Apple iPod classic 120GB - Black

I bought a 40Gb iPod Classic 4 years ago. It recently died and was almost as cheap to replace compared to getting it fixed so I bought the 120Gb iPod Classic. Here's my thoughts on the new model based on having upgraded from the 40Gb model. I didn't really need 120Gb capacity but the next option down was 16Gb and that wouldn't fit the contents of my old model.

The overwhelming impression is of a significant improvement on the 40Gb classic. It's slimmer, lighter, has a much nicer, colour interface and 3 times the capacity at two-thirds the price. I'm tempted to rip my new CDs at a higher resolution now.

The most notable improvement is in the overall sound quality. I would compare it to going from FM radio to DAB radio. It's a fundamentally sharper sound. It has completely enhanced my listening experience, both through my headphones and my iPod speakers. It also handles variable volume much better so you don't keep having to adjust the volume depending on the age of the original CD that was ripped.

The colour, as mentioned in other reviews, is not black but I find the dark, charcoal grey very fetching and actually more tasteful than plain black. It now handles photos and videos and has colour games but none of these features are of particular interest to me. I simply want a jukebox of all my albums to carry everywhere. The battery life is apparently 4 times better than the 40Gb model.

You will have to upgrade to iTunes v8 to synch your music if, like me, you have never been bothered to upgrade iTunes in the past!!

I do have some very minor quibbles but these are insignificant when compared with the improvement in sound quality:

- the click wheel requires slightly more pressure and the middle button is concave rather than convex. Both make the iPod slightly trickier to control when you're groping for it in your pocket!

- despite the improvement in sound quality, there's still no graphic equalizer that allows you to control treble, bass, etc.. separately.

- you actually get 111Gb of capacity. This using up of the advertised capacity to accommodate the operating system is consistent with all other models.

- it comes with the usual white headphones. Shouldn't they be black to match the colour of the model? Either way they are still poor and to get maximum benefit I'd recommend, as a minimum, a pair of in-ear Sennheiser headphones.

- it comes with a docking adaptor, presumably to cater for the change in thickness. It is slimmer than the 40Gb model. However, the adaptor doesn't fit the stand that came with the 40Gb model so I'm not quite sure what it's for? It does like wider than the 40Gb model. The screen is wider, but the actual iPod itself is in fact the same width.

- the back is still the same 'scratch friendly' material. Can Apple not find a material that is shiny, reflective but doesn't scratch when you look at it!?

As I say, these are very minor quibbles. If you have an extensive music collection and looking for a new iPod with seemingly limitless capacity and significantly improved sound quality, this is a good home for it.

Firstly I used to be an apple hater, have always used Archos and creative labs and been very happy with both. Still thought as I've never meet a person who regrets buying an Ipod that there might be something in these players..So I put my money where my doubts were.
Firstly, my biggest hate for the IPOD is Itunes, I rip my music and already had thousand of tracks and really don't want to have to give a credit card to Itunes so that I can start transferring my music but you have to.. Now other than that the actual player is excellent. Once I got my head around the fact that as a non Itune guy that you can not just drag and drop your track onto you Ipod.

The player is light and sturdy and the head phones even more lightweight- firstly ditch the enclosed headphones and invest in a decent set of phones.
The player is excellent in the controls and style. Although I don't think you want this for Video invest in an archos for your films.
The sound of my MP3s is impressive and full, with GOOD VOLUME.
Some reviewers have said that the volume is an issue.. No the Ipod is loud you can set the maximum volume in the setting but this isn't the actual playing volume just the upper limit!! - whenever the Ipod is turned on it will start to broadcast at half volume by default, this is fine as a quick spin on your finger on the control wheel will put the volume to a level that is load enough to share the tunes with the person trying to sit next to you in silence. It will then stay there as you continue to play with the player.
As for the colour comments, gun metal black is the new true black and that is what this one is very macho. The mat black also is very smudge resistant.

PROS.
-Lots of accessories
-Excellent controls,
-Itunes (if you want to buy or download podcasts)
-Screen and sound quality is excellent
-Nice gunmetal black
-Very good battery life
-Good volume once you realise you need to give a quick flick
-I like the way Ipod pauses if you unplug your headphone so you don't miss a drop.

CONS
-Itunes (no option to avoid if you want to just use windows explorer)
-No drag and drop on any PC only on Itunes at home
-Screen not really good enough for watching movies (maybe TV shows or Videocasts)

Conclussion, I love the Ipod classic but am lukewarm over Itunes. However, I'm buying into Ipod not Itunes (try media monkey software for an alternative).

"Apple vs. all other vendors" banter aside... this is a brilliant piece of kit.

I was on the lookout for a jukebox player seeing as I made the transition from casual listening to complete and utter audiophilia. Consequently, I began to rip mp3s at a high bit rate 320kbps; enjoying the greater sound quality of the music (couldn't believe what I had been missing)... Sounds amazing through my system. This led to my library size increasing almost four-fold. So my little 8GB Creative ZEN (the credit card sized unit) was no longer of favour (that even couldn't fit everything I had in my library, albeit at smaller file sizes/bit rates as well!).

And then there's this little beauty.
It accomodates to my huge library. Plays music flawlessly. The album artwork/cover flow functions are gloriously displayed on a nice wide screen (however, instead of arranging covers by album, the iPod arranges them by artist... which, if there are quite a few tracks that you have which feature additional artists, this equals A LOT of the same cover). The screen also serves purpose for comfortable video/movie playback.

Of course there is that much documented problem about music "not sounding as good as" previous models, but to be quite honest - I notice little to no reduction in quality. EU Legislation dictates that volume limiters are now applied to protect you, the consumer, from doing damage to your beloved ear drums. So yes... it might not be as "loud" as a previous model, but be rest assured that there is definitely no reduction in "quality".
Your ears will thank you someday.

As it is a hard-drive based player... if you tend to delete a lot of music off and load a lot on frequently you can notice a reduction in menu speed; it's because the file system gets a tincy wincy bit cluttered - but that's just extra jargon.
To counteract this, you can restore the iPod to it's original state when purchased... or... defragment the iPod like you would your normal PC hard drive.
This keeps performance tip-top.

So overall... a great player... and in support of the other review stated here... the player is indeed NOT BLACK like the previous generation... it is like a CHARCOAL/OBSIDIAN TONE with a metallic sheen; nonetheless, it retains it's huge aesthetic appeal. Very pleasing to look at, hold, drool over etc. etc.

So all in all, I'd recommend this to anyone with a steadily increasing library, choc-full of high bitrate or lossless music.
Oh, and if you do decide to purchase it... for the love of whoever... don't drop the thing. It's pretty much 'game over' if you do (hard drive fragility and all that).

Downsides:-
- no FLAC support, again...
- hard drive vunerability.
- cover flow bloat (can be fixed with iTunes, but time-consuming).
- earphones, although outputting at the 2Hz -> 20,000Hz range STILL don't sound as good, recommended to replace them with an alternative.