Digital Trends

Microsoft Zune 8GB November 13th, 2007 | by Jason Tomczak

Radio

Using the built-in FM radio tuner is a breeze. Scroll left and right - or press the right/left edges of the scroll button - to increase or decrease the radio frequency. The play/pause button can be used to halt or resume radio transmission. The coolest part of the FM tuner is the Radio Broadcast Data System (aka RBDS) data stream that comes along with the music - showing you the FM station's call signal (e.g. KRSK, KFOG, etc.), the name of the radio show and even the name of the band and song currently playing; it’s awesome. 

Sound Quality

When we hooked the Zune Red up to the optional "premium" headphones and hit play, the very first thing we thought of was that Wendy's commercial from 1984 where the old lady keeps blurting out "Where's the beef?!" The sounds were sub-par at best. No bass, wish-washy mids and super high treble. The standard headphones, however, sounded much, much better than the premium set. Bass was vastly improved.

When we connected the Zune to our Bose TriPort headphones, we were very, very pleasantly surprised, and also quite relieved. The Zune puts out excellent sounds from our digital media collection, even songs that were encoded with lower bit rates. Bass is rich and physical, mids are very defined and accurate, and highs are crisp like a cold winter breeze.

These days, the internal components and digital processors in MP3 players are very similar - it's unlikely that there's going to be a significant difference between the audio playback on a Zune or an iPod. The significant differences come in physical characteristics, device interface, online store experience, accessories, etc.

Surprisingly, the new Zune does not come with any sort of EQ settings built in. If a song needs a wee bit more bass, you're out of luck. Like it or leave it.

Conclusion

The new 8GB Zune Red is a sexy little MP3 player - certainly better than many competitive players on the market. The screen is very nice (a little small) and has great color rendering and smooth action. The FM radio is a sweet feature, especially for those of us who easily tire of our private music collection. The 8GB Zune also plays video quite well, making it a decent player for watching tiny videos on the go. The fact that it looks strikingly similar to the just-retired 2nd Generation Apple iPod nano is bound to be a matter of derision from many Apple fans. The wireless sync feature is awesome and finally, the sound quality of the Zune is pretty darn impressive... so long as you use your own headphones.

We hate to say it, but the Zune Marketplace is a frustrating convergence of sexy design and torturous interactivity. The whole "points" system is convoluted and can only serve to numb customers to the reality of what they're spending for entertainment. Still, once connected, the Zune store offers plenty of great content.

Overall, the new 8GB Zune Red is a really good media player. It'll especially appeal to those who don't want to line the Apple coffers with their hard earned money but still want a solid music experience. For $199 USD, the 8GB Zune is a decent iPod contender.


Pros:

• Excellent sound quality
• Compact new design
• Nice, clean 1.8" LCD screen
• Up to 24 hour battery life
• Wireless syncing & song sharing
• Friendly, simple interface
• Improved navigation with Zune pad
• $199 USD price on par with iPod nano 


Cons:

• Medium-low quality headphones
• Convoluted Zune Marketplace
• PC only - No Mac support
• No EQ settings at all
• No mic or recording ability