Improving on the ipod....

[Zephyr!]

Hi all,

As you may have seen in one of my threads below, I will have to break down and get an iPod, probably a nano. Sigh...not happy about it. Why?

Well, as I discussed on that thread, I would like to use an Mp3 integration kit for my car, and be able to both control it from the dashboard (factory installed w/ navigation) and have it charge as opposed to being drained. Much as I love the Sony S-series, and will have an alternative auxiliary jack, it will not have these features, which will make it a real pain. Damn Sony - and the other brands - for not having options, but I guess it makes sense given Apple's popularity.

At any rate...I'm bracing for the two main things I hate, namely the lower SQ and, of course, iTunes, as opposed to the friendly drag-and-drop. Which brings me to my two questions, which I'm sure you DAP gurus will know how to answer:

1. I heard somewhere that one might be able to 'hack' or otherwise modify an ipod to bypass the need for iTunes. Is this true? If so, how would I go about it...would it require very technical skill? (which I don't have).

2. I was browsing through other threads and saw Rockbox mentioned as something that could apparently boost sound quality? I had never heard of this and saw that it seems to be some kind of freeware. Could this be integrated into the ipod and noticeably improve the SQ? Simple to use?

Thanks...I'm really not crazy about using the ipod with the car integration kit for several reasons, not the least of which is the expense compared to players with better SQ, but if I could solve these two issues, at least it would mitigate things a bit.

Thanks!
J.

[CrowdAds]

[Brett_val]

1. You can also use MediaMonkey to fill up your iPod, although you might have to enable that first with iTunes. (never done it myself..)

2. Rockbox should have better sound enhancements but I wonder if your car system would be able to communicate with Rockbox...
And I also wonder if you'd be able to tell the difference between players on a car stereo.. especially if you have never tried another one on it, I doubt this one will make you unhappy.

[Orange]

Originally Posted by Zephyr!

2. I was browsing through other threads and saw Rockbox mentioned as something that could apparently boost sound quality? I had never heard of this and saw that it seems to be some kind of freeware. Could this be integrated into the ipod and noticeably improve the SQ? Simple to use?

Rockbox does not directly increase sound quality but instead introduces a customizable EQ....which Ipods do not have naturally. Unfortunately, the only stable ports for rockbox on Apple products are:
Apple: iPod 1g through 5.5g, iPod Mini and iPod Nano 1g - http://www.rockbox.org/

For SQ boosts, try things like a Line out adapter. But according to your post, it probably wont help since you need the docking port for your car...

[joyounghoon]

Originally Posted by Zephyr!

Hi all,

1. I heard somewhere that one might be able to 'hack' or otherwise modify an ipod to bypass the need for iTunes. Is this true? If so, how would I go about it...would it require very technical skill? (which I don't have).

2. I was browsing through other threads and saw Rockbox mentioned as something that could apparently boost sound quality? I had never heard of this and saw that it seems to be some kind of freeware. Could this be integrated into the ipod and noticeably improve the SQ? Simple to use?

There aren't any that let you do that, as far as I know. However, there's a large amount of options available to use to sync music, such as mediamonkey, foobar, winamp, etc. You aren't locked down to just itunes.

Rockbox is an unofficial firmware that adds a huge number of great features. It's also an open source, so theres constant improvements. Rockbox does not work outside the 1st gen to 5.5 gen in the apple family.

The sound quality on the iPods are fine. It may be a bit lacking in bass for some tastes, but it's still few of the best sounding players I've ever used.