Has Apple addressed poor sound quality issues with new 160GB iPod classic?

I just bought a new 160GB iPod classic, replacing a perfectly good 80GB iPod Video (5.5), thinking that the newer one would be superior to my 3 year old model. I discovered that the sound of the new unit was flat and muddy compared to the older model. I found that the 5th gen iPod video was more "spacial", if that's an appropriate word to use; the bass was more present and more clearly defined, as was the rest of the sonic spectrum. I searched several forums to research this issue and while there were numerous references to this issue, all of the posts I found referred to the original iPod classics (80GB and 160GB) and not the later 120GB classics nor the new 160GB classics like the one I bought. Has Apple done anything to address this issue since the first classics were released or are the new ones still suffering from the same sound quality issues as the original classics?

Based on your observations here, they apparently have not changed the sound quality since the original 160GB classic. I noticed a clear narrowing of the sound stage (ambiance) between the 5.5G 80Gb and my 6G 160GB. You're describing the same characteristic. I don't own the newest 160GB version and came here today to see if it might have improved the sound quality back to the 5.5 spaciousness. Note that the 5.5G has a higher signal to noise ratio than the 6G, making it difficult for me to enjoy it through efficient balanced armature in ear monitors like the Shure SE530s or Ulimate Ears Triple.Fi 10s.

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