Accessories for iPod audiophiles
CNET's Donald Bell shows you the five accessories you'll need to squeeze audiophile-worthy sound from your iPod.
Picking an iPod
Before we get started, though, let's talk about the iPod itself. If you're shopping for a new iPod or you've got an older iPod and you're wondering about upgrading, bear in mind how much storage you'll need. Ripping CDs as audiophile-worthy Apple Lossless files or high bit-rate MP3 or AAC files, eats up a lot more room than your average 128kbps MP3.
High-capacity hard-drive MP3 players aren't as fashionable as the slimmer, lighter Flash-based MP3 players we see these days, but you can't beat them when it comes to storage. The 120GB iPod Classic is probably your best option right now if you're shopping for an iPod to hold all those high-resolution files.
Step 1: Ditch the earbuds
In fact, hearing the difference a good pair of in-ear headphones can make on your music is usually where iPod users first get bitten by the audiophile bug. The difference is often so dramatic, that you begin wondering what else you're missing out on.
Now, you can go nuts and shell out $400 or more on a premium pair of multi-driver earphones, but if you're just upgrading from the stock iPod earbuds, a little money can go a long way. Apple's own in-ear headphones are one of the best values we've seen under $100. If you can spare the extra money, there are dozens of "flavor of the month" high-end earphones people swear by, but we typically recommend the Shure SE310 and Etymotic HF5, for people shopping in the $200 range.
Step 2: Headphone amps
If you've invested in a "real" pair of headphones or earphones, it follows that you should hear them through a "real" headphone amp (can you see the slippery slope ahead of you yet?). Headphone amps in general aren't hard to come by, but only a few boutique companies make portable amps. One of the smallest (and cheapest) is made by Fiio, but the most well-known is the BitHead by Headroom.
If you're feeling crafty, Systm has a great video tutorial on how to make your own headphone amp from scratch.
Step 3: Taking the hard way out
To get at the iPod's hidden line-out you'll need to buy an adapter like the SendStation PocketDock Line Out. It's going to add a little bulk to your iPod, but hey, you've already got a headphone amp strapped to the thing, right?
Now, the line-out signal from your iPod sounds pretty dull without a quality amp to run it through, so if you're going to the trouble of adapting your iPod for a line output, you'll want an external headphone to make the effort worthwhile. That said, you don't have to use the iPod's line out to enjoy the benefits of a good headphone amp.
Step 4: Headphones for home
Chalk it up to the physics of headphones' larger speaker drivers, the psycho-acoustic differences of sound produced outside your skull, rather than within it, or the comfort of a padded headband versus shoving a piece of plastic into your ear.
People get very passionate about their headphones, which makes recommending a pair like opening a can of worms. My current faves, though, are the Ultrasone HFI-2200. CNET's resident Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg has a list of his top three favorites, as well.
Step 5: Warm it up
It's easy to find standalone tube preamps offered by high-end stereo manufacturers, but if you want a solution made just for the iPod, CNET UK's Nate Lanxon just won't shut up about the Fatman iTube 452, which includes an integrated iPod dock and two 45W amplifier output channels.