IPod classic sound quality issues

Hi guys,
I understand probably it's too much early to discuss this topic but anyway I try to ask.
In order to the release of the new model (yesterday's event in USA)of the classic, anybody has any news about the sound quality complaints arised in the previous months?
I mean, anybody knows if the quality sound problems, due to the change of the sound micro-chip, have been solved in the new modelMany thanks in advance for the help.

Excellent question, the answer to which I eagerly await. If the sound quality improves, I might purchase a 120GB, otherwise, there are now alternatives by competitors with 120GB capacity, similar form factors, built in FM radio, subscription music services, and wireless sync of the music library for the same price as Apple's 120GB. They don't have the sound stage issue as the 160GB Classic. There is even a 240GB model being offered by a competitor.
Too bad Apple didn't release a 240GB Ipod classic. Toshiba, Apple's hard drive manufacturer, announced a 240GB 1.8" drive on 9/9, coincident with the Apple Ipod announcements. I have a large and growing library of classical recordings as I explore the classical catalog, as well as many Podcasts. I could really use the space! I've input this request on Apple's Ipod feedback page and suggest that any like minded customers do the same.

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    i bought a ipod classic but the sound quality sound really ****** and the volume is 2 low APPLE I WANT MY MONEY BACK !!

    2 factors:
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    2. are you using Apple earbuds or some other company?
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    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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    Try another set of earphones to rule out the earphones as being the cause.
    - Try cleaning out/blowing out the headphone jack. Try inserting/removing the plug a dozen times or so. There is a little switch in the headphone jack that disconnects the speaker when the headphone jack is inserted.
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