[Ghost2]

Does anyone know of any good amplifiers or other devices that I can use to increase the sound quality of my 6gb iPod mini. It is not more volume that I'm trying to obtain but better soungd quality. Also it s a must that the device is small and unobtrusive.

[WrestleEwe]

Just about the only thing you can do is to buy better headphones.

I believe the Shure's consumer in-ear line comes highly recommended.. they have the following models;

e2 - about $75
e3c - about $150
e4 - about $199

[World Leader Pretend]

These headphones (I have them, and I like them a lot) have this noise-canceling thing that somewhat improves the quality of the sound even if it isn't noisy. They've come down in price a lot, and are a pretty good deal if you can stand the design.



This is as close to a portable amp that I've seen, but it won't be a night-and-day difference for most people.

[BlueRabbit]

Yeah, the noise-cancelling thing definitely helps if there's any extraneous noise around. You can definitely hear the difference.

[intlplby]

screw noise cancelling... get earbuds that block sound .... etys er4p blocks sound pretty good...

if you want headphones and an amplifier then you are heading to what is debateable as portale..... you can make yourself a CMoy
http://www.tangentsoft.net/audio/

check out www.head-fi.org if you just want to buy one......you can also buy a mint amplifier. Sijosae on head-fi makes the smallest CMoys

amplifiers don't make much of a difference for earbuds, but they do for headphones.....

personally i use a PPA portably, but it is 2.5"x4"x6" or so plus an ipod and grado HP-1 headphones (i carry a large water-resistant and padded case for the headphones in my backpack as well)... most people think i am a total nutter..... i tend to agree with them.....

[Ghost2]

Well I already have a set of ety 6is and compress in apple lossless, but I still find myself wanting a more quality. I guess the UE-10 pros are my next option, but a grand is a whole hell of alot of money to spend on earbuds.

[usurp]

if you do a search on ebay for cMoy you should find a whole bunch selling for like $40. Then you could pair it up with GRADO SR80 head phones and you would have your self a good setup.

[Artap99]

This pretty much goes without saying, but be sure to encode at a higher bitrate, too.

[intlplby]

yeah, there is a definite limit on using earbuds....


you're going to get much more soundstage and bass with the suggested setup usurp recommended.... the bottom of the line grados may look kind of cheap, but they are nothing but quality in sound...... best value for the money....... even SR-60s are worth.....

if you want real comfort you can go with sennheisers (hd-595 and up), but they absolutely require an amplifier because they are high impedence

if you can get ahold of any old used joe grados (not john grados), they have a very pleasant sound to them.

keep in mind that there is a downside to the grados and sennheisers mentioned.... they are open headphones so you may be bothered by environmental noise..... if you want a real solid set of closed headphones get Sony CD3000... you can pick one up for about $350 used.... new they are like $500 or so

[gsxrboy]

Originally Posted by Ghost2 any good amplifiers or other devices

An amp or head/ear phones? If you want an amplifier (and you have some nice speakers) one of these looks like it might be nice

http://www.impamp.com/

p.s. the tips above re bit rate etc still apply.