[marknorton]

I think the iPod delivers reasonable sound quality for the price and if you couple it with one of the better docking amp and speakers, it gives much better quality than the traditional ghetto-blaster.

Sure, finely engineered components give better sound quality but I gave up designing audio equipment because there's no money to be made from it and I didn't have/don't have "Golden Ears". I just could not tell the difference between one make of polypropylene capacitor and another.

Now, I'm quite happy to have all my music - thousands of CDs - server based using iTunes, Apple Lossless feeding an iPod and a number of wireless SqueezeBoxes, one of which goes through a decent DAC (Meridian G91) and sounds pretty good to my ears. My new "fave" of the moment, Alison Balsom and her magical trumpet sound wonderful, though I have been banned by a higher power from buying one to learn to play...

[PS Sorry about perpetuating the OT-ness, but we have done the R10 to death. As Andy said before the M8 was launched, it's going to a long hot summer if we go on like this!]