ipod, zen vs CD Player

[ciber]

A tough choice, which is better for sound quality??

(1) APE Music -> wav, use IPOD, Creative zen + HD600 Headphone

(2) APE music -> nero CD, use cd player + HD600 Headphone

 

[alexs2]

A lot will depend on how much,if any,compression you use.

Certainly,you're using a very good set of 'phones,which will reveal any shortcomings in either the compression,and the player being used.
if you're using a decent quality CD player(you haven't said if it includes any amplification,or if it's a Walkman style system),and no compression,I'd expect it to beat the others,but you'd need to be a bit clearer about the cd player,and compression levels.

 

[ciber]

if no compression, which is better for sound quality??

(1) APE Music -> wav (no compression used), use IPOD, Creative zen line out + amplifier, HD600 Headphone

(2) APE music -> nero CD, use cd player + amplifier, HD600 Headphone

 

[alexs2]

My own feeling would be APE>CD/amp>HD600,as I've certainly found WAVs to sound a bit flat and abrasive by comparison with the originals,albeit using a fairly expensive replay system.

 

[WhyAyeMan]

Originally posted by alexs2
My own feeling would be APE>CD/amp>HD600,as I've certainly found WAVs to sound a bit flat and abrasive by comparison with the originals,albeit using a fairly expensive replay system.

I doubt they were ripped / burned properly if they sounded worse than the original. Try using EAC. Although theres a chance that your imagining it sounds worse because you know its a copy playing

 

[bf2008]

A tough choice, which is better for sound quality??

(1) APE Music -> wav, use IPOD, Creative zen + HD600 Headphone

(2) APE music -> nero CD, use cd player + HD600 Headphone

Hi. Good question! I'm also interested in this.
Just one thing, could you be more clear about the "cd player"? I think that's the whole point of the question. I'm sure the iPod is better than some cd players (e.g. some £10 ones you can get on amazon), and worse than others (e.g. some £5000 esoteric ones, i hope! otherwise they're ripping people off much more than i thought!). The point is where exactly the ipod fits in the scale of cd players.
So, can anyone say what they think about how the ipod sound quality compares to other cd players (when being played through a good quality dock).

(another thing, I don't wanna get into a discussion about file formats, but if you want lossless reproduction I'd recommend you just to use apple lossless).