- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 27 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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4 out of 6 people found this review helpful
2.0 stars
"Poor audio quality"
Pros: Design, screen, size
Cons: No bass, EQ = distortion , price
Summary: I've had a 3G iPod for two years and have been looking forward to the new Nano as a possible replacement.
Though the size, color screen, ease of use and metal shell are all improvements on my old 3G, the audio quality leaves a lot to be desired.
That the CNET editor would dub this -- and the first gen -- as having "excellent" sound is surprising. The previous Nano was widely reviewed as having inferior sound to the Shuffle and the 5G iPod (the Nano used a fourth gen codec) and -- as the CNET review does get right -- this version is no different.
If you're not picky about audio quality, this will be fine for you. But if you like bass -- I mean, *at all* -- or a "full" sound, then this is a poor choice.
While mids and highs are fairly detailed, the overall sound is fairly thin. Bass is nearly nonexistent. This is true both with supplied earbuds and my higher-end phones.
You can try punching it up a bit with the EQ. But if you choose "bass boost" or "hip hop," you'll have low end distortion at all but the lowest volumn levels. Even the "Rock" setting (one of the best), has a tiny bit of distortion. Vocal boosting EQ setting such as "piano" or "vocal" result in the singer sounding like he's front and center -- singing through a tin can.
- 2 replies to this review
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Guess what, the sound was actually better on the one I sold(bangs head against the wall), the OLD 1GB white!! Even though you say they have the same encoding, the older one sounded better to me! This is what I get for jumping into the trend! Maybe a firmware update will fix the sound problems a little.
So the hard drive player has better sound, huh? I'm not loooking forward to carrying a big hard drive around. I like flash players, they are small. The Creative Zen Plus was just released in the US, going to get one of those. Creative has great sound! -
I was considering writing a review, but you summed it up.
I recently purchased the new iPod Nano the day after the announcement, but after hearing it for myself, I immediately turned it off, thrusted the headphones off my ears and without hesitation, proceeded to "Restore" my new iPod back to factory settings!
Seriously, the very moment I heard the audio, I instantly knew I had to return it - A.S.A.P. !!!!
I honestly do not know how this piece of junk became the most popular brand MP3 player.
Where to buy
Apple iPod Nano (2nd generation, 4GB, green):
$299.95
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$299.95 | Yes |
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