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'Pop' Between Tracks In New iPod
joesao writes "The new iPods released last week seem to have a problem that causes an audible 'electrostatic pop' between all tracks played on it. The effect is not imaginary, as it has been witnessed by many users over at the Apple discussion forums. Now, one user has actually published a sound sample recorded the iPod's playback and the verdict is in: it's real. I hope this is a firmware issue and that it's quickly fixed ..." I just ordered a new iPod. I wonder if I should cancel my order.
and mine doesn't have any pops. (15gb)
It is a very very solid upgrade to an already amazing product. Don't cancel your order.
Some of the older Compaq iPaq and HP Jornada Pocket PC PDAs had the same issue where you would here a pop right after a sound was played. Firmware fixes were released to reduce or eliminate the problem, which changed how the mini-amp for the built-in speaker (listening to sound via a headphone didn't have the same issue or was so minor that it couldn't be heard) was powered off.
The issue with the iPod might just be that the embedded OS is possibly powering down the mini-amp between songs or could be a glitch with the sound chip between the buffers. Probably a good chance that it can be eliminated or at least make it much more subtle by a firmware fix... or it may be problems with said mini-amp.
People who have upgraded older iPods to 1.3 are reporting the same "electrostatic pop". This would seem to indicate that it's in the firmware and will at some point be fixed. It's not exactly a nightmarish bother; at least not to me.
There were no cracks in the Cube. Somehow the small wrinkles of the moulding process looked a bit like small cracks.
That Airport issue was easily remedied by calling apple, explaining the situation, and getting a free replacement. I didn't know what the problem was until I opened the case up and voided the warranty, but it was a simple matter of walking across the street to the local radio shack, picking up 2$ worth of capacitors, and soldering them to the leads of the previous ones. I didn't have to cut out any holes in my airport to make them fit, and they've worked without incident ever since. But your bitterness is unfounded, as this iPod issue is very likely a software issue, and Apple doesn't charge for firmware upgrades.
karma: ouch!
Seems to me like you've screwed up your earbuds pretty good by crunching the plug like that. That probably explains the crackling (my Walkman headphones crackle occasionally when I fiddle with the [much-abused] plug).
As for the shocks...I HIGHLY doubt that there are any voltages >5 VDC inside the iPod. Certainly they wouldn't be necessary to power any of the circuitry AFAIK. I'm thinking you're being shocked by static electricity that's built up by the 'Pod bouncing around inside your pocket. Perhaps there's a connection between the metal back and some part of the earbuds. I've never had the opportunity to closely examine iPod buds--do they have any exposed metal? If not, maybe you've actually damaged the insulation going into them enough that an exposed wire is touching your ear--but even then I think only a static charge (not one from the iPod's battery) could be a high enough voltage to be noticeable.
Finally, the topic of this thread: In addition to what people have suggested about this being a result of power cycling the amp circuitry (which seems pretty likely), it's also possible that DC control signals are leaking into the audio outputs. I suppose you could say I'm a budding audio professional, and we've experienced a similar problem with a (MUCH more expensive than the iPod) piece of professional audio gear. Turned out that the control circuitry was not adequately shielded, and the cables connecting the automation section to the rest of the device were threaded around and through audio cables (and--like most similar products--the internal cables were generally unshielded IIRC). The manufacturer was very helpful and modified the automation assembly, but we finally decided that the product wasn't meeting our needs anyway (feature-wise). So we sold it and replaced it with a better (and even more expensive) product from the same company, which doesn't have the same problem, nor do two more products purchased from them since.
I don't know how applicable this is to the iPod--after all, all of its circuitry is on one PCB, unlike this product, which had over 50 fairly sizable ones and plenty of connections between them.
Just some food for thought.
WM
> Judging from past experiences, no.
My experience has been otherwise.
With the first generation iPods, Apple originally had a 90-day warranty. However, they later increased the warranty to a full year, and they grandfathered all the iPod owners to this period.
I had a 1st gen iPod and it quit working after about 10 months (apparently, the first iPods could have a problem if you didn't keep them charged, they wouldn't turn back on). I went to the Apple Store, and they replaced the unit at no charge. No muss, no fuss. The replacement has had no problems, and I've had no such problem with my 10 GB iPod either.
Apple realizes that good customer service is not only the right thing to do, but it also pays dividends. I just bought a 17" PowerBook, something I would have been loathe to do if Apple had nickle-and-dimed me on the iPod.
So if the new iPods do have this problem, I suspect the answer is a quick firmware update. Or they'll replace the unit. Of course, I'd just go down the Apple Store, and listen to a real unit. Maybe the problem is with bad encoding or a corrupted track.
P.S.: I have a 1st generation AirPort, too, and I have yet to have a problem with it.
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.