Kicker zKICK Digital Stereo System for Zune (Black)

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Product Feature

• Compatibility: Zune 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G (HD)
• Wake to Zune, radio, or buzzer with dual alarm clock; features no-fail internal backup
• 20-watt integrated amplifier with digital signal processing for full-range sound
• Two 3-inch speakers with tuned-port enclosures for enhanced bass response
• Auxilary input for connecting other portable media players or audio devices

Product Description

Kicker Black Zune clock dockzKICK Digital Stero Systemfor Zune with AM/FM Tuner & Alarm

Kicker zKICK Digital Stereo System for Zune (Black) Review

Anyone who owns a Zune is well aware of the limited dock options on the market. It's hard to find any one alarm dock that is well reviewed for both form and functionality. I looked for something for several years but never felt comfortable slapping down the cash. Then the zKick 150 came on the market, and given that most other Kicker audio and dock products usually get very favorable reviews, I took a chance and made the purchase.

Initially, I was really happy with the device. The setup was very quick and easy, taking just a few minutes. The sound is really amazing for such a small unit. The EQ options give you the chance to do a rudimentary adjust to the audio output. With no EQ built into the Zune, this is a welcome feature and allows you to get a mix that is more customized to your preferences. I listen mostly to vocal and orchestral stuff, so treble is more important to me than bass most of the time, and the highs from this machine are pretty rich and never tinny. The bass is definitely more than adequate, even when I've cranked it up for more rocking selections. The unit has a pretty decent sound output as well. I've yet to have it anywhere near full volume and I've been able to enjoy it all through my 1300 square foot place. Does it sound as great when I'm 3 rooms removed from it as it does when I'm listening from the same room? Of course not, but no system does.

There are a range of brightness options for the device display. I keep mine on the lowest setting and have never had a problem reading it whether the room is lit or dark. The blue light makes it a little mellower than orange or white display options and it doesn't light up the whole room like noon when on the lowest setting. The radio works fine, but even here in Los Angeles where there are a billion close sources I've noticed that the unit does have to have the external antennae attached to function well. The headphone/output jack is nice for quiet listening, or attachment to an external speaker source.

If you should have the device set to wake you to your Zune, but the Zune gets jarred out of the dock overnight, the device will default to the beeper alarm to wake you, which is really good. Not all units will do that.

The audio quality and options are such that I kinda felt like the unit was worth the extra in price. Cheaper dock options sound cheap, and this one easily matches some higher end products I've heard.

Now on to the not so good part. The alarm functionality. I'll mention some stuff that other reviewers have mentioned: First, I'd recommend a volume pre-test on any tune you choose for waking music. All but the most mellow arrangements at a really low volume can be heart attack inducing to wake to on this puppy. Seriously. A gradual wake volume function is pretty common, even on inexpensive offerings, and it would have been great if Kicker had included that option in this pricier unit. Next comes the control configuration - challenging little buttons packed on the front of the unit in a really small space. The snooze button is accessible and easy to get to. The alarm on/off button.....not so much. Not a problem when you're fully awake and aware. Kind of a problem when you've just been jarred out of sleep and are muddled. Many mornings I've fumbled with the alarm with my glasses off trying to shut off the alarm and have hit the source button instead - moving from jarringly loud music to really loud radio static. It's just not easy to turn off without being fully awake and focused.

Now, the biggest con of the alarm, and one I don't see mentioned in other reviews. The snooze function is seriously flawed. If you hit the snooze and let the time lapse play out, it does come back on as it should. That's not a problem. If you let the snooze go off again and you turn the alarm off while the unit is playing, the next time you use the alarm, it works as it should. Also not a problem

The problem happens if you hit the snooze and then shut the alarm off BEFORE you let the snooze reactivate.

What happens then is that the alarm will go off the FOLLOWING day at the end of that snooze time. For example. On Monday, clock is set for 5 am. It goes off at 5 am and you hit the snooze, activating a 10 minute snooze period. Uninterrupted, the alarm would go off at 5:10 am. But, say you get up at 5:05 am and turn the alarm off. The snooze doesn't go off at 5:10 am that day, which is good. What is not good is that no matter what you do, short of unplugging the unit to power it down, on the next day, Tuesday, that alarm is going to go off at 5:10 am. I don't care if you leave the alarm set at 5 am, or set it for 7 am or 4 am or noon or 3 pm, if you turn the alarm back on, it is going off at 5:10 am. Period. This happened consistently when I first got the dock, and I thought it might have been a malfunction in that particular unit. I took it back and exchanged it for another, and found that the second unit had the same exact problem. It's not at all random either. It happens consistently if you hit the snooze and then shut off the alarm before the snooze reactivates.

You learn to work around it, but at the price, and from a reputable manufacturer, you shouldn't have to work around anything so basic. It's pretty annoying and might ruin the whole experience for you if you're primarily buying it for an alarm, and not an every day docking/listening option.

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