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Zune 30 vs Zune 80/120 sound quality

ShenziSixaxis

ShenziSixaxis

Sticking To The Ceiling
So back in summer of 2007 I got a first generation Zune, the 30GB model. While I love this to death, have had no problems from it, it's only ~30GB. When I put music on it, I tend to like to put all of an artist's songs on it in case I ever get a hankering to listen to a song that I don't absolutely love to death.

I also like 320kbps MP3 or lossless quality, so you see the obvious problem in that. I'd also like to not have to remove some music to put a low quality/short movie on it for when I go to the doctor and may have to wait 20 minutes to 2 hours (seriously, I waited 2 hours to see my orthopedist!).

So I only have about 1GB of free space left. You see the obvious problem.

My main reason for not immediately upgrading was because my Zune wasn't even a year old then, I didn't have the cash, and I didn't need all the space.

Now I do. I can also get myself the money if I need it. NOW my main reason for not upgrading is my fear of the sound quality not being as good as the Zune 30. I've listened to music on the Zen Vision:M that was highly liked, an iPhone, and a guy's iPod (nano I think) who adored me for some reason. None of them sounded as good.


So can anyone here shed some light on this? I'm also a little curious if the 120/80 models have equalizer, particularly the same ones.
 
I prefer the 120 but everyone in my family likes the 80.If I was you I'd get the 120.But as far as I've seen neither of them has a equalizer.But remember that it is your choice.
 
The equalizer can be found in Settings >> Music, the third choice down on the 30. I think that would be a software thing, and mine's up to date on that.
 
ever tried any of the SanDisk's? I have an old SanDisk Sansa e260 4GB with micro SD slot. Mine is older so it only allows for a 2gb micro SD card. I don't know if the newer SanDisk MP3 players have EQ's but mine did and I will assume that they would keep them, awesome sound quality with good headphones.
 
I have a 120GB Zune that's about two years old, I think. Sound quality seems fine to me, but I'm no expert. Most of my mp3s were ripped with the high sound quality, though I also have songs recorded from youtube (live performances) so obviously the quality is gonna be low on those.

Mine doesn't appear to have an equalizer, unless I'm missing it somewhere. I don't normally use one, unless I'm playing with it on winamp.

I think I have somewhere between 5-8gb worth of music on mine. Also have a couple movies, a season or two of Friends, some other videos. I doubt I've even used half of the available space. Oh, I just looked. 1216 songs, 32 pictures, 60 videos. 19.73gb used. When I was shopping I thought I'd need a lot of space, but I guess not. XD
 
i must be mistaken, i know there was some sort of mp3 player that was discontinued a little while ago.

i googled it though and apparently the 120 does not have an equalizer to preserve battery life.
 
Zune isn't discontinued, though the original series (which the 30 is part of) has been cycled out and is no longer in production. They produce the Zune HD and second generation Zune, as well as the 80GB/120GB models (3rd gen).

The lack of equalizer is a definite deal breaker though. I would rather have 10 hours of great sounding music than 30 hours of less than great music quality, as I use the 30's Acoustic equalizer to produce some more bass and a less "hollow" sound.
*whines about being picky about music*
 
A quick google to find some info on this (literally typed in "zune 80 120 equalizer" and hit enter) shows that there's lots of people even more upset than me.

Maybe later this year or next year they're fix this with either firmware or a new generation, but that means I STILL have to wait another few years for the price to go down.
Dammit Microsoft. You do ONE thing right and then mess it up. -.-
 
i knew i read it somewhere, glad to know my brain isn't making things up:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/14/microsoft-reportedly-kills-off-zune-hardware-will-focus-on-soft/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/farewell-zune-microsoft-will-discontinue-its-ipod-rival/

who knows if it's true or not. but if they're focusing on software then perhaps they will do a firmware upgrade to include the EQ?

i hate it when things i like are discontinued!!

and yeah, DAMMIT Microsoft!! damn windows Vista, and damn Windows 7. HATE!!
 
Hmmm...interesting links. And I have ipods, but also an open mind,...and have looked at Zunes on line and in stores.
 
yeah i had a Zune and loved it! but apparently the Zune did not love when i brought it for an adventure to float around the lake on an air mattress...

i have an iPhone now (for business, i swear!) and to be honest never even use the iPod feature on it because i have a 6 CD changer in my car that reads mp3 disks, so at all times i have approx 1400 songs to go through. don't really use it anywhere else because at work i need to talk to people, and when i'm home i have all my music on my computer with my sweet surround sound!
 
Unfortunately everyone's going flash based these days, so your capacities are pretty crappy. Here's a good tool to use to find alternatives: http://compare.anythingbutipod.com/search

My favorite player ever was the Creative Zen Vision M, but they don't seem to be doing too hot these days. Sandisks are cool, but low capacity. Haven't really messed with Zunes. Have a 30GB Ipod (cause that's all my car will work with), it's nothing amazing. My most recent device is an Archos 70, but that's a tablet. They have some pretty cool smaller devices though.
 
I have a 30GB Zen Vision:M and absolutely HATE the sound quality.



Anyone have any ideas on just upgrading the hard drive? Apparently that's possible... so I figured I'd ask.

SquamishSerpents said:
and yeah, DAMMIT Microsoft!! damn windows Vista, and damn Windows 7. HATE!!
Click to expand...

Well, I have to admit Vista and 7 are loads better than XP. c:
 
I have had an ipod, ipod touch and I now have a Zune HD. IMHO, the Zune gave me better audio quality.

I use it with a set of Ultimate Ears Triple Fi and enjoy listening to my music immensely.

The Zune services will be folded in to other MS stuff. It wasn't making a splash but I love the AMOLED screen and the sound quality.
 
So, Shenzi, I usually hate exhumed threads, but I want to ask opinions from the pro-Zune people.
I have a couple of iPod classics (hard drives, 80gb, 160gb) and iTouches (flash memory, 64gb x 2) and about 35 GB of classical music I have collected over the years.

It looks like the 64gb HD Zune (flash memory) is on sale at Best Buy ($290) and WalMart ($305).

Academically, should I get one while I can? Would I enjoy it?
If they are truly to be phased out.
Some of you have spoken very highly of the sound quality and OLED screens.

(Yes...I love my toys...)
 
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Well, if music that doesn't have a lot of base or low sounds, you'd probably like the Zune. The sound without an equalizer is great, but just seems "off" to me, but then again, I listen to mainly rock and other music types that I really would like to have a bit of amplification on the base.

Every Zune screen I've taken a look at is really nice. Smooth flow, very clear, and vibrant colors.
 
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