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Imod or not?

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I guess for those who are interested in the Imods, they would have mid-high end amps and similar IEMs/Headphones and are thinking of upgrading their source to a better one.

 

For those who are interested, looks are secondary to the sound quality of the Imod.

 

Personally, I am looking at the option of getting an Imod. My reason is that I would like to have a portable source which can compete or better entry level cd players. Futhermore, upgrading to better IEMs (SF5 to TF10, for eg) is not really justifiable due to the difference between them is not that great.

I have tried both with my cdp and ipod. The cdp allows the tf10 to perform fully and thus is very much better than the sf5 ( Tigher Bass, Improved Detailness, Soundstage)

 

Thus it really depends on individuals.

 

I did some maths for the 4G Imod and its $645 for the 30GB while $725 for the 60GB. Both Ipods are refurbished from apple sg.

 

Side track a little, just need your opinion on the IEM. If you have an iMod, will it really justify the upgrade from SF5p to TF10?

 

Now back to the topic ... :b2t

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i can see both sides of the coin and they each have their merits. TEAM FOTM will always want and need the newest and latest gadgets and in that vein, any extra $$$ spent on a soon-to-be-outdated item will not be a wise investment.

 

and there's no doubt a standalone cdp is best as it allows infinite downstream options not to mention upgrade flexibility. but that only holds water when building a home rig. besides the ubiquitous and (in)famous ghettoblaster trend of the late 70s/80s/90s, i've yet to see the viability of lugging around a home rig OTG.

 

if the quest is for the best portable stick-in-it-the-pocket source then the imod is one of the very few (if not the only) choices avaible. when SQ is the priorty, age and asthetics should be as valid as any other piece of equipment we value. does it matter how old our amp or cdp as long it sounds good? IMHO there's no reason why the an item like the imod cant be used infinitely (within the realm of its mechanical lifespan) if portable SQ is the prime objective.

 

i do believe the issue isnt whether the imod is "worth" it. the correct question should be "what is having the best portable DAP source worth to me?" as for the actual worth of the cost of the imod, i'll answer it by saying that i have no doubt there are local forumers here that owns individual component costing >USD1k even in this micro headfi universe. think about it :whistle::beer::holiday:

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This is, after all, an expensive investment, and it is in the interest of all contemplating the iMod to know what they really want.

 

If you really want high fidelity portable audio, the iMod might just be your best bet. But then again, i wonder how much better it sounds compared to a pocketdock + IC (and other similar offerings including more high end ones from the likes of ALO), especially with the usual limitations of portable audio and gear.

 

I have mentioned that if portable use is not a priority, there are better alternatives. I stress this because there are some who believe that the iMod is great value since it is competent both as a home or portable source. Unfortunately, your home rig would not sound its best with an iMod even if you use lossless files all the time (and this is not feasible as it will affect battery life and the "mechanical lifespan").

 

Cost and "worthiness" will always come into play as I believe most of us have a limited budget and would like to maximise it in line with our personal priorities. In this world of diminishing returns, it's always good to ask yourself how much you are willing to pay for that 5-10% of improvement. If for that same money, you can get something else which will greater benefit your overall head-fi experience (i.e. both your home and portable rigs), then perhaps the decision is not so clear cut afterall.

 

And finally, it's not only about age or aesthetics, but functionality as well if you consider the improvements that have been made with every new iPod generation. But like many mentioned above, if sound quality is the prime objective, perhaps the bliss of sound can undermine the disappointment you feel when you see your friend with the latest iPod with a host of new functions, a touch screen, smaller size, longer battery life, and cooler look. :D

 

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Apple should be releasing the next gen iPod pretty soon, which should be factored in before committing to an iMod, either 4G or 5/5.5G. The last thing you want to happen is to find out that the latest gen iPod is tons better (and cooler) than the current one in more ways than one.

 

Given the lengthy delay already, I think the next gen iPod would almost certainly be a "true" video iPod, ie: large touch screen not unlike the iPhone (hit the usual rumour/news site for, errr, rumours). Not sure if that will interfere with its "mod-ability" but I imagine there would be some who would likely stab themselves in the heart if such an iPod is indeed released after an iMod is ordered.

Edited by rkivie

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Side track a little, just need your opinion on the IEM. If you have an iMod, will it really justify the upgrade from SF5p to TF10?

 

Now back to the topic ... :b2t

 

I compared my 5g ipod stock with my cdp. There is a big difference between the tf10 and sf5. However, on the ipod+hornet, the difference isnt that great. So the question is how much for how little?

 

I personally took the imod path first then the iem path. Sources are usually the bottleneck in setups. Shipping mine over to vinnie in a day or 2.

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I compared my 5g ipod stock with my cdp. There is a big difference between the tf10 and sf5. However, on the ipod+hornet, the difference isnt that great. So the question is how much for how little?

 

I personally took the imod path first then the iem path. Sources are usually the bottleneck in setups. Shipping mine over to vinnie in a day or 2.

 

Welcome to the club ... I think you will not be disappointed with iMod... Given 200 hours run-in and you should be wearing a big smile while listening to it ...

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I personally feel the imod should not be able to match up to the 640c. Cos the 640c has a better regulated power supply with 2 dac, one for each side. If it can match the 640C. I will really be shocked.

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I personally feel the imod should not be able to match up to the 640c. Cos the 640c has a better regulated power supply with 2 dac, one for each side. If it can match the 640C. I will really be shocked.

 

Just make sure you give iMod at lease 200 hours of run-in and level-matched the 2 (cos iMod line out has only 1Vrms) when you are comparing... You may be shocked...

Edited by hnx676

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Since one of the questions asked : Do you think there is a player there that can rival the imod in terms of SQ?

 

I think we are making the Imod a God subconciously and seems like there's the only way out to get good sound from DAP. Personally i hate monopoly, so I will say that there're good players out there to rival the Imod.

 

Someone from www.headphonehaven.com owns one Kenwood Media Keg HD30GB9

http://z10.invisionfree.com/headphonehaven...?showtopic=1751

 

you can check out this player.

 

Some info from Anything But Ipod

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/20...hd30gb9-dap.php

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The Imod is an option avaliable to those who have a 4G Gen Ipod and want to mod it. The cost with shipping is ard 320sgd. There have been many debates over at headfi when imod first made it debut. Till now, its quite a clear cut case that the imod is better than most players. However the kenwood player is still new in the market whereas the imod has been tried tested to be a sucess.

 

Don't forget, you cannot just compare the imod to the kenwood as the imod would require an external amp to run. People who get the imod do have excellent portable amps. Thus its the combination, for eg, Hornet and Imod that makes it so darn good when compared to the hornet - entry level cdp.

 

An imod paired to a little dot micro aint going to sound good and thus cant compare to the kenwood. I still hold my stand that a hornet-imod combination will easily be better than the kenwood.

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Since one of the questions asked : Do you think there is a player there that can rival the imod in terms of SQ?

 

I think we are making the Imod a God subconciously and seems like there's the only way out to get good sound from DAP. Personally i hate monopoly, so I will say that there're good players out there to rival the Imod.

 

Someone from www.headphonehaven.com owns one Kenwood Media Keg HD30GB9

http://z10.invisionfree.com/headphonehaven...?showtopic=1751

 

you can check out this player.

 

Some info from Anything But Ipod

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/20...hd30gb9-dap.php

 

End of the day, I think there are portable source out there that will sound better then iMod, however, it probably will cost more, has less storage space or need an external power supply the size of a backpack...

 

Imod is not a God and in some situations (when an external amplifier is not feasible), it's not really the answer. I personally would not bring it out for jogging for sure ...

 

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Imagine going jogging with an imod, amp combo. too bulky. Shuffle or the creative stone are the best, light and small.

 

And you probably don't care if it's good SQ or not, as long as it does not skip when you are jogging :))

 

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I guess you wont even want to jog while wearing IEM since you wont even know if a bike or lorry is honking at you from behind.

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