iPod Internal Headphone Amplifiers

[Zman23]

Hi all,
I have an old 3G 30GB iPod and a relatively new 512MB iPod Shuffle. The shuffle sounds a lot better (same mp4 file, same earphones (Future Sonics/Xtreme Mac FS 1) so I have to assume the headphone amp is better in the shuffle than in the 30. I'm about to buy a new 60 GB and was wondering if anyone knows if the headphone amp in the 60 is the same ones as in the shuffle. Can't seem to find any info anywhere..

Thanks,
Z

 

[plinkoman]

well, the general consensus seems to be that sound quality has gone up with each generation, and while i can't tell you specifically what the internals are, i'd be willing to bet the 5g sounds as good or better then your shuffle.

 

[NicP]

The shuffle is the best sounding ipod, however as already mentioned sound quality in the standard ipods has improved each generation, so i'm sure a new ipod will sound better than your old one.

 

[Revlimit Punk]

I've been reading a lot of comments of audiophiles about the built-in amp of iPods and i can confirm that the sound quality is a lot better on both the shuffle and the 5G iPod. The 4th and 3rd gen iPods are often criticized for their sound quality out of the headphone jack and so is the nano, that sounds exactly the same as the 4th and 3rd gen iPods.

Putting them in order of sound quality:
5th Gen > Shuffle > Nano & 4th Gen & 3rd Gen

Even though the Shuffle and the 5th Gen iPods have both significantly better sound than the others, the 5th Gen takes the lead because its sound is more balanced (slightly less bassy) compared to the Shuffle.

This is my source: http://headfi.com/
(I own a 4th Gen iPod by the way and i tested a 2GB nano and they sound exactly the same, just to put more cold facts on the table)