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  1. #1
    Sgt. At Arms Worf101's Avatar
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    Ipod longevity questions.

    A friend of mine who owns a movie thatre (www.spectrum8.com) opened a coffee house next door and asked me to put in a sound system for her. I bought a new 2 channel stereo amp, some used epicure and platinum audio speakers and hooked her up. At first she used a used Yammie CD player for sound BUT found out that the kids in the place were playing too much "wild assed chit" for customers soooo out went the CD player and in came the Ipod.

    Yesterday she calls me down and says that the system all of sudden sounds like ass and asks me to check it out. After a few minutes of checking things out I determine that the system does indeed sound like ass but I can't figure out why. After systematically checking everything I decided to run the CD Player, voila it sounded like heaven. So we narrowed it down the Ipod.

    I checked the connections and they were good. But I noticed that when I turned the volume on the ipod DOWN below halfway the sound improved mightily and sound remained good when the volume was turned up on the receiver. I don't own an Ipod so I'm asking some basic questions.

    1. The reciever we're using does NOT have an Ipod input, they've been running the device for almost a year, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week through the "Phono" input. Would a dedicated Ipod input make a difference?

    2. We're just using an un-amped output direct to the receiver. Should we look into a pre-amp?

    3. Do they make Ipod pre-amps?

    4. Do Ipods just crap out after so much use?

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Da Worfster

  2. #2
    _ Luvin Da Blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Worf101
    But I noticed that when I turned the volume on the ipod DOWN below halfway the sound improved mightily and sound remained good when the volume was turned up on the receiver. I don't own an Ipod so I'm asking some basic questions.

    1. The reciever we're using does NOT have an Ipod input, they've been running the device for almost a year, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week through the "Phono" input. Would a dedicated Ipod input make a difference?

    If it sounds good with the Ipod volume turned down, I'm thinking that they were over driving the Phono input (which has a BI gain section). Can you hook it up to a AUX or other input??
    Back in my day, we had nine planets.

  3. #3
    Suspended markw's Avatar
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    Just throwing out a WAG or two.

    First off, I doubt a "new" stereo amp has a phono input and even if I did, I think even a Klingon would know to not use it.

    But, IIRC, Ipod devices are made to feed a headphone type device, which is a low impedance device, at least when compared to the high-level input impedance of an amplifier. Since amps (and that's what an Ipod has, albiet a tiny one) tend to produce less voltage as the load impedance rises, do you think it's possible that it's simply running out of steam?

    I hear-tell some Ipod docks offer a "line-level" (higher impedance) output and this just might cure the problem. It's worth a try but keep all packaging and receipts just in case .

  4. #4
    Forum Regular Woochifer's Avatar
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    Might want to look into an iPod dock for one simple reason -- it powers the iPod without discharging the battery. The internal battery is the one component on an iPod that will eventually wear down over time, and constant discharging and recharging will accelerate that process. The battery is a pain in the butt to replace (and you risk damaging the unit if you're not careful), and if you don't have a local shop that can do the battery replacement, it's very expensive to send it back to Apple and have them do it.

    I've hooked my iPod up to my receiver with no problem whatsoever. I was able to match the line levels with my other sources, and the sound quality was fine. The car stereo iPod dock that I use will still vary the output with the volume control, so it's not a constant line level output.

    Sounds like you need to first try an AUX or regular line level input rather than the PHONO input.

    Another issue would be whether that iPod was sold in the EU. The iPods sold there have an output limiter that keeps the headphone levels under 100 db (I believe it's a health ministry directive).
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  5. #5
    Suspended atomicAdam's Avatar
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    The iPod does have a loudness EQ pre-set that sounds like crap. Just taking a wild guess based off what you said about turning the volume on the iPod down halfway and it sounding ok. Maybe check what the EQ is at.

    Settings->EQ

    Good luck.

  6. #6
    Forum Regular filecat13's Avatar
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    You really want to get a dock of some sort that offers the line level output, then run it to any regular RCA input other than a phono input. Then the output from the iPod will be constant and only controlled but the pre or receiver's volume control.

    If you use the headphone jack for audio out of the iPod, you'll overload the line level inputs if you turn it (the iPod volume control) up too far. When I absolutely must use the headphone jack as the output I turn it up about half way then control it from the pre or receiver volume control.

    Every iPod except for the original has a dock connector that will mate with a dock that provides a line out port, Usually it's a mini plug that can use a mini plug to RCA cable that'll work just fine. In fact, most dock come with the cable in the box.
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  7. #7
    Sure, sure... Auricauricle's Avatar
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    I agre with filecat and Luvin: The phono input should not be used. Use the AUX and give the IPOD some juice. I use the same kind of hook up for a portable minidisc player with good results. It helps that the player has a built in 6 or 7 band eq, but with some judicious diddling you should get a decent sound.

  8. #8
    Boatman1
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    use a cheep laptop and a good amp and speakers

  9. #9
    Suspended BallinWithNash's Avatar
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    It's most likely because of the PHONO input ... when i run my Ipod Touch through my Marantz's PHONO it sounds like shi* but when i run it through the AUX it sounds just fine ... I know people have already said this but this was a personal experience .. hope that helps

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