80 GB Microsoft Zune Review - Performance
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Performance
Sound Quality
The 80 GB Zune has extremely good sound quality, despite the lack of an equalizer. The Zune comes equipped with a pair of surprisingly good quality earphones. These earphones are better quality than the earphones included with the iPod. The only gripe about the earphones that I came across while researching the Zune is that they seem to suffer from cable microphonics. This basically means that when the earphone cable brushes up against something, a shirt for instance, you can hear a low-end rumble over the earphones. I only came across this complaint once during my research, so I wouldn't say that it's a major problem.
Battery Life
Microsoft rates the battery life of the Zune at 30 hours for music and four hours for video. These numbers will vary according to whether the Wi-Fi feature is turned on or off. Wi-Fi tends to suck a lot of life out of batteries.
Expert Opinions on Performance
Overall, reviews of the 80 GB Zune's performance have been good. CNet agrees that the sound quality of the new Zune is great, but they don't like the fact that the Zune doesn't have an equalizer. Their tests with full-size headphones proved the excellent sound quality of the Zune, but they say that some people may be disappointed with the player's lack of sound enhancement.
PC World says that the Zune performed well in their audio tests, "producing clean sound with little distortion." They disliked the Zune's 20-step volume controls, saying that it was sometimes too loud and if turned one step down, it would be too soft. They agree that the included earphones are worth keeping, and they are not the traditional "cheap" earphones usually included with an MP3 player. In terms of video performance, they said that it looked nice, but there was some noticeable pixelation.
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