My Quick Un-biased iPod Review
Apple didn't do much new when it introduced the fourth
generation of the iPod, but it didn't need to. No one has beaten
the company at the portable-audio-player game yet, but with 75
percent market share, the only way to go is down.
The fourth-generation iPod performs pretty much the same as the
third-generation player, with some detail improvements. Like the
Archos Gmini XS200 and Samsung YH-925, the iPod distorts,
sometimes heavily, when you use the EQ settings. Harmonic
distortion is minimal with no EQ, but at higher volume levels
most of the EQ settings showed audible distortion. When we
couldn't hear it, we could see it plainly on our audio spectrum
analyzer. Bass response is about 5 dB down at 40 Hz, the
practical lower limit for most music. To know as to whether
there is less distortion when using the line-out jack on the
dock. When measured the amount of distortion on headphones at
listening volumes, it has been found the same amount at both
jacks. But feeding into a stereo system or external headphone
amplifier requires much less output power and doesn't require EQ
in the player, so the music will be clean. With Apple Lossless
compression, the iPod is just as capable as your CD player is of
driving a high-end audio system. If you select EQ presets in
iTunes (which doesn't have the distortion problem), however,
your iPod will switch to your chosen EQ on a per-song basis when
you download to the player. Another reason to own an iPod is the
tremendous number of aftermarket products and accessories.
There's certainly much more available than with any other large
hard drive player out there. You can extend its capabilities
with hardware and software to perform PDA functions, gaming,
recording, wireless transmission, and more. It's a platform,
it's a social phenomenon, and it's a robust device with millions
of satisfied users, despite our carping about distortion. T he
human factors are still the best, and there's some excellent
usability engineering in this fourth-generation player.