Any worth getting the iPod nano 7th generation or not? Looks small but powerful for music playback. Should have a good DAC?
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iPod iPod nano 7th generation?
- Thread starter albertfallickwa
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After debating for over 7 months whether or not to get one, I picked one up last week. I was wrestling over the silver/white (for a classic iPod look) or the space gray/black (better for video playback). Ended up with the space gray/black.
When I compare the Nano 7G to my Nano 3G, Nano 6G, iPod Touch 4G, and iPhone 4, I find that the Nanos all sound noticeably better than either the Touch or iPhone. (I used the same set of earbuds, same mp3 files) But that could be a subjective thing.
I think the Nano 7G is quite nice. Navigating through a music collection on it is smoother and faster than on iOS devices. The multi-purpose physical play button is something that I missed on touch devices.
To my ears, it's a night and day difference. Feel like on the Nano, the vocals jump out at you more, and I don't like that. It's also harsher sounding at the same volumes.
So I enjoy the Touch more. My iPhone sounds much better than the two though.
So I enjoy the Touch more. My iPhone sounds much better than the two though.
It's a perfectly good little music player. I am not a hard core audiophile, so it sounds just fine to me. I have some premium headphones and I mostly use it on airplanes. Besides, it's only a 149 bucks, so not worth overthinking.
It might be if people realize they can buy a good-as-new refurbished 16GB iPod Touch from Apple at the same price.
For some/many people an iPod Touch is not a viable alternative to an iPod Nano. The Touch doesn't have an FM tuner or a physical button for pause/play, track advance, etc. The Touch is much larger and heavier and not as portable. It cannot be operated if wearing gloves.
The quality and function of the music playing app on the Touch are still not back to where it once was. No crossfade. Buggy/glitchy.
None of these things may mean anything to you and others, but they are things that some of us (apparently in decreasing numbers) are concerned about.
I understand, but save your breath as I know all of that -- my point is that the poster said it's not worth overthinking when it certainly is, in my opinion. At $149, I think the nano is overpriced for its capabilities.
I have the 7th Gen Nano so perhaps I can shed some light for the OP. I also have a 4s to compare the sound quality to as well which is regarded quite highly. As commented by various other users on the internet, the 7th gen shares a specific "clean sound" that other similar devices released around the same time have (iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5th Gen, and several newer devices including the 5c and 5s). This is compared to the "warmer" sound of the iPhone 4s and similar devices (iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4th Gen, and the iPod nano 6th Gen). Luckily it doesn't seem to have as bad of a DAC compared to the iPhone 5 (they seem to share the same DAC but the iPod Touch 5th Gen also shares this discrepancy could be the LTE module but no further research has been done).
As for the sound quality, the iPod nano is far from bad but the small body is clearly showing some constraints. It is noticeably quieter than my 4s at the same volume. This isn't much of an issue while using speakers or earbuds but using my Panaonic RP-HTX7 it is noticeable. As for the sound difference, I very much prefer the 4s. The clear electronic sound distinction often is too clean on high notes in some of my songs (a few modern contemporary OST music and a few hip-hop/pop music). I prefer the more warmer (dare a say a little muffled?) sound of the 4s. But, the nano has a few features that still makes it still a primary music player. On the left side screen up, there is a volume rocker and between them is another button to skip songs without using the touch screen. This makes changing songs easy and display free. Apple also added bluetooth in this model convenient for a few portable speakers. Perhaps due to simple nature of it but syncing songs is much faster compared to the 4s. Best of all, it still has the "iOS 6" inspired music player that all newer iPhones lack (in other words it is the nearly the same one despite running a different operating system). The lightweight nature of the devices makes it great to run in, I even forgot it was in my hand at one point and dropped it (just a few dents but still is fine).
As for the sound quality, the iPod nano is far from bad but the small body is clearly showing some constraints. It is noticeably quieter than my 4s at the same volume. This isn't much of an issue while using speakers or earbuds but using my Panaonic RP-HTX7 it is noticeable. As for the sound difference, I very much prefer the 4s. The clear electronic sound distinction often is too clean on high notes in some of my songs (a few modern contemporary OST music and a few hip-hop/pop music). I prefer the more warmer (dare a say a little muffled?) sound of the 4s. But, the nano has a few features that still makes it still a primary music player. On the left side screen up, there is a volume rocker and between them is another button to skip songs without using the touch screen. This makes changing songs easy and display free. Apple also added bluetooth in this model convenient for a few portable speakers. Perhaps due to simple nature of it but syncing songs is much faster compared to the 4s. Best of all, it still has the "iOS 6" inspired music player that all newer iPhones lack (in other words it is the nearly the same one despite running a different operating system). The lightweight nature of the devices makes it great to run in, I even forgot it was in my hand at one point and dropped it (just a few dents but still is fine).
I love my Nano 7. I use it WAY more than any other Apple device I have. Just wish it had more space! 
I'm considering to buy a 7g nano as well, but i have no use for it, since i already have a iphone 4s and 5s and they play music very well. I just love the hardware design, its light weight, feels great in hand and easy to navigate. But just need to find a reason how it will fit in my lifestyle that other devices cant do...
If you ever need or would like to be able to advance or retreat tracks without having to look at your device, or use it while wearing gloves, then the Nano is it. Or with the addition of a sleek clip or case make it "wearable".
Yeah the hardware music buttons are super handy, i always wish Apple would someday enable this function in the iPhone volume buttons.
Now that Apple has moved on to the "8th gen" nano (7 Plus, perhaps?), does anyone have any suggestions about where I might find the 7th gen still for sale? The newest model requires a version of iTunes greater than my iMac's 10.6 Snow Leopard supports, and I'm not willing to upgrade the iMac's OS just yet.
You can find older ones in Amazon. An Apple Store employee told me that they sent all of the unsold old color models back to Apple.
I like my red 7th gen nano for the radio! And for carting around a big pile of favorite music tracks in a skinny little package that weighs practically nothing. And having bluetooth means it's simple to pair it up to a Jambox or similar bluetooth-capable speaker.
As others have said, a bigger capacity nano would be nice, especially since it has video capability and those items take up more space. Even so right now I have 950 music tracks, 3 TV shows and 2 movies on there with 3 GB left over. Not too shabby!