For me the number one criteria for buying an iPod is audio quality. Some people will go for looks, size, or battery life, but for me it’s simply a matter of which iPod sounds the best – not just through the headphones but also into my stereo.
This article discusses the reasons for the difference in quality of the sound output of the various models of iPods and iPhones, which iPod sounds the best, and why.
Firstly, The Results:
First place goes to the 5.5th Gen iPod.
(Be careful not to confuse this with the 6th generation ipod called Apple iPod ‘Classic’ which looks almost identical. The 6th Gen has the aluminium front.)
First place: the 5th Gen ipod family including ipod 5th gen and 5th gen enhanced with plastic front case. A1136
Second place goes to the good old 4th Generation iPod family including iPod photo, iPod colour and U2 edition iPod.
Second place: The 4th Gen ipod family including ipod photo, ipod color and ipod U2 edition. A1059 and A1099.
Third place for best audio quality – the first generation Nano!
Third place: the 1st generation nano! A1137
STOP PRESS: Since this article the 7G Classic has been released and some people prefer the 7G ipod to the 5.5. There’s a great debate about the 5.5G vs 7G here and here. It seems the 7G is more accurate and precise, 5.5 is warmer. But read on!
Which iPod sounds the best?
Last holidays I was driving along listening to U2 on my iPhone 3GS. I wanted to change to a different song that was on my nano and instantly I noticed the sound quality was much better than on the iPhone. I have since done some side-by-side tests using the same song on the iPhone 3GS and the iPod nano and the iPod Nano definitely has better quality audio. It clearly has a better bass response and is not so harsh in the high-end. So not all iPods are same, this got me wondering why.
There are two main things that contribute to the sound quality of an ipod. One is the audio chip that is used, the other are the components along the audio path from the audio chip to the headphone jack – a mixture of op-amps, capacitors, resistors and inductors.
The iPods I like the best seem to be those that use the Audio chips from the Scottish company Wolfson. When I detected this difference I didn’t not know what a Wolfson chip was, but I could hear a difference and so I did some research. It turns out my Nano and 4G iPod (which I like) both have a Wolfson – the iPhone 3Gs does not. All listening tests are personal – some people like huge bass, some like a warmth. I like clarity. I like to feel like I am there. I am also sensitive to any slight increase in the midrange or treble that will make the music sound harsh – especially over long periods, and I like to hear the very low bass, I’m not a bass head who want’s it loud, but I want it to be there.
Cirrus iPod vs Wolfson
Some people claim the Cirrus Audio Chips are better, but that’s not what I hear. Here is a great article by Marc Heijligers who also noticed a decrease in sound quality with the 6th Gen iPod, and he explains why. He writes “I noticed that the 6G sounds precise, crisp, but lacks 3D image and has an electronic haze to the sound. At first, this might sound like an improvement (crisp, detailed), but when listening more carefully and for longer times, it becomes fatiguing after a while. The 5G sounds less precise, but its timbre contains more harmonic information and sounds less electronic. For me, the 5G is closer to how I experience acoustic music in real life, and for me is the better sounding device overall.” He then goes on to do some measurements to back up his findings.
Of all the iPods that use the wolfson chips, the 5th generation iPods appear to be the best, followed by the 4th Generation iPods. Check out these comments by Vinne from Red Wine Audio. Red Wine Audio offer mods of the 4th gen and 5th gen iPods where they will replace the output section of the iPod with high quality Black Gate NX-Hi-Q capacitors. According to onheadphones.com the output audio quality rivals that of $1500 CD-players, with improved bass response and clear high end. (There is an excellent forum here on how to do the mod yourself!)
The sound quality of course depends on more than just the chip that is used, so it’s not just about which chip is in the iPod. My Shuffle model A1204 (non-wolfson) sounds great, as does the iPhone 4S. It’s rumoured that with the iPhone 5 Apple will be returning to the Wolfson chips, but we’ll see!
If you want the best possible audio quality, try and get hold of one of the fifth generation iPods – model number A1136. This includes the iPod 5G, iPod U2 5G, iPod 5th Gen enhanced and iPod 5th Gen with video. They sound great!
- Generally, the best iPods are those with a Wolfson audio chip
Which iPods have a wolfson audio chip?
iPod 1G & 2G (WM8721), 3G (WM8731), 4G(WM8975), 5G (WM87588G) and 5.5G (WM87588G)
iPod nano 1G (WM8975G), 2G (WM8975), 3G (WM1870)
iPod Touch 1G (WM8758BG)
iPod mini (Wolfson 8731?)
iPhone (WM8758BG) and the iPhone 3G (WM6180).
In summary, all the early iPods up to 5G Classic used Wolfson chips.
Which iPods have a Cirrus Audio Chip?
ipod ‘Classic’ 1G , 2G & 3G (CS42L55) (These are also known as 6th 7th and 8th gen iPod)
ipod nano 4G (CS42L58), 5G (CLI1480A), 6G (CLI1544C0)
iPod Touch 2G (possibly CS42L58)
iPhone 3GS (CS41L61) and 4(338S0589), 4S (338S0987)
iPod Shuffle 4th Gen (CLI1544C0)
Conclusion: The Best
iPod 5G (wolfson WM8758)
(iPod 7G might fit in here, see discussion here.)
iPod 4G (wolfson WM8975)
iPod nano 1G and 2G (wolfson 8975), iPhone 4S, (wolfson WM8758).
UPDATE: This article was first written in 2010, Apple keeps improving with every iPod released, but I think these results still stand. Check out this thread for some other raves about the 5.5G iPod. There will always be new models coming out – keep an eye on head-fi forums and so on for reviews. Here some people prefer 7th gen (thin 160G) Classic to 5.5th Gen.
I have an phone 4S and even though it doesn’t have a Wolfson chip it sounds incredible. This test shows iPhone 4S has better specs the iPod Classic 6G and better than iPad 2, but I can’t’ find any direct comparison with the 5.5G iPod.
Some Measurements:
model |
f response |
noise |
THD |
source |
iPod 5G |
+0.02 -0.1 |
-94.3 |
0.0034 |
http://yuriv.home.gate.net/RMAATests/iPod%20vs%20dock.htm |
iPhone 4 |
+0.26,-0.80 |
-89.1 |
0.0069 |
http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/iPhone4/data.htm |
iPhone 4S |
+0.47,-1.31 |
-89.0 |
0.0099 |
http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/iphone4s/data.htm |
Nano 6g |
+0.56 -1.51 |
-89.8 |
0.014 |
http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/Nano6G/data.htm |
Classic 160G |
+1.22, -3.04 |
-82.6 |
0.033 |
http://www.markuskraus.com/RMAA/classic/data.htm |
Conclusion:
If you want good audio in an iPhone the current iPhones (4, 4S) are the best.
If you are after good audio in an iPod the older ones are the best. (especially the 4th and 5.5th Gen classic era)
Wolfson chip in an iPhone
RECORDING ON AN IPHONE
On a final note, here’s some frequency response graphs (note these are of a complete loop – recording AND playback so they include the frequency rolloff of the microphone.) Look at how bad the low frequency roll-off is on the iPhone 3Gs. It’s -3dB (half the output power) at 200Hz – no wonder it sounds so thin. The iPhone 4 response is a slight improvement over the 3GS. Flat is good – so the original iPhone wins! 3G bad at high frequencies, 3GS bad at low. So for listening the original iPhone and the 4S are the best, but the original iPhone is much better for recording. The 3GS is terrible.
iPhone frequency response from faber acoustical 1st: iPhone Last:iPhone3GS
Now don’t get me wrong – the iPods and iPhones are still great music players. Comparing the iPhone with other phones is like comparing apples with oranges. Even the 3GS – the worst iPhone – leaves most other phones for dead in terms of music quality. But comparing apples with apples, first prize goes to the 5th Generation iPod, with the 4G iPod a close second.
Of course if you want better than ipod quality you might try 5G or 4G with the red wine mod.
Other notes: Cambridge Audio and Harman Kardon use Wolfson DAC chips in their CD players. Pioneer, NAD and Onkyo use wolfson in some of their CD players. Marantz use Cirrus Range. It’s not just about the chip – the other audio components will make a difference too.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-100139.html
http://www.vasiltech.nm.ru/files/cd-players/CD-Player-DAC-Transport.htm
Hello, I have 2 ipods – mini 2G and shuffle 2G,
mini 2G(A1051)- you can increase its sound quality, by the schematics near output it should have 100uF capacitors in fact 50uF, changed to 100uF, much better sound :) bass deeper, frequency range got better, also changed its microdrive to 8gb CF card :) only thing that sucks – ipod mini at -20C after 1min shuts down due to battery. better change it to li-ion, because Li-Po uses chemistry with water sometimes.
Shuffle 2G(1204)- if to compare with mini, mini is much better, but if use in ear earphones sounds better than mini. But be aware that ipod shuffle may easy malfunction(go dead) if it sees some sort of liquid, even when you are running in the morning etc.
My overall – Ipod Shuffle is great for trips, small, smaller earphones. Ipod mini great for performance, but it’s big and I’m using Koss KTXPRO1 with it. :)
Phones I’m using – Koss KTXPRO1 and some in ear that I bought in the shop for 5 euro. :)
Thanks for the review which was pretty good.
I knew that different models had a different audio chipset but didn’t know which ones.
I do notice a difference in sound quality between my older iPod models vs the new ones esp. the iPhone 4. I use high-end IEMs (Shure SE530) and encode music files at its highest mp3 format @320k so I can tell the difference in sound quality. Don’t like using AAC FLAC since some other mp3 players don’t support it (well)!
FYI… unless one has “superior hearing”, many studies and various online forum discussions have noted that one really can NOT tell the difference between a (nicely encoded) 320k file vs a FLAC file.
True – it’s hard to tell the difference between 320k and a lossless one, but even if you cannot tell the difference, it WILL make a difference if you re-encode it to say a 128kbps file, because re-compressing a file is double lossy. This is the golden rule for audio or photos or video: when you compress you should always compress from an original or a lossless version. So importing as Lossless has this added benefit if you plan on exporting it later.
I’m getting rid of my iPod Touch 4G and getting an iPod Classic 5.5G 80GB. I miss the good ole days of toting around my black 30GB iPod 5G, and I’m bringing the good times back!
Thanks for reaffirming my suspicions that the 5G has the best audio quality of all the iPods I’ve listened to.
I did exactly the same thing when I got my new P5s, and I don’t regret a thing :D I don’t miss my touch and I love having the old 5th gen back.
I have an iPod Touch gen1 (out of warranty) and a new iPod Classic gen7. Is it able to replace the Cirrus chip in my iPod Classic by the wolfson chip from iTouch gen1? If it is impossible, could you suggest some tips to make the sound better?
Thanx in advance.
No chance! It’s completely a different design!
I read that the iPod Nano 3rd Generation 8GB has a wolfson chip. here:
http://www.value-reviews.com/index.php?page=ipod-nano-3g
http://www.eetimes.com/design/audio-design/4016200/Tear-Down-Inside-the-Apple-8GB-iPod-nano
Thanks I’ve updated the article.
Will this affect how it sounds in a car that has ipod integration in the headunit?
List like these -and they are all over the Internet- are frustrating. Did you do you do a BLIND comparison/rating on these? I can’t tell from your bare-bones descriptions (thin?) what you did to come up with these judgement except that you know the preferred models use Wolfsons! To my ears alone, the nano 6g sound than than the Wolfson-based iPods—cleaner mids and less coloration. However, like you(it seems), I didn’t do a blind side-by-side comparison. In this light, I would ask that if you publish your opinion, could you push yourself a bit and describe in detail the sound quality differences that you noticed between the models. .
I own iPhone 1, 3G, 4 and 4S. And from my listening I totally agree that iPhone 1 is the best. It has deeper, richer, more powerful bass. iPhone 4 sounds ‘clean’, because it’s lack of bass. I really hope Apple can improve sound performance in future products.
At the mean time, NuForce Icon iDo seems a solution for me, it is a DAC and Amp for iOS devices. Anyone can review it?
I also own all iterations of the iPhone and I concur that the iPhone (1st Gen) had slightly more bass. However, the iPhone 4S seemed a little more refined and brighter. I used the same AAC song on both devices and used my B&W P5s without an amp.
Have you or anyone else tried an iPod Video 5g, due to its DAC? Is the NuForce Icon iDo any good?
Wanna ask, if we are using LOD to use external portable ampli.. is still impact the output sound quality when using/not using this wolfson chip in the ipod/iphone? Thanks.
Yes .Definitely.Some will say you need to bypass DAC to take full advantage.Like the Wadia DAC dock.But i have used a portable headphone amp as well as a DAC and my Onkyo receiver and they do improve the sound output.
Why was my comment deleted? I simply wanted to know if the iPod Nano 3rd generation has a wolfson chip, because two other websites are claiming it. Does it?
Josh yes it does… http://www.freemyipod.org/wiki/Nano_3G
Does the “new” ipad have a wolfson chip?
Check out http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
The iPod Classic hasn’t beed updated for almost 3 years!!!!
My 30GB U2 iPod has a sound glitch: about 2 – 3 seconds into each song there is a noticeable dropout. It happens with every song. This started recently after a long period of non-use.
Can someone PLEASE!!!! tell me if the “new” iPad has great sound quality similar to the iphone 4s or the wolfson chips…..(what kind of audio chip does new ipad have…is it wolfson…or better/great)
hi guys.. i own an ipod touch 1g 8gb & i agree that wolfson is the best audio chips for apple.. not only bcoz of my own listening experience, but i also think that the reason that apple ipods become famous & a must have for music lovers out there is main bcoz of its superb audio quality.. all the 1st gen apple portable audio players are the reason why they bacame very famous.. it’s just like a very nice movie.. people want more that is why there comes part 2, 3 & so on.. but still the original part 1 is the best bcoz that is the reason people wanting more, simply bcoz it is the best & they are really satisfied with the film.. same goes with the apple ipods.. the first one obviously makes it famous..
I’m planning to replace my ipod mini gen 1. It seems that it can’t drive my denon ahd1100 headphone.When the music has lots of bass, it sounds like its drowning the music. I’m planning to buy an ipod touch 4G will there me much sound improvement?
ANSWER MY QUESTION PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! (look above for more information)
Haven’t compared them sorry!
LOL well bro I kept doing my research and I found out it actually does use the same chip as the iphone 4s….but now I fear the person (below v) (Dee Iva) has muddy sound quality on the new iPad …btw link is here (they should post this on wiki too)—> http://ubmtechinsights.com/teardowns/new-apple-ipad-gen3-teardown-analysis/ for proof just in case you guys need it… cheers!
I just bought the new iPad and the sound is much muddier than it is on my iPhone 4 and not as loud. I have to change the setting to treble booster for it to sound as clear as my iPhone. Basically I think the iPhone is better for music.
Do the sound problems lie in the dac chip or the amplifier? I recently bought a 4th gen iPod Touch after 2nd and 4th gen Nano and it sounds like some one is farting in the can. Both my Nanos beat it by a large margin. Would a separate portable amplifier help? At the moment I’m running 32 and 80 ohm head phones with it.
I recently tested the iPod 5G (A1136) and an iPhone 4S, with the same song from iTunes, and the iPod 5G seemed a little louder, had warmth, and a wider soundstage. However, the iPhone 4S was still good though. Of course my iPod 5G is stuck in “disk mode” after words. LOL!
It seems the only successful and portable DACs are from Cypher Labs and Fostex, although I don’t feel like paying almost $600 for a portable DAC. :) I heard the iMod, from RedWineAudio are good, although I don’t trust the reliability of the iPod 5G anymore.
My portable amp/USB DAC that I use is the iBasso Audio D-Zero. When used with an iPhone it only uses the the amp section of this great little device.
David
http://www.youtube.com/davidsdiego
This is very true! I compared the iPhone 4S with the iPod 5G (A1136) and the iPod was way louder, had a warmer sound, and a wider soundstage. The difference was astounding, although the iPhone’s sound wasn’t terrible either.
Hello!
Today I opened up my iPod Mini 1st Gen to swap the HDD for a 16GB CF Card and for a new battery. Beside that now I have a supercool modded iPod Mini I can confirm the Wolfson 8731 inside the Mini:
http://www.abload.de/img/unbenannt-15ydei.jpg
I have the Ipod 5.5 80gb model number MA450CH. Does this one still have the wolfson chip?
Correct – how does it sound?
oh man. I have a first gen nano and was thinking it’s never going to break, time to upgrade. I was excited thinking the sound quality will be a lot better. Oh well lol!
Have managed to acquire two iPods as of lately, an iPod mini (2nd Generation) 4GB with a Wolfson WM8711LG that needed some repairs (ended up replacing the drive and battery, stripped the glued-in end caps and polished the inner frame back to chrome) and an iPod 5G 30GB with a Wolfson WM87588G that is brand new, in box, and had simply never been sold when they were still commercially available.
In testing, playing back the exact same portion of the exact same track and file, the iPod 5G has a noticeably clearer sound to it without the harshness. Everything is well balanced and it makes for a real pleasurable listening experience. The iPod mini isn’t as clear, but it is fairly close. It definitely sounds a bit warmer, and like the 5G it doesn’t sound harsh when listening to it. However, switch to the MacBook (Late 2008) with a Cirrus Logic audio chip in it and immediately I could hear the difference, the Cirrus chip has clarity, but it has harsh highs that forced me to turn the volume down a couple of notches. It’s certainly adequate, I have no complaints about the audio it produces for a computer, but there are moments where I need to pull the headphones away and take a break, and I think this could be the reason.
For daily use I believe the iPod 5G would be best, but as mine is in excellent condition i’m hesitant to use it in those situations where it’s likely to be exposed to harm, and for that the slightly more rugged iPod mini is a perfect stand-in.
I’ve also managed to snap a photo of the Wolfson WM8711LG, taken from an iPod mini (2nd Generation) Logic Board.
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/410/wolfson.jpg
I am terribly confused with the iPod models. In wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod] they claims that there are 6 iPods in the Classic category & in this thread the author have mentioned that there are iPod 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G & 5.5G which aren’t from ‘Classic’ series. ‘Classic’ series starts from here iPod ‘Classic’ 1g( and known as iPod 6G ). But in google I found everywhere that 5.5G Ipod is often called iPod Classic 5.5G (same model, picture wise). So are models from 1G iPod to 5.5G iPod called Classic iPod ?
I think classic just means that original iPod shape so yes 1g, 2g etc. The 6g has the original shape AND Apple have actually named it classic.
I’ve always felt that my 5.5G iPod had an excellent sound quality; and since it can easily be modded to play practically every important type of audio format and with 80GB is still very roomy, I’ve never felt the need to look elsewhere.
I agree!
definitely.
hey i was planning to buy a new i pod i m confused b/w nano 8 gb 6th generation and shuffle 4th gen.
please help!
are their any suggestions other then these two?
This is awesome information and what exactly I need.
I’m still wondering about if I should use a dac from line out or audio aux out for my iPhone 4? I’m thinking of getting the ODac by nwavguy for line out. or should I stick to audio?
Of all the iPods and iPhone I have owned, the one that provides amazingly good sound quality is the first white iPod shuffle (with the USB plug). By comparison, the 2nd gen “clip-on” iPod shuffle REALLY sucks.
I also think the 3rd gen iPod (with orange glowing buttons) has great sound. It is distinctly “richer” to my ears, compared to the 4th gen iPod. Too bad its battery was of poor quality. I don’t own a 5th gen (or later) “big” iPod.
I second that. The 1st Gen Shuffle is the best iPod, imho. I even dare to say it comes quite close to my Cowon.
Hi author,
I don’t know if you want to add this or not but the Samsung Galaxy S3 has a Wolfson WM1811 DAC in it and has gotten very good reviews on the sound quality.
Any chance iPod touch 5G will be added to the test?
Just will add,
Fw 1.2.1 on my ipod 5G is amazing. The last of the firmware’s in that series (fw 1.3? not sure) is horrible with a terrible equalisation and poor soundstage and bass.
So do downgrade to 1.2.1 it’s amazing…
My Galaxy S is very very close to the Ipod5G but still lacks a little top end warmth and magic.
just did an A/B comparo between the Galaxy S and Ipod5G. I like the Galaxy S better.. :)
Hi PAolo,
I have version 1.3 on my Ipod 5G. How do I downgrade to version 1.2 ?
Having read the discussion on 4th – 5.5th Gen iPods I get the sense that purchasing one of these may still give me a non Wolfson Audio Chip. If this is correct, is there some other way to be sure I’m getting the optimum audio chip when purchasing a 5.5 generation classic through eBay? Thanks in advance for any feedback.
They all have the same chip. Any 4 or 5 gen is good.
Thanks for the feedback. If buying through Ebay for instance, how do I make sure I’m buying a 5.5 generation and not a 6th. This obviously assumes the seller has advertised it as a 5.5 but either doesn’t know or … I assume the worst and hope for the best.
I have purchased a number of 5th Gen iPods from eBay. There are 2 key ways to make sure your buying a 5th Gen and not a 6th (and believe me when I say that a lot of people who sell them don’t know the difference) 1) The 5th Gen has a clear, plastic front to it. Its a solid color in front with a clear plastic “shell” that’s about 1mm think. It drops off suddenly at the edges. While the 6th has a brushed aluminum front that tapers at the edges when it meets with the body. This type reflect almost zero light. 2) This is probably the easiest method: The 6th Gen iPods have a split screen showing the album art and other information to the right. While the 5th Gen has a very basic screen with no split and only text in the menus… Hopes this helps anyone who reads.
I just compared the ipod classic 4th generation Photo with its previous 4th generation B&W screen and the difference is huge, the B&W is far better, the audio is crisp and natural, but PHOTO is not as good, I think you should make a diference Between this products.
I just purchased the newest Ipod Touch and was absolutely horrified at the sound quality. I tweaked what few things there were and put the volume up as high as I could and it was still awful. Then I compared the same song to my 1st gen Nano and got really angry. This article puts it all in perspective. Guess I need to exchange this for one with a Wolfson chip. :-0