Creative Technology Nomad Jukebox (20 GB) MP3 Player

Pros: Great sound, large storage, beautiful looks
Cons: Size & weight may be an issue, plus the occasional hiccup(hang).

The Change

It’s funny how things and attitudes change. Years ago I was very opposed to ever using MP3s or making my own, less alone download them from the internet. Why? I felt (and still do a little) that...

Pros: 20-40GB Hard Drive, decent nagivations, Dual LiIon batteries, large LCD, much more
Cons: Expensive, size, navigation, other minor points.

Not to be outdone by the current offerings by Archos, Apple, and SonicBLUE, Creative has updated its vernable Nomad Jukebox series... and update them Creative did! Currently the third generation of Hard Drive based MP3 players, the Jukebox 3 is one of...

Pros: Lots of sound. WILL impress your friends.
Cons: Expen$ive (but probably worth every penny if you love music.)

This little electronic wonder is one of the miracles of the age, in many ways. It is for people who love music so much they spend an inordinate amount of time downloading song after song from the net. You can also put your whole neighborhood's CD...

Pros: Dual Interfaces, Dual Battery Capability, up to 40GB.
Cons: No USB 2.0 support, still bulky, should have a charging dock bundled.

After being rather disappointed with the Rio Riot jukebox, due to its rather bulky design and non-removable rechargeable battery, I decided to have a look at the Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 instead. Another reason is that Rio Riot only offers a USB 1.1...

Pros: lots of storage, easy interface, easy to learn
Cons: locks up from time to time, a little bigger than I'd like

I am a music junky. With over 530 CDs in my collection, and gigabyte after gigabyte of mp3s, I just can't get enough. So when I decided it was time for an mp3 player, I shopped around. The iPod is cute, and small, but with the $300 version only having 5...

Pros: Large drive space, relatively easy to use, lots of features
Cons: Update caused firewire link to go down

Yusakugo has a very comprehensive review of the Nomad ... I don't know how much more I can expound on it, at least on the technical side of things.

I will venture to give you my $0.02 worth on my personal experience based on using it in...

Pros: HUGE storage, great sound, LCD screen and backlighting, IEEE1394, USB and IR.
Cons: Some bugs like freezing and errors in playback.

I have been saving my pennies for quite some time in order to afford the pricey NOMAD Jukebox 3. I am quite glad that I did. I own a crappy Nike psa[play60 MP3 player and was dying for an upgrade. I bought the Jukebox on eBay at a nice price, although...

Pros: Quick menus, fast firewire txfr, long battery life, good sound.
Cons: no remote, no case, no spare batt, steep learning curve.

For me, it's been a long affair with this company and this product. I bought my first Nomad Jukebox back in Nov 2000 and have been hooked on portable music players ever since. I won't bore you with the history of the product but lets just say I was an...

Pros: 20GB, EAX, Easy Search, Great Sound, Replaceable Battery...
Cons: Uncomfortable Headphones

Before I bought this mp3 player I did extensive research. This is not a small purchase if you work as hard as I do...and I assume you do.

First, let's discuss features. The Nomad Jukebox 3 has all the listening features I could ever ask for....

Pros: Easy navigation, 20gb storage, extra battery slot, tons of equalizer effects, firewire!
Cons: size is bigger than other mp3 players

In today's digital music world, there is really no reason not to have an mp3 player if you are willing to spend a couple hundred clams. But I recently purchased the Nomad Jukebox 3 and wow, did it ever impress me.


The Size

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Pros: 20GB Hard Drive, incredible sound.
Cons: Bulky, no FM tuner, short battery life.

Since the inception of the Nomad Jukebox by Creative, the product has been a success, primarily because there are people out there that have a gigantic collection of audio files. But for those who are looking for even greater capacity out of any...

Pros: Storage Space, Sound Quality, Feel, Interface, 2 Battery Slots, Windows 98 Compatible, Good Price
Cons: A Little Big, Firewire Doesn't Carry Power, A Little Nervous About Support Options

The Nomad Jukebox 3 is a great player for those who need the best in MP3 but if you are not into playing with digital music look elsewhere.

At first glance, the Jukebox 3 looks like a portable CD player. Although once you open this device up...

Pros: Sound Quality; Capacity; Transfer Speed; Volume Matching; etc.!
Cons: Price; Screen Contrast

The first thing I'll say is that I LOVE THIS PLAYER!

Now that you know I'm biased, let me tell you why...

I have had the original Jukebox player since Christmas 2001 and just upgraded to the Jukebox 3 40GB. My original was a 6GB...

Pros: Big capacity, excellent sound, great battery life, rugged construction, Fast Firewire transfers
Cons: Difficult (proprietary) software, Not-yet-ready-for-primetime firmware, Needs to be reset often

I got my Nomad 3 directly from Creative Labs, $400, forgoing cheaper distributors to get quick delivery. I've had a good experience with the player, but the jukebox could be made greater if Creative Labs listens to its users and uses our experience to...

Pros: Huge space, decently fast response, good after-sales support
Cons: Lousy headphones

I've purchased many products from Creative, and they're frankly all pretty smashing, like the Audigy Platinum. Now I'm proud to add their latest MP3 player to my fold.

Here's the breakdown, part by part:

OS: Pretty responsive,...