Zune questions

[Shane D]

Wow, my eyes are killing me from reading Head-Fi and ABI. I am slowly compiling a list regarding the Zune 120:

Pros:
1) Super easy software
2) Huge capacity
3) Can be fed by Windows Media Player (like many DAPS)
4) Goods deals are here/coming
5) Kicker speaker dock has good sound? I hope this is true for my office and I LOVE the idea of using a remote across the room! Can speaker docks offer a decent sound? We are talking about a 12 x 12 room.
6) Regular dock can be used as an input to my amplifier negating ever loading CD's again? Does this also carry a remote for changing songs/volume?

Cons
1) Dead technology. HDD, will it be supported moving on? Software wise?
2) With the Kicker, will you miss an FM radio? Some people have posted that the Zune 120GB FM receiver is not great indoors? I would like to recycle my old "box" and replace it with the Kicker.
3) How about the whole car thing? I haven't used a an FM receiver to move sound since the old drive-ins back in the 80's. Does it work? Does it sound GOOD? Does the aux. jack do a good job? I see that Monster offers one.
4) Does the regular dock sound good plugged into your amp? I would be using WMA Lossless ripped via Windows Media Player.

Shane D

PS: Thanks for all the input I have received so far!!

I know noobs are painful and I am doing a fair bit of search. But the Zune doesn't have much history on here. Even on ABI the pool of knowledge is pretty shallow.

 

[tds101]

Pros:
3) Can be fed by Windows Media Player (like many DAPS)

No, it can only be "fed" by the Zune software (synced). If you mean music ripped w/WMP, than yes, that's what WMP is good for w/the Zune. But, no syncing the Zune w/it.

 

[Ricardo Dawkins]

Quote:

2) With the Kicker, will you miss an FM radio? Some people have posted that the Zune 120GB FM receiver is not great indoors? I would like to recycle my old "box" and replace it with the Kicker.

Just plug any earphones into the zune headphones port and extend the cord to use it as the FM antenna.

Quote:

6) Regular dock can be used as an input to my amplifier negating ever loading CD's again? Does this also carry a remote for changing songs/volume?

The Kicker has its own remote for controlling the Zune. You will need the full A/V Dock that includes the remote.
Amazon.com: Zune Home AV Pack v2: Electronics

 

[Shane D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricardo Dawkins /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just plug any earphones into the zune headphones port and extend the cord to use it as the FM antenna. You lost me on this one. In a kicker, or even a regular dock, you would not be using HP if you wanted to listen via Speaker dock or stereo, right? The Kicker has its own remote for controlling the Zune. You will need the full A/V Dock that includes the remote.

So there is a version of the regular dock that includes a remote? Thanks!

Shane D

 

[Shane D]

Pros:
3) Can be fed by Windows Media Player (like many DAPS) Quote:

No, it can only be "fed" by the Zune software (synced). If you mean music ripped w/WMP, than yes, that's what WMP is good for w/the Zune. But, no syncing the Zune w/it.

That is indeed what I meant. I love the idea of high tech/great sound quality/tons of options available/etc.
However I keep falling back on:
1) Burn your CD in WMP in WMA Lossless. Quick AND it finds the album art automatically.
2) Start Zune and it finds everything/does everything.
Sync your DAP (no idea on how well this one goes, as a DAP virgin).

I Do NOT want to spend ten minutes ripping/encoding/tagging/labeling/sorting/naming, every song/album.

I realize that there are MANY people on this site that will spend dozens of hours each week organizing, tweaking and manipulating files to create the ultimate music collection. I am NOT one of those. To me, ripping the collection is a one time thing and will hopefully never be done again, barring a catastrophe.

Thanks for the reply! I hope to get all my questions answered, as I still have reservations about Zune.

Shane D

 

[The Eleutherian]

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[Shane D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Eleutherian /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let me know if I can be of any more help.

Wow, that is one detailed reply. Thank you!
1) interesting that you say about the two sharing a ripping engine. If Zune is as fast as WMP, that would be cool since WMP is WAY faster than itunes.
2) just to clarify, would the sound of the music differ from playing a CD versus a Zune run through a dock (lossless files)? I am not an audiophile and just play rock music. My stereo amp is nice and strong but fairly ordinary (NAD C372). I know quality is subjective, but would the average listener notice any difference?
3) IF you think of it and could reply on the FM question that would be much appreciated. So you have it set up at work like I am considering? Cool.
4) If the aux jack will do it, that is all I need then. No use buying a car pack and "hoping" it will work.

Thanks again for your VERY informative replies!

Shane D

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

No, it can only be "fed" by the Zune software (synced). If you mean music ripped w/WMP, than yes, that's what WMP is good for w/the Zune. But, no syncing the Zune w/it.

And that is why I'll never buy a DAP unless it's UMS device and no need for software. Does the Zune support gapless?

 

[zip22]

yeah, but it doesn't seem perfect
Lost Gapless Playback After Updating to 3.1 | Zune.net - Thread

 

[abellaw]

Well i have a zune and i think its great...as far as i can tell the indoor FM reception has never been a problem but then again i dont use the radio all that often

I dont hear a gap when using the zune except for when i am using WMA lossless files, in general this format lags slightly when using the zune...but in the software everything is fine.


I dont think that this is confirmed yet but from what i am hearing the old zunes (the HDD models) will be discontinued so i think that you will be able to get really good deals on the 80gb model. Also there is a rumour that there will be an software update on sept 15th to coincide with the release of the zune hd

 

[Shane D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif And that is why I'll never buy a DAP unless it's UMS device and no need for software. Does the Zune support gapless?

Why do you hate syncing? Does it cause problems? Difficult to do? Or do you just resent being constrained?

Just curious.

Shane D

 

[Shane D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by abellaw /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well i have a zune and i think its great...as far as i can tell the indoor FM reception has never been a problem but then again i dont use the radio all that often Good to know. I likely wouldn't use it often either but I want to check out all facets. I would probably only use it "parked" in a kicker in the office. I dont hear a gap when using the zune except for when i am using WMA lossless files, in general this format lags slightly when using the zune...but in the software everything is fine. That is weird. You would that if there was one kind of software that it would handle perfectly it would an MS format. I dont think that this is confirmed yet but from what i am hearing the old zunes (the HDD models) will be discontinued so i think that you will be able to get really good deals on the 80gb model. Also there is a rumour that there will be an software update on sept 15th to coincide with the release of the zune hd

The HDD's are indeed extinct. There are going to be some announcements from Apple next week and a S/W update from Zune on the 15th. Not sure if either will affect my decision, product wise.

Thanks for the reply!

Shane D

PS: I have to say that there seem to be a lot satisfied Zune owners on this site. Kind of cool.

 

[abellaw]

I think it is more to do with the size of the file...the average wma lossless file is lot larger than the average mp3 files...so when i am like seeking on a lossless track it will take a little longer to do. But it is by no means slow...i gave up on using wma lossless format because even though i tried and tried i couldnt hear a difference between wma lossless and lame mp3.

One thing i have noticed about zune owners is that most of them are very brand loyal...and most zune owners that i have met are satisfied. But the real attraction for me to the zune, is that MS have seemed to focus on the music and tried to fashion a DAP that helps its owner find more music.

Like it isnt talked about much but the filesharing feature would be great if more people had zunes. I know i am always giving recommendations on tracks and bands that i like, but with my friend that has a zune i just send him the album and in a minute or two he can check it out at his leisure...

Also i am considering getting the zune membership so that i can download albums when i am on the go, when i am at college i use the marketplace to audition albums, so the zune is just perfect for me.

I love my zune and wish that ms had got in the game earlier so i could really exploit some of its features with a wider variety of ppl

 

[iriverdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane D /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why do you hate syncing? Does it cause problems? Difficult to do? Or do you just resent being constrained? Just curious. Shane D

You're contrained with the software. A bit like using a old SCSI card / scanner on Windows 7, not going to work (used that example as I have a Adaptec 2940 card, still a decent card, and more than good enough for my SCSI scanner, I can no longer use it for newer OS's or I need dual boot just for that, maybe keep Ubuntu for it but principle I just prefer one OS but I keep Ubuntu Live CD for emergencies)

My brother has a DAP that requires it's own software and needs a driver to even be detected, not supported on Vista so basically he'll need to keep a Windows XP for just it! But you may be using your Zune in a few years. With UMS it's seen as a hard drive, so you just copy the files like a hard drive. Within Windows, Linux, Mac OS it doesn't matter. I guess at least it's Microsoft DAP so should work fine on later WMP but no gurantee they'll stop support in 100 years

 

[Shane D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're contrained with the software. A bit like using a old SCSI card / scanner on Windows 7, not going to work (used that example as I have a Adaptec 2940 card, still a decent card, and more than good enough for my SCSI scanner, I can no longer use it for newer OS's or I need dual boot just for that, maybe keep Ubuntu for it but principle I just prefer one OS but I keep Ubuntu Live CD for emergencies)

I am not a techie, nor a trail blazer. I will probably just pick a pretty mainstream product that will, hopefully, have support for at least a few years. I have NO interest in cruising the net, checking e-mail, watching movies, or looking at pictures on a tiny screen. I just want to store and play music.

Shane D