Love-Hate relationship with i-pod--Let Me Vent

[rek100]

My personal i-pod dates to 2003 and predates both color display and the ability to play video.

First, yes, I have backed everything up using the i-music program's back up system. Having had to use it once, I think its a piece of c--p. NOW, I also back everything up on music CD-Rs.

I-pod sound is fine with me, it's plugged into my main audio system with the docking station.

My complaint is it randomly losing playlists AND THE MUSIC for which I paid Mr. Jobs.

The other entertaining anomaly is the UNKNOWN playlist phenomonon that has nine songs listed as "1", 12 songs listed as "2" and on and on. This might not be a problem with popular music since it is somewhat identifiable when played. With classical music and opera, it will always be mystery music, and is permanently unidentifiable.

Music has never vanished or reorganized itself on any of CDs or LPs. Too much i-pod digitization for my tastes. So, I now have an unabridged audiobook I bought from Mr. Jobs that I can no longer play. It wasn't backed up to CD because it is 6.5 hours worth. It IS backed up to my auxiliary hard drive, but that won't work either.

Maybe I'm just too ancient to fully understand it's mysteries?

[similost]

Here's my fav-o-rite storage media... For just such reasons you mentioned.. and the quality of sound...

http://www.cdrsystems.ca/images/record.gif

[iphasic]

I am personally a fan of the iPod, but they do not seem to be known for their longevity. I had one the generation 2 iPods in college that i basically beat to hell - it developed some odd quirks, but still continued to work. I now have an iPod video which hasn't given me any problems, but I also don't use it all that much. I have a few friends who have had some problems with theirs and either had to just buy new ones or return it to Apple (if still under warranty). If you got yours in 2003 you got a good 5 years out of it, which doesn't seem too bad (all things considered).

I hate to say it, but just get a new Nano. You might still be able to sell your older one on eBay to recoup some of the cash.

[70salesguy]

Here's my fav-o-rite storage media... For just such reasons you mentioned.. and the quality of sound...

http://www.cdrsystems.ca/images/record.gif

You are right on all points, but..............

Hard to play one on a commercial airline flight! :D

[similost]

You are right on all points, but..............

Hard to play one on a commercial airline flight! :D

That's what I use my phone for. I keep a 2 gig card in it filled with music..

[slow_jazz]

Ipods are good for background music not for serious listening. I'll put mine on shuffle while doing stuff around the house.

[iphasic]

Ipods are good for background music not for serious listening. I'll put mine on shuffle while doing stuff around the house.

exactly.

[Urizen]

Ipods are good for background music not for serious listening.

That's what I thought until I heard this system.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k199/Urizen_2006/AK65.jpg

It's driven by a Wadia 170 iTransport that reads the digital stream from the iPod. Files were in lossless format.

[jhal]

I've had Window Media player take it upon itself to rearrange and rename my music for me and it has made me want to pay Mr Gates a not so very friendly personal visit.
I haven't had it happen recently, I think I fixed it. I do have a entire folder of music I need to research and rename. That's right up there with waterboarding, root canals, and IRS anal probes.
I just love it when it renames it "unkown artist: unknown album: track 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 ":mad::rant::gigglemad:gigglemad:pistols:

[iphasic]

very cool, Urizen.

If you have good files (lossless, or close) the stuff should sound good. I'm sorry to say that I don't have such a setup :tears: but I use mine as Slow Jazz said - casual listening, background music, general shuffle 'round the house, etc.

I use iTunes and have over 20k tracks organized including movies and tv shows, and have never had any organizational problems with my files or computer(s). Remember that your computer, being the primary storage for your media, may have an issue if this happens. It might also have to do with the iPod, but it may not be the source.

iPods are getting less and less expensive - a 4 GB Nano is $150. For what you're getting, that's fair, as far as I'm concerned.

[rek100]

So it even happens to *.wma files! I'll be darned!

I just bought my wife a 4 gig Nano. She's been "hinting" about it for a while (years?). I don't know what her intentions are concerning downloads from Mr. Jobs. I'll just back hers up on CD-Rs too.

My ancient i-pod sounds pretty good through my vintage McIntosh hardware and Mirage speakers. Still not equal to the CD, much less the LP. I usually use it when I'm reading and for audiobooks on long trips.

[thisOne]

Ya know!, I have an iPod..., but then I got myself a Sony MiniDisk player. And I gotta say it has better sound than an iPod, you can arrange the music on a MD in a similar way one used to do a mixed tape (without the mess of a tape player eating the tape), disks are colorful and small enough (as well as fun to play with and to handle), they're in their own case and hard to scratch, the music management software is cool, and I can do good quality recordings of nearly anything I want on the go.

Sony MD players was one technology that died a premature death, IMHO

[uofmtiger]

I have a second gen ipod I bought in 2002. It still works without a problem. I have only used it in the summer for the last few years, so it is not getting tons of use on a daily basis, so I guess that has helped the longevity. I have never expereinced any of the problems in the original post.
It IS backed up to my auxiliary hard drive, but that won't work either.

The fact that you can't get your files to work from your auxillary drive sounds like more of a computer issue than an iPod issue. The iPod should have nothing to do with the fact that you can't access files on your computer.

The other entertaining anomaly is the UNKNOWN playlist phenomonon that has nine songs listed as "1", 12 songs listed as "2" and on and on. This might not be a problem with popular music since it is somewhat identifiable when played. With classical music and opera, it will always be mystery music, and is permanently unidentifiable. It does not sound like the songs are tagged properly. You could try mp3tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/) to fill in the missing information.

[KentTeffeteller]

Gentlemen,

Purchased iPod downloads are DRM'ed (Digital Rights Management/ nee copy protection). You'll need a program which will properly restore them. An annoyance. Phuck the RIAA!

[jonman]

I think if I were to purchase an I-pod, I would just want it for it's portability. For my use, it would not make sense for me to use it in home when I have so many options with CD's tapes and records to playback at home.

[Lady Ayeka]

I think if I were to purchase an I-pod, I would just want it for it's portability. For my use, it would not make sense for me to use it in home when I have so many options with CD's tapes and records to playback at home.

exactly. i have yet to use, let alone own an i-pod, but after this thread, i'm even MORE convinced to stay away from the damned thing. ( besides,i'm far to busy with blowing $300 on classic A/V gear) anybody ever realize just how uncomfortable those worthless earbuds that everybody likes to use are? they may be "Hip" and "Mod" (especially for those shiloette people that jobs is so fond of) but they also tend to perpetually feel like they're about to fall straight out of your ears at any given moment!!:rant::thumbsdn:

although this cutie makes a pretty convincing saleswoman...

"Chii" from the anime "Chobits"
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/9abc0d6ba37e93c06613c5dfde7d9ada.gif

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/51cde167cdde692c5451d6b3a62ff7a9.jpg

**** BTW, she's an android. a special model known as a "CHOBITS" ****
( for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chobits http://www.animelab.com/anime.manga/pics/Chobits )

[Lady Ayeka]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/iObject___Edgeworth_by_GyakutenPhoe.jpg



http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/PhoenixWrightObjection.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/PhoenixWright2.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/artofgs-017.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/ani-minuki-bounce.gif


**** from the video game series "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" ****
(for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Wright http://gyakusai.magical-art.com/index.php )

[Andyman]

Well, I love mine. I've got it playing right now in the yard while I'm installing a garden fence through a set of old powered computer speakers; great music and NO commercials. I wear it at the store and can play it in the car, and have docks or cables for use in the shop or family room.

I burn the "good" stuff as .wav files, and everything else at AAC 320 which sounds fine for non critical listening, which honestly is 98% of what I do.
I'm looking to do a minor upgrade on the HP buds that came with it, but the sound is surprisingly good and very engaging when it's inside your head. I'm installing a 320GB external disc, so I'll be burning more stuff as .wav files and storing it on the HD. After I exceed the 30GB capacity of the iPod, I'll have to sync to a playlist, but that's a minor inconvenience as far as I'm concerned.

i have a 30GB video iPod, but if you can deal with a smaller capacity, it's really hard to beat those 8GB Nanos. My youngest has one and it's slicker than snot and no bigger than a matchbook. Now that's cool!!

[Lady Ayeka]

why don't i ever see anyone using actual high fidelity stereo headphones with an ipod? wait, don't tell me the damn things have a proprietary jack!?!? now i REALLY hate them!!:mad:

[Andyman]

why don't i ever see anyone using actual high fidelity stereo headphones with an ipod? wait, don't tell me the damn things have a proprietary jack!?!? now i REALLY hate them!!:mad:

Probably because they are too darn big for portable use; it's not a jack issue at all. Ipods take the 1/8" or whatever mini plug that's on a a bazillion sets of earplugs, earphones, cassette adapters, computer speakers and yes real hi fi headphones like my Grado SR-80s. Worst case scenario is you'd have to spring a few bucks for a 1/4" to miniplug adapter if you wanted to use your Koss Pro 4AAs with your iPod.

i have yet to use, let alone own an i-pod, but after this thread, i'm even MORE convinced to stay away from the damned thing"

It seems to me that you really need to investigate first hand what an iPod can do for you before you pass judgment. I think you might be surprised at what they have to offer. I know I was :D FWIW iTunes tells me I have 1247 songs, 4.1 days of music and 18.69 GB used, so I'm only 2/3 full right now.

[drknstrmyknight]

I may be just lucky, but I've have two I-pods, a G3 my wife gave me when they first came out and a G4 I was given by a co-worker who dropped it and it quit working. Both have had battery transplants and the G4 got a new hard drive when I got it. Both work like a charm and see a lot of use. I use ITunes PC with the G4 and Winamp to manage the G3. The content is all ALAC, ripped from my CD's with EAC to FLAC, and transcoded to ALAC when I want something on move. We also have a Squeezebox that's used with the FLAC files and SqueezeCenter. All compare favorable with mid-end CD players IMO. Songs from I-Tunes store are pretty poor, as are MP3's no matter what bit rate. I've never had a problem with the libraries or the firmware on either unit. Tried RockBox - several versions, but it's never proved stable. The G4 sounds a bit better to my ear, more bottom end. In the car we run it into the factory head - no great shakes - but I can DJ round-trip Detroit-Chicago.

[hjames]

why don't i ever see anyone using actual high fidelity stereo headphones with an ipod? wait, don't tell me the damn things have a proprietary jack!?!? now i REALLY hate them!!:mad:

Too many uninformed people complaining that admit they have no hands on experience ... not good!

I currently have a 30gig iPod - does color and videos, but I just use it for music. I have an older powerMac G4 with large external drives and have my itune library loaded there - most of it is from my CDs - 320kbps (very high quality AAC files) - 23,000 songs, just a bit under 200 gigs of music. Took a while to load it all but I back it up regularly.
Works like a champ. When at work I use an old set of Sony digital headphones, but I have played it with my ancient sennheisers - I don't usually use the earbuds - but no, it doesn't seem to have a proprietary headphone jack, if thats a real concern.
When I'm home and want to play music I usually load CDs or vinyl and play them directly - on 1 of 2 systems I own with vintage gear and large JBLs. But for portability and general musicality, I'm sold on the iPods.

But I have heard that some folks with Windows systems have had problems with pods - but Windows systems are a different tale (FWIW, I'm a newcomer to Macs, started with Dos 3.31 went to Win4WG, through Desqview, OS2 and various newer WIN system - Win2K & WinXP, before throwing it all out for Macs ...

[Lady Ayeka]

Too many uninformed people complaining that admit they have no hands on experience ... not good!

I currently have a 30gig iPod - does color and videos, but I just use it for music. I have an older powerMac G4 with large external drives and have my itune library loaded there - most of it is from my CDs - 320kbps (very high quality AAC files) - 23,000 songs, just a bit under 200 gigs of music. Took a while to load it all but I back it up regularly.
Works like a champ. When at work I use an old set of Sony digital headphones, but I have played it with my ancient sennheisers - I don't usually use the earbuds - but no, it doesn't seem to have a proprietary headphone jack, if thats a real concern.
When I'm home and want to play music I usually load CDs or vinyl and play them directly - on 1 of 2 systems I own with vintage gear and large JBLs. But for portability and general musicality, I'm sold on the iPods.

But I have heard that some folks with Windows systems have had problems with pods - but Windows systems are a different tale (FWIW, I'm a newcomer to Macs, started with Dos 3.31 went to Win4WG, through Desqview, OS2 and various newer WIN system - Win2K & WinXP, before throwing it all out for Macs ...

sorry, sorry! i guess i'm old-fashioned, is all. still, i'd go with a good set of cans any day over those earbuds...

[rek100]

The fact that you can't get your files to work from your auxillary drive sounds like more of a computer issue than an iPod issue. The iPod should have nothing to do with the fact that you can't access files on your computer.

It does not sound like the songs are tagged properly. You could try mp3tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/) to fill in the missing information.


On the other hand, in the sixteen years I've been using Windows PCs, I've never had a file vanish completely, become totally unrecoverable, or rename itself? However, thank you for the tip on the MP3tag program. I have downloaded it and will try to figure it out this week.

As to using the Pod in the audio system, it's just easy. It's right next to my listening chair and is convenient to use. My vintage system does not have remote capabilities.

Like I said, it's a real love-hate relationship.

[uofmtiger]

On the other hand, in the sixteen years I've been using Windows PCs, I've never had a file vanish completely, become totally unrecoverable, or rename itself? I have never had that happen without a failed drive issue and I have had iTunes on my computer since the day it was made available on the PC. I used Ephpod with my second gen iPod before iTunes was available.

I think there is a setting when you install iTunes that asks if you want iTunes to manage your music and I said no. If you say yes, I think it moves your music to the iTunes directory.... (That is if I remember correctly, like I said, it has been a long time since I installed the program).

[rek100]

I think there is a setting when you install iTunes that asks if you want iTunes to manage your music and I said no. If you say yes, I think it moves your music to the iTunes directory.... (That is if I remember correctly, like I said, it has been a long time since I installed the program).

Yes, there is such a setting. I did it that way based on some article I read somewhere that said it was the "thing to do". Apparently a big mistake on my part.

Speaking of the freaking "earbuds". I thought the original ones that came with it sucked canal water. So, I bought Mr. Jobs upgrade with the interchangeable inserts. Greasy little suckers just kept oozing out. Real headphones, you say? Great idea, EXCEPT that they require more "juice" than the buds and the "pod" dies earlier. :thumbsdn:

My wife does like her Nano, however.

[uofmtiger]

Yes, there is such a setting. I did it that way based on some article I read somewhere that said it was the "thing to do". Apparently a big mistake on my part.
I think this is your main problem. I am at home, so I took a look at the "preferences". If you look on the "advanced" tab, you probably have a check in the "Keep iTunes Music folder organized" box. I have mine unchecked. I also have the box underneath it unchecked ("Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library'). Try unchecking both of these boxes and it may fix some of your problems.


I agree that most people want portable headphones when they are out in public. As rek100 mentioned, a portable amp + large headphones + ipod can be cumbersome. I have a pair of Ety ER-4P earphones that sound fantastic without an amp. I also bought a "P to S converter" for listening to them at home with an amp. At home, I like my Etys and Grado SR60s with the iPod (depending if I want to shut out the sound or not bleed out the sound).

[arctic_man]

I have a 30 gig Ipod that is all colorful and plays videos too...
That is not all though
I have had numerous problems with the thing not starting at all. Apple logo would come on the screen... then the noise of the hard drive clicking then it shuts off. I have had problems with Itunes starting from its default setting, erasing all my playlists and I would have to re-add 2 days worth of music to their former play lists, and no, saving my library wouldn't work either. At times my Ipod would lag, and at other times it would run quite fast. It seems as if I play music it would run faster like games would go quicker and menu scrolling would be less jumpy than when no music was playing. My ipod also refuses to erase the pictures I have on it. I switched computers, reformatted the dang thing and yet some how it still has these 30 odd pictures.

Now the good things!
It has like 2 scratches in it... Um... it plays music?
And it just passed its 1 year birthday!
Got to love apple... and all those bad things with it and I still put up with it. Fun stuff right there

[wrayman]

I just bought a 4GB Nano, and find myself using it mainly for the commute to and from work. Plug and play, no annoying radio chatter and advertisements, and no fumbling around with discs.

[junkaudio]

i am pretty happy with itunes and a nano 3rd generation for car and outdoor use :thmbsp: