The Zen NX is the best hard drive MP3 player on the market!
Written: Dec 05 '03
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Pros: Sound is excellent! Price is right. Size is perfect. Controls are great.
Cons: Ear buds!! Warranty is only 3 months.
The Bottom Line: This is the player to get. The pros out weigh the iPods and is priced much better!
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| j-bo's Full Review: Creative Technology Nomad Jukebox Zen NX (20 GB) M... |
I have loaded roughly 1200 songs of varying size and have 13 gig free. I tried the USB 1.1 interface first. But man let me tell ya, the USB 2.0 speeds are blistering. I loaded the entire Static-X Wisconsin Deathtrip album in less than 30 seconds. And I encoded it at 320kbs! I still have 3/4's of my CD collection to rip and load. Sure is handy with all my tunes in such a small space. I purchased a FM modulator that uses either DC outlet or USB power source. Once set to my choice frequency, I was able to listen to my Zen NX drive using my Tacoma's sound system. I didn't install a custom sound system for nothing you know.
This baby has some serious battery life. I played it about 3 hours straight and it hasn't even moved off the full mark yet! The battery is user replaceable and quite easy. Simply push a button on the bottom of the player and the front cover comes off. Underneath, in an easy to reach place, lies the battery. You can even order an extra and have it charged and waiting for those long trips.
The controlls and onboard menu is a tad complex, but I have mastered it and find it adequate for my needs. You can search songs by Playlist, Artists, Title, Album, Genre and alphabetically. The menu is tiered for the most part with all kinds of customizations to the output. This includes a custom 4 band EQ. All of the controlls are found on either of the sides and no where else. Chrome buttons except on the toggle/scroll button. Everything is pretty much flush with the edges of the device as to not get hung on stuff as you possibly brush up against it.
The buffer is good as well. I did some outdoor activities today and it hasn't even come close to skipping. I just hope the drive lasts a long time. But if it ever dies, I have the option to upgrade it with another 2.5" drive(This will require technical knowledg of installing hard drives). This unit has 8mb of cache which helps in indexing my large library.
The style and look of it is excellent! I checked out the iPod while I was at it and have decided the back of it would be way to scratched up in a years time to look good anymore. The Zen uses brushed aluminum on both sides. The carring case that comes with it is just OK. I wish it didn't have to be unbuttoned to see the LCD. Other than that, it's just fine.
The software isn't bad either. Mine came with the latest version and it is very easy to use and navigate. The Zen NX can also be used as an external storage device as well. I used the tool that came with it for drag n drop ease. Very simple.
The sound is absolutely great! After a few adjustments I am very pleased with the sound. Using the 4 band EQ I can set it to a full warm bodied sound or set it to a screaming crisp sound. One good thing about this bad boy is the EAX Enviromental Effects. You can apply 20 or so of the EAX effects to any playback. Using the software that came with the unit, you can re encode your mp3's with said effects, but an EAX sound card is required for this function. Personally I really don't care about this feature. One good thing the Zen offers is the ability to change the tracks speed and keep the same pitch. This feature would be good for recorded lectures that need adjusted for one reason or another.
I didn't like the earbuds though. I actually have too small of an ear hole for them anyways. I purchased some Sony MDR-G52LP's. Currenlty looking into a better set. But for what I paid the set I purchased are just fine.
All in all this is as good as the iPod if not better. I have limited experience with the iPod but I have fooled with one and noted it's weaknesses.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 229.00
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
j-bo
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Reviews written: 1
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