Can subwoofers damage hdd in iPod?

This question may probably best be answered by someone with good knowledge of both computers and car audio.

In my Camry, I have 2 infinity Perfect 12.1 subwoofers, driven by a 500 watt Alpine sub amp (I don't remember the model off hand, but basically it bumps). My iPod is my main music source in the car. (It isn't mounted, just sits on the center-console). The iPod now has a dying hard drive, it has bad sectors and occasioanly the head will contact the pladder, and the iPod freezes.

I was wondering if the vibration from loud subwoofers can cause hard-drive damage in an iPod. Or if it takes significantly more force than sub vibes. The symptoms occur even when listening to the iPod without subs (like with headphones or w/e) but the symptoms occur a lot more often in the car.

I'm going to replace that iPod, but I was wondering if the sub vibes can in fact cause that damage, what I can do to prevent it from happening on my next iPod. I'm definitely going to mount it with one of those iPod bracket things, but I don't know if thats enough, or if I should just avoid using the iPod in my car.

portable hard drives with large sizes (20 gig, 30 gig, 40, etc.) can be damaged if it sustaines enough shock and vibration which is why they're better suited for sitting still somewhere versus jogging/on the go activities, though i dunno about sub vibration, i would think the subs would have to hit very very hard or be relatively close to the ipod itself. Keeping the i pod still (doesn't move at all for ANY reason) is the best you can do to keep it running correctly and definitely mount the new one on some bracket or something so it stays secure and doesn't move, maybe hidden away in a console box or glove compartment or something.

:) Thanks. I didn't think the sub vibes could be enough to damage the hard drive. But I wasn't sure. There are a few reasons this drive may be dying, and I wanted to at least rule out the sub woofers before I started using the new iPod.

I would like to say that I know a fair amount about computers and how stuff works before making my suggestion.

It is possible that the pounding and vibration after long periods of time could deteriorate the hard drive on your Ipod. If you think about how a hard drive works, it has several metal discs that spin around and a small needle that reads the information. If that needle is subject to hard vibrations while operating, it could cause scratching on the metal disks, resulting in bad sectors and overall inoperability of the drive. It would have to be some pretty good vibrations though, as the drive is meant to be able to take some vibration. In your case, a bracket may help but not completely fix the problem. It might be wise to tone down the subs a little also.

my guess would be vibration AND not being secured. If you had it in some type of stand or holder, I would think it would fair a lot better.

It seems like I have seen dash/car mounts for sale for iPods that have rubber insulators that absorb a certain amount of shock from bumps and road irregularities. The shear vibration that is carried through the air by the subs would still impact the unit I think. I know I have heard systems that can rattle your teeth so that little precision hard drive has to be affected.

try putting it in your glove box and put a soft bottom on it and make sure only songs that you want to listen too are on it.