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Hard-Drive Players (cont.)

Microsoft makes much of the Zune's ability to wirelessly beam songs, playlists, and photos to other Zune players. However, received tracks disappear from the Zune's inbox after either three days or three plays. You can tag these tracks for purchase from the Zune Marketplace when you next sync the device.

Eventually, Microsoft plans to link the Zune up with PCs and Xbox 360 game consoles using wireless connections; but for the time being, you need a USB cable to sync the player with your PC.

Batteries, Sound Quality

All of the hard-drive players on the chart can recharge their battery from a computer's USB port, though the Gigabeat comes with a separate charger. The dongle that's included with the Zen VisionM serves the same purpose in addition to providing mini-USB cable and A/V connections.

The Zune scored the highest overall in our audio-quality tests, but the other hard-drive devices were nearly as good. The iPods achieved the clearest sound at high volumes in our maximum-output-level test, and they delivered the widest stereo field (exhibiting very little crosstalk). All of the players performed well at reproducing a variety of frequencies in our frequency-response test. We registered very little distortion from the Zune. The Gigabeat had an excellent signal-to-noise ratio, while the iPods generated slightly more noise, which means that you may notice some hiss from them during quieter music passages.