Cons: No battery option, lacks storage slot for the remote
The Bottom Line: The $300 ZK500 is a pricey add-on for your Zune. But if you want volume and excellent sound quality from your Zune, you'll not find a better choice.
nc10's Full Review: Microsoft Kicker ZK500 Zune Speaker Dock Speaker S...
The KICKER zKICK ZK500 Zune Portable Stereo System is Kicker’s newest portable docking station for the Microsoft Zune series of MP3 players. It is compatible with all versions of the Zune, from the new 4 and 8 Gb flash memory models to the 80 Gb hard drive model, as well as the original 30Gb version.
My wife owns an 8 Gb Zune, along with an Altec Lansing M604 Zune speaker dock. Over the past semester she has used both to help teach music (in classrooms) to over 900 students in two local elementary schools, and to provide music for programs given in small auditoriums and lunchrooms (1000-2000 ft2). At first the M604 worked pretty well in classrooms, but it was far less than adequate in auditoriums, where it struggled to provide enough volume for the students to hear (let alone the audience). The M604’s remote was also “touchy”, and had to pointed directly at the front of the speaker dock, to work correctly. After a few months, the M604 started having other problems., including an annoying background hum, and a tendency to not power one without unplugging and replugging the unit in. Fortunately, about 2 weeks ago, we received the Kicker Zune speaker dock to review for Epinions, and my wife immediately put it into service at both schools, and was thrilled with the improved performance. (Just in time for all the end of year school music programs, too!)
Other key features of the zKick ZK500 Zune Speaker Dock include:
2-way stereo speakers, 5” woofer, ¾” tweeter
2 X 20 watts RMS power at 1% THD, 50-20K hz freq range
Very portable, at 8.5” X 19.2” X 8.4”, 9.2 lbs, although 120 VAC power is required
Wireless IR remote that can navigate a Zune’s menu
1/8” Aux input
Video output (passes through the Zune video out)
RCA stereo output connections
In the box is the speaker dock itself, a short, but well written and adequate manual, docking adapters for the different zune models, a power block with cords on each end (8’ total) with one side running the speaker dock and the other to your 120V. There's also included a short aux connector cable with 1/8" plugs on each end. The power block works with 50-60hz power, 110-220V, and should work in other countries if you have the correct plug adapters.
Using the Kicker Zune Speaker Dock
Initial setup is trivial. Click the right Zune adapter into the mounting bay on the Kicker speaker dock. Using the right adapter assures your Zune fits firmly and securely into the dock. Then plug a Zune into the docking bay, plugging the the Zune into the Zune electrical connector in the docking bay.
The controls on the remote might not seem intuitive at first, but that’s mostly because the remote has two key roles, to navigate the Zune’s menu, and to navigate the Kicker’s menu. Once you get used to the dual nature of the system, the controls are intuitive.
The Kicker dock features a blue 5/8” X 2.5” LCD display with large, white characters. Below the display is a control knob surrounded by blue back lighting. Pressing the knob cycles the display through the options, volume, treble, bass, aux input. Turning the knob adjusts the chosen option. Volume varies from 1-40, bass and treble vary from -9 to +9. Where it gets a little confusing is accessing this menu the remote. Pressing and holding the remote’s menu button for about 2 seconds accesses the Kicker’s menu. Pressing and releasing the remote’s same menu quickly takes you instead the the Zune’s menu. Once you get used to this, you’re set.
The remote has pause, FF, Rew, and up/down buttons to walk through the Zune’s menu, just as if you had the Zune in your hand. The remote is also decent sized, a bit larger than a credit card and about 3/16" thick. My wife found the digital settings on the Kicker to be quite useful. Once she found the right volume for each song to be played, she could set it quickly rather than having to adjust volume on the fly as each song came up. The remote’s range is about 20’, farther than you stand and still “read” the display on your Zune, or even the large 3/8” chararcters on the Kicker’s display. The remote is also fairly forgiving, as long as you have it pointed in the general direction of the Kicker, it works. And if you’re only a few feet away, you don’t even have to point.
Audio Quality
We initially compared the Kicker ($300) to the much less expensive Altec Lansing ($100) speaker dock. There’s really no comparison, the Kicker is in a completely different (and better) league. Music from the Kicker was much brighter and fuller, and can be played much louder, easily filling small and large rooms in any apartment and home. If you want a speaker dock that will wake the neighbors in your apartment or dorm, or if its important that you can“feel” the bass at high volumes, the Kicker Zune Speaker dock is the right choice. The Kicker also has a 6" x 6" "radiator" on the back of the unit, essentially a large rubber diaphragm that seems to help you "feel" the bass at higher volumes. While it doesn’t offer the fidelity and separation of a good component stereo system, the sound quality is impressive for a system weighing under 10 lbs that is less than 20” wide and 6” deep with a convenient carrying handle. It is very suitable for mp3 playback.
I also connected my Sandisk e250 mp3 player to the Zune dock using the aux cable, connected the Sandisk headphone jack to the Kicker aux input.. While the remote won't access the Sandisk's controls, I could still adjust the Kicker's volume and other settings, and "mute" the sound. Sound quality was still quite good, though it wasn't quite as loud at max volume, likely due to limitations in my Sandisk's headphone jack/output.
Other Comments
The Kicker Zune Speaker dock comes with a 1 year warranty, though it only applies to the orignal purchaser. The included manual says Kicker tries to provide 72 hour service for returns, an impressive and laudable goal.
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