Why iPods suck

Your iPods sucks. Believe me. Granted, it looks the part and works like a dream, but it has one mayor flaw: sound quality.

If you’re serious about music you have probably replaced the stock earbuds with in-earphones from Jays, Ultimate Ears or any other brand, but that’s just peanuts: you have to eliminate the problem at its root: the built-in amplifier that sits in your iPod. Like every other manufacturer out there, Apple tries to build their products as cheap as possible. That means compromises have to be made: with limited space and money, they have chosen for a low quality amp. This is pretty much the same in all iPods known to man.

Lucky you, there is a workaround. All iPods have the ability to bypass the built-in amplifier by means of a line-out cable. Feeding this cable to a portable headphone amplifier will give you the best sound you’ve heard from an iPod. Now it’s up to you to make the compromise. Portable amps start at €25 for the Fiio E1, which is a line out cable with the amp built in (no extra wires!) and the Fiio E5, which needs a seperate line-out cable but has slightly better quality and an adjustable bass boost.

Next up is the NuForce Icon Mobile, with €109 more expensive, but worth every euro. And if you’re crazy about your favorite tunes, there is the iQube. The €399 pricetag may be overkill for most of us, this digital amplifier blows everything away with its clear and powerfull sound.

Be sure to try any of these amps. The FiiO E1 gives you a serious quality upgrade, is easy to use and is as affordable as it gets!