ZUNE HD vs Cowon J3, Quick Impressions.

Time with both

Zune HD - 3 days

J3 - 10 days

So after having the Cowon J3 for a lil' over a week, something didn't feel quite right w/ the sound (to the point where I though it was defective) Sooo, I went and ordered the Zune HD 32. With time I've come to understand J3's sound.

Sound Quality

Zune HD: Pretty flat, maybe a lil' colored in the low end, overall very good sounding. If your a basshead you may want more. A bit better sounding than a Zune 120, but not night and day. EQ is there, but only presets, no bassboost.

Cowon J3: Very clear, almost too clear w/ some low bitrate files, with the help of BBE EQ sound is improved. With my SE530 I had to tone down the High end -4 DB @ 9khz, and -5 @ 4.1khz. *IMO*, Some "enhancements" like BBE itself and Mach3bass & 3D sound just seem to add more sibilant sound, and makes the music sound over processed when you start using like high settings like, "BBE 9" or "3D sound 8", YMWV, depends on your ears and what cans you use with it.

Verdict: I'd have to give the slight edge to the Cowon. High end maybe sibilant to some. .flac & 320kps files help alot w/ this but maybe an issue for ppl who are sensitive to it.

User Interface / Desktop Software

Zune HD: IMO, the best interface ever on any player, its fluent/fast, the menu is a mini reflection of the desktop ZUNE software interface. That being said I would've like some dedicated hardware buttons for volume at the very least. Podcast support is excellent.

NOTE: Zune Desktop Client is Aces 10/10!

Cowon J3: It gets the job done, but don't expect to be blown away. I've already tried different custom UIs for it like Aero and such, and they help the very "plan Jane" default cowon interface, but its miles behind here.

There are hardware buttons, but I feel like they are poorly placed on the player.  Track Next/Back then PLAY then Volume + /- are placed along the right side of the unit, and the lone Power/Wake button on the left side.  It doesn't seem well though out. Hard to explain unless you hold it in your hand I wish they had put Volume +/- on the top left side of the unit, instead of the lower right, and Power/Wake on the top of the player (like the ZuneHD), because you index finger naturally goes there when held with either hand.

NOTE: the software that comes with the J3 player is pretty much trash, I ended up using Windows Media Player 12. I've yet to figure out how to auto sync my J3 w/ WMP12 to mirror my music library with my J3, Since i have the 16GB J3 w/ 16 SD card, WMP see this at two completely different devices, making it impossible to auto sync as its trying to sync my entire library to each device individually, as opposed to seeing 1 32GB player. If anyone can help me here I'm all ears.

Verdict: Zune by a mile.

Radio

Zune HD: For one its HD, so by nature you get a better sounding signal more times than not, when its week it won't lock into the HD station.  Overall, I see more ppl using the radio on this device than the J3. You can tag a song to buy later on, in the Zune Marketplace, if you want. But if you have zune pass...I kinda don't see a use for a radio.

Cowon J3: It's pretty weak, reception is not quite as good because its just FM and not HD, so you hear more static, that being said w/ both signals being optimum on both devices, I'd choice the J3 cause you use BBE setting w/ the radio and makes it sound that much better, even compared to a Zune locked into an HD station. You can also record stations if you'd like, but I don't think its a good option, but its there, sound quality is akin to recording a radio station with a cassette tape.

Verdict: Tie, Cowon sounds better but, When you lock into an HD signal w/ the Zune you reveal more station to listen too.

Build Quality

Zune HD: Feels better in the hand, the back has a nice brushed metal finish. The lone button on the upper left is almost flush with the housing, it maybe hard to press at times, but this button is not really necessary to control volume or anything as it just brings up a quick menu short cut for Track Next/Back Volume +/- and Play/Pause. I'd probably never use it.

Cowon J3: Feels very light (maybe you like that), but maybe to light, kinda like a toy, the whole thing is plastic, buttons feel good and responsive, "clicky". 

Verdict: Zune HD wins this, it just feels like it was constructed from better materials and can take a fall.

Overall, I'd have to pick the J3, simply cause it just sounds better, but for pretty much everything else the Zune wins out. If I never heard a J3, and had a Zune HD first... I'd never care to own any other device. Make no mistake the Zune HD does sound very good. 

If you want me to compare something else just ask. =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by flaming_june 

The issue here is no matter how we try to praise Zune HD sound, five plus year old iriver players still out rank it in terms of sound quality.  If people are going to be happy with zune hd, they should have bought something cheaper or same price from other offerings before that.  In this day and age we should at least make J3 or better sound quality as the benchmark for future devices.  Personally I was very disappointed with Zune and Zune HD quality.  

You seem really down on it, personally I think the Zune HD is an amazing device, Overall. Zune pass is a very good service no other player's service can touch. If your judging it on just SQ only, then sure there's no custom EQ, but it is no where near a bad sounding device. Overall(not in terms of SQ), It basically sits between a

Ipod Touch ----(ZuneHD) ---- and a Cowon J3,

I think its a good device. It strikes a really good balance of really good UI and decent SQ.

If you took a ZuneHD and Cowon j3 and put them side by side in a Pepsi challenge in the middle of say Time Square to avg consumers, and asked them which they prefer, I think Zune HD wins 8/10 times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by macrocheesium 

How do the amping abilities of both compare? My HD couldn't even drive k240's, I'm hoping my awaiting J3 will be able to do it.

 

And you'll probably use the media button more later on, you can just press a button and drag your finger across the screen to change the volume! Definitely easier than unlocking it, tapping the screen and then doing the same thing.

Unfortunately, I do not own any amps to try with either, but be aware, neither device has a Line-out jack...I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to create a line out cable that plugs into each device's custom usb ports, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this happening anytime soon, especially for zune. I doubt Microsoft would be so incline to help out the small market that craves this functionality. 

EDIT: The J3 is louder than the Zune, again, sorry for no amp but I only use IEMs, my se530s are 35ohms, both devices drive 'em just fine. Not 100% sure on this but I read somewhere that the J3 outputs @ 29mW and the Zune HD @ ~22mW per channel.