New Ipod 120gb Classic/Existing Itunes Library

[admin_exported]

Hi, I was given an Itouch 16gb which was my first venture into the world of mp3 and have so far loaded about 2000 tracks on it (half full).

Whilst I love it, as an ex DJ of 27 years it is going to be woefully inadequate in terms of storage for my vast collection and the 32gb would not be big enough either.

As there appears to be no news of a larger capacity Itouch on the horizon it seems the new classic is the solution but I have a few questions.

1 - I have heard and read about lots of problems with the classic 'freezing' during playback. Is this true?

2 - Does it play 'gapless' albums? Some say it does, others appear to have had problems.

3 - I believe the classic uses a hard drive rather than the flash drive used on the Itouch. Not being technically minded in that area are there any drawbacks to this? Sound quality, reliability etc? Is this why it 'freezes' occasionally?

4 - Can I use my existing Itunes library in some way, or will I have to start all over again?

5 - Is there a better mp3 player I could use?

6 - Does anyone know if there is going to be a larger Itouch soon?

7 - I have well in excess of 70,000 tracks (I gave up attempting to keep track a while ago!) Is there a good system I could use 'In house' to stream all this off my PC around my home?

I've read about 'Dac'? etc but know absolutely nothing about it or how it works.

8 - What would the best Dock be to play it through a Hi Fi if I take it to friends etc? I have the GQ 24 lead which is great but need something which also charges the Ipod.

I REALLY love my music (ranging from classical to HEAVY metal, Dance music to easy listening and anything in between) which is why I would like to have it all 'on tap' rather than play individual singles, albums or cd's etc.

I'm not interested in it doing anything other than music.

A long winded post I know but I'd like to get it right before I start down the road of uploading all my stuff only to find out later it's not suitable or I can't transfer it somewher else!

For example, what happens if your Ipod gives up and you have to buy a new one? Do you REAllY have to upload your stuff again? 70,000+ tracks? Surely there must be some way around this?

I really value the advice and suggestions on this forum, it has helped me make some wise decisions in the past, so thanks in advance for your time and help

 

[Binman]

1 - I have heard and read about lots of problems with the classic 'freezing' during playback. Is this true?Mine never does. Sometimes judders as it tries to load up album art from the hard disk, but never misses a beat when listening to music

3 - I believe the classic uses a hard drive rather than the flash drive used on the Itouch. Not being technically minded in that area are there any drawbacks to this? Sound quality, reliability etc? Is this why it 'freezes' occasionally?No issues with sound quality. Reliability - I suppose its got moving parts which may go wrong, but hard disks rarely breakdown.

4 - Can I use my existing Itunes library in some way, or will I have to start all over again?You can use your existing Itunes library. All your music will be stored on your PC, and your Ipod will only replicate whats already on your PC. Itunes will recognise the new Ipod and you can sync it in the same way as your existing ipod.

5 - Is there a better mp3 player I could use? No

7 - I have well in excess of 70,000 tracks (I gave up attempting to keep track a while ago!) Is there a good system I could use 'In house' to stream all this off my PC around my home? Look up Apple Airport Express- it plugs into the back of your amplifier. Itunes will then stream all your music to the Airport and it'll play through your hifi wirelessley. You use Itunes to control the music, or you can download an application for your Ipod Touch / Iphone which allows you to use it as a remote control (assuming you have WIFI set up in your house)

I've read about 'Dac'? etc but know absolutely nothing about it or how it works. DAC - Digital to Audio Converter. The Airport Express is a DAC - basically they convert Digital information (as stored on your PC) to Audio format which your amp can play. Every CD player has one, your ipod has one built in too. Some people purchase separate DACs as they can offer better sound quality

8 - What would the best Dock be to play it through a Hi Fi if I take it to friends etc? I have the GQ 24 lead which is great but need something which also charges the Ipod. Richer Sounds are doing a Cambridge Audio Dock for £10.


All your music should be saved on your computer, so if you buy a new ipod you will need to Sync everything to it using Itunes, but that doesn't take too long.

 

[professorhat]

Binman:7 - I have well in excess of 70,000 tracks (I gave up attempting to keep track a while ago!) Is there a good system I could use 'In house' to stream all this off my PC around my home?

Look up Apple Airport Extreme - it plugs into the back of your amplifier. Itunes will then stream all your music to the Airport and it'll play through your hifi wirelessley. You use Itunes to control the music, or you can download an application for your Ipod Touch / Iphone which allows you to use it as a remote control (assuming you have WIFI set up in your house)

Not quite, you mean Airport Express. Airport Extreme will create a wireless network for up to 50 clients and can offer wireless printing, sharing hard drives and the like but can't be used to stream music. Airport Express on the other hand can create your wireless network for up to 10 clients (or join an existing network if you already have wireless), can offer wireless printing and will stream your iTunes music from your PC or Mac to your hi-fi. As you say, this can be further enhanced with an external DAC.

 

[Binman]

Oops! - Sorry I did mean an Airport Express

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Binman (and Prof).

I'm not getting into album art etc so that should be ok.

So if I plug in a new Ipod I can automatically sync it to my existing Itunes then? I thought this wasn't possible to prevent people easily sharing their music but obviously I was misinformed.

I don't have WiFi in my house and wouldn't know where to begin with it! - I'm very interested though, does it require a redecoration job?

Will a £10 Dock give me good sound quality?

What about it playing gapless tracks such as mixes? Any ideas?

Does anyone know if a larger memory Itouch is in the pipelines?

Thanks folks

 

[Binman]

An ipod will only sync with the same computer, but there is no limit on how many ipods you can sync with one computer. If you tried to sync your already synced ipod with another computer, it would overwrite the music with the stuff on the new computer.

In terms of WIFI - I assume you have broadband and your computer is connected to the router/modem with a cable. If this is the case you would need to purchase a new Wireless modem/router and (if your computer is not wifi capable) you would need to buy a wifi USB adapter - you can pick them up for next to nothing on ebay, and some internet providers give them away free (e.g BT Homehub). This will allow you to connect to the internet wirelessley, and also let you have a wireless network at home. No redecoration required whatsoever.

 

[professorhat]

Binman:In terms of WIFI - I assume you have broadband and your computer is connected to the router/modem with a cable. If this is the case you would need to purchase a new Wireless modem/router and (if your computer is not wifi capable) you would need to buy a wifi USB adapter - you can pick them up for next to nothing on ebay, and some internet providers give them away free (e.g BT Homehub). This will allow you to connect to the internet wirelessley, and also let you have a wireless network at home. No redecoration required whatsoever.

Or if the main purpose is wireless streaming, just use the aforementioned Airport Express to create a wireless network by hooking it into your existing wired network.