I Used This iPod for a Year and It Changed My Life

It's been nearly a year since my girlfriend gave me her old iPod Classic to play around with, and at that time I really didn't know how much this little device would change how I consume/relate to my media. Let me know what you think of this video in the comments!

Linsoul IEMs:

iPod Classic 7th Gen (mine is gen 6.5 - these are also super pricey)

Other music players

HIFI WALKER H2 Music Player

SanDisk Clip (Sport model) Music Player

The mic I use:

The camera I use:

*Disclaimer*
All Amazon links placed in the description section are Amazon Affiliate links, and I receive a small commission on any purchases made through this link. Thanks for your support!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:42 Regained ownership
02:11 A curated catalogue
03:26 Cost savings
04:52 Listening to full albums
05:55 Sound quality
06:45 No algorithm
08:08 Much less distracting
09:33 Outro

[SunnyGoesInD]

I found you a month or two ago, right after watching Digging the Greats’ 4 week iPod series. Watched a handful of other people’s videos on why they made the switch to DP and iPods. Maybe I’ve secretly been a Philistine for a while but nonetheless I’ve had a great phone addiction since… basically the days when I got one. After a weekend that totally almost put me off the grid I felt better than I had in over a decade. When the birds sang outside, I felt like a Disney character who wanted to join in instead of grabbing the nearest stone. (Ok, that’s extreme but you get it.) I really like when you go into your philosophy behind things and how it affects your real life and the way you see the world. I’ve got an iPod now, and currently I’ve been debating which phone I could switch to. Here’s to reclaiming my mind, life and energy. ❤

[macsarcule]

So much peace. It’s not just owning your music, it’s owning your whole music experience.

And as you found, when it’s yours, the music stops being wallpaper, it’s an engaging experience now.

✌️😌✨

[PGBlanks]

Remember when we had to buy entire albums and listen to all the non-singles? I feel like with streaming it focuses mostly on the singles which is like 10% of the music of the artists.

I remember when my favorite songs were all of the unknown songs that no one really listened to (and I didn't care), but nowadays I feel like I listen to more mainstream music because the recommendation algorithm is a bit more suited to what's popular.

[BrittanyWood-en]

Man I love your videos! I feel like I’m stuck in this rut of always leaning towards streaming services. I’m tired of paying for something I don’t own. They make it seem like it’s a necessity when it’s not. I want to go back to iPods and BlackBerry phones or the slide phones with a keyboard. I’m tired of the endless advertisement bombardment and the constant need to be with your phone at all times. I want relationships, communication, and to be in control of my time and money. Thanks for sharing your tips and helping us to see the other side of things!

[FullaEels]

Listening to a whole album in a single sitting really is a nice way to relax. Particularly the classics. Ive found myself buying albums even if i like just one song, and slowly liking the rest as they play a role in the wider picture if the album.

[willm]

Glad I got my ipod before the prices spike because people are realising spotify is dogshit

[MikeSparksMusic]

I love when people say streaming services have everything 😂… clearly they are missing somethings due to licensing issues. It always feels accomplishing when you find those albums or compilations at secondhand stores that aren’t on any streaming services.

[matthewh]

I always wanted to do this but I think the main problem is not being able to discover music as easily. I use the discover weekly playlist every week and I really enjoy that aspect. Keep up the great videos bro!

[wizzy]

I bought an iPod Classic back in February of this year for $40 (60gb model) from 2005 that was marketed as the first iPod to play videos, so it's got a bit of chonk to it which I love. I've used this device every day since I got it for the last 6-7 months and I have never looked back. Immediately unsubscribed from Spotify, starting buying my music, and realized not only did it sound way better but it was also immensely satisfying AND I'm saving money. I still consider it the best purchase I've made this year. Absolutely love my iPod.

[anthonyL]

I've been going off all streaming services and back to physical media with dvd/blueray and am now doing the same with my music as well 😊

Really happy that you showed where to get music for your ipod Thanks!!

It's not physical media on an ipod but you can curate your collection without distraction as you said.

Love your videos 👍

[lilPopper]

No more need to rely on data or the Internet all the time to listen to music when on the go. Not to mention the amount of money you saved from the bleeding expenses of subscription services. Sometimes going backwards on tech is good.

[TheRetroStuffGuy]

I pretty much agreed with everything you said, apart from the earphones. I've never been comfortable with in-ear earphones...small earholes I guess.

But I do love my chunky Sony wireless headphones I use in the gym when I listen to music via Spotify. So, I purchased a bluetooth adaptor which i can plug into my iPod & now use my Sony wireless headphones. It's a bit of handful carrying around in your hands & it's another object you have to make sure is charged, but i'm glad I got it.

[Natsugami]

I’m genuinely surprised to see this as a new trend these days. I could never get into Spotify because I didn’t have a consistent cellular connection ( lack of funds + nyc underground transit ) and my music taste primarily being Japanese music. So I had to buy/pirate all the music I have so I always had an offline playlist . Now a days my music taste is accommodated in iTunes so now if I really want a song I can buy it.

[haguilar]

I'm lucky to own an iPod classic 5th gen 30 GB and touch 4th gen 8 GB. I realized that I don't really need to have all my music collection with me when I'm outside the house, so I create several playlists to upload. Doing this, I find that I am having fun selecting what songs to put on the iPods, creating themes with the playlists, and even uploading cover art on the playlists.

Also, I haven't totally abandoned Spotify, I just don't pay for a subscription. I still find it useful to keep up with my favorite artists when they release new music and check out new artists. If there is something I like, I can just buy it and add to my collection.

[chickenpie]

I've been working on building a decent offline music library for months now and am making good progress. For me, the idea is to hopefully move towards fully cutting the cord from music streaming services as I've been a Tidal customer for a few years now but simply can't rely on it to consistently work. I want a big library on my PC which is also backed up in the cloud which I can just store either in it's entirety or in chunks across multiple devices.

I do like the simplicity of streaming my music, the algorithm lead music discovery and having access to so many songs. It's just not working well for me sometimes and I'm longing to just be able to properly own my music again.

[realkmn]

Bro, I had the EXACT same IPod for years before I ever had a cell phone, it was my only mobile device and I put it through the ringer. Held a mountain of media and it took every blow it was given and kept on rocking. Thing was awesome. Unfortunately it met its demise eventually, and I moved on, but I still miss my dear old friend greatly.

[ambiarock]

"If you're an avid music listener, why would you pay for music you don't own?" is definitely one of my upsides of using iPods. Any song you like can just be removed from streaming at any time and you have no say in the matter. I also gravitate towards the same playlist of metal songs over and over again. I have to be in a certain mood to want to go looking for new music. I've been building up my CD collection as well and it looks nice on my shelf. Artists also get paid next to nothing via streaming so buying CDs compensates them much more.

I love using cabled IEMs and with those you're not gonna have to throw them away someday. There's no battery in those so you can just keep them and run them for as long as you look after them. As Dank Pods has talked about several times good headphones from the 70s are still really good headphones today. Headphones don't go out of date, so getting a good high quality of headphones makes everything you plug them into sound better, and they'll last for decades and decades. I've been in the iPod/cabled headphones camp and I doubt I'm gonna switch back anytime soon. With the way big tech companies are acting these days I'm getting away from smart tech, streaming, and hosting data on servers. I want more control of my content and especially music as an avid power & symphonic metal enjoyer.

[emeraldknight]

Great video, I've been using an iPod since 2020 and definitely agree with your points. I find myself listening to so many more full albums than I would've done before.

[YungStinkyWinky]

Listening to albums the whole way through was alsosomething I really noticed myself doing more once I came back to my iPod (after 2-ish years on Spotify)! Never expected to enjoy listening to everything an artist had to say in that piece of art, not just the hits/marketed songs.

[hejrafa]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I started using an iPod classic at the start of this year for one simple reason—stop being distracted at the gym. I always listen to music while working out, but I found myself starting to write people or scroll social media during my breaks between sets. Making those breaks way longer and my overall experience to train bad. Now with only bringing the iPod my workouts are focused and I also started listening to music and albums more focused. This is such a journey and I love seeing stories like yours on YouTube. Cheers mate :)