I bought a Zune 120 last fall and I was really happy with it until I started noticing the weird noises that would be heard through my Shure SCL5s whenever I skipped tracks(noise in between tracks) or went into a list. My best description of this noise is that it sounds like the hard drive spinning, which makes sense because the hard drive needs to read the data. Also I could hear a small buzzing sound whenever I had my finger on the touch pad(this is when music was not playing). I have replaced this for 4 Zune 120s and a Zune 80 which all had the same problems. I did get a refund after my 6th Zune, but I've been curious why this hasn't become a big issue even on head-fi. I really miss the Zune 120 since it's the only high capacity player that stands against the iPod Classic.
Well the shures are very sensitive so you will hear everything that goes on in the player (same with my um2). Maybe the zune is noisier than other players in this regard.
I'd be more worried about the constant hissing you are probably hearing while music is playing.
Hmm..maybe I'm taking it too seriously, but if other hard drive players like the Zen Vision M don't make any sound, why should the Zunes? That's all I was asking.
Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well the shures are very sensitive so you will hear everything that goes on in the player (same with my um2). Maybe the zune is noisier than other players in this regard.
I'd be more worried about the constant hissing you are probably hearing while music is playing.
Yes, from what I've read while lurking, I think that his problem might be from the hard drive spinning while tracks change which causes the noise he's talking about.
Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not an issue because it doesn't really interfere with listening.
this an issue. when i used my sensitive um2 with an ipod 4g, i was immediately incensed that upon seeking or changing tracks, a strange sound could be heard. hiss i can tolerate more as it exists in every single player on the market, though much less now, but that sound does not.
i told my mate he was an idiot for owning that ipod. then i found it in other models and have stayed away from harddisk players. i did not hear it with the 5g ipod but i was using different earphones (atrio m5).
I have the Zune 120 paired with Phonak Audeo's, and I hear no hard drive noise what so ever, I also plug my Zune into my cars inout and again no hard drive noise...
well, it might have something to do with the way that in the 2nd generation zunes the dac shares it's wafer with the power supply controllers and fets.
I experience the same thing. It is because the earphones we are using are very sensitive and will pick up any noise on that audio line. I also hear hissing but It is completely washed out when the music begins to play and if you hear hissing along with the music most likely the music had hissing in it's recording already. The beeping and buzzing noise you are hearing is in fact the hard drive spinning up and down to grab data off of it and store it in the RAM. Other than that the Zune has a very clean headphone out that doesn't distort at high volumes with amplifiers.
the phonak are not very sensitive. i never heard any hiss from any source - it has nothing to do with the zune.
line out to car dock will not make any noise. those amps won't pick up that noise at all. zune i am sure is quite nice, but that has nothing to do with the zune being good.
I am sorry i am not sure if i understand what the op is saying. Are you stating that you hear the sound of the harddrive spinning playing through your headphones. Or you hear the noise from outside.
Cos i have a zune 120 and sometimes the harddrives spins but i feel the vibration more than hear it when it is my hand and when it is in my pocket i dont feel it or at any other time
Originally Posted by abellaw /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am sorry i am not sure if i understand what the op is saying. Are you stating that you hear the sound of the harddrive spinning playing through your headphones. Or you hear the noise from outside.
Cos i have a zune 120 and sometimes the harddrives spins but i feel the vibration more than hear it when it is my hand and when it is in my pocket i dont feel it or at any other time
Yes he's trying to say that he hears the hard drive spinning through the headphones, not from the outside. Although I've no experience with the phones the OP is using nor do I have experience with the Zune, I can see that it could happen if the Zune doesn't isolate the audio signal from other electrical signals in the unit very well and the phones are particularly sensitive. My Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro is also quite sensitive, and I hear noise by the boat load when I connect it directly to my laptop, or any PC. My iPod 5G hisses a little but it's otherwise quiet, no noise from the hard drive or the click wheel.
It's not really that hard to imagine this happening if you consider that the headphone is simply a device that takes electric signals and uses that to move a driver to create sound. If the electric signal experiences any interference from other signals, due to poor shielding/grounding or what have you, then the headphone may render that electrical noise as sound depending on the magnitude of the noise and the sensitivity of the phones. The phones you have listed in your profile are not as sensitive as some of the more sensitive IEMs so you probably wouldn't hear anything like what the OP is talking about.
Originally Posted by sputnik13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes he's trying to say that he hears the hard drive spinning through the headphones, not from the outside. Although I've no experience with the phones the OP is using nor do I have experience with the Zune, I can see that it could happen if the Zune doesn't isolate the audio signal from other electrical signals in the unit very well and the phones are particularly sensitive. My Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 pro is also quite sensitive, and I hear noise by the boat load when I connect it directly to my laptop, or any PC. My iPod 5G hisses a little but it's otherwise quiet, no noise from the hard drive or the click wheel.
It's not really that hard to imagine this happening if you consider that the headphone is simply a device that takes electric signals and uses that to move a driver to create sound. If the electric signal experiences any interference from other signals, due to poor shielding/grounding or what have you, then the headphone may render that electrical noise as sound depending on the magnitude of the noise and the sensitivity of the phones. The phones you have listed in your profile are not as sensitive as some of the more sensitive IEMs so you probably wouldn't hear anything like what the OP is talking about.
Wow you live you learn...i would never of imagined that could happen. But when you explain it it makes perfect sense. Well then to the OP i am sorry the problem your experiencing could be inherent with the 2Gen zunes. I was looking at getting some IEM as those are they are the most portable but maybe i will think twice about them now lol
I have the same problem with my EP-630s. Solution: I increased their impedance with an Ultimate Ears branded adapter. This also gives me greater volume control. Without the adapter, acceptable listening volume hovers around 1-4, and I sometimes even want to go lower than 1. Now that range is about 6-11 and all unwanted noise is gone. The sound signature is changed as a result though- the treble is a little rolled off for me. YMMV
Edit: I actually purchased the adapter for my laptop but found use for it with my Zune. The problem isn't annoying enough to me to have spent the $10 otherwise.
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