AudioPod?

I consider myself a minor audiophile. My home equipment is leaning toward that level and I've even recently bought a new turntable to replace one whose time had come. And yet, as regular readers (are there any?) will know, I'm addicted to my iPod. Anthony Tommasini wonders about the feasibility of being an audiophile in an iPod world.

May I suggest something that I think commentators fail to address? The isolation of an iPod (or like device) facilitates more careful listening because it is an isolated experience. The kind of concentrated listening that an iPod affords allows one to hear the music in a contained way that is possible in the real world.

I have a great set of speakers in my den, but I can almost never listen to them unmolested. Some admittedly benign outside noise - kids playing, a car, lawnmowers - almost always intrude. Headphones are a solution, but then I'm tied to a room (wireless cans have their own issues). The iPod allows me to listen unbothered in as comfortable a situation as I can create for myself. Surely there is no better way to focus on the music?

I also don't find the sound quality all that bad either. I do rip at the highest bit rate possible and have invested in a pair of Etymotic earphones, which maximize the sound (and the isolation).

Now I will never give up my speakers, which in the right set of circumstances give me an unmatchable music experience. But that set of circumstances are increasingly rare. For this, my iPod is ideal.