Best Player + Headphones Combo & some Intriguing Questions

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by meanwhile

But that doesn't mean that all iPod models sound "neutral."

I agree that the above statement might be true.

There's been a lot of variation in the actual hardware used over the years.

The above is definitely a true statement. But do differences in hardware mean differences in sound quality? For amplifiers, it is possible for different designs to sound the same. For CD players, it is possible for different designs—using different DACs--to sound the same. So your claim that different versions of the iPod touch, because their hardware is different, sound different is not necessarily true.