iLounge iPad 2 Buyers' Guide

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Ask iLounge 9-27-07

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By Jesse Hollington

Applications Editor, iLounge
Published: Thursday, September 27, 2007
Category: Ask iLounge

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-, iPhone-, iPad-, iTunes-, or Apple TV-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

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And now, for this week's Ask iLounge column:

Q:

Has any improvement been made to the audio in the iPod classic? I saw one review that the audio is improved in the iPod classic (cirrus audio chip, better frequency response) and another said the audio is not as “crisp” as the 5.5 models.

- Mark

A:

While audio quality can be a subjective consideration, it is our general feeling that the iPod classic is generally a step up in audio quality from the earlier fifth-generation iPod.  As outlined in our own review of the iPod classic:

There’s generally good news on the iPod classic audio quality front: Apple still appears to be taking sound quality seriously in its hard disk-based iPods, and this year’s model has consequently seen further reductions in the base level of noise from last year’s fifth-generation iPods. Plugging the same high-end earphones into both old and new iPods yields a noticeable difference in audio hiss; the iPod classic sounds cleaner. It remains to be seen how the iPod touch will fare in this regard, but if the iPhone and our brief tests of iPod touch at Apple’s Special Event are any indication, the iPod classic may well be the family’s best audio player.

Q:

Does the iPod Touch allow you to add to the Calendar and Contacts and then sync back to your computer?  Will the iTunes WiFi Store allow you to download podcasts (audio or video) using the iPod Touch’s WiFi capabilites?

- John

A:

In answer to the first question, Apple has made what we feel is a rather odd decision with the iPod touch in terms of the calendar and contacts features.  Unlike the iPhone, which allows for editing and adding of both calendar and contact information, the iPod touch allows for the adding and editing of contact information, however it provides a read-only calendar.  Both the contacts and calendar synchronize to your computer via iTunes, in much the same way as the iPhone does, but it is not possible to add calendar information directly on the iPod touch itself.

As for the iTunes WiFi Store, at this point only access to music tracks is being provided.  There is no facility to subscribe to or download podcasts in any form, nor iTunes video content.  Audio tracks can be purchased from a list of featured tracks, or you can search for a specific track.  These tracks can be previewed and purchased directly from the iPod touch, and will synchronize back to your iTunes library at the next opportunity.

Q:

I was wondering if the new iPod nano includes the feature to transfer custom EQ settings attached to songs in iTunes over to the iPod nano.

- Wei

A:

Unfortunately, no.  Even with the current line of iPods, custom EQ settings remain a persistent omission from the iPod devices themselves.

Q:

Will the new iPod classic/nano/touch work with the iPod Hi-Fi in the same way the 5Gs did, i.e. with fullscreen album art & EQ settings? I know the Hi-Fi has been discontinued, but I can’t find any information on whether that feature was removed from the new iPod interface.

- Sam

A:

The new iPod models do not provide any specific support for the iPod Hi-Fi, and in fact do not specifically recognize it as such, which means no full-screen album support or speaker settings menu.  The only feature of the iPod Hi-Fi that continues to work on the new models is the integrated volume control (ie, iPod volume controls are passed through to the Hi-Fi), in a similar way to how the Apple Universal Dock functions.

Q:

Is it posible to make my iPod classic work with the Nike+ Sport Kit?

- Wally

A:

Unfortunately, no.  The Nike+ Sport Kit continues to only be supported on the iPod nano.  Neither the iPod classic, iPod touch, or iPhone support the Nike+ Sport Kit, and will simply produce a message that the accessory is not supported when attempting to connect the Nike+ sensor:

Q:

I’ve got dozens of songs that are only on my iPod due to a hard drive crash about a year ago. If I back up the “iPod_Control” folder on my 5G iPod, could I restore it to the new classic?

- Greg

A:

Unfortunately, due to the differences in database structures and iPod operating firmware between models, simply transferring the “iPod_Control” folder between different models will not work, and in fact may cause additional problems that would render your iPod classic unusable without a full restore.

In this case, your best option is to recover the music from the 5G iPod back to your computer and reimport it into iTunes itself.  You can then synchronize or manually transfer the music from iTunes to the new iPod as you normally would.  Instructions on methods for recovering music from your iPod back to your computer can be found in our article, Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide.

Q:

I have a white plastic iPod nano (first generation, I guess), and I am looking for a voice recorder that will attach to it allowing me to record my university lectures. What do you suggest?

- Alysha

A:

Unfortunately, the first-generation iPod nano did not provide any voice recording capabilities, so there are no accessories available to provide this as the device itself simply does not support it.

Voice recording capabilities were added in later iPod nano models, so if upgrading is an option, you may want to consider either finding a second-generation iPod nano (now discontinued but still available in many stores as older stock), or the new third-generation iPod nano (video), both of which are compatible with all of the Dock Connector voice recording accessories.  You can find details on the various accessories available in our Audio Recorder Reviews.

Q:

I would like to import my CDs into my library at 320kbps in order to preserve them at the highest possible quality. However, I would like to transfer them onto my iPod at 128 kps in order to fit the most songs onto it. Do I have to rip my CD’s twice - once at 320kbps, and again at 128kbps, or can I change the bitrate of the tracks when I transfer them onto my iPod? If I do have to rip the CD’s twice, is it possible to have 2 separate libraries - one for the 320kbps bitrate, and one for the 128kbps?

- Jane

A:

Unfortunately, the only iPod model that offers on-the-fly conversion during transfer is the iPod shuffle, which offers a fixed downconversion to 128kbps.  Other iPod models do not offer this option, and will simply transfer your tracks onto the iPod at their original bit-rate and format. 

It is possible to maintain two separate iTunes libraries, although keeping them both up to date in terms of playlists and other metadata may become more trouble than it’s worth.  To do this, simply hold down the SHIFT key (Windows) or OPT key (Mac) when starting iTunes, and you will be prompted to choose or create a new iTunes library.  You can toggle back and forth between libraries using this method.

That having been said, you may want to consider whether you really need 320kbps music stored on your computer if you are not going to be transferring it to your iPod.  Most of the significant quality differences between different bit-rates are only noticeable when listening to music through a good set of earphones in a relatively quiet listening environment.  Unless you also plan to play your music directly from iTunes through an expensive home audio system, or use quality earphones with your computer itself, the 320kbps tracks on your computer will simply be an unnecessary use of storage space.  The greatest benefit from the higher bit-rate will likely come from having these files also stored on your iPod.

Our usual recommendation when discussing bit-rates is to do some proper blind comparisons to determine what bit rate you find acceptable for your own use, since this is an entirely subjective decision.  There is seldom any point in encoding music at a higher quality than you can actually hear in your normal listening patterns, and you may find as a result of this that a mid-range bit-rate such as 192kbps or 256kbps is a more than acceptable compromise between iPod capacity and having to maintain two separate libraries.  Further, there are many users that find even 128kbps to be perfectly acceptable for any listening conditions. 

So before you decide to go to the trouble of using a higher bitrate and maintaining two libraries, your best bet is to try ripping some of your favorite tracks at different bitrates and play them “blind” (without knowing which is which) and try to determine at which point you can actually hear a difference in sound quality.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

2-3-12: Deleting pictures from Photo Stream, Transferring Apps to a new iTunes library, Apple Universal Dock and iPhone 4S, Getting Track Names after CD Import, Video Playlists on the iPad

11-25-11: Removing music after activating iTunes Match, Smart Playlists and iTunes Match, Backing up data from an iPhone, Syncing MP3s to an iPod nano, Migrating Playlists to a new Computer

11-11-11: Configure Apple IDs on family iOS devices, Recovering lost audiobooks, Unable to disable passcode lock on iOS devices, Buying an iPod for audio-only use, Preventing deleted tracks from coming back from an iOS device

11-4-11: iPhone 4S storage capacity doesn't match, Transferring HD video from iPhone 4S to a computer, Recovering photos from iPod touch, Notification Center and iMessage in iOS 5

10-21-11: Using iCloud's Find My iPhone on older devices, Batch deleting photos in Camera Roll, Using iTunes Gift Cards internationally, Audiobooks and iCloud, Merging contacts from two devices into iCloud

See the rest of the Archives...

« New iPod Video-Out: Ratio Distortion, Quality Differences (updated)

What’s Changed: iPhone 1.0.2 versus 1.1.1 [updated] »

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Comments

1

Today’s word: Unfortunately.

U-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E-L-Y.

Unfortunately.

Posted by misaelt in Mexico on September 28, 2007 at 8:06 AM (PDT)

2

plain and simple. my iphone fell in the pool, i took it out immediately and it turned off a couple seconds after. what do i do now?

Posted by djescape96 on September 30, 2007 at 8:17 AM (PDT)

3

i have a new ipod 8GB - i work with it only one week after that i conected with my pc and he tell me that i have to format the ipod so when i format it the capacity show me only 46MB So please help me to restor the full capacity 8GB
thankyou.

Posted by mbt62 on November 8, 2007 at 11:17 AM (PDT)

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