This is the second post in a series about the Zune. You can read the first post here.

To recap, I’m a guinea pig testing out the Microsoft Zune – 8G. I have Matchstick to thank for this. I’m one of 300 people in Canada in the program.

So I’ve been fully immersed in the Zune for the last couple of weeks. I have a lot to say, but I’m going to talk about the Zune Premium Headphones right now. All headphones provided with media players are crap, so I was pleased when I was provided the upgrade. I have a pair of Shure Headphones which I love to death, so these would have to be pretty good for me to be impressed.

The Zune Premium Headphones are a step up from the standard but they aren’t my Shures, that’s for sure. (bad pun!). I took the headphones blading which is my standard for determining sound isolation – they failed unfortunately and I heard way too much wind for my liking. I think that might be more of a problem with the ear pieces; I can’t find a pair that fits the best. I don’t have that problem with my Shure headphones though, I hear nothing but the music.

I thought the headphones were too heavy also. That’s mostly due to the magnets in the earbuds that are used to keep the wires from tangling. Neat idea though.

I’m a huge fan of the soft fabric cable. I really wish my Shure’s had this feature. I love the look and feel of it and I hope this design catches on. I bet the wires don’t freeze up in the winter too.

The sound quality of the headphones are good and they aren’t expensive ($59.99). I’m a headphone snob though. Yes, my headphones cost more than my iPod and Shure is my pimp.