Section 4: Audio Quality

I suppose none of what we just talked about would make a difference if the Zune sounded lousy. Truth be told, there's no real concrete way that I can tell you if you'll LIKE the Zune's sound. A lot of folks here really dig the iPod's sound, and I know that plenty of 'fiers will reference the various collection of hi-fi reviewers that compare the iPod to high end CD Players.

Honestly, if there's nothing wrong with your iPod's sound to your ears, stick with it. Unfortunately for me, the very device that got me interested in Headphones eventually became unlistenable. At first, I would only listen with much more dynamic phones like the SR60 or KSC35. Those, and the GS1000 I had for a bit also fuzzed over the imperfections in the iPod's signature... harsh etched treble, lack of bass, and little punch. After a while (perhaps about the time I became hooked on the Etymotic ER4) my enjoyment of the iPod became entirely dependant on the usage of a Total Bithead amp. And I've been a real go-go Apple iPod fanboy for quite a few years now... this wasn't easy stuff to come to terms with. I originally came TO Head-Fi to find a suitable companion for my iPod.

At first, I was only looking for a player that was more dynamic than the iPod. If nothing else, I wanted to have a little punch in my music. Just doesn't feel right anymore without that delicious tactile crackle. The Playstation Portable did it, so I was certain I could find something fairly similar in a more compact package with a touch more storage. During a pilgrimage to Best Buy, I discovered a song I'd heard once or twice before pre-loaded onto a Zune, and popped in my KSC35s.

Hey, that sounds good. God only KNOWS what it is recorded at, but there was some serious snap crackle and pop magic going on. Messed with the menus for a few minutes, made a snap decision, and brought the Zune home.

Headphones Used: Etymotic ER4P, Grado RS1, Grado SR60, KSC35, Zune Earbuds.

Music ripped in AAC compression using iTunes 6 at 224, unless otherwise noted. Music synced to Zune using first generation Zune software.

Artist Preferences: Radiohead, The Shins, Aimee Mann, Neko Case, Yoko Kanno, The Who, many others of this general nature with a wide spattering of classical music and musicals ranging from Les Miserables to RENT.

A quick note on the Zune Earbuds: They're not too bad. Decent quality, with bass response that impresses. They're not "all midrange" like the iPod buds of old (haven't heard the new ones) and I can see the average person on the street thinking the Zune's a better sounding player just based on these buds.

This is a spectacular sounding player. It has a slightly warm signature that is surprisingly clean for a portable device. Popping in an Etymotic ER4P (the most sensitive phone I own) to ANY other player or amp I've tried has resulted in a slight background hiss. That's just something that I think most of us have learned to live with on a DAP or amp... my Melos setup also bears a very slight hiss only discernable with the ER4. The Zune? DEAD silent. And I mean pure black. If your phones are popped in and there's either no music playing or there's a break in your well recorded song, you're not going to hear any hiss at all.

When music IS pumping into your head, the entire presentation is lovely. I can't help but be impressed with the sheer amount of texture (or timbre if you prefer) that the Zune exhibits. Stack that on the sheer dynamic nature of the audio and you've got a killer rockshow happening between your ears. Bass extends quite deep with no bloat that I can detect, and treble is in no way harsh. Even with brighter headphones a piercing sound won't feel unnatural. The texture isn't just in one area... it's clean from the lowest note to the highest and has an honest "soul" about it. Whereas the iPod was the limiting factor between certain teirs of headphone before, the Zune really only reveals more detail and texture depending on what you plug in. If really pushed, I'd say the Zune has a slight tendancy to be bright. Sybilance isn't an issue though unless your phone has a problem with it, and even nasty tracks like those found in Blur's "Park Life" are entirely listenable on a bright phone. Head-space and general layering of audio seem to be about dead even with what's found on the iPod. That is to say, it's fairly easy to pick out a specific lick of music or a particular instrument if the track is recorded well (meaning NOTHING by Coldplay), but I wouldn't call it Holographic or completely three dimensional. High marks, but nothing totally out of the ordinary for a portable player. Sound is rendered pretty well around your head, so if your phones don't have the "3 bubble" problem, I don't think you'll find it here.

On the first day with the Zune, I started to wonder if the player was adding the occasional pop and hiss to my music. Using my ER4P and swapping back and fourth between my Melos rig and the Zune, I began to realize that those were simply IN the track. My RS1 isn't always the best at picking out that sort of detail so I hadn't noticed them. Rip your files with love if you pick up a Zune. With a good pair of IEMs, it will easily show you any mistakes in the recording itself.

The headphone jack has respectable kick to it, but I don't believe it's much more powerful in terms of output when compared to an iPod. You'll be able to drive Grados or most IEMs / earbuds with no problem at all, but I can't attest to a combination involving a hungrier headphone. I think you'd still need an amp in that situation. I can't see any reason to use an amp if you're not using beefy phones though.

The kick-butt audio can also be a little bit of a downfall for the device. I've loaded quite a few videos onto my Zune from music video DVDs in my posession, and as most of you know, the audio isn't always the best on a smaller video file. More revealing phones are going to pick apart every single flaw in your video file.

I've never really needed a radio in my MP3 player, but the Zune's got one. It seems to pick up signals at least as well as my consumer stereo, and the audio quality is fairly good. If the station that you're tuned into is broadcasting their station ID and current song title, you'll see them on the Zune's screen. You can bookmark as many stations as you'd like, and they show up as little glowing white dots on the dial when you're just browsing and want to get back to them without heading into another menu.