Customer Reviews

Creative Labs NOMAD Jukebox 3 20 GB MP3 Player

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Ignore all the reviews by people who don't even OWN this product - they're clearly unable to give you a comprehensive overview. As an owner of both the original 6GB Nomad Jukebox, and now the 20GB Nomad Jukebox III, I'll try to give a fair opinion.

First, let's start with the specs. It costs the same as the 10GB iPod, and offers BOTH FireWire and USB, although USB2 would have been nice - it's faster than FireWire. Unlike the iPod, which has one version for Windows and one for Mac, the Jukebox can connect to either, for $100 less.

The battery lasts 11 hours on a ~3 hour charge, and you can add another battery to it for a total of 22 hours. It's a bit bulkier than the iPod, but more compact than an average portable CD player.

This player is ages ahead of the original Nomad. A scroll wheel akin to recent Sony Vaio notebooks lets you quickly whiz through your playlist - a plus for those of us who like to add 3000 songs at a time. The backlight is also brighter and makes the track info easier to read.

There is an "Add All" option if you just want to heave the whole of your collection into a playlist. Playlist management is much improved - albums are sorted in a hierarchy with their tracks under them, in proper order.

The sound output is just incredible, and the standard headphones are of notably better quality than the previous Jukebox.

On the downside, currently it cannot play Ogg Vorbis files. This is fine, since it doesn't claim to, but it would be a nice addition.

I reviewed the original Nomad Jukebox two years ago, and gave it 4 stars, though I felt it really deserved 3.5 stars. The sound quality was decent, but the interface was kludgy and the battery life was horrible. But I lived with it, because until now it was the best product out there.

It took Creative a long time, but they finally got it right. I'm listening to Miles Davis right now on it, and Birth of the Cool never sounded so cool. The sound quality [with a good pair of headphones, I use the SportaPros] is indistinguishable from CD quality. Gone is the 'tinny' sound that is so common among even good MP3 players. The sound is every bit as rich as the reviews claim. [I still think that EAX is still a bit gimmicky, but I found the sound setting that works for me, and I ain't changin' it!)

Battery life seems to be about 11 hours, as advertised. I plan to buy a 2nd battery very soon.

As far as the size - it seems to weigh about the same as the original Nomad, but is smaller in diameter. While I can't say the interface is as good as the iPod, it is certainly better than the original Nomad. I jog with an old Rio 500, so the size of the Jukebox 3 is fine for me.

The 'minor' issues:
- Still no carrying case

- No 2nd battery...why, why, why??? Maybe if I send Creative my 2nd set of their useless headphones, they'll send me a 2nd batter for free? ;)

- New button layout is a bit strange, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

But even with those minor (and I do mean minor) issues, the sound and battery life on this thing are great..and so I give it five stars. If you are serious about music, and can afford it, get this unit. You will not regret it.

The creative nomad jukebox 3 is small enough to take with you anywhere, but has enough hard drive for your entire cd collection, even if you have a very extensive collection. The unit is very easy to use and so is the software used along with it. The eax audio features provide for outstanding listening quality. With the line out jack, it connects very easily into any home stereo system. I have music playing all the time and I haven't had to play a CD in months. My jukebox goes with me on trips, to the gym, my car(w/adaptor)and back to my home stereo. Great all around product. Only complaint would be creatives short lived warranty(90days).

What I like about this product:

-- Excellent, top-notch sound output, both through a good set of headphones and through the two analog output jacks in the back of the unit

-- Can play WMA format in addition to MP3

-- Firewire interface included

-- Good battery life: I get about 9 hours, less than the 11 claimed by Creative, but still good

-- Ability to add a 2nd battery

-- Optical/analog input jack for recordings

-- 20GB at an attractive price

What I don't like:

-- Still too big and too heavy, esp. compared to the 20GB Apple iPod. The iPod uses Toshiba's PC card hard disk, which is much smaller and quieter than the Fujitsu 2.5-inch disk used by Jukebox 3

-- Uninspiring styling

-- Lacks driver to allow Windows to recognize the device as an external drive. Archos gets A+ for getting this right: all Archos MP3 players can be used as an external drive, plug-n-go. Jukebox 3, in contrast, only comes with a clumsy file transfer tool, unless you buy the commerical third-party software Nomad Explorer

Conclusion:

A very good value considering it has 20GB of space which allows up to 8000 songs and can be used as external storage (if you can live with the awkward file transfer program). Still too big for the pocket, though.

After living with my Jukebox 3 for about nine months, I'm just now beginning to appreciate its full capabilities. In addition to listening through headphones, I also purchased the accessory Home Kit which allows me to play through speakers using a remote control, as well as the Car Kit which comes with a cassette adapter and power cord for playing the Jukebox 3 in my car.

I've loaded every piece of music I own -- as well as my own custom playlists -- into the Jukebox 3 -- so I can now enjoy all of these everywhere I go. No more CD's to catalog or change. No more stations (in my car) to tune. The Jukebox 3 has even begun to replace my home stereo -- as my music player of choice around the house.

To make sure that ambient noise isn't a problem, I also purchased a set of Sennheiser HDC 451 Noise Canceling headphones which work great, both indoors and out. (Other brands incidentally are junk.) There almost isn't a place where I can't listen to my Jukebox 3 -- except maybe, of course, underwater.

The Creative software is very intuitive. It will load both WMA (Window Media) and MP3 files with ease. Transferring songs utilizing the Firewire connection (which I use) is seemingly instantaneous. And the EAX (music equalizer) settings offer a variety of modes that increase the highs, lows, stereo separation and reverb (echo) to match the type of music, the quality of the speakers, or the acoustics of the room (or car) in which I'll be listening.

Before I acquired the Jukebox 3, enjoying my entire music list was often times a challenge. Today, since any song in my collection is now easily accessible -- my desire for new music has become almost insatiable. And with its 20 Gb hard drive, so too (it seems) is my Jukebox 3.

To utilize my Jukebox 3 more, I've begun to scatter stereo PC speakers around my home and office. And I've also purchased a set of Sony portable units for use on business trips (in my hotel room).

When I originally obtained the Jukebox 3, I never imagined that it would revolutionize the way I listen to music. I went from a casual listener -- to a super heavy music lover. I now listen to music everywhere I go -- just the songs I like -- because it's now so easy! I love it!

Other jukeboxes (hard drive MP3 players) will probably sound just as good through headphones. But when it comes to listening to my tunes at home (through speakers) or in my car -- the Jukebox 3's EAX equalizer settings and the Home Kit's remote control -- make my music sound better and easier to control -- than would be possible with other jukebox brands.

I don't mean to sound cornier than I already have, but when it comes to music -- and my Jukebox 3 -- I literally won't leave home without it! Enjoy.

Creative Labs always used to put out really lousy jukeboxes, like the previous versions of Nomad. The Nomad 2 was good, but the battery life was still horrible. Now, with the Nomad III, it's finally a green light to buy a Creative player with no exceptions! The IPOD is better, however, but this is much easier to get support on for PC users, because the PC support for the IPOD is virtually non-existent. PC users will enjoy the VERY GOOD included headphones (which is rare on most audio devices), lightning fast FireWire connection, and, if you have a gigantic music collection, the WMA format. It is roughly the size of a Sony CD Walkman, and weighs in at about 14 oz. The 20 GB memory is enough for most music lovers to fit their collections on, and it has a very large LCD screen.

Pros:
- Creative Lab's FIRST truly good MP3 jukebox
- WMA compatible
- a LOT of memory
- big, bright-lit LCD screen
- the included headphones are surprisingly good
- about the size of a Sony CD Walkman (a little wider the width of a CD itself)
- also has USB port, for those without a IEEE1394 port
- long battery life (22 hours, a HUGE improvement over Creative's past jukeboxes, which got only about 4 hours)

Cons:
- no random play
- many jukeboxes around are significantly smaller than this one
- not as loud as it could have been

I think that it is safe to say that this is a good alternative to the IPOD for the 20 GB size, though it isn't very good with Mac computers. The IPOD is better, believe me, but if you don't want to spend almost twice as much, get this one and it won't disappoint.

After looking at every portable jukebox as well as home audio servers, I found that Creative Nomad 3 is the best product today.

I initiallly ordered one player. Then I went back and ordered 4 more. Two of them will be used as audio servers in 2 different rooms of my house - other 2 as gifts.

-- Setting it up
I downloaded and upgraded to the latest firmware release v1.20.06. To do that I had to first upgrade to the 2 previous releases.

I found the software that comes with this player, Creative Playcenter to be useless for ripping and organizing music. I downloaded Media Jukebox 8.0 based on on-line reviews. Music Jukebox is a promising music manager program - although I haven't found one that I really like so far. I ripped all my CDs at 192Kbps - about 15GB worth so far. I then diligently got the Genre, Artist, Album and Track information right - a lot of it initially filled in from the on-line CDDB database. What I found that even though this organization is becoming the standard in the industry, it is a lot of hard work to get it right, and doesn't reconcile with my usage. I then resorted to a straightforward playlist organization.

For uploading to Nomad Jukebox, I used the Firewire connection - USB 1.1 is simply too slow. I had to go and buy a Firewire card for my PC - about $50. Then I found that the upload plug-in that comes with Music Jukebox doesn't upload Playlists, only tracks. What a bummer!!! I then bought Notmad software ($20) - and it does upload Playlists. As a side note, Notmad's license enforcement mechanism is bizzare and cumbersome.

-- Using It
After all this hard work, the payback was huge. The sound from this device is excellent. EAX capabilities are great - try them all out. The user interface is easy, the button layout is intuitive. The features are plentiful, yet not in the way. I do think they should increase the size of the LCD display.

I use it as a portable player. It is a little bulky, but with the buttons locked (get the latest firmware), I can shove it in my jacket or jeans pockets. I use the headphones that come with it, and they are pretty good.

I use it as a car player, although the only way to hook it up to my expensive car stereo is through an audio tape - with great loss of sound quality. What a bummer. So I sometimes used headphones in the car. Luckily I am about to buy a new car - and its car stereo system must have front audio input.

Mostly, I use it as a player at home. I have speakers set up in 4 different rooms and I just take it with me and hook it up to the speakers. I have used it in 2 and 4 speaker settings. I use a wire to hook it up my home stereo. Now I have ordered 2 more so that I don't have to lug it around.

It has transformed my music experience. I've become an avid listener. It has expanded my range of music. I'm now looking to buy a lot more CDs to fill gaps in my collection and to experiment new types of music.

Positives:
- Great sound
- Great feature set
- Great transfer speed - using Firewire
- Good user interface
- Good music organization - I primarily use Playlists.
- Ability to drive 2 or 4 speakers.
- Decent headphones
- Remote control with the optional home kit
- Long battery life - with the optional battery
- Voice recording capability - with the optional accessory. I haven't tried it yet
- You can use it as hard drive storage
- Excellent value compared to iPod

Negatives
- Size is a little bulky
- Creative Playcenter software that comes with it is useless - but you dont need it - download something else
- LCD display is too small

I highly recommend it. As a portable, I would also consider Creative Nomad Zen.

I had the first Nomad Jukebox, the I-Pod, the Archos Jukebox and the Rio Riot. And finally I turned back to the Nomad Jukebox (3), even the size was bigger than all the others. The sound and the way you handle the unit is outstanding - it's just a joy to listen and work with this thing. None of the other devices could satisfy me. But the final reason why I came back to the player was, that it is the ONLY unit who can handle playlists WITHOUT any computer in a very comfortable way. Even if the Jukebox plays the playlist you can add, change or delete tracks from that playlist! And the interface is really good - I felt, that Creative Labs learnd a lot from their previous Jukeboxes and improved the software a lot. And still the first Jukebox is better to handle then all the current mp3 Players on the market. Also there is the possibility to add a second battery which enhances the totally playtime of the Jukebox to 22 hours! I guess that's enough - and the unit is still light and not heavy!

The only bad point (if you see it as bad...) is the size - it's bigger than the I-Pod, Archos Jukebox and RioRiot but smaller than the first Jukebox and smaller (!) than every portable CD-Player. For me to say, it's a very compact mp3-player with lot's of disk space and more than enough playtime at all.

If size is the only argument you consider, buying a mp3 Player you might choose other devices. But if you don't want to have the smallest unit, than this mp3 Player is the best you can get at the moment! Maybe the Jukebox Zen (also from Creative Labs) matches this player, because it's smaller...

Great player! 20GB, Firewire for very high speed transfers, excellent battery life, nice sound. Like others have said, the headphones the unit comes with are pretty poor... put them in the drawer and get some good ones! EAX? ... The pre-set settings are for the most part awful. Cannot combine multiple EAX settings, no way to set your own equalization.. no bass or treble at all for that matter. Creative can do away with the useless EAX and just add a simple 5-band EQ and perhaps a good, clean bass-boost and a few decent effects. Bottom line, give the user some control over the sound! Don't assume your pre-set settings are so great we don't need bass and treble or an EQ!! Also, the amp/volume could be a little better... volume is inadequate when you are using the unit in an area where external noise is high... an airplane for example.

Others have mentioned there is no randomization, repeat play, etc. Well, it does have these options... just learn how to use the menus!

It really is pretty easy to navigate once you work with the unit a little. The scroller is quite good and works quite effectively.

Lithium-Ion batteries were a smart choice, Creative! Having that second battery bay was a nice touch. (Could have given us the second battery though!!)

Hopefully, future firmware updates will address the inability to have more control over sound parameters. I've had no crashes as others have complained about...perhaps the current firmware resolved those issues.

Overall, a great unit with amazing amounts of storage. (I considered the 40GB version but...I would never use that much space. 20GB should be more than adequate for most people.) Had it not been for the inability to customize sound parameters, and, inadequate maximum volume, it would have received 5 stars. Still gets a strong 4!

This is a great unit. Switched from Rio Riot, which just does not compare. 40GB means I don't have to woory about running out of room (I have 19GB on there now). Option for second battery means I won't have to worry about running out of power on the road. Great sound quality. I also love the recording features, which allows me to record streaming radio shows from the Internet and listen to them later in the car. Scroll wheel makes finding things a lot easier. Firewire transfer is quick and easy. No crashes or glitches yet (unlike my Riot).
Room for improvement: more control over equalization (EAX doesn't cut it); ability to search albums under each artist; more robust Play Center software features. If Creative can fix these in updated firmware they will win more customers.
Overall, though, I would recommend this unit without hesitation.