I’ll be updating this same thread as we go along, or at least until any major changes happen.
iPod Neo journey:
- Install gtkpod
- Download rockbox (not a fan, it was ugly, hard to install, had poor battery life)
- Removed rockbox
- Download iTunes 11.04: Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Wi… - Apple Community (didn’t work)
- Move iPod Control directory off. Use gtkPod to reinit. Use KDE Partition Manager to rename paritition.
- gtkPod looped on creating dirs each time, but iTunes 11.04 was happy to re-init now.
- Added music to gtkPod and Rhythmbox to see which does a better job
- Added usbview via apt - (take note of the serial for your ipod 0000000000001234)
- Edit …/ipod/iPod_Control/Device/SysInfo and append the serial like so:
FirewireGuid: 0x0000000000001234 - Rhythmbox init AND gtkPod now work.
As a side note, I was unable to “reinit” this device with iTunes until I had deleted the iPod Control directory.
You can also save yourself a lot of hassle if you have a windows box handy by just skipping all the gtkPod stuff and doing steps 5, 8, and 9 then handing it over to iTunes to handle the rest.
Update on this, trying to figure a good way to do an audio output comparison test.
This is with an MP3 320 source (to make sure it stays apples to apples, not FLAC vs ALAC or anything). Recorded from output jack into an M-Audio M-Track Duo.
Modern device represented via Astell&Kern AK70
Bluetooth recorded via AK70 to a bluetooth transceiver with AptX-HD support.
We’ve got iPod on the left. AK70 in the middle. Bluetooth on the right.
All 3 were recorded to Bitwig, saved as WAV files, and compared in Spek.
Subjectively, I felt there was almost no difference between the iPod Classic and the AK70. I did notice a substantial difference vs bluetooth, of course.
Do you think it’d be worth comparing vs a straight analog source like a vinyl, and perhaps via the output jack on a modern phone?