moses choi » iPod

iPod Touch

Moses Choi — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 20:42:16 +0000

Back in March, I wrote that I would love to see the next iPhone without the telephone functionality as a future ipod. It was probably expected by many, but when the announcement came about the new iPod Touch, I was happy to see the form factor and also that what I desired came to fruition (sans the voip) but was disappointed with the storage capacity. Given some time, the iPod Touch may end up taking the place of the iPod Classic as the regular iPod when storage capacities allow.

I haven’t actually played with the iPod Touch, but if it’s anything like the iPhone, I think I will be pleased with the experience. However, as much as I’d like to fork over some money to get the updated iPod Touch, I will wait until I see at least an 80gig flash HD in the unit. Until then, I will have to continue using my 5th gen ipod.

Shure E4C Thoughts

Moses Choi — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:08:37 +0000

About a week ago, I received my Shure E4C in the mail and when I got it, I tore it open and stuffed them into my ears and turned on my ipod to try them out. My first reaction wasn’t too good. These buds really require a high quality source to make them shine, and let’s face it folks, the iPod isn’t the greatest source. I hear that you can get a third-party attachment to the line-out on the iPod to plug in your headphone and you can get better sound. I guess for the average headphone, you can get away with just plugging it in through the headphone jack, but with a pair like the E4s, you need something a bit better. The problem isn’t that the sound sucks on these headphones, it’s that you can hear all the distractions on poorly ripped music, or hear all the static and hiss in low bitrate music. And on top of that, these particular headphones requires a stronger output.

Anyway, I tried out the E4Cs on my 2nd gen shuffle, which incidentally has better sound, and my computer and that is when I heard these headphones shine. The sound reminds me of my Grado SR80s. Not overwhelming bass, but nice and tight, with great mids. I’m not an audiophile, so I won’t be able to describe in any more detail what the sound was like, but in comparing the E4Cs and the CX300s and the JBL200s, the sound on the E4Cs was definitely more detailed and, in my opinion, seemed like it reproduced the music better than these other IEMs. The best thing about Shures is the isolation. I love it! I love how I can wear them and can’t hear anything around me and conversely, nobody will be distracted by my music or podcasts. This is ideal for commuting. I like to make sure that others aren’t bothered by me on the subway during the hour-long commute I have.

Anyway, I’ve decided I need to get rid of some of my headphones. I want to get rid of my CX300s and JBL200s, so if you’d like them, let me know!

I’ll keep my Shures and Grados.

Shure E4C! …and what of the future widescreen ipod?

Moses Choi — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 06:19:58 +0000

I was able to get a pretty good deal on a pair of the acclaimed Shure E4C IEMs. I’m looking forward to them and will be posting my thoughts on them when I do get them sometime this week. I’ve always been a fan of inner ear monitors (IEM) as they provide the isolation I want and usually good bass. Back in 2000, I got my first pair from Pacific Mall in Toronto from an importer of audio goodies from Asia; they were the Sony EX71s. I loved them while I had them and used them with my MD players and later with my 3rd gen. ipod. However, my tastes evolved and over the last year and a half, I was able to experiment with some other IEMs and headphones such as the Grado SR80s, Koss KSC 75s, Senn CX300s, JBL 220s and briefly the Shure E2Cs. The E2Cs blew me away and was what convinced me to put down the big bucks for the E4Cs.

I’ll be selling my Senn CX300 and JBL 220s, so if you’re interested in them, let me know!

On to the ipod. We all know what the iPhone will look like and by the time it comes out, we’ll have seen the LG Prada phone and the Samsung touchscreen either online or in stores, depending on what country you live in and how passionate you are about cellular devices. I think the new ipod should keep the iPhone form-factor and take out the cellphone functionality, keep the wifi, and – this is what I think could be killer – make sure that there’s VOIP functionalities on the phone. So, basically, wherever there is an internet connection via wifi, the user can use the phone interface on the ipod to make/receive calls! Now whether that is through some sort of iChat solution, or an independent VOIP solution, or a product from Cisco would be up to the brilliant guys in Apple product development to decide. However, the Cisco solution is interesting because it can actually happen because of the deal between Cisco and Apple which put to rest their patent lawsuit.

I really hope the new ipod can also have fantastic battery life too….One can dream right?

Maybe by the end of the year, I can be using my E4C with a brand new ipod!