Whatever you want to do...Droid Does
Entered CNET Catalog: 10/07/2002
SKU: 0054651055223
Manufacturer: Creative Labs
Content [Hide]
Manufacturer description
The Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen offers the same powerful features and flexibility found in a large-capacity MP3 player, but now delivered in a smaller, sleeker package! Use USB plug-in and load your entire music collection and data files in a flash onto the stylish Zen, pop it into your pocket or bag, then share information easily between computers. Featuring the familiar powerful menu system available in all Creative Jukebox products, the NOMAD Jukebox Zen lets you easily move through your music collection, select songs and edit playlists absolutely anywhere. Only Creative Labs offers this speed and versatility with such a compact 20GB MP3 player. The Zen offers up to 12 hours of continuous playback using the quick-charge battery, and the sleek aluminum body makes carrying your music even more fun. Combine these features and the versatility, and you will discover there could be no easier decision. The NOMAD Jukebox Zen is the best choice for compact, large-capacity MP3 music listening and file transfer.Product summary
The good: Excellent sound quality and options; 20GB capacity; optional remote will enable recording from FM radio; supports FireWire and USB 1.1.
The bad: Doesn't record; hard to shuffle all tracks.
The bottom line: The Zen is a slick, great-sounding MP3 player that lacks only recording capabilities.
Average user rating: from 92 users
3.0 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed 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.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
worst tech support in the world!
Pros: lots of space, easy to use software
Cons: battery life SUCKS!!! big and bulky
Review: The battery life on this unit is horrible. It didnt even last 1 year. If you want to get a new one Creative will not sell you the replacment, you have to ship your unit to them and pay a non refundable $24.95 for a "diagnostic evaluation" and than you have to pay $80 to get them to replace the battery. There is a battery available from radio shack, however it does have the same specs for some reason it will not work properly in the unit. All in all you are screwed by creative. It would be nice if they just offered the battery like they have on most all their mp3 players, because all it takes to replace the battery is some basic knowledge of a sodering iron. I am very affraid to purchase another creative poduct....
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
budget HD mp3 player
Pros: Sound is great.
Cons: Size, cannot be used as a file storage without special app
Review:
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
SHORT WARRANTY 90DAYS,SHORT LIFE SPAN
Pros: Creative would have a better product if they backed it up.It has good sound,plenty of memory 12,000 songs,nice leather case,battery life 6-9 hours.
Cons: Creative does'nt believe in their product!If they did they would give a better warranty!90 days is an easy "way out" of dealing with the consumer and backing their product! Freezes always,tech support horrible,not a toll free number,little or no help!
Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Bulky but adequate
Pros: Tons of storage space Long battery life Nice sound
Cons: Big Difficult to organize music Nomad software a little confusing
Review:
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
It's Great for about 5 months
Pros: It has great features, fast transfers if you purchase the Notmad software, and comes with a carrying case.
Cons: Once you drop it it's good for the trash, doesn't has a stop button, the screen is very small, and very short battery life.
Review:
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Geat if you don't need it for long
Pros: I like the play list ability.
Cons: I purchsed two. One for my teenager and one for myself. My teenager's fell out of her pocket and stopped working. this was four months old and one month out of warranty. Sent it back to Creative. They were extemely helpfull and accomidating. After t
Review:
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Bottom line = It's Perfect
Pros: This player is truely the greatest. I just bought mine from Best Buy on Boxing day $100 off. You can't ask for anything better, the sound quality is amazing, you can change the bass/treble on the custom equalizer, or put preset as "Rock". Most of you just
Cons: No radio, or recording (must buy extra attachment) but that's no problem, just buy the attachment cheap.
Review:
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
This player sucks. It's way too big! How can anyone even compare it too the iPod?
Pros: uh......it looks good....i guess. and it has a big capacity.
Cons: LOOK at the size of it!!!!! and it's so heavy! how can you even compare it to the iPod?
Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great Value For money
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Bought my Zen about half yr ago , and it's still working well . One flaw about the products that it seems to hang on you sometimes when u scroll too much . Creative got to fix it man ..
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Vey flawed, thumbs down.
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Mine is nearly filled with 5500 tracks. As it neared capacity, syncing became almost impossible. -I use the firewire port on my laptop -flaky connection! The Creative PlayCenter is dumbed down and I'd rather have a standard Windows interface. Finally, side contols are non-tactile [smooth tiny buttons], who has needle finger needed to turn the thing on? Can't even feel the buttons in the cold. Also very frustrating is poor menu, I see many choices to add, play, open list and tracks etc. but how do you close a playlist?? It still too soon after Zen purchas but I want a more advanced 60, 80 Gb player by Archos, even iPod later
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
CAN'T CHANGE INTERNAL BATTERY
Pros:
Cons:
Review: PLS DON"T BUY THIS ZEN COS INTERNAL BATTERY WILL GIVE YOU PROBLEMS AFTER ONE OR TWO YEARS PERIOD OF TIME.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Good Player, People on this forum are wrong about the battery
Pros:
Cons:
Review: The people on this forum who are saying that the battery in this MP3 player, along with the one in the Ipod, is not replacable are wrong. There are several sites, along with electronic shops who sell the same battery as is needed in this player, and a battery for the Ipod. Several sites show you how to replace the battery. Other than that what can I say? The thing that bothers me with every mp3 player i have tried, including the Ipod, is the lag that is experienced while changing tracks.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Battery
Pros:
Cons:
Review: In my opinion creative has to remedy this battery problem otherwise they'll lose their consumers.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
the best mp3 player on the market for the money
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Excellent player (USB 2.0 version) . easy to use and works reliably with no problems.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Crashes too often sound not so good
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I bought the Zen not knowing that the batteries were not replaceable. But that's not even my chief complaint. This thing crashes every two weeks forcing a reset every time. A couple of days ago even the reset would not work as it wanted to format the drive! Mysteriously it didn't even after I pushed okay and then reset and began to work. The sound quality is rather poor compared to Sony or Panasonic and the menu system is hideous largely in part to the itty bitty tiny screen. It also stinks that this thing will be a paperweight after a few hundred recharge cycles. Do companies really think I'll be happy with flushing $350 bucks down the toilet every couple of years? Walk away from this product, walk far away.
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
** BEWARE: Creative Labs makes faulty MP3 players that break soon after warranty expiration! **
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Hi all, Just a word of warning from experience: No, I dont own a Nomad Jukebox Zen. But I own a Nomad II MG. I bought it about 2 years ago on recommendation by CNET and other users of value, quality, features, etc. I paid $340 to get it when it first came out, and while it worked it was great. The problem with the Nomad II MG (and lots of other Creative MP3 players) is that they suddenly stop working due to consistent engineering defects, and then when you contact Creative Labs they tell you you are the only one who ever complained of said problem ad if your meager manuf. limited warranty is up then you're SOL. (The problem with the Nomad II MG is that the battery compartment was made too wide for AAA batteries so often times the player wouldnt power up, even with brand new charged batteries. Creative to this day refuses to acknowledge the defect and claims I'm the only one who had this problem, even though I read SCORES of other people's postings on CNET complaining of the same problem before the Nomad II MG was taken offline). My honest advice: If you're going to shell out $ for Creative Labs MP3 players, plan on them having a shelf life of no more than 6 months and know that Creative doesn't care one bit if they screw you and lose you as a customer. They're in it for the short term and their customer service/support policy is slash and burn.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Simply Awesomw
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I was worried at first about gettign a hdd mp3 player as to the reliablity of the unit. Now i can say with utter certaintly this unit is freaking GREAT!!!. EAX onboard, loud crisp sound. 20 gigs and cheaper then the ipod. my only gripe is that the software "playcenter" sucks big time. Redchair fixed that problem for me, but i still dont like having to buy additional software after getting a product.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great Player for a low price
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I got the Zen a week ago and it is very good. With the firewire or the usb 2.0 are very fast transfers. Software is ok.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Cannot replace battery!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: "PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BUYING A ZEN!!!" Ron on 13-Jan-2003 11:03:00 am This is a really great player, but you SHOULD NOT BUY IT, and here's why: The battery cannot be replaced. Their customer service (it was actually very easy to reach a human being!) told me that the battery will last 1.5 to 2.0 years, but cannot be replaced, even by their own repair department. He reluctantly admitted that, when the Zen's internal battery dies, you'll have to discard your unit and buy a new one. Note that the ipod has the same problem as the Zen - the internal battery cannot be replaced. Instead, buy the Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 - it's battery is easy for the user to replace.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
the most reasonable choice for today!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: if you can live with 268g smaller lcd than in ipod ... buying zen youare doin good deal. Zen offers much more in this price than ipod for the same money , has stylish look,great sound! really good battery life! and this something - you want it and is much much economical(doesnt mean cheap in bad meaning) choice than expensive ipod
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Better price and flexibility.
Pros:
Cons:
Review: The playlist feature sold me. I can choose what I want to listen to whenever I want to. The beauty of creating an impormptu playlist of Bach,Beegees, Micael Jackson and Missy Elliot is great!! I Paid $25 for the Notmad Explorer and frankly it is arces better than the Playcenter. the only good sw that Creative bundles is the Flie manager. Get the Notmad Explorer!!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great Player, easy to use & Fast Transfers
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Bought the Zen based on the firewire transfer capabilities. I have no problems, very easy to use and set up. First time MP3 owner and have been very pleased. Zen can also double as a back up storage device- I use it to xfer files to other PCs.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Clearly the best Value
Pros:
Cons:
Review: So there I stood at BestBuy. In front of me was the 20GB Zen and the 20GB iPod. Decision time-- Zen price: $299, iPod price: $499. Winner: Zen Sound quality: Based on reviewers & specs. Winner: Zen User Interface: iPod is smaller and more straightforward to operate. Winner: iPod PC interface: For PC users USB 2.0 is the way to go. Winner: Zen Are the iPod advantages worth the extra $200? No way. Most important qualities are sound (afterall this is a MUSIC player) and storage (20GB is ample, for $299 you can only get the 5GB iPod). Overall winner: Zen BTW, regarding the battery issue - I've checked with Creative and they will be offering battery replacement (unlike Apple) for < $100.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
i-pod blows compared to zen
Pros:
Cons:
Review: simply because of the price difference, this makes the zen a better buy. sure there's the battery issue, but the i-pod has that same issue! so either way there's a problem. i've enjoyed mine immensely. controls fit well and the sound is good. everyone who sees it is amazed.
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
The Zen Satisfies!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Granted, I am a first time buyer/user of any MP3 player. But simply from the point of view of a consumer, I am very satisfied with the quality and functionality of this product. The sound quality is good and the unit is solidly built and fairly intuitive in its function. My one criticism would be that the custom EQ had more than 4 bands to adjust sound. Both the PC-based and unit software are easy to use and well thought out. Although, I've never owned an iPod, given the price of the Zen it seems like a great value
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
CREATIVE'S BANG FOR THE BUCK
Pros:
Cons:
Review: To tell you the truth, I LOVE MY JUKEBOX ZEN!!!! Creative has outdone themselves with this MP3 player. At first, i didnt think i was going to like it, after i had purchase the first Jukebox(6GB). But after messing around with it and discovering what it had to offer, plus the size and compactness, i was sold. Being able to set one's listening to a specific environment(ie. outside, car, or small room) is a very useful feature. Plus having the carrying case keeps my player nice and clean. I used it recently on a road from from philadelphia, and having added to the playlist(about 50+ songs), i was jamming all the way home. So far i have about 745 tracks(i still have a lot more to add), and i am still impressed with the software creative uses to transfer CD's to MP3's. I'm also glad creative didnt change how to use the software just because a new product came out. I dont miss the record feature, nor the extra output jacks. The only complaint i have is that the buttons are a little too small(i have big fingers). Other than that, I LOVE IT!!!! THANK YOU CREATIVE!!!!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great Player, Great Features
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I recieved this player for my birthday a few days ago and it has served me nothing but praise. The only trouble i had was installing the software (Creative PlayCenter 3.0). I love the bundled software, but i understand a lot of people don't. I had a Nomad Jukebox (the original) and i was used to the format, so it was easy to use--for me, anyway. The sMARTVolume is one of the greatest features ever on an mp3 player. It matches the sound level for all songs, and there are also some sMARTVolume presets like LateNight, Car, Plane, and Train. Other great features include on the fly playlists, EAX settings, and Find...
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Experienced numerous major flaws and crashes...a waste of money.
Pros:
Cons:
Review: It's been 3 weeks since I purchased my first Zen and already I have had to return it twice for major errors. After a week and a half of enjoying this product, I was disgusted to find I could no longer hear the music in the right ear because of a problem with the headphone jack on the zen. So I exchanged it for another one and went on using that for another week before the system froze up as I was scrolling through a playlist. Need less to say it didnt respond anymore and after trying for a day and half to get it to work again, i gave up all hope. Eventually the battery died out and the zen was dead. I tried to get it to restart again but there was no reponse. This product after a week was no longer functionable. Now tell me that this is the kind of product that is worth your money. My friend has been telling to save a little more money and get the iPod and I think im going to take him up on that suggestion. I would suggest you to do the same.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
everything i needed
Pros:
Cons:
Review: nothing but postitive things to say... I love it so far and i've been using it for a week straight. i bought mine at best-buy and elected to pay the $40 bucks for a 4 year warranty. I feel this was a good decision due to the rediculously short warranty offered by creative. long story short, I recommend it. I have the usb 2.0 version, not the fire-wire (this was a little bit to my suprise) but usb 2.0 transfers fast enough where its not a problem. About a song per second, I find. I don't find it difficult to interface with at all... finding the right song is fairly effortless. Happy mp3'ing... and long live free music!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
battery throw the good player
Pros:
Cons:
Review: everything but the battery is good if you have the money, knock yourself out
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
An excellent device
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I haven't had my Zen long but am loading up my music as fast as I can. The only real complaints I've heard are that you can't create an all tracks playlist except via the PC interface (is that such a big deal) and that there is no way to replace the battery. Well, I am using my Zen every day and if my battery runs out in 2 years that's about 40 cents a day it will have cost me - well worth it!!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Why spend more on an iPod?
Pros:
Cons:
Review: My decision was down to a Zen or iPod. I could not see spending $100+ for the iPod and I do not regret that decision. Simply put, the Zen is a great unit. It is solid and performs well. The EAX envrionments are a must for enjoyable MP3 playback (if you are an audio nut like me).
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Zen gives biggest Bang for Buck
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Ok I have seen review after review talking about the battery issue. First this is an issue shared with the all mighty Ipod and several other pieces of retail electronics, so its nothing new. Second, you can be assured that there will be a cottage industry created by people/companies who figure out how to replace the batteries when they reach the end of their servicable lives. My archos was a 6gig jukebox when I got it, and we were all told it couldnt be upgraded. Well its sitting here spinning with a 30gig hard disk, upgraded Li-Ion batteries, and an upgraded display, so anything can be done. Third BUY AN IN STORE WARRANTY, Best buy offers 4 years for 39 bucks, so im good for 4 years and dont need to waist time with Creative. Now, the Zen sounds amazing, the batteries last 4 times as long as my old Archos jukebox 6000, and its half the size. The Creative Playcenter software is extremely easy to use, and transfered 3000 songs in about 70 minutes, and some of those songs are 170 meg full CDs. The EAX features are nice to have, the auto volume is extremely nice when listening in quiet environments. The included headphones are servicable, but weak, I highly recommend getting a better set of headphones. As stated in other reviews The unit has no dedicated stop button, but thats what the pause button is for. Battery life runs between 10-11.5 hours depending on settings for LCD backlighting etc. The unit will recharge from the USB port but only when powered down. The menus, and user interface are extremely easy to understand and use,but lefties might have issues with the jog dial, and button placement. The display is smallish but no smaller than most of the other Jukebox products out there. I find it easy to read the display, and the pale blue backlighting is easy on the eyes at night. Bottom Line- The Zen is a sexy small, easy to use MP3 Jukebox, with a huge storage capacity, that sounds better than anything else on the market at the moment.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Tell me, what idiot company would release an electronic device without a replaceable battery? Essentially, Creative has marketed a DISPOSABLE mp3 player with the shelf life of 1-2 years. So it is true what others have said; that you are actually leasing the product for 1-2 years. The Ipod also has the same battery problem. So if you're about to drop two to three hundred bucks on a gadget, make sure it has a battery (whether proprietary or not) that is replaceable.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great sound, great value
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Sounds the best among all mp3 players and at the price I paid for it ($249) for 20GB, it offers the best vaule. Creative has been actively adding new features to the firmware as well.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
better value than ipod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: i've had both. the 20 gb ipod, and now the 20 gb zen. Overall, the Zen is a better value. I got my usb 2.0 zen for 250 plus shipping, half as much as my ipod. It's user interface lags behind the iPod, not by much, but if you've had both you'll notice. iTunes also edges out playcenter 3. However, the Zen sounds better, and that is basically the bottom line. EAX is an amazing feature and it is extremely more durable than the ipod, especially the LCD. USB 2 is faster than firewire, but it is also slighly wider and taller than the ipod. Don't get me wrong i lvoe my zen, but the engineers that made itunes and ipod definnitely spent more time on its design and programming. I rate the ipod a 9/10 and the zen an 8/10.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Regardless of the GOOD, battery issue makes it BAD
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Regardless of how well the unit works, it's all irrelevant because of the crazy battery issue. Is Creative Labs assuming that consumers won't have the unit for more than 1 or 2 years? The battery, according to them, lasts about 1 to 2 years. First, they are in no position to make that choice for the buyer. One buyer may save up months to pay the expensive price, while another may have so much money that they buy and change units many times. So the choice of how long to keep the unit WE PAY FOR is not Creative Lab's but the buyer's.I find it impossible to believe that the design of the Zen makes it impossible to access the battery or change it when it wears out. That's crazy and it makes me mad that this company takes the liberty of trying to increase their sales by limiting the life of the unit. That's ridiculous. Moreover, the company, if you want to consider the advertising aspect, advertises that you are able to use the unit to listen to music whenever, and for however many years you want to. But, in reality, buying a Zen (or I-Pod with the same battery problem) actually amounts to a lease. You rent the unit for 1 or 2 years and then it's over. That is unacceptable and Creative Labs, and Apple, should have the integrity to tell buyers that the battery cannot be replaced and that the unit must then be used as a paperweight. Have the worth to advertise the truth and have the balls to stand behind your product as you designed it. I'm shocked that reviewers of the Zen don't mention this incredibly important design flaw. I returned mine and bought the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 which is a very good unit and I'm very happy with it.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Well-designed player with sleek lines
Pros:
Cons:
Review: After doing my homework on CNET, I went with the Zen. I can't say that the $50 wasn't part of what influenced my decision. I find the PlayCenter software fairly easy to use, but who buys an expensive player for the interface software? The real issues to consider are how the player feels, sounds and works. The feel is very natural. I like the jog wheel and menu design. It is intuitive and easy to get used to. It takes about 3 hours to charge the battery, but that's a small price to pay to get away from the constant replacement of the old AAAs. The blue-backlit display is nice (duration can be set in the Power menu) but it is tough to read. At 48 years old (the oldest Zen user in NJ), reading 4-pt characters is not my idea of fun. The EAX feature offers great listening options, but I noticed that the volume drops out when an option is selected. This causes you to raise the volume level and reduce battery life. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. With all that said, I would recommend the Zen as a good value for anyone who really wants to carry their entire music collection with them. The 20 gb drive is cavernous!! I transfer my music through the FireWire port. Blazing FAST! Finally, the sound quality is pretty good, but I don't get the great bass that I'm used to from my Panasonic XBSS portable cassette player. As such, I have begun my quest for replacement headphones for my Zen. Nothing bigger than 'compact' that provides the bass we all love and have come to expect will do. Send me a recommendation if you've got a pair that you're happy with. I like the ear buds style, not the band-behind-the-head look.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Not bad, but wait for something better
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I had the use of a Zen for a few weeks and I'm glad I did before I dropped the cash on one. It's slick and cool and sounds pretty good. The software is easy to understand and use. But the headphones are a little weak. The lack of a seviceable battery scares me. Also the on-board screen is too small and hard to read. Also it takes to long to create play list from the device. It's a step in the right direction, but i'll wait until a better one comes along before parting with my hard earned cash.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
One of the very BEST
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I have had my Zen since Christmas day. IT is an awesome little player. The only complaint that I have is that the inline remote is so hard to get right now.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Sounds good
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I bought the Zen about a month ago after reading TONS of reviews on CNET and other sites. It does sound very good. Whether or not you should buy depends on what you want it for. If you want a portable hard-drive, go with something else. It can be used as such but requires the Creative file manager to be installed. Not bad though, if you only plan to carry data between two machines. If you want lots of GB and good sound quality, give the Zen a shot. The interface takes a while to get used to but once you do it's not bad. I also miss the stop button but have found a simple workaround: press the "pause" button and then the "forward" button (to advance to next track) and it stops playing. My friend has an Ipod and it is easier to use, but the trade-off is the Zen has 4x the GB for the same price. They both have the same battery problem, so that's a wash. I just wanted the Zen for working out at the gym, listening to music in my car, and bike rides/rollerblading, and to that end it performs great. Just set up a bunch of playlists and go!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
U REALLY GOTTA READ THIS
Pros:
Cons:
Review: "PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BUYING A ZEN!!!" Ron on 13-Jan-2003 11:03:00 am This is a really great player, but you SHOULD NOT BUY IT, and here's why: The battery cannot be replaced. Their customer service (it was actually very easy to reach a human being!) told me that the battery will last 1.5 to 2.0 years, but cannot be replaced, even by their own repair department. He reluctantly admitted that, ac says: when the Zen's internal battery dies, you'll have to discard your unit and buy a new one. Note that the ipod has the same problem as the Zen - the internal battery cannot be replaced. Instead, buy the Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 - it's battery is easy for the user to replace. ac says: you should read the users' comments on this
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Not bad....cheaper than PC-based Ipod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Okay....I've had my Zen for about a month now and I'd figure it's time to voice my opinion about this product. Lemme give you a bit of a background....my X-mas present was a Sony Net-MD walkman that was left to be desired. So I took it back to the store and traded it in for the Zen. ADVANTAGES: (1) First of all, the Zen fits comfortably in my shirt pocket. I also use the carring case when my shirt doesn't have a pocket. (2) I have no problems with the the software so far. The fact that I can share my files back and forth between my office and home PCs is great. I use the USB functionality and I uploaded 200+ songs in about 20 - 30 mins (USB 1.1). Not bad at all. (3) I have 500+ songs on it so far and I haven't come anywhere close to maxing it out. I plan to to put my whole digital music collection on my Zen. It'll turn out to be a nice backup music box for us part-time disc jockeys. DISADVANTAGES: (1) The menu options are a bit tedious, but after you use it a couple of times, you get use to it. (2) The battery life could be better, but I guess isn't too bad for a portable 20 GB HD. I turn my Zen on at around 8am when I get to work and listen to it all day long (pausing every once in a while) 'till about 4pm. When I get home I still have one of my three bars showing on screen. I do wish the battery was replaceable. I'm not looking forward to the 1.5 - 2 year life of my Zen. But that's why there are in-store warranties. I purchased one that covers my Zen for 3 years. (3) Where's the stop button? The Zen only has a play/pause, back, forward, and menu buttons. In order for me to stop my Zen, I have to switch the play mode to "Track Once" or "Normal" and advance a track. Overall, the Zen isn't half bad. I love it. It serves it's purpose well. I can't wait for the remote/FM radio/recorder tool to come out. It would add a whole new spin on this product.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
CAN'T CHANGE TRACKS!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I am a PC guy who works in Apple store. I got my self ZEN since it was cheaper. I was fine with everything untill I compared it to IPOD. It's much bigger but i can live with that. The controls are so stupid (especialy if you use it in the car.) they are on the side so you have to move it from one side to anouther since you drive with the other hand. The screen is small. and the bigest problems is you can't change tracks fast enough. for exaple if you are on track one and you switch to track #25 it needs 2 sec delay. and if you do it to fast it delays for even longer. on Ipod you can put in on track 44 right away and then it will start playing in 1-2 sec. but here even the numbers don't switch. and when you are driving it's very stupid to look at you screen 20 times since you are browsing 20 tracks. buttom line it's a nice product but not for a car. and if you can offor IPOD get It. And I heard that replacement for BATT. will soon be available. I returned mine and I said to my self if i spend already 350 hell with it i will spend little more.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
good player, bad connector
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I have now bought two Zen and returned them both. The headphone connector jack has gone bad on BOTH of them. You would think Creative would manufacture a quality connector since it is used often and this is where the sound comes from. I do like the "one-hand" design and navigation features, though
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Unit is worthless once you change the batteries!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I couldn't believe it when I phoned the Tech Support and asked them how to replace batteries after noticing that there was no apparent way to remove the batteries... there is actually no way!! Once the battery is worn out the unit becomes useless... is this some sort of scam? Sounds like it.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
It sounds great!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I originally bought this as a firewire hard drive that I could also use to listen to my music on. Well, it turns out that it's not quite as simple to just use it as a hard drive (requires software and driver install- something that requires admin privledges on Windows 2000 and XP), but the sound quality is so great that I've decided to keep it despite this drawback. It's a little heavy (compared to iPod), but I can still manage to walk around town without it weighing me down too much. The software it comes with is terrible, but even the free demo version of Notmad explorer does everything I would need it to (I might be buying the full version if I can scrounge up the 25 bones). But again, my primary use for it is as a firewire HDD, so these are but minor complaints... The wired remote/FM Tuner/Microphone is backordered everywhere... Looking forward to getting it eventually (c'mon Creative, make more!).
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
BETTER THAN ALL MP3 IT IS GREAT!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: this is the greatest mp3 because its affordable and it holds so many songs overlal its awsome NIIGAAAA
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BUYING A ZEN!!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: This is a really great player, but you SHOULD NOT BUY IT, and here's why: The battery cannot be replaced. Their customer service (it was actually very easy to reach a human being!) told me that the battery will last 1.5 to 2.0 years, but cannot be replaced, even by their own repair department. He reluctantly admitted that, when the Zen's internal battery dies, you'll have to discard your unit and buy a new one. Note that the ipod has the same problem as the Zen - the internal battery cannot be replaced. Instead, buy the Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 - it's battery is easy for the user to replace.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
incompatible software
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Windows 98se The associated sofware was able to connect to my computer but would not connect to the software for Playcenter. Multiple crashes and lock ups. Talked to Tech for 2 hours and they gave up after the Zen itself locked up. Worked on rebooting the Zen now in addition to the software problem. Was told by tech to get bios update, sound card updates, etc. Did all of this and still unable to connect to PlayCenter software.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Mine broke after a week
Pros:
Cons:
Review: first let me say that i like this product.... it just seemed to stop working one night...i reboot i format the thing nothing... then i try to install the os again.... the thing gives me a hard disk error.... u know i read the reviews of the product here... i though 80 thumbs up was good enough.... guess i was wrong... im waiting for creatives reply to my email... all i can great player just hope more dont bbreak for NO reason
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Sounds Great, Half as much as an iPod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I'm going to be honest. If an iPod was $250 like the Zen, it would have been a much more difficult decision for me (I got it with a $50 rebate). Even if they were the same price I probably would have gotten the Zen, because the iPod has built in light copyright protection..so for instance if I wanted to sync with two computers with the iPod..it's a no go. That is not the case with the Zen..you can even transfer files with other Zens with the Firmware update. I received my Zen in the mail a few days ago, and I've had no dissapointments. It came with a bunch of preloaded tracks, and even tracks by Creative explaining more advanced functions like EAX or equalizer settings. The software, while bulky and somewhat cumbersome, didn't give me any problems, and I transferred my entire collection (about 1000 songs/3.8 GB) over the Firewire in 20-30 minutes. The first thing that surprised me was the sound quality. I was amazed that such full audio could come out of such a small device. I didn't use the headphones that came with the player..I used my Sony Wraparound MDR G52's. It even sounded better than my G-Protection Cd Player. I don't know what some of the other reviewers are talking about though..unless they're wearing really tight pants or something..because it dropped into my pocket easy as you please, with room to spare, and fits very comfortably in the palm of your hand. The only thing that I wish this player could do would be to shuffle all tracks, but that's a small price to pay for all the features packed into this player. Highly reccomended.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
If you use MusicMatch, go with the ipod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I wasn’t happy that you can’t upload songs from MusicMatch to the Zen. MusicMatch told me they don’t support it. I worked with the PlayCenter 3 software included with the Zen and it is NOT as easy to work with as MusicMatch. Syncing the Zen to PlayCenter was an adventure. It would not sync, it would merely replace my current playlist with the new songs that were being “synced” to it. If I had a playlist of 100 songs in the Zen and wanted to add 2 songs to it using the sync button, instead of showing 102 songs it would only show 2 songs in the playlist. I would then delete the 2 songs in the playlist and resync it and then it would finally show 102 songs. Even adding song files to PlayCenter was laborious and slow. I ended up going out and buying an ipod. It works perfectly with MusicMatch and syncs flawlessly. The ipods screen and font are bigger and believe me it makes a difference. I got a headache pretty quickly running through the menus on the Zen. The Zen does have more options than the ipod but I found them unnecessary. Using the scroll on the ipod makes the Zens seem outdated and clumsy, it’s actually kind of fun running through the menus with the ipod scroller. The menus are also much more intuitive on the ipod. I figured the whole process out right in the store just dinking around with it. I’m giving the Zen a thumbs up because it is a nice player. The ipod costs more but it is worth it, ESPECIALLY if you already use MusicMatch then definitely go with the ipod or if you don’t like squinting when you navigate the menus.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great Quality, 20 gigs, Super-userfriendly... count me in!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I wanna start by saying that creative certainly paid attention to the little things that normally bug you. Im going to name a few of the little functions that really made me happy. First, if you turn the player on and there was a song playing when you turned it off, the song fades in. No loud suprises. Another nice feature is the little feet on the underside of the player. You can lay it down on a table and not have to worry about scratching it. Thirdly, when queuing multiple artists/albums/songs the option to add stays open after selecting the item and moves down to the next item. This allows you to very easily add numerous items in sequence. Also, creative was very "creative" when designing the song loading features. It buffers the song off the hard disk, and when it gets to close to the end of the song, it starts buffering the next one so you aren't without music for very long. Even when manually changing songs it doesn't take long. The interface is really well put together. The one catch is that you have to use Creatives software to transfer mp3s, but compared to other mp3 player software it is really simple and easy to use.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
The Best You Can Ask For!!!!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I just got the Zen for christmas and it was amazing!! I opened it first and it worked right out of the box. I liked all the features it has and I previously owned a Jukebox so I should know. I downloaded the latest firmware 3.0(Found on many zen fan webpages) This firmware is great! It allows you to have a password so no one else can listen to your music. It also has a hardrive compresser function which compresses your music on the zen to about 60% to save space and you can still listen to it in compressed format at the same quality!! I love this product because you can also hook it up to your computer and use it as a portable harddrive and also with the firmware, you can download .pgg games(Once again, found on many sites) and play games on the zen such as mine sweeper, zelda, and donkey kong with amazing graphics! Overall, there is incredible firmware out for the zen and I highy recommend it!!!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
The BEST HARD drive mp3 player ever!!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Anyway i bought an IPOD 5gb for 299 and the hard drive failed, so i returned it to apple.com got my money back went looking for a new mp3 player. I person at FRY's told me about the ZEN and for the same price as a 5gb IPOD you get 20gb for the same price and also has USB. I went on the Internet to find the Cons and talked to creative and they said this product would over take the IPOD even though most of the review sites said it had terrible features. The features the Web sites said it doesn't have are recording functions which it does (if you buy the FM remote) and bad navigation which is accutually not so bad if you have your music organized. I bought it uploaded 30 cds on it, and i was blown away how fast it loaded and the sound quality comparered to the IPOD. Don't waste your money on IPOD or Nomad 3 go with the ZEN. The best PERIOD.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Best Buy on Hard Driver based MP3 Player
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Got it for $250 after rebate. That's almost half the price of an iPod! The PlayCenter software is great and one of the best. Battery lasts about 12 hours - good for long flights. You can also charge battery using USB connection to the laptop. Lots of bells and whistles with the EAX options. Firewire transfer is super quick. Case is a bit thicker than iPod but sill very pocketable. This is the best value you can find anywhere. There is an accessory port which can connect to a wired remote. I think this leaves open for other peripherals (wishful thinking on my part). For example, a bluetooth headset might be nice. In any case, these was the best high tech toy/value I got for 2002. A great X'mas gift to myself. 
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Very good unit for the price
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I read the reviews on 3 units the IPOD, the Archos and this, and decided to try this and frankly I am very impressed. It works great, sounds good and the software that came with it is adequate for me as I am only using it for music. Highly recommend.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Best jukebox yet!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I received my Zen for the holidays and couldn't be more impressed with all that it offers. The quality is amazing, the navigation is faster and easier than all the others and transfering songs to it with firewire is unbelievably fast. If your looking for a jukebox, this is definitely it. Great job Creative!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great But what about my Battery?
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I would go on about how awesome the Nomad Zen is, but what happens when my battery dies from using it? Now that I think about it, when 1000 charges is up, will it still work? SOmeone help me!?
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Nice MP3
Pros:
Cons:
Review: If you compare this to the vast universe of mp3s, for the price, it's the best. there are obvious reasons why the ipod has the upperhand. The screen on the zen is a little small, but the sound quality makes up for it. I'm listening to my zen as we speak, it's awesome. Bottomline: if you're a mac person, and money is no object, get the ipod. It makes no difference to me, since either are better than the cd player i have.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Awaiting delivery, very excited
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I am expecting this as a xmas gift and am very excited about it. I compared it to the 10gb ipod for PC and chose this for price, supposed sound quality and features. the ipod has no radio which i wanted, and cost 100 more for half the space. for the price of the nomad zen i can deal with the 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch difference in size
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
not perfect, but closer to perfection than the ipod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I got my Zen two weeks ago and I have to say I'm very pleased. It fits my trouser pocket (a bit bulky, but it still fits), the sound is great (especially the DSP features), it's very robust (once you get a working one - see below) and I think creative did a great job making it possible to handle 20 gb of mp3's/wma files in a comfortable and easy way. The downsides are: - There seem to be quite a lot of them shipping with broken harddrives when you look at creatives support forums. It's weird, because the product itself seems to be very robust (mine fell down from about 1,5 m height whilst running - nothing happened), so it seems to be manufacturing failures... - The headphones coming with it are useless (at least for me - much too big) - I didn't even unpack them after looking at them and used my sony earphones instead. - the non replacable battery - well - 1000 recharges sound enough for me, but I still have to look at the decay of performance until these 100 times are full. - I don't like creatives playcenter, so I got motmad, which is perfect, but also costs an additional 25$.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Nomad is better than Ipod since now it DOES have RECORDING CAPABILITIES!!!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: U need the remote to record but its better than nothing. The sound quality is better than Ipod's and thats all i care about even though it might be a little bigger. Buy it as soon as possible
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
There is a shuffle play!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Read the instructions, there is a mode where you can repeat, repeat all & shuffle (random.) (Expand & collapse a playing list & see it). Pause/play works for stop. Excellent player, sounds fantastic, have tried iPod & didn't like the sound quality. Agree, the software is terrible.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
serves it's purpose
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Good device, w/ a few exceptions: - creative playcenter is REALLY REALLY buggy. This is the biggest downside to this device. NOTMAD manager is a must if you buy this. - Not plug and play. You need creative specific drivers and the NOTMAD software to use effectivly between 2 machines. - battery life is decent. One nice feature is that you can recharge your device via the USB port if need be. - transfer speed is great - no random play option or stop button! - overall a good device, but an ipod might be better if you want to spend the extra dough and don't mind dealing w/ musicmatch bs etc...
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
A very good overall mp3 player
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I just got the nomad zen a few days ago. It takes a while to get used to the button placement (note that there are no buttons on front or back, only sides) but after that i discovered all the neat sound and organization features. I also use it for a portable harddrive. It does a very good job transporting my files from desktop to laptop. The software included makes moving files to and from computers easy. At 20GB for $300 the nomad zen is a much better deal than the apple ipod, plus you dont have to deal with copywright sturborn software.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Typical Creative Product :P
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Not a portable storage device(needs propriertary creative software),Very slow, too many bugs,heavy compared to the ipod,Very small screen,not easy to use. Creative should really follow Apple's ideas.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Geogeous MP3 player
Pros:
Cons:
Review: The sound is good. Like someone else on this board I was waiting until something came out that rivalled my MD. I rip my cds on @ 320k. extra quality helps. use the equalization and set the custom eq to boost the bass/ mid range and treble. got about 60 cds taking up 9 gigs. plenty of room left. i thought the shuffle mode was ok. select the tracks/albums/ or artists to play and then switch to shuffle play. i guess people are complaining because there is not a shuffle all and play button. well there isnt so get over. tiny tiny text on lcd. great sound. only bought for portable music storage so i'm well happy. by the way it costs £300 in london so stop whinging about the price if you bought in the US.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Blunders wrecked it
Pros:
Cons:
Review: What a great product this could have been. An external hard drive and music player in a cool case, with a FireWire port. But design blunders hamper both uses. First, and most seriously: This device is not recognized as a drive when you plug it into a computer. It's worthless as a storage device unless you also carry around a disk containing proprietary software from Creative to install on every computer you want to use the Zen with. Let's say you're over at a friend's house or office and you want to share some files, some pictures perhaps. Just plug the Zen in and copy away, right? NOPE. Unlike any other FireWire or USB drive that I've ever seen (including others, like the Archos, that play music), the Zen requires proprietary software. Creative took its good decision to include FireWire and USB and ruined it by not making the ports useful without special software. Unbelievable. Second: Creative touts the sound quality of the Zen, but then fails to provide a line-out jack. You have to listen to everything through the headphone amp, even when you have the thing hooked up to your car or home stereo. Why? These problems, especially the first, are infuriating because this product is so close to being the ideal product of its type.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Nice Job
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I don't understand what ppl are here complainting, I haven't had a single problem. I have Windows XP Pro as an OS and Windows 2000 Pro though. Only little complaint is the OS in the Zen. Sometimes it is hard to work with files, but luckily there is this great Play Center where I can do whatever I wish to do with the files. Also the documentation of the device is bit so and so, Creative could have printed a better user's manual and not some pdf file! Device is so expensive that to that amount of money a decent manual so have had been included. Period. The size of the device was a bit of shock first, but hey, the harddrive needs space and also the lithium-ion battery inside.. the lcd display could have been bit larger, I agree on this too. Otherwise nice product.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Exactly what was missing
Pros:
Cons:
Review: The moment you hold it in your hand and feel the cold metal case you know this Player means buisness. I tested the Archos Multimedia before , but this one blows it away. Simply amazing , and good size also
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
PIECE OF S... DON'T BUY
Pros:
Cons:
Review: see also other post where i gave it barely a thumbs up. now it has problems with the OS again. it seems like OS is screwed up and in rescue mode you can delete the old os and reload new firmware...it's that easy... wait, there is no firmware available for the zen (i was told that they are working on it!), which means that i have to send the thing in so that they replace the firmware and send it back to me. great! if you want to deal with a lot of trouble and have an awesome sound (when it actually works) get the zen. well, i would have rather optioned to get another unit (archos) and also use it without waiting to get it back from the repair center. btw, buy.com will not take it back since i sent in the upc for the $50 rebate (rebate=now you have to keep me). well next time i know to wait with sending in rebate stuff...
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
The Best sounding MP3 player!!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Creative's EAX sound is the best!!...The design of the player is the best!!...This is the best MP3 player of ALL!!!!!!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
It's sweet, but it needs a few tweeks
Pros:
Cons:
Review: The Zen is the best of the best in the Jukebox Family. The main issue I've got with it is the USB 1.1 interface instead of USB 2.0. What I'd like to see is USB 2.0 and 6-pin IEEE1394. The irony is that while you can power the Zen via USB, you can't do that via the IEEE1394 (Probably has something to do with the Audigy Card's inability to transmit power.). I'd also like to see a larger screen, a left/right scroll, and larger fonts. My only other complaint is with their Play Center 3 software and their File Manager software. While I understand that the Jukeboxes organizes the audio files via the ID3 tags, it would be nice to be able to simply drag and drop data files via Windows Explorer. Play Center 3 does an excellent job of ripping CD's into MP3's and WMA (especially WMA) files, but it's trying to do too much in one program. Perhaps Creative should consider redoing their OS so that there is a Folder for Audio and data can be stored in the root directory or individual directories. All-in-all, the Zen is still not a bad device and I'd easily recommend it to anyone looking for that type of device
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Recommend BUT LOT'S OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT!!!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: got it about 2 weeks ago. my first hd mp3 player and i was therefore very excited when i got it. however, now that i have used it for some time, i see lot's of weaknesses: 1) software takes forever to install (that is not due to my cd and/or computer since i tested it on others...) 2) is not recognized in explorer as hard drive (you have to use creative software which i find painful to use). it takes for example longer to load files in the creative database on your computer than it takes to transfer files to the device via firewire. 3) usb charging requires creative software installed! 4) after a week I deleted all my songs from the player since I had reorganized my id3 tags. That made the player crash and it wouldn’t start anymore. Reset button didn’t help. Tech support told me to try out button combinations and reset button, of combinations that I didn’t even have buttons for. Well, after a while I figure it out and formatted the hd (push reset button and hold play button, release reset button and you will get to the utility menu). Maybe that could have been in some manual?! 5) backlight display could be brighter the good things: 1) price, although archos might be a better alternative considering the extras that you get. Paid $349 - $10 buy.com rebate - $50 creative mail in rebate = $289 2) sound is excellent! the best i've ever had. (although i don't share the opinion of some reviewers about the headphones that are included. if you really want to enjoy the sound, get some good, closed headphones which will last you several years.) 3) 20GB is great for keeping most of my mp3's on there and not having to delete/transfer files on a regular basis 4) charging over usb (although firewire would be much more usefull) 5) all cables included 6) operation is nice and easy (albums, artist, all tracks…) fazit: great sounding mp3 player. Depending on your use for the player, you will have to decide between this one and the archos multimedia.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Bottom line - Nomad Zen sounds better than Ipod and that is what matters!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I just picked the Zen up after shopping around. I compared it to several other players and it came down to the Zen vs. the Ipod. Since I am going to use this device to listen to music, I chose the Zen because of it's sound quality. It just sounds way better than the Ipod and that is what's most important to me. I don't care how "sexy" a device is. I want the best performance and Zen is it. The size of the Zen is a bit larger, but it still fits in a pocket and it is light. Bottom line - Super portable -Fantastic sound quality. Get a Zen! If you need more features like recording, etc., get a Jukebox 3 or an Archos Multimedia unit.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
A poor man's Ipod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: This is a pretty good mp3 player but it's a budget Ipod and it doe snot compare. It's ignificantly larger than the Ipod and the Ipod interface blows the Zen away. If you want the best get the Ipod. If you can't afford the best but want a decent player at a lower price get the Zen. You can't really go wrong with it but it's just not as good as the Ipod in size and functionality. BTW, it's pretty easy to transfer mp3's from the Ipod to other computers. Those that say you can't do it should research this issue better.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Much better value than Ipod for PC users
Pros:
Cons:
Review: This is a great little player with fantastic sound quality. Easy and super fast to load your music too. Look online for the best deals. With rebate, I got the Zen for well under $299.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Not quite the ipod, but better value
Pros:
Cons:
Review: A higher learning curve than the Ipod. Can create playlists away from the computer, which is nice. Sound quality is outstanding. Navigation is very nice once you get used to it. Battery life is strong. The primary weakness is the software - it's pretty terrible. Only other problem so far is that loading a playlist of all tracks to play in random order seems to exhaust the memory. Other than that, this is a great value for $299. I previously ordered a Riot, but returned it immediately - this machine is far better. Note that the available space is around 19 gb, not 20 gb.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Unmatched value for dollar!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: OK, let's be honest. I work for Creative, so my opinion might be just a bit skewed. 
My purpose for this posting is to ask "Anonymous" to post a message, or e-mail me, about which store he went to and could not find the Creative demo rep.
My purpose for this posting is to ask "Anonymous" to post a message, or e-mail me, about which store he went to and could not find the Creative demo rep. User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Creative Scores!
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I waited months for a possible ipod rival when the zen showed up on the net my curiosity was peaked. Before this I used a Nomad II and loved it, I also test drove the slick lil ipod. I took a blind leap by purchasing the zen based on value and passed experience. When it arrived it was a bit wider than what I was used to (nomad II and ipod are of similar size). For a minute I actually thought of returning it because of my past experience with the ipod. But then I downloaded some songs on to it and went for a walk, best sound quality I've heard on an mp3 player. Navigating the menu isn't difficult if u read the manual (not as idiot proof as ipod put u'll get the gist of it after an hour of use). Overall I've decided to keep it (my bro think its the coolest thing in the world not as small as the ipod but not a brick like most people would have u believe.
not as small as the ipod but not a brick like most people would have u believe. User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Great product, loaded with features, iPOD Killer
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I am so happy after buying this product. I can easily transfer files back and forth. The EAX built-in software is great. The case has a slick design, and the product is not as heavy as I thought. It fits easily into a pocket. You get some preloaded music, Bach, Beethoven, etc. I am so happy with the buy. I would buy it again if I didn't have it now and knew what I have seen.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Good product - iPod is better
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Creative's product is good - robust, useful features etc, but overall iPod gets my vote. The integration and connectivity, ease of use and minimalist design of the iPod ranks it as the best MP3 player in the market
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Second to iPod
Pros:
Cons:
Review: A very decent harddrive based mp3 player. For 300 bucks (after rebate), the Nomad Zen is a better value than the similarly priced 5 gig apple Ipod with its 20 gig harddrive and dual input options. Low tech compared to the iPod line with its standard and larger laptop harddrive, the Zen favors consumers willing to settle for more for less. I found the Zen to be awesome sounding with all the various EAX settings found in Creative's Live! and Audigy soundcards. The navigation is a bit cumbersome with the five buttons and scroll wheel. Though the Zen is a bit bigger than the iPod, I wouldn't say it's any bigger than a late model Sony cassette Walkman. It also includes a nicely paded case which the 5 gig iPod does not. The case is a bit tight at the top, but it seems adequate enough for serious travel, thought I still wouldn't drop it. The headphones are the newer style wrap around type. They look cheap and I haven't used them. I opted to use some Seinheiser's I bought recently. The Zen is supposed to have a remote/mic apparatus coming out soon which kind of looks like the one that was supposed to be sold along with the Nomad JB3. The remote jack looks like something Sony uses. I might try to stick a MD remote into it to see if that would work.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
This is the real deal
Pros:
Cons:
Review: iPod has nothing on the Zen. I have both, but like the Zen much more. If you plan on moving music from your work to home and back, forget about it on iPod. If you try to move songs from system to system you can't. If you take your iPod to another system it asks if you want to remove EVERYTHING from its hard drive and then download music from the new system. WEAK! Zen has an auto-sync that allows me to move songs back and forth, no problem. iPod is way over rated. Zen is the real deal baby!
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Yes, Rebate
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Hey Nir, Yes you can get the rebate from Creative. There is a discussion on just this subject on a Creative newsgroup, & the rebate is very much also for buyers from the Creative site. If they give you any grief, just ask for a supervisor. Also download the rebate form from the site. You will get your $50.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Terrific hard drive based player
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I also own an older 5GB iPod, which I love. The Zen is somewhat bigger, but I can still carry it in any of my pockets, so no problem for me there. I also like the way it looks and definitely don't miss the iPod's tendency to smudge and scratch very easily. Aside from that, it sounds better, which is easy to appreciate with audiophile grade phones (I use a pair of Etymotics ER-4S), and the EQ goes much further to bring the sound closer to my liking than it does on the iPod. I have to admit I'm having a much easier time managing my music on the Zen (with playcenter) than I did on the iPod (with ephpod), which may have been different with the Windows iPod. I highly recommend the Zen, but don't get it directly from Creative. They took their time shipping it and now it appears I'm not entitled to the standard 50$ rebate because (duh) it only applies when you buy it from someone else.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Don't let the pictures fool you
Pros:
Cons:
Review: The people who designed this player are smart. They put that black strip in the middle to make it look slimmer. Don't get me wrong. I think this player is better than the iPod except for the size factor. But before you get one, make a paper model (it's 4"x3"x1"). Is this something you want to hold in your hand? From the pictures, I thought it would be very slim. After I looked at the dimensions and made a model, it's like a brick. iPod vs. Jukebox Zen is still on my mind.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
Needs OGG Support
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Ogg Vorbis is far superior compression for audio than MP3. It is also free and open source. It gets rid of the gaps between song, especially usefull for live songs, and it gives better quality at smaller file sizes than mp3. The Zen does not suppor the OGG format and that is reason enough not to buy it. OGG is the future of audio compression and you shouldnt by a player without support for it. Also, they need to get the price point closer to $150. The current price is out of control.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 92 user reviews
The Best MP3 Player All Way Around
Pros:
Cons:
Review: Ordered my Zen unit the next day after official release (10/15/02) on Creative Labs website. Was delivered 8 days later (10/23). And I can only say - Creative guys have really done the best they could again. After seeing all the troubles the iPOD users have and the limited features of iPOD MP3 players I have no doubt that Creative will not only outperform iPOD in sales but will quickly take the leadership on the MP3 players market beating all other models as well. The beautiful little Zen starts working right out of the box (you have to charge it for 2-3 hours before starting first time). No problems with configuration. Easy and intuitive interface. Ripping of CDs couldn't have been easier. Incredible sound. Comprehensive sound processing features. Long lasting battery. Highly recommend to all music lovers (and computer geeks too as you can also use it as a miniature hard-drive you always have with you to transfer file between USB enabled computers).
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 92 user reviews
My was broken when I received it
Pros:
Cons:
Review: I'm writing to let you know about the support experience I had when your company shipped me a defective product. It was not pleasant, and I will most likely not buy Creative products in the future. I measure the quality of a company not only by it’s products, but how it stands behind those products when there is a problem. I recently placed an order for the Nomad Zen MP3 player. I placed this order via the Creative website. My order was placed on a Monday (10/14/2002), and arrived the next Tuesday (10/22/2002). When my Nomad Zen arrived, it did not work. I called technical support, and they determined that the hard drive was bad, and that I should call customer support to have it replaced. I was informed, since it was broken when I received it, that they would help me to expedite a replacement. I spoke to 'Robert', who was very helpful. I then contacted Customer Support. Once I explained to the representative what happened, they said that they could get me a replacement. I asked him how long it would take, and I was informed that I could have it cross-shipped (if I let them charge my credit card), and that it would ship out the same way I had ordered it. (In this case, UPS 2 day shipping). I was informed, however, that I would have to wait a possible 3 business days for ‘processing’, before the order shipped. He said that if I was willing to pay more for the overnight shipping, my order would ship out the next day. He informed me that to upgrade to overnight shipping, it would cost $7.00. I asked the representative if they could wave that fee, since I ordered my part and it arrived defective. I was put on hold while he checked with his supervisor. When he returned to the phone, the answer was simply, “No”. At that time I asked about a refund. He informed me that I could NOT get all of my money back (even thought the product was shipped to me defective), but that I would have to forfeit the shipping costs. I asked to speak to his supervisor at that time. I then got to speak with ‘Sean’. It’s because of people like Sean that I will look elsewhere in the future for my PC Audio and portable audio needs. I again explained my situation, and he again stated that Creative Lab’s policy was to NOT upgrade the shipping, and that I could NOT get all of my money back. He then informed me that the previous representative did not tell me that an overnight order would ship the next day. I stressed that he was mistaken, and that is exactly what the representative told me. Here I was, having just spent $400.00 on a piece of equipment that does not work, and Creative Labs (Sean) refused to budge one inch to make things right. I did NOT want to wait another week and a half for a replacement, nor did I want to pay more than the $400.00 I had already paid. I ended up having the product cross-shipped, and I HOPE that it works this time. I do know, for the future, that I will no longer be spending my money with Creative. I have been a long time loyal customer, but when a company refuses to give up $7.00 when they send out a defective piece of equipment to make a customer happy, I realize that this is NOT the customer focused company I want to be dealing with.
%20-%20Radios%20-%20CNET%20Archive&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/radios/creative-nomad-jukebox-zen/1707-7875_7-20493054.html&x_breadcrumb=8900:6450:7875){kind=small}