Headphones
We have spent a lot of time talking about getting music into an iPod or other MP3 Player but precious little about getting it out and into your ears.
Much of what comes out of your iPod or ….doesn’t is a result of the sampling rate you set your iPod to record at. It is automatically set to record at 128 kilobytes per second (kbps) but can be adjusted to record at 256 kbps if you dive into the preferences found under the iTunes menu. You’ll have to click the advanced tab and look under setting. This pane will also allow you to switch from Apple’s ACC file format to MP3, WAV or AIFF file formats.
The higher the sampling rate the better the recording but…there’s always a but…the files will be huge and you’ll not get as many songs on your shinny new iPod.
ACC vs. MP3
MP3’s will play on anything and ACC files will play only on iTunes and iPods. ACC sampling is generally thought to make better recordings at lower sampling rates than MP3’s.
If you are an audiophile you’ll want to bump the sampling rate to around 320 kbps for MP3’s and 256 kbps for ACC to get the resulting sound closer to CD quality. You will also want to get an iPod Classic with as big a hard drive as you can afford as the files you import will be much larger.
Frankly, if you are walking outside or riding on noisy transit systems you won’t notice much difference.
Headphones
Every iPod comes with these cute little white ear buds that most of us use the first few times and quickly come to the realization that they suck. The bass is nonexistent and the mids are squished. So now what?
Well as with most things in life you need to make a fundamental decision. Do you want to look cool and suffer with bad sound or do you want to look ridiculous but be bathed in rich sound?
Earbuds
There are earbuds that sound better than the ones that come with your iPod. Shure makes the Ec line ranging in price from $100 to over $400. But the real trick is making them seal to your ear. Most after market earbuds come with a variety of rubber tips that you can change looking for the set that provides the best seal. A great seal ensures you get the full impact of the bass. For me I have never found a pair at any price that allows me to reach this state of nirvana. If I smile, frown or touch my face the seal pops and the bass disappears. They look cool and are easily stored but for me and my weird ears they just don’t work. Anyone want to buy a set of Shure ear buds?
Headphones
Defeated I began to use my Grado SR60 headphones that I had used at home with my stereo. I loved the sound but these huge monsters did not fit over or under my toque and made small children point at me in horror.
A recent trip to Advance Electronics found me looking at headphones and there I found iGrados a much smaller but great sounding set of headphones. I grabbed a pair and they have been perfect. The headband goes behind the neck and I can wrestle a toque over them easily. Sony also makes a great set of folding phones perfect for collapsing into your flight bag.
Next time let’s look at iPod speaker systems.
Much of what comes out of your iPod or ….doesn’t is a result of the sampling rate you set your iPod to record at. It is automatically set to record at 128 kilobytes per second (kbps) but can be adjusted to record at 256 kbps if you dive into the preferences found under the iTunes menu. You’ll have to click the advanced tab and look under setting. This pane will also allow you to switch from Apple’s ACC file format to MP3, WAV or AIFF file formats.
The higher the sampling rate the better the recording but…there’s always a but…the files will be huge and you’ll not get as many songs on your shinny new iPod.
ACC vs. MP3
MP3’s will play on anything and ACC files will play only on iTunes and iPods. ACC sampling is generally thought to make better recordings at lower sampling rates than MP3’s.
If you are an audiophile you’ll want to bump the sampling rate to around 320 kbps for MP3’s and 256 kbps for ACC to get the resulting sound closer to CD quality. You will also want to get an iPod Classic with as big a hard drive as you can afford as the files you import will be much larger.
Frankly, if you are walking outside or riding on noisy transit systems you won’t notice much difference.
Headphones
Every iPod comes with these cute little white ear buds that most of us use the first few times and quickly come to the realization that they suck. The bass is nonexistent and the mids are squished. So now what?
Well as with most things in life you need to make a fundamental decision. Do you want to look cool and suffer with bad sound or do you want to look ridiculous but be bathed in rich sound?
Earbuds
There are earbuds that sound better than the ones that come with your iPod. Shure makes the Ec line ranging in price from $100 to over $400. But the real trick is making them seal to your ear. Most after market earbuds come with a variety of rubber tips that you can change looking for the set that provides the best seal. A great seal ensures you get the full impact of the bass. For me I have never found a pair at any price that allows me to reach this state of nirvana. If I smile, frown or touch my face the seal pops and the bass disappears. They look cool and are easily stored but for me and my weird ears they just don’t work. Anyone want to buy a set of Shure ear buds?
Headphones
Defeated I began to use my Grado SR60 headphones that I had used at home with my stereo. I loved the sound but these huge monsters did not fit over or under my toque and made small children point at me in horror.
A recent trip to Advance Electronics found me looking at headphones and there I found iGrados a much smaller but great sounding set of headphones. I grabbed a pair and they have been perfect. The headband goes behind the neck and I can wrestle a toque over them easily. Sony also makes a great set of folding phones perfect for collapsing into your flight bag.
Next time let’s look at iPod speaker systems.
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