Time to ditch my iPod?

Spizz

Spizz

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I just cannot believe the music quality of the galaxy S2 compared to my iPod Touch. It is incredibly good.

I pretty much bought the S2 for portable communication, but loaded a few tunes and a Simpsons avi last night when I was bored to check out the multimedia side of things. And boy, I am very impressed with the quality, clarity and ease of control with the music app, and the avi looks fantastic as well on the bigger screen.

I spent a bit of time last night playing the same song on both (told you I was bored) while swapping my earphones between them both to compare, and really, imho, the S2 has a better sound to it than the iPod. And I couldn't be more surprised myself :wtf:

Thr iPod is and has been the undisputed leader for many years and this has been it's selling point (I've owned a classic, nano and touch over the years) but now I really do think the S2 trumps it, and I all of a sudden don't see a need for my iPod. The S2 really is that good.

Now am I imagining things or does anyone else have the same opinion?

And to cut out the fanboi crud, it should be known that I have an iPad2 as well as the Touch, and I love them to bits. But to me it is undeniable that the S2 has topped the iPod at it's core strength.
 
The iPod's major selling point was not its audio quality. The iPod's (especially the early ones) have average to reasonable sound (relative to medium-high end), and were and still are sold with really substandard earphones. It is well known to the intermediate music listener and audiophiles that a good sound card has much more balanced, precise and distortion free output than an iPod. If you don't believe me, borrow a good set of headphones, and a decent sound card, and you will hear the difference.

The iPod was, simply put, a well designed music player, good build quality with a great interface (Capacitive scroll wheel). But not only that. They were the first to offer a means for listeners to catalog, and organise there own music, and purchase the music they wanted at good prices (excluding SA because we are still waiting for our music store). Apple convinced the entire recording industry that the internet is a fast growing medium and provided a means the industry to access that market. Every other media player at the time was just a great piece of hardware shoved in a box with crap firmware to go with it, restricted to the folder based system.

I am not a fanboy, and I only own a 1st Generation Mini (4GB with a HDD - ie. when a 4GB HDD was more feasible than flash memory), but you can't deny that Apple's aesthetic minimalism has reshaped the industry of consumer electronics.

There are thousands upon thousands who continuously claim that Android and Samsung have stolen design from Apple with their phones and tablets, but so what, why do we have to decide if they did or not, competition is good. Android and Samsung have created a combination of a great UI, great App support and great hardware without the constant proprietary bull**** that Apple provides. ($$$$)

I really like the Samsung Galaxy S2, and will look into buying one next time my contract is up, and am glad to hear reports like that, because some of the last few phones I have had have had terrible sound outputs (ie. Nokia N8, better than my previous Nokia's, but not good).
 
Like all phone's, the battery is subject to degradation with time. So, im guessing your fantastic experience with the Galaxy 2 won't be as long as simple ipoding enjoyment.
 
You can't be serious. The Galaxy S2 is criticised by sound quality freaks for poor sound quality, the original Galaxy S is actually much better due to a high quality DAC.
Unless this is an older generation iPod?

Samsung does include pretty good earphones however, I've heard the Apple ones are crap. Maybe this is what you have experienced? If you really care about sound quality you would get better earphones than the Apple ones (and for the love of god, not Beats or Skullcandy crap)
 
Even Blackberries beat iPods in terms of sound quality. Plug in some decent headphones or hifi and you'll quickly notice the difference.
 
Maddmatt said:
You can't be serious. The Galaxy S2 is criticised by sound quality freaks for poor sound quality, the original Galaxy S is actually much better due to a high quality DAC.
Unless this is an older generation iPod?

Samsung does include pretty good earphones however, I've heard the Apple ones are crap. Maybe this is what you have experienced? If you really care about sound quality you would get better earphones than the Apple ones (and for the love of god, not Beats or Skullcandy crap)
Click to expand...

I had a quick nose about just now and it seems like the jury is out, even amongst the audiophiles. Unsurprising as they must be the internets biggest pretentious tossers who never agree on anything.

I have some Skullcandy buds and they don't sound so bad. You get what you pay for and I get my R300 worth while I wait for Santa to bring me some quality phones at Christmas (recommendations for about 2k? Not buds though)

Anyway, I stick by my comments and being far from an audiophile, I like what I hear while using the 'music clarity' setting on the S2. It sounds great. I also like the control from the lockscreen and overall it is a positive listening experience.

Of course the battery will be a big problem and I'd imagine the iPod will far out last the S2, but thinking about it, I really only listen to music through headphones while travelling, and flight mode is not allowed, so iPod wins by default :)
 
SpoonTech said:
The iPod's major selling point was not its audio quality. The iPod's (especially the early ones) have average to reasonable sound (relative to medium-high end), and were and still are sold with really substandard earphones. It is well known to the intermediate music listener and audiophiles that a good sound card has much more balanced, precise and distortion free output than an iPod. If you don't believe me, borrow a good set of headphones, and a decent sound card, and you will hear the difference.

The iPod was, simply put, a well designed music player, good build quality with a great interface (Capacitive scroll wheel). But not only that. They were the first to offer a means for listeners to catalog, and organise there own music, and purchase the music they wanted at good prices (excluding SA because we are still waiting for our music store). Apple convinced the entire recording industry that the internet is a fast growing medium and provided a means the industry to access that market. Every other media player at the time was just a great piece of hardware shoved in a box with crap firmware to go with it, restricted to the folder based system.

I am not a fanboy, and I only own a 1st Generation Mini (4GB with a HDD - ie. when a 4GB HDD was more feasible than flash memory), but you can't deny that Apple's aesthetic minimalism has reshaped the industry of consumer electronics.

There are thousands upon thousands who continuously claim that Android and Samsung have stolen design from Apple with their phones and tablets, but so what, why do we have to decide if they did or not, competition is good. Android and Samsung have created a combination of a great UI, great App support and great hardware without the constant proprietary bull**** that Apple provides. ($$$$)

I really like the Samsung Galaxy S2, and will look into buying one next time my contract is up, and am glad to hear reports like that, because some of the last few phones I have had have had terrible sound outputs (ie. Nokia N8, better than my previous Nokia's, but not good).
Click to expand...

It's the latest iPod touch I have and I use(d) it a heck of a lot. Mostly on my dock or with a shox speaker outdoors, as well as playing a few games now and then. But having the bigger screen on the S2 makes it hard to think i'll ever use it for games again.

I agree the competition is great for us and the choices are huge, but On the other hand, I work away for extended periods and this trip I'm on now I have a laptop, iPad 2, iPod touch, s2, kindle and a Nokia 1280 for making phone calls :D
 
Spizz said:
I had a quick nose about just now and it seems like the jury is out, even amongst the audiophiles. Unsurprising as they must be the internets biggest pretentious tossers who never agree on anything.

I have some Skullcandy buds and they don't sound so bad. You get what you pay for and I get my R300 worth while I wait for Santa to bring me some quality phones at Christmas (recommendations for about 2k? Not buds though)
Click to expand...
LOL. But the guy who did the Voodoo sound mod for the Galaxy S has criticised the S2 in detail, and after the work he's put in to modding that stuff I believe him. It's not that it's bad, it's just not the high end quality that a phone of its price point should have and it was a downgrade from the original Galaxy S sound quality.

As for the Skullcandy, like Beats they are all about marketing and fashion. The hardware inside them is cheaper than the hardware inside headphones of the same price from Sennheiser, Grado ect.
I wont call them crap, but they aren't the high end hardware they pretend to be.

As for spending 2k. Depends what you want. Pure sound quality? Sennheiser HD 518, 558, or 598 depending on how much money you want to blow. I recently bought the 518s, love them. Awesome bass.
They are for home use only, when out I just use the in-ear buds that came with my Galaxy S which are pretty good. I suppose they would be similar to your Skullcandy set.

Of course the battery will be a big problem and I'd imagine the iPod will far out last the S2, but thinking about it, I really only listen to music through headphones while travelling, and flight mode is not allowed, so iPod wins by default :)
Click to expand...

Flight mode not allowed? Where? I always use my Galaxy S on the plane. If it really isn't allowed on whatever plane you're on just put it in a pocket. They will just see the earphones and not ask questions.
 
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Pure sound quality? Sennheiser HD 518, 558, or 598 depending on how much money you want to blow. I recently bought the 518s, love them.
Click to expand...

All of those are open headphones as far as I know. For 80% to 90% of headphone buyers i wouldn't recommend open headphones. Yes, they produce more balanced sound, and an awesome soundstage, but If you're near other people and listening, you will annoy them, and one of the advantages of headphones is reducing outside noise so you dont have to crank them to get awesome sound.
I have two Sennheiser pairs:
Sennheiser HD202 (low-end), Sennheiser HD25 (studio/monitoring)

Some mates have the Bower & Wilkins P5's, and the Bose QC15's. All of these are closed.
The HD25's have completely changed my music experience. I use them about 2 - 3 hours a day.
The Bower & Wilkins P5's are awesome also, my only objection is the cable is a bit thin, and may break easily, although this is common place is the modern 'made for iPod' headphones.
The Bose QC15's have unbelievable noise cancelling, I would buy a set if I was a frequent flyer or regularly used public transport.
However I find the sound from the Bose's slightly underwhelming for the price.

All of these were purchased overseas where they are a lot cheaper. These headphones will set you back an arm and a leg in SA, withe pricing of the B&W probably the best in SA..
 
For example, I paid less than 2K for my HD25-II in Canada, yet here on prophecy they are R3800...
Another thing is that the sound attenuation they offer is excellent (one of the reasons they are used by DJ's as well as studio users)

Sennheiser importers are far too greedy. http://www.prophecy.co.za/sennheiser-hd251ii-djpro-stereo-closed-headphones-p-61520.html

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheise...ssional_headphones-headsets_headphones_502188

http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Headphones/Headphones/P5/Overview.html

http://www.bose.co.uk/GB/en/home-an...elling-headphones/quietcomfort-15-headphones/
 
Maddmatt said:
Flight mode not allowed? Where? I always use my Galaxy S on the plane. If it really isn't allowed on whatever plane you're on just put it in a pocket. They will just see the earphones and not ask questions.
Click to expand...

I fly a fair bit and they always say flight mode is not allowed. In the last month or so, I've flown Ethiopian, Kenya, SAA and BA, and they all say no flight mode allowed.

I've always thought it's a case of all phones off in case some folks don't have flight mode and just leave on anyway. So switching them all off is like throwing the baby out with the bath water, but it makes life easier for the airline staff I guess.
 
Spizz said:
I fly a fair bit and they always say flight mode is not allowed. In the last month or so, I've flown Ethiopian, Kenya, SAA and BA, and they all say no flight mode allowed.

I've always thought it's a case of all phones off in case some folks don't have flight mode and just leave on anyway. So switching them all off is like throwing the baby out with the bath water, but it makes life easier for the airline staff I guess.
Click to expand...

SAA now allows it (last week or two)
 
But hey, thanks for the good tips Maddmatt and SpoonTech.

I've had a good look about today and have read a bit about the technologies and types available.

I'm thinking I should start lower end and take it from there because it's not something I know an awful lot about and I don't think I can make an informed choice about spending mid to high range when I don't have a good reference point to start from. So I'm thinking about Sennheiser HD 218 which are fairly portable'ish and are available from prophecy for under R400.
 
I have the Sennheiser HD202 also, they are pretty good bang for the buck, around R400, they play really well for the price over a big range of genres. The HD218 seem to be a newer addition, I would actually like to know what they sound like!
I have no complaints about the 202 except that the cable is too long for normal, ie. ipod in pocket use.

In general I have found the majority of the lower end Sennheiser range pretty dam excellent, a lot better than some of these "image" headphones I have heard. I can think of one Skullcandy Pair in particular..
 
I am busy structuring a study on audio, bitrates and audio equipment, and the associated psychoacoustics.
For example, I want to see a relationship between the cost of sound system and bitrates the user uses. And to see which kind of listeners notice the difference between higher and lower bitrates. Hopefully you can all help me out in January when its released.
 
Hydrogenaudio has and do large amounts of research on bitrate and audio codecs. The community uses double blind tests (a computer program randomizes the tracks and not even the tester knows which is which). I wouldn't be surprised if most of the ground work has already been done.
 
SpoonTech said:
All of those are open headphones as far as I know. For 80% to 90% of headphone buyers i wouldn't recommend open headphones...
Click to expand...

Yes, that's why they are for home use only :)
If you go with open headphones you get better sound quality for a lower price.

I think headphones are too bulky to use when out anyway, I'd rather use my earphones which fit into a small pocket-friendly case (can just use any small container that you can shove them in, safer than having them loose.
 
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