Which iPod?


After taking a skeptical back seat on compressed mobile music all this long, I finally think it is time to take the plunge. Have decided on Shure E4C for earbuds and now wondering which iPod to go with.

Done some research on the net and came across various versions such as the mini, nano, photo etc. Now, I'm not too crazy about watching videos or photos on a 2 inch screen. My primay need is AUDIO and need to find the one that sounds best with Apple Lossless Compression. I will go for the video/photo version if they have better sonics.

Any advise or exprience sharing is highly appreciated.

Cheers,
Amal
amal
It comes do to how much space you need and what you want to carry. I have 2) 15 gigs which were enought then I just got a NANO because of the size I am using enoymic 4p phones. I have to say I think the 15gig I have version 2 or 3 i think have better sound than the nano. I guess that would make sense though since how good can the amp in the nano be given it's size, I was a bit disappointed. Still I am using that the most. But it is nice on car trips to have your entire music collection.

Note if you are looking if a 15gig I was going to list it for sale jason@programmergeek.com, I just don't have a need for 2 of them. One was mind one was the girlfriends.
Amal, like you I was sold on the Shure E4c earphones until I read this review of Shure E4c vs. Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5pro. Take a look at the review before you buy the Shure earphones.

As far as iPods go...buy the smallest and lightest with the most memory you can afford, and know that as soon as you plunk down your dough, Apple will release an even smaller, lighter version with even more storage...
I too was going to purchase a Nano, but they were selling 15GB iPods at the same price and since the iPod is still small.....I paired up mine with a Headroom Micro Amp and Ultimate Ears UE10Pros. It's awesome.
Tvad,

Isn't this the beauty of this hobby? I spent countless hours reading and listening to Shure E4C against the Etymotic ER4-P and decided on Shure and was going to buy it this evening, and then, Bham!!

Thanks a lot for the advise. While I came across the UEs during research, never had a chance to listen to them, so they kind of slipped thru my fingers. Now thay are firmly back on the table, so I need to go find a dealer for an audition.

As for the iPod, I am not entirely sure if Nano is the way to go. Besides the woes of construction quality, it is very small and light, so I am not sure how compromised the amplifier is. Not very many things come is such smaller packages with the whole goodness retained, unless the designer is David Berning, so...

Thanks Programmer and Lenny for your responses. Could you guys please clarify this 15GB iPod you are fererring to? Is this the Original iPod that had a monochrome screen?

Cheers,
Amal
The Nano is the coolest piece of hardware I've ever touched.

But, lots of complaints about scratches on the Nano's screen, and 4gb just insn't enough space for high quality music. It's ok for low bitrate stuff, but if you use better phones you'll definitely hear quality loss.

Nano for short listening sessions (the gym?) 60 GB (or more) for work. The new video ipod is a nice blend between the two.

Isn't it great to have options!

Good luck