Hi,

I'm having problems with some MP3s when I play them on my Zen.

I'm not using the best earphones admittedly, although I've tried three different cheap pairs (including the included set), and all of them give distortion if the bass is too loud on some songs. Even if the volume setting is at 1, the problem is still there. I've tried different EAX settings, including Smart Volume Management, but to no avail.

There is no problem when I play the same MP3s through the same headphones on my PC. My MiniDisc player gave no problems either.

Has any one else experienced this? If you like, I can post a short clip of an MP3 which gives trouble so you can try it on your own Zen.

Would using MP3Gain have any effect?

Thanks.

I would try doing a quick test with MP3Gain and see if that helps things. I assume you've already tried disabling all EAX effects, bass enhancers, and DSP's. It doesn't sound like an amp problem, if the distortion is occurring with similar severity on multiple headphones at low volumes. If it's correlated with volume at all, maybe the circuitry has gone bad. But I'm just pulling things out of thin air, with my very limited experience with circuits. Good luck!

Yep, a quick MP3Gain job seems to have done the trick.

Great . I have exactly the same problem (nomad zen), particularly with tracks with a lot of bass.

Thanks for the trick . I will try it.

It fixed the problem with too much bass, but the bass still isn't as "warm" or as "deep" as it was on my old Sony MiniDisc player.

The "MegaBass" on Sony MD, CD Players and Walkmans (Walkmen?) is the best, IMHO.

The EAX options on the Zen aren't great. Those "Auditorium" presets are useless.

I always thought it's kinda boomy.
Now, my Sennheisers 212 Pro give me all the bass I need (on any device!)