im sure comparing a 1Generation ipod from back in 2004 would sound worse than anything new, but my classic and nano are only 2 yrs apart so it should be roughly the same.

i guess i was the one saying i guess.. i guess..

you must remember that the ipod nano 2nd gen is from Feb 2005, and my iPod 5G is from Dec 2005.. they sound SO much different and they are only a few months apart.

Templex · Oct 20, 2009

If I'm not mistaken even though the sound is being routed through the dock port, an analog signal is still used, so yeah the classic will probably sound better than the nano due to the classic having more room for a higher quality DAC, etc.

DoFoT9 · Oct 21, 2009

Templex said:
If I'm not mistaken even though the sound is being routed through the dock port, an analog signal is still used, so yeah the classic will probably sound better than the nano due to the classic having more room for a higher quality DAC, etc.

the only analogue part that i can see is from the speakers to our ears.. the rest would be digital would it not?

Palleraa · Oct 21, 2009

The sound coming from any ipod or iphone to a dock will be through the line-out. That is still analogue. You can't get any digital (lossless) output from any available ipod. But it is important to notice that the sound coming out through the dock-connecter is different than the sound coming out through the 3.5mm jack.

Please take a look at this site: http://pinouts.ru/PortableDevices/ipod_pinout.shtml

DoFoT9 · Oct 21, 2009

Palleraa said:
The sound coming from any ipod or iphone to a dock will be through the line-out. That is still analogue. You can't get any digital (lossless) output from any available ipod. But it is important to notice that the sound coming out through the dock-connecter is different than the sound coming out through the 3.5mm jack.

Please take a look at this site: http://pinouts.ru/PortableDevices/ipod_pinout.shtml

ahhh great link!!

i guess there is no real way to tell then.

michael31986 · Oct 21, 2009

in english please haha

DoFoT9 · Oct 22, 2009

michael31986 said:
in english please haha

basically, the USB connection still does "line out", on the USB there are two connections:
- line out left
- line out right

meaning its still converted via the ipod then pushed out to the dock/speakers.

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