Great buy for the Money
Written: Jan 11 '03 (Updated Jul 02 '03)
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Pros: Cheaper than ipod,
20GB,
Recording Feature,
Firewire
Cons: EAX not as good as people say,
Software is complicated,
Earphones mediocre compared to others
The Bottom Line: You should definately get this because this is the greatest MP3 player on the market for the money.
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| splitsboy's Full Review: Creative Technology Nomad Jukebox (20 GB) MP3 Play... |
The CJ3 (Creative Labs Jukebox 3) is simply the best for the money. First I'll just talk a little, then talk about the good parts of the CJ3, then the not-so-good. I have studied and read about Mp3 products for monthes, from the ipod (which is great for the money-not-conscious) to the eDigital Odyssey 1000, to the Rio Riot, to the Archos 10, etc. Believe me, I looked at them all, and this looked like the best for the money.
One might say, its too bulky, but sure it’s bulky, why do you need it to be small? You can't jog with a hard drive, are you nuts? So what good is an ipod if its fits perfectly in your pocket but you can't jog? If you're looking for an Mp3 Player to work out and listen to, get a flash memory one (ex. Nomad MoVu).
Now, here is what I really like about the CB3. Recording is the best! I could record from the radio to the Mp3 player, at any quality I want! I could also record my old LP disks (those giant black disks) and I could get tapes and even the music from a video onto this! This is perhaps the most useful feature of the CJ3, a feature most other Mp3 players are either without, (or they just have a built in microphone that records at a low quality). If you plan to put your old CD's onto an MP3 player, I highly recommend the CJ3, because it records great! Sure you could first put the music on your computer, and THEN transfer it to your MP3 player, but A. It’s more of a hassle. and B. You tend to lose sound quality.
Other cool features about the CJ3 are the cool backlights (changeable between blue and green). It has rubber on the bottom to keep it from slipping on smooth surfaces (something you'll need), and, it has FIREWIRE!!! A useful tool for downloading music onto your MP3 player. If you can't get the firewire to work the first time, (which happened to me) re-install and re-install the software again until it works.
The player is also nice in the way it sorts the music out for you, which is a plus for me. The battery life is excellent, and almost every feature they have is great! ...
Now... For the not-so-good.
WHAT KIND of software is creative using? It really really just plain sucks. The EAX feature which people say is good, actually lowers the quality of the music, from Nirvana, to Chopin, to Greenday, it LOWERS the sound quality in almost every feature. I have it turned off. (Such as, if you're listening to the Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin, you'll notice that with most EAX features, it takes away some of the tones and warmth of the piano, and since I play piano and happen to be fairly decent and knowing how a piano should sound, it just doesn't make the music sound right).
Another problem, how to reset you player. First, search your house or car for something small enough to cram into a tiny hole. Then B. Hope it works when you reset the player after it freezes. The Scroll-wheel isn't very intelligently made, and if you press on it to select something, you have to hold the CJ3 in place or else it'll slide as you attempt to press the button. Putting music on this is hard with the software, and is very cumbersome, because the CJ3 has to load everything you type (for example, you need to write in the Artist and Genre of the song you put on the Nomad so that it would organize it into the correct Genre, artist, and so for every letter you write in, the Nomad needs to copy it, thus taking about five seconds stalling time to load your changes to the artist, genre, etc. and that makes track editing very very hard).
Its earphones aren't exactly first rate (not even close) and the CJ3 is confusing when you first use it. HOWEVER, overall, I am very satisfied with this product, and at $199, it was a steal (I got it with a bunch of rebates at www.CompUPlus.com). If you want an MP3 player that people think is either a cheap CD player, or a Cheap MP3 player (all the better not to be robbed), this the baby for you. All the people that say this product sucks think that its the year 2050, Anno Domino, and that every MP3 player is perfect, although the truth is, they aren't. However, this, is the best in the market for the money if you plan on carrying your entire CD collection with you. Its features outnumber that of any other MP3 player on the market, and if I could remake my choice on what I'd buy, I'd buy this even if my friends all think their ipods are better and cooler, I know that this is definitely better. With its recording ability, it really tips the scale on which MP3 player is better, the ipod, or this, and this, I'm happy to say, is much better.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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Epinions.com ID:
splitsboy
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Reviews written: 2
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