Rating: 
Summary: Not Happy
Review: After my iPod was stolen, my wife bought me one of these. I stuck with it for about 2 weeks, but then I had to eBay it. In short if you've had an iPod, you simply cannot make the switch to such an inferior product. If, on the other hand, this is your first mp3 player you won't notice what a raw deal you're actually getting. I would only recommend this product for first time buyers, or those that value cost over quality. Just my two bits ......
Rating: 
Summary: Perfectly adequate
Review: All the Zen Nomads are perfectly fine. I purchased mine because I didn't want ot pay the Ipod premium. The nomad works, has great sound, but has a semi clunky interface. The big bug is: that it accidently turns itself on. So you're on trip and you open your nomad only to find the battery is almost dead. Kind of annoying.
Rating: 
Summary: The new 2004 Zen Xtra is finally a great iPod alternative.
Review: As many people know Creative dropped the ball with this device in 2003. There was a major problem with the headphone jack that caused it to break loose.
Creative fixed this problem and released the Zen Xtra again in 2004. The result is an amazingly good and inexpensive option for people in the market for an iPod or jukebox MP3 player in general.
The Zen is bigger than the iPod, but the aluminum case looks nice and doesn't get scratched up as easily as the iPod. I've owned two iPods and they scratch so easily that you have to put them in a case almost immediately to keep them from getting ruined. Navigating songs is easier on the iPod, but the Zen navigation is pretty good and has a pretty quick learning curve. It is also missing some of the useless features of the iPod like games and contacts. However, you are buying this for music not to keep your appointments.
The Zen Xtra excels in several areas. First is storage size with an amazing 30 GB for about $100 less than a 20 GB ipod. Next is sound quality. The Zen has easily better sound quality than the iPod and also has an EAX EQ that works very well and has many cool options. The EQ on the iPod has never worked in four generations of devices. The ability to make multiple and varied playlists on the go is unmatched on any device I have used. You can also delete tracks without needed to hook up to the PC, something else the iPod lacks.
Instead of being stuck with just one PC jukebox option like the iPod you have multiple options. The Zen will sync with the included software, the incredible Notmad Explorer, Real Player, Winamp, Windows Media Player, and many others. This player also is fully compatible with Audible.com and I highly recommend that service to anyone getting a Zen Xtra.
For the price this is really the best MP3 Jukebox you can buy. The Rio Karma is close, but the frequent harddrive failures have never been addressed by Rio so I would skip that one as well. I've owned iPods, Rios and Sony Minidisc players and this player from Creative is better than them all. It may not be as pretty as an iPod but it is better at what is important playing music. Oh yeah, did I mention the battery is user replaceable. Nice if you go on a long trip because you can bring an extra and switch it out.
I also want to note that the Zen now comes with a one year warranty instead of a 90 day one. Nice for some piece of mind as a Zen owner.
Rating:
Summary: Great value - excellent sound
Review: I am very happy with my Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB Player. I converted all my mp3 files to wma, keep my backup files from my laptop and desktop and still have loads of room. The sound quality is excellent even when listening to 64kbps wma files. If you are looking for an excellent machine and don't need the portability of an ipod - buy this unit.
Rating:
Summary: Good value, but a bit "clugey" and so far not very reliable
Review: I didn't fall for the "I just gotta have an iPod" phenom. I researched and found the Nomad to be a much better value. I now have 2 of them; a 30 and a 40GB. Although I really like them and use them a lot, I have had some problems with both, as follows:
1. The pre-packaged software is not real intuitive and I couldn't get it to work on one of my PCs running XP Pro. It wouldn't recognize the player. I recommend trying to get it to work with either Music Match (my recommendation) or Windows Media V.10 both of which I got to work easily and you are probably already familiar with one of those interfaces.
2. The 30Gb suffered a HDD failure last night; lost everything and had to set up a return/replacement. Unit is less than a month old!
3. The 40GB suffered a O/S corruption and I had to re-format and re-build the HDD. Lost everything again (not a real big deal but a real hassle!).
4. I have had some trouble getting the unit to perform file transfers under USB 2.0
5. File transfers under the pre-packaged S/W is error prone.
On the UP side, I really like the sound although I use different headphones - I personally can't stand "ear buds". The ablility to vary the sound environment is way cool. I have been able to fix the 40GB unit myself with help from their (Creative) website. I gave the 30GB to my son as a X-mas present and he was in love with it until the HDD crashed! Then he acted like someone had punched him in the stomach when he realized what had happened!
Overall, my experience is somewhat disappointing. It's a kin to the old MAC vs. Windows PC experience! I hope the replacement 30GB works better and that I can get USB 2.0 to work consistantly. I'm not giving up yet!
Rating: 
Summary: Great, with minor setbacks
Review: I got the Zen for my birthday about a month ago, and I'm sad to say that I had to return it. The upper right hand corner was coming off, for some reason, I think it started when I lifted the cover to put in the battery, and it didn't attach. When I went back to Best Buy to return, I noticed that the display model had the same problem, so I decided to try out a Rio Carbon. However, I really, really miss my Zen, there were some great features on it that I can't seem to find on any other player:
1. The EAX Audio: This thing is amazing. You can set "environment" like you're listening to your music in a small room, bathroom, airplane, etc. But the REALLY cool thing about EAX is the time-scale stuff: speeding up or slowing down your songs was awesome, and I really miss that feature, I think most of all. It was a great thing to have and I can't find it on any other player.
2. Battery life: I charged it twice in the entire time I owned it, and not once did it die or come close to it. I didn't calculate how long it lasted, but it was great not having to worry about it stopping all the time like with some players. It's also easy to charge, just a plug-in DC (not like the Rio Carbon I have now, which you hook to a USB, then to a DC...maybe I'm just lazy) and it doesn't take long at all.
3. Storage: This is a big one. I loved having the huge amount of space, but I decided I really wouldn't use that much (ever) but I got about 200 songs on it and barely tapped the memory.
4. Software: By far the easiest mp3 player software out there. I absolutely loved it, it's horrible not to have anymore. Very simple, look at the instructions once and it's the easiest thing to figure out.
5. Carrying case: An all-in-all awesome thing. Holds it perfectly, GREAT belt clip (not a cheesy falling apart one) and it feels actually like leather, although I don't think it is. It rocked and I miss it. :(
6. LCD Display: This was the most attractive thing about the player. Not only the LCD light, but the icons on the screen were more fun to look at and better than boring words.
7. Delete feature: If you have a song you don't want, all you do is click it and scroll to delete. Awesome feature.
The only other thing I DIDN'T like about the player was the size. It was bigger than a 40 gb Ipod, and thicker too. A little heavier, but a small price to pay for such a great unit. All in all a great buy.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T BUY.
Review: I got this Christmas 2003 and after the warranty had expired in July, a circuit blew and the screen stopped working. The cover ALWAYS pops off. I'm using it as a backup drive until I buy a Dell Jukebox 20GB or Ipod because I can't listen directly because of the screen.
Go for the Dell DJ or Ipod... they make quality products. Creative Labs have awful support and makes shoddy products. Dell Jukebox has the exact same setup for the on-screen menu so just buy the Dell.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not perfect
Review: I have a Nomad for about 8 months now. On the whole, I am glad I bought it, but it has its pros and cons.
Pros:
1)More memory for the money, compared to any other brand that I saw.
2)Easy to add music.
3)Controls can be operated with gloves on (very important, as I walk for fitness, all year.)
4)Unlike the Ipod, battery can be replaced by the consumer.
5)Backlit screen is easy to read.
6)Good battery life.
Cons:
1)Included case is poorly designed- no viewing window and a belt clip that falls off your belt. (I bought a small camera case, to use instead.)
2)Included ear buds were not comfortable for me (a problem with most jukeboxes)
3)A bit bigger that the Ipod. In short, it's a good product but could be impproved upon.
Rating:
Summary: A Flawless MP3 Player. But Not A Perfect One.
Review: I have owned this thing for over 3 months now and I have had no problems. I've heard a lot of bad things about this player and how it crashes/skipps/breaks after 90 days to 3 months. See theres a catch to it though. Some people are stupid and will write a review on how it broke but they never tell you how BADLY they treated it cause they think they treat it fair while others think they treat it like crap. You have to watch out for that in reviews. I learned it the hard way.
Lets start out by listing the features on this thing. It starts out with the best feature of all, REPLACEABLE LI-Ion Battery! Thats right. You can buy one in your local electronics store for around $35-$50. (Prices range from what store/deal you get) The reason not to get an iPod is this. When the iPods battery dies, (which is in about 18 months they say) they make you send it in, pay $100 and wait for the replacement. I personally think thats horrible. With the Zen, you can just pop off the faceplate and replace the battery yourself. Easy as that.
Another great feature on the software part of this player, is the EAX sound enhancemnts which allow you to make it sound different, speed up the song without wrecking the song or slow it down, and you have all your presets such as Rock, Pop, Jazz, Vocal and such.
The menus on this are very easy. I got used to it very fast. I would say the learning curve is about 15 minutes for a average electronics person. On the side of the player there is a scroll wheel which moves up and down for picking and you can press it in for selection. Theres a play/pause/ |>> <<| and volume up and down buttons. There is also a Menu and Back button which I'll get into in a second. BUT...there is no pause button as people say on here. Luckily for all of you I have read a persons review telling you how to stop it and it really does act as a stop button sequence. Pause the song and then hit |>> or forward track. It stops! Hooray!
The menu button is for going all the way back to the menus if you dont want to press the back button 50 times cause you've gone through too many menus.
Lastly, there is a power button. You should know what that does. Hold it in to turn it on or off. Press it to button lock the buttons.
Ive been to a few review sites (here and Epinions.com) and I've noticed that people were having trouble with the headphone jacks. They would fail or fall loose after a few days. I was never going to get this mp3 player if that was the case. WELL LISTEN UP BECAUSE IM GOING TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY THAT DOESNT HAPPEN ANYMORE.
Creative re-released this version of the jukebox in a heatsealed package. When you open it up and it has a SEE THROUGH WINDOW in the case, (which the old models didn't which meant they had the old headphone jacks/faulty HDD's) then you have the new jukebox that has ALL the problems fixed: Hard Drive, Headphone Jack, and faulty hard drives. Trust me. I did so much research before i got one of these. I am a die hard music fan and i am a HUGE audiophile. Just make sure its a heatsealed package and a window in the case. Read around and you'll find the information I got from other reviews on other sites too.
The sound on this thing sounds beautiful compared to the iPod. I'd say this one has the best sound out of the Iriver and ipod because it IS Creative Labs and they are all about sound cards, speakers, so you know they have the best sound around. (plus on the package it says up to 98DnB!!! Thats good!!!)
The bass is not overpowered but everything blends together to make it sound great. There is bass yes....but not A LOT like some overpowered CD Players.
The headphones included are actually pretty good but they are too big for my ears. They have a gold plated plug which enhances the sound greatly. Plus the cords are white ;)
The USB 2.0 works great! It transfers very fast on my computer (a song every .60 seconds) I recommend purchasing Red Chairs Software: Notmad Explorer because the bundled software with the Zen is pretty bad. Its faulty, crashes (on my top of the line computer) and sometimes doesnt even transfer songs i told it to transfer. Red Chair software claims their Usb transfer rate is a good deal higher than creatives. Right now I just use Nomad Explorer that came with the Zen. Its the easiest, fastest, flawless software they give you. Use other programs to manage your music. I heard of my friend losing his whole collection on his computer because of Creative Media Source. (Hes sorta a computer noob though)
The carrying case included is terrible and bulky but sturdy so i dont use it. Plus, the clear stuff over the screen is GLASS so it doesnt scratch barely at all. The Aluminum casing in the front and back feels solid and well built.
All in all, you should by this mp3 player because of the replaceable battery and its 14 hours instead of 12 of playback. I only gave it a 4 out of 5 because it is a BIT bulky and a little heavier than the ipod but its 100 dollars less for 10 MORE, YES MORE GIGS OF STORAGE MORE BATTERY LIFE AND A REPLACEABLE BATTERY!! Good job Creative.
Rating:
Summary: Once the honeymoon was over....
Review: I LOVED my Jukebox for the first eight months I owned it. I had a bit of a problem getting the software to work, but beyond that -- the sound quality and battery life suited my needs without question. I would have like the software to allow for better file organization, but you can't have everything.
Then my headphone jack went (I tried 2 other sets of headphones, it's the jack.) After reading reviews here and on other user forums, I found others had the same problem. I wasn't overly concerned since I assumed that Creative stood behind their products and fixing it wouldn't be a problem.
I soon found that Customer Service at Creative is abysmal, and that's on a good day. They only take calls during the M-F working day, and about 48 hours to get back to you via e-mail. The only solution available was to send THEM $40 for the dubious honor of assessing whether it was (a) broken and (b) fixable. They also made note that if I did want the device repaired, I would have to pay for it. However, they did acknowledge this was a defect they were aware of. I'd rate this policy in the "not-so-good" category.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do -- so for those of you looking to buy, I'd shy from committing to CREATIVE until they get their act together. Like I said, it's a great device, but unless you can spend $350 every eight months, it may not be the product for you.
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