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CREATIVE LABS Nomad Jukebox Zen NX 30GB Digital Audio Player A portable pocket-sized digital audio player with 30GB of storage space / USB 2.0-1.1 Port / Stylish silver case |  |
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| Product Reviews from Amazon.com (Rating System 1 to 5) |
| Review | Rating | Last Updated | Nomad Zen NX
Since I have owned this for a little over a year now, I feel I can give this product a fair review. When I first bought it I was about to throw it against the wall. It froze constantly when trying to upload songs and even crashed my computer a few times. Nothing but problems. Now that I think I've kind of figured it out, I'll pass some info on to others that is not included in the manuals. If you are having problems or are on the fence about buying a Nomad over iPod this may help.
Cons:
- The software it comes with to 'organize' and upload songs BLOWS. Not only does it crash often but tried to take over my song library and reclassify everything. Don't use it. Use real player, Windows media player, musicmatch jukebox, whatever.
- Playlist functions are a pain. Once a playlist is created you cannot add more songs to it unless you attempt to use the Creative Mediasource Organizer. Then you risk a computer crash and having to reboot the computer and Nomad.
- You cannot upload more than about 1gb at a time or else it will overheat and freeze up. Happened to me numerous times. Just take it easy and do a little at a time.
- 2.0 usb cable is no great shakes. 2.0 is standard operating procedure for any device of this kind today so don't let Nomad pretend its a great new invention.
- If you drop this thing, it will freeze up and you will be unable to use it. The thing inside is like a record player. The 'needle' gets jammed and can't move. How to fix it: extend you arm with the front facing you and twist your arm in clockwise/counterclockwise motion vigorously. This will unjam the hard drive needle.
- Battery life is nowhere near the factory specs. I get about 3-4 hours. Life is especially low when you hook it up to a receiver with the line in and have to crank the volume.
Pros:
- If you have things in WMA format this is for you. Those that jumped the shark and bought an ipod found out the hard way that all those songs you downloaded from napster and kazaa that were in WMA format are unreadable on an iPod. Therefore Nomad is more compatible. Also if you are a fan of Windows media player, you will have no problem as it is fully compatible with a Nomad.
- You don't have to spend $10,000 to fill a Nomad like you do with itunes. While iTunes is great to get those hard to find one hit wonders, you are NUTS if you tried to fill your Mp3 device with it.
- Finding songs with the scroller is weird but you'll get the hang of it.
- Sound is pretty good. You can mess with the sound settings and get it to your liking.
- 30 gigabytes is a good chunk of space for music. More than enough room on this guy for years to come. | 4 | Today | Do your research and don't fall for the hype (i.e iPod)
I live in the United Arab Emirates , and since theres not much of a gadget "fever" here like other places , I've mostly relied on Amazon's members' reviews , which didn't always prove to be scientific .....
I'm a relative late buyer of the NX , I bought it in the beginning of Sep 2004 .
So here's the story , I needed mammoth storage device , for I have a huge collection of MP3s in 4 languages ..... I did my research and narrowed it down to 3 items , the iRiver 60GB , iPod 60 GB , and Creative Xtra 60 GB .... aiming for the best (or so I presumed) .....
And in the midst of my "quest" to find my dream gadget , a nearby retailer was clearing out the older merchandise , so there I saw the Nomad Zen NX 30 GB ,with a price tage of about 150 dollars .... which was amazing as compared to the iPod's hefty 600 dollars (in the UAE) ... I had other gadgets in mind to buy , such as a PDA/Surround ...etc .
I usually trust Creative because I've been using its products for a number of years now , and they always proved top notch when it came to sound products , so I reluctantly bought the Zen NX (after reading the hysterical BUY THE IPOD!!! Amazon reviewers) unable to ignore the 4x price difference .
Well heres the juice :
1- You DON'T need a radio , voice recorder , games , calendar , address book , or any of that babble , most of these specs are available on new age Nokia and other mobile phones .. so its more sensible to get it (IF you need it , because you're paying a hefty difference for these) in a PDA or an advanced mobile phone .In the beginning you might wander around the menu a little , but later on , it only boils down to music playing.
2-NO matter what they tell you , the menu of any handheld device is tiring to venture through , so the least options the better ...... more needless specs complicate things .
Now my review of the Zen NX :
1-Sound Quality : Superb ! I wasn't disappointed to trust Creative on this , specially if you have a Creative surround system/sound card . I'm a semi-pro musician , and I was very impressed by the sound quality .
2-Battery life : It lives up to the 14 hour line , and I use EAX sound effects , so maybe 11-12 hours for me , which is still great .
3-User Interface : I'm beginning to wonder if the iPod is some mystical creature from the garden of Eden ..... because 45 minutes after unpacking the NX (without reading the manual) I knew every nook and cranny in the NX system ... so I'm wondering how easier it can get .
4-Harddisk : After filling 18 Gbs out of 30 , the delay time is very minimal and only if you open an artist with a huge number of songs . You can connect the harddrive to your Laptop (which I did) and its a high quality harddrive .
5-Design : Matter of personal choice , but the front cover never fell off although i did drop the player quite a number of times .
There are some cons , such as not having an LED controller on the headphones' wiring ..... but hey , organize ur playlists and you won't need it , plus , considering the price ... you can't expect it all .
Bottom line is : If you want a fashion statement , go for the iPod (although the trend is fading into oblivion) , if you want a good easy-to-use does-the-job gadget , I highly recommend the Zen NX .
| 5 | Today | Rename it JUNKbox
Mine died (hard drive) in less than 6 months but the warranty only lasted 90 days. Customer Service was utterly unsatisfactory. Their solution was to send it in for repair, price $190 and wait (likely) 4-6 weeks. When asked for some kind of assurance that the new drive would not fail...something like a 1 yr warranty that they currently offer on the newer designs, I got nothing more than "these things tend to fail early." The controls are an ergonmic nightmare and the software is weak at best. Keep shoppng, this one is a disappointment. | 1 | Today | When it's not just about the look.
Zen Nx or iPod...which one should I go for? After months of conferring with friends and reading reviews on the net, I finally went for the former. Not once have I ever regretted this decision, and these are the reasons: a) It's so easy and quick to install the software, upload the files and operate the player (I know of someone who was unable to even load the iPod software to their PC and couldn't get any help from Apple since it's essentially not a 'MAC problem') b) The battery life can indeed go up to 14 hours. I can leave it playing throughout the day, even when I'm out on lunch breaks and meetings and come back with it still full of life. A word of advice; Sound effects / equalizers can deplete the battery life, so unless you've got it hooked on to a power source, let it run normally. c) The capacity. I own lots of CDs and I've nearly transferred all the songs I love into my player. I'm in this constant fear that I'll run out of space only to realize I've only filled up 10% of it. d) Though the earphones aren't great, they can easily be changed. Besides, it's not just for my ears, I can hook it up (through the earphone jack) to my surround sound system at home and let it blast through the speakers with all the effects wanted. e) The price - need I write more? My only wish: to be able to view the lyrics through the LCD! So what if it doesn't have the cool white look of the iPod? It has an anodized AL casing which is very modern, doesn't get dirty and a travel pouch that protects it (which is lucky for me, since I've dropped it a few times!) And then, others may say the Zen NX doesn't allow you to play games while the iPod does. Well, the primary use for this device is to play the songs you love, not to play the games you only ever choose to occupy yourself with if you're low on choice! If you want a player that works, is user friendly and easy on the pocket, go out and buy the Zen NX! | 5 | Today | Great Mp3 player
I bought this because I am in the millitary and go overseas alot. I have over 300 CDs that I couldn't take with me. My friend showed me the iPod and I decided I needed one. Problem was I did not have a computer with firewire. Then I found this and decided to try it out. It has been great I have 3800 songs on it and its barely half-full. The software is very easy to use and organizes your music in folders such as artist, album, genre, song title. It also keeps your tracks in order they are from the cd. The best feature is the random which shuffles every song on the player and plays them back randomly. This has allowed me to rediscover songs I had forgotten about instead of listening to the same songs over and over. The only complaint I have is that you can't transfer songs to or from a computer with out first installing the software. I have had mine for 8 months and have only had it lock up twice. This is an easy fix just take out the battery and it resets and goes right back to the track you were listening to. Good product, Great price | 5 | Today | I Know
I know there are alot of bad reviews on this product. I had actually bought the Nomad Zen 20G months ago and I was happy with it to an insane point...until it broke. "Hard Disk Error". It occurs alot and yea, the company will find any way possible out of the warranty. However, its this new form of MP3 technology. I've had friends who have had holy Ipods for a few weeks and had them break. All MP3 player are bound to break. With that being said, this really is the the best purchase out there. I'm buying a new Nomad Zen in a few days because this is better than the Ipod. There's a risk in any MP3 player and I would rather take that risk with a better product like this than a crappy Ipod. | 5 | Today | great when it works
I have owned 3 Nomad versions and upgraded out of brand loyalty.
I am on my 2nd ZenXTRA. The first peformed well and then had serious (as in its internal hardware failed) problems. It was out of warrantee and I purchased another. Very quickly a similar problem occured (now the unit is en route to the USA repair facility).
Pros:
- great sound
- great battery life
- fine software
- excellent "package"
Con
- unreliable
If you get one that lasts (a friend has a 6G that is solid as a rock) you have a great value. Otherwise, you are wasting time and money (I had to re-load approx 3000 tracks several times after required "hard resets," only to get a "firware failed" message). | 2 | Today | HORRIBLE DEVICE --- Hated It!
This was awful. I had it for two months before it would just FREEZE for no apparent reason. The headphone jack was always a bit sensitive, in fact often making songs sound one dimensional. Thought I was saving money but in fact I am now out $268. DO NOT BUY... | 1 | Today | Nice!!
This player is far and away a better deal than an iPod. My only complaints are that you cannot see the screen when it is in the case. A case with a window would be a welcome addition. I am also disappointed with the battery life, four hours at best. Fortunately, it's easy to get a new battery. But that shouldn't be necessary for a unit which is only three months old. Sound quality and volume are great. I have no complaints with any other aspect. | 4 | Today | Don't Buy!!!! Lousy product, even worse customer support.
Do not buy this piece of junk! Mine just stopped working after I had it for a month. When I sent it in under warranty I was told that the hard drive had failed due to 'physical damage.' The thing is I never did any damage to the device. So after paying $300 to get to use the thing a month, I was told I have to pay another hundred to make it work again. | 1 | Today |
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