Go to Windows 7 Insider Guide
CNET editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/28/2002
- Updated on: 10/29/2002
Design
As noted, the Zen's style is a departure from Creative's CD-player look and feel. The unit's clean, brushed-aluminum, rectangular-shaped case is, well, Zen-like. Although the 2.99-by-4.43-by-0.95-inch, 9.5-ounce (with the rechargeable battery) Zen is smaller and lighter than many hard drive-based players, it doesn't quite fit into a front pants pocket like the similarly shaped iPod does. However, you can hold the Zen comfortably in one hand, and if you're right-handed, the inset jog dial will line up perfectly with your thumb, making for easy navigation of the Zen's extensive menu. The 1.7-by-0.8-inch, backlit LCD presents all information legibly and includes icons, sliders, and other graphical elements.
Creative includes wraparound headphones; an AC adapter; and a heavy-duty, black, padded carrying case. The company says that it will introduce an in-line remote with a mike for recording voice memos in November. This accessory will also allow you to record radio programs to the Zen's hard drive as 16-bit, 22,050KHz stereo WAV files.
Features/connectivity
Creative includes support for both USB 1.1 and FireWire, which the company calls SB1394. The USB port ensures compatibility with most Macs and PCs, while the high-speed FireWire connection solves the problem of transferring gigabytes of music or data to or from the Zen's 20GB hard drive.
Like its predecessor, the Zen comes with Creative's stable PlayCenter software, which rips and encodes CDs, organizes your library, and syncs music--Zen to PC, PC to Zen, or both. The File Manager app transfers other data types to or from the Zen. While we're on the topic of software, the Zen can sync with multiple PCs if they have PlayCenter installed. The iPod, in contrast, has built-in, light copy protection that allows you to sync to only one computer. What's the big deal about multiple-PC syncing? Well, it means that you can trade entire MP3 collections in a relatively short period of time.
For users who prefer a slimmed-down interface, Red Chair Software offers a $25 program called Notmad Explorer, which integrates smoothly with both Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer for easier file transfers.
Once you have your MP3s, WMAs, and WAVs on the player, you'll notice a myriad of playback features: you can browse by artist, song, playlist, album, genre, or all tracks. Pressing the jog dial while selecting an album, a track, or another item brings up a number of options, including Play Now; Add to Play (list); Bookmark; and in the case of genres, albums, or artists, Open, which lists everything from that category. Playlists created in this fashion can even be saved and named on the fly.
One gripe: You can access random and repeat functions only by selecting a song in a playlist. So if you want to shuffle all tracks, you'll have to make an all-tracks playlist on your PC, then transfer it to the Zen. That method works, but we'd have preferred an easier solution.
The Zen's DSP settings maximize Creative's substantial experience with audio processing, giving the device a wide range of sound-tweaking options. Settings include a DSP that simulates auditorium or bathroom environments (among others); eight EQ presets, none of which are manual; Time Scale, which changes music from half-speed to time-and-a-half without altering pitch; a spatialization option (Wide, Narrow, or Full); and Smart Volume, which tailors the sound for trains, cars, or quiet environments by calibrating EQ to compensate for outside frequencies. This last feature can also normalize volume across all tracks, preventing you from having to frequently adjust the loudness.
Performance
Considering all the sound options and the near-flawless 98dB signal-to-noise ratio, the Zen is one of the best-sounding MP3 players to date. Audio quality was loud and clear through our test headphones. More demanding listeners may want to upgrade from the included wraparound headphones, but they sound decent enough to keep.
As for performance, file-transfer speeds are a quick 0.77MB per second for USB 1.1 and a blazingly fast 3.35MB per second over FireWire; we filled up the Zen's 20GB in just more than an hour and a half using the latter connection.
The internal, lithium-ion, rechargeable battery lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge, which is slightly above average. If you don't have the AC adapter handy, the Zen can also charge itself while connected to a USB--but not a FireWire--port.
Although we'd prefer that the Zen were even more compact, the unit delivers lots of storage space, great sound, robust playback features, and generous syncing capabilities in a more portable package than that of previous Jukebox models. Yes, the Zen is missing the extra bells and whistles of the Jukebox 3, but if you can do without the recoding capabilities, the $299 (with a $50 rebate) Zen is a good choice.
Most helpful user reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 92 reviews
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
Submit your review
%20MP3%20player%20reviews%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/creative-nomad-jukebox-zen/4505-6490_7-20493054.html){kind=small}