iPod -- crappy sound? (NOT a rant about compression)

This will be audible to anybody whose high-frequency hearing extends
to 10k. It's not some goldenears audiophile thing.

It started when I was listening to something and thought, "gee, maybe
it's a bad rip, this couldn't be *that* awful." So I did a test:

I ripped a CD to disk using iTunes (192kbps/mp3), copied the result to
my iPod, and compared the three copies (CD, PC/mp3, iPod/mp3) using
the same headphones.

The test material: DG 447 407-2, Brahms Ballades/Gilels, 1976), in
other words late-analog piano music, with a bit of tape hiss.

To my surprise, while the CD and PC/mp3 sounded tolerably similar, the
iPod sounded substantially worse. You can hear a compression algorithm
kicking in and out, evidenced by the hiss level increasing momentarily
with every chord, and occasionally introducing distortion at lower
frequencies as well. It was terribly annoying.

This problem is not evident when listening to pop music, which is
already heavily compressed. Possibly the analog hiss wasn't something
the iPod designers expected to encounter often. (Piano music is
notoriously difficult for compression algorithms to track, but we
needn't go into that here.)

'EQ' and 'Sound Check' were both off, and no other settings seem
relevant.

There is no reason to think that this has anything to do with mp3 vs
AAC vs WAV.

If somebody cares enough, this can be documented by putting a WAV on
an iPod, digitally recording the output, then comparing it to the
original. (I don't care that much.) But it seems entirely plausible
that the designers simply put the compression On permanently: it makes
music sound 'punchier', and easier to hear in noisy environments.

Regards,
Eric Grunin
www.grunin.com/eroica
.

Relevant Pages

  • What, exactly, is Apples iPod business model?
    ... It's a fairly open secret (cf. the wikipedia article re iPod) that ... Create an addictive listening experience, ... use the upfront quality and proprietary format to addict users ... The iPod may be the last gasp of an American ...
    (comp.sys.mac.apps)
  • The IPOD is changing the way I am listening to music. sbc
    ... The IPOD is changing the way I am listening to music ... I wanted to hear the other songs the ... artist/group had recorded and found the album format to be the one ...
    (rec.music.artists.springsteen)
  • Re: The Deaf Audiophile
    ... nor do I care to. ... little iPod docking speakers for me to listen to. ... stopped listening to my car radio, so let's not even go iPod. ... Many become extra sensitive to the sound quality like me, ...
    (rec.audio.tubes)
  • Re: (OT) ARGH - Itunes!
    ... the ipod itself still full but the itunes library is empty. ... and second an MP3 player. ... I'm not sure that it will work with a Mac though. ... (I record about 5 hours of shows each Sunday for listening to on the ...
    (uk.media.tv.misc)
  • Re: NY Times / Wheres the Other Half of Your Music File?
    ... devices for connecting your iPod to your stereo system. ... I've got an iPod, I play back .MP3s on it exclusively (it's a 4 GB ... But I use my iPod for listening to ...
    (rec.music.gdead)