Customer Reviews

Creative MuVo TX FM 256 MB MP3 Player

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I have read reviews here on amazon.com lots of times before when I had to make a decision about buying a product or not and I thought it was about time to return the favor.

I bought the player (I decided to call it "player" since it is not just a MP3 player) directly from Creative Labs. I live in Georgia (USA) and had to pay tax. The player was $167 incl. tax and shipping. I have had the player for about a week now and I love it.

The package included player, ear phones, quick start guide, CD-ROM with ripping SW, arm band, a white battery module, and an alkaline battery.

Transfer speed: Write: ~2.7 Mbytes/second. Read: ~3.2 Mbytes/second. That means that it only take about 100 seconds to fill the entire memory. Not bad.

Menu system: It is straight forward and user friendly. 3 buttons and one scroller make it very easy to navigate. It doesn't let you stay in one submenu for long before jumping back to showing the song playing though, but that is fine when you are actually using the player, and not just playing around with it to write a review ;-) You can't go that "deep" in the menu tree anyway.

Radio: The FM version has a radio. At first I was disappointed with the reception. That was because I scanned manually. Then I tried the automatic scan and boy did that make a difference. The radio quality is EXCELLENT. I can not distinguish between radio quality (stereo of course) and high bit rate mp3's or wma's. It picks up as many stations as my car radio! You can also record what is on the radio (also .wav format). You can even switch between international and Japanese FM radio regions.

Display: The display is small, but not too small. It provides you with the info you need not more not less. You can switch the display orientation and turn it 180 degrees, which comes in handy when it is on your arm. Contrast and backlight intensity is easily adjusted. When playing music files, the display only shows you the title of the song playing, not the artist. Other than that, it shows you time, battery remaining (3 levels), and equalizer setting. The player can turn off automatically if not used for 1, 5, 10 or 30 minute(s).

Equalizer: Normal, rock, jazz, classical, pop, and custom (5 bands). Custom is easy to set.

Playing modes: Normal, A-B, repeat track, repeat all, repeat folder, track once, shuffle repeat, shuffle once, and shuffle folder. I haven't had a chance to try all the modes out (and I probably never will).

MP3/WMA play back: I have tried both mp3 and wma files with 320 kbps and variable bit rate and it works well. You can't display the bit rate. I found that a bit annoying to begin with, but now I am asking myself what I should use that info for anyway.

The voice recording is easy and the quality is good (.wav format).

Ear phones: The normal ear plug kind, where the right wire is longer than the left, so you can take it around the back of your neck reducing the annoyance of the wire. The ear phones are decent, but not as good as the Sennheiser ear plugs that came with my girlfriends Rio.

Arm band: It is working well. I am not sure if the player will stay in the armband, but a key ring will make absolutely sure that the player, if it should fall out of the sheath, will not fall down and hit the ground.

15 languages: The Muvo can display the menus in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Danish (I am from Denmark, so - Thank You Creative Labs!), Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and what I think is another Asian language and Arabic.

Battery: I have only used one alkaline (1.5V) battery with the player. Before I ordered the player I asked Creative Labs if I could use NiMH batteries (1.2V) and they said yes. I will let you know if NiMH batteries work when I have tried it.

Software (CD-ROM): I think that the software is good. It allows for ripping CD's and saves as either mp3, wma (constant or variable bit rates), wma pro or wma lossless. I haven't spent much time using the SW so maybe I am missing something out. However, since Windows Media Player and other freeware come with the necessary ripping capabilities, the included software is not that important in my opinion.

Conclusion: It is not the cheapest player around; however, I think it is well worth the money. The Muvo is very small and very light. The TX transfers files faster than the NX series, but I am not sure if that justifies the much higher price for the TX. I don't think you can get the NX series with radio, though. If you are looking for a good radio in a MP3/WMA player you should go for the Muvo TX FM. Even though 256 MB is not that much, it is still enough for about 130 songs in good quality. Since the Muvo TX FM transfers files fast, the limited space is not that important. If you want a player for running or if you want to be the coolest in the gym, this is the player for you. It is light, small, easy to carry, and you can actually read the display and operate the player WHILE running.
I can highly recommend the Muvo TX FM 256 MB from Creative Labs to anyone, especially runners.

I give it 5 stars without hesitation.

UPDATE: 1.2V rechargeable batteries work fine.

Background:

This is my first mp3 player. I have played around with my friend's iPOD and iPOD mini before so I have some experience with digital music players.

What I liked:

- Great value: Keep in mind that you are not just buy a 256 MB mp3 player. THe Muvo TX FM is also a USB hard drive, a voice recorder, and a FM radio. This was what made me buy the Muvo despite cheaper, comparable 256 MB mp3 players being on the market.

- Great sound: The Muvo delievers a really nice sound and I find it indistinguishable from an iPOD.

- Great headphones: The included headphones are very good and delivers a good range of sound. As an experiment I tried out a cheap $1.99 headphone and there is just no comparison.

- Good battery life: 14 hr on an AAA battery. More if you listen to the radio a lot.

- Accessories: You also get a protective cover/belt clip and an armband for exercise. The same cannot be said for other mp3 players.

What I didn't like:

- Earphone design: The earphones unfortunately don't fit my ears very well (I have small ears) and the left earphone has a tendency to fall out when I'm moving around.

- Inability to skip to the middle of a song. The Muvo only allows you to play a song from the beginning. There is no provision for to to skip into the middle of the song.

- Case design: The USB part of the Muvo (the black part) is very thick. This means that it can't be plugged into any recessed USB ports. This is not a problem if you have a desktop or a USB hub. Unfortunately, many laptops (including my Sony Vaio) have USB ports recessed into the case with an overhang. This makes it impossible to plug in the Muvo and requires you to buy a USB hub or an extension cable. Before you buy this product, try the following: take a usb cable and grab it with your pinkie flat on top of the plastic connector just behind the metal part. Attempt to insert the cable into an availabe port. If you can do it and not jam your finger, you are fine. Otherwise, you'll need an extension cable or hub.

I did a lot of research before purchasing the Muvo TX-FM, and one of the things that made sense to me was to consider the manufacturer. Creative Labs has been making quality software and hardware products for years, which puts them head and shoulders above smaller corporations that were just formed to crank out cheap mp3 players for the general public. They seem to understand how to make powerful programs and devices easy-to-use, even for novices.

I had concerns about compatibility with my Sony Vaio, as I have learned it doesn't always like to play nice with non-Sony plug-ins. But this was a snap - just pop the device into the USB port and off you go. No cords!

The player itself is very simple; menus are so easy that the instruction book is practically unnecessary. It's hardy and durable, having already survived a tumble to the bathroom tile with no ill effects (the belt clip is good quality but can only handle so much maniacal dancing). I agree with the other reviewers that the ear buds are not the most comfortable, but the sound quality is spectacular!

One thing the other reviewers haven't mentioned much is the accompanying software. The drag & drop capacity is terrific, the MuVo TX-FM works perfectly wonderfully with any software you're already comfortable with - a huge benefit. BUT, the software that comes with it is really nice too!! The "SmartFit" feature can automatically convert any tune you want into the smallest possible format so you can fits lots of `em on here. The software can even load songs directly from your favorite CD's onto the player, speedily converting them into mp3's or wma's at the same time. It took about 5 minutes to convert & load an entire CD! Older processors may take a little longer, but that's still pretty impressive. When I think of the DAYS I spent putting together mixtapes back in the 80's, it's mind-boggling!

Bookmark this page and do your own research, but believe me you won't be disappointed with this one.

This is the first mp3 player I have bought, but I am a techie so I know all about various computer related products. I had spent a couple of weeks looking for a decent mp3 player. I choose a Flash based player because I wanted to use it while I exercise (or when I start to actually) and a hard drive based player is just not a good idea for that. My requirements were that it have at least 256 MB of memory, have a FM radio and be able to carry more than just music. Having said that, I am providing a list of pros and cons.

Pros:
Small Size: Smaller than my cell phone so it can fit in all my pockets and I barely notice its there.
Connectivity: USB 2.0 is so much faster than USB 1.1. Loading music goes quick.
Ease of Use: I opened it and within 5 minutes I had it loaded with music and playing songs. I give it to a few other people who wanted to look at it and they were able to do everything with it right away.
Sound quality: It produces very good sounding music. I connected it to my speakers which have very good bass and all around performance and the Muvo was on par in terms of quality as my PC is.
Buttons: The buttons are nice and big and easy to find. The power button has to be held in for a bit to turn it on and off. At first I thought this was a con but it is actually a benefit as it prevents accidently turning it on or off.
One last thing, some people have said that you can't skip to the middle of a song, well if you press the dial forward and hold it there it will fast forward through a song. Same goes for reverse if you hold it the other way.
Battery: The battery that came with it is a major brand battery and it has lasted a long time so far. I would guess at least 10 hours and its only half way done. Its only a AAA so thats pretty impressive to me.

Cons:
Headphones: These things hurt! I have big ears and they still don't fit me. They sound from them when they are in is good but the discomfort of having them in outweighs this fact.
Included Belt clip: The way the clip is positioned is great if you use it with the armband but if you put it on your belt it kinda digs into your stomach and I'm a really thin guy so its not my stomach causing the problem. It would have been nice if the player could be turned sideways so it is horizontal instead of vertical. That would have made the positioning much more comfortable while I am listening at work.
Belt Clip Case-thingy: The rubber case covers only half of the player. Since it makes it really hard to take the USB part out of the battery pack, it would have been nice if the case covered more of the player to protect all of it or made smaller so its easier to take the player out.
Lanyard holder: Creative could have spent the extra 10 cents and thrown a key ring in with this so you can attach it to a neck lanyard since there is a spot for one.
Did I mention how uncomfortable these included headphones are?

In general, I love this little machine. It has all the right features. It's small, but packed with goodies such as a FM tuner, a voice recorder, a 256 MB USB storage device with an integrated USB plug (no wires), and the sound quality is great.

A few small complaints. First when the clear plastic belt clip holder is on, it's really hard to remove the MP3 player from the battery housing. I guess it's not supposed to be removed with the belt clip on, but I'd like to be able to do that. I ended up cutting a chunk off the clear plastic so I can unplug it easier.

Second, the headphones are poor. The ear buds don't fit well and the sound quality is poor. The wire has an asymmetric joint so the wire to one ear is longer than the wire to the other ear. Ditch the headphones and buy a good one.

Third, I had the unfortunate experience of having the dreaded "File System Error" show up on the screen. Don't know how I got it, but when it happens, you can't turn the beast on. It just flashes the error message and turns itself off. I can plug it into the PC just fine and it will work as a USB storage device. Just won't work outside of the PC.

Formatting it didn't help. Calling Creative tech support didn't help. They told me to return it for an exchange. I did a web search and found some people with similar problems. They were all told to return it to Creative or to return it to the store for an exchange.

By an incredible stroke of luck, I stumbled on a way to fix this nagged problem. I formatted it again (using windows explorer), but this time, I specified FAT file format instead of FAT32. Voila! It turns on and seems to be working just fine now. So those of you who see the "File System Error" message, try that first. You may also try to put a Label on it. Perhaps that helps too.

Overall, I still love this little music machine and would recommend it to anyone.

First, a disclaimer: I didn't buy this to listen to MP3 music. I love to listen to audio books from Audible.com, and this is one of the approved players for that service (it uses a special audio format so you can't use just any player). But since lots of people want a device for audio books, I figured this focused review would be handy.

Setup was a snap: popped in the battery, and started exploring the controls. It's a testament to how smart the design is that I didn't have to refer to the manual at all. Once you figure out that the little rocker wheel can also be pushed in (like clicking the mouse wheel on a computer mouse) that's the "open sesame" to navigating all the menus.

I plugged it into a free USB port on my Windows XP PC, and the PC immediately recognized it; wonderful not having to install any drivers!

I got the Creative Muvo plug in from the Audible site to allow the player to be recognized by the Audible software on my PC, activated the player via Audible Manager (took 30 seconds) and then I quickly transferred a couple of audio books to the device. Easy, fast, and the audio is clear and high quality.

PROS
Incredibly tiny.
No hard drive--durable.
Thoughtful design, like a power switch that has to be held in for a couple of seconds to turn on/off, so no accidental presses will affect it.
Intuitive controls.
No special software needed to use it.
Easy to use controls without even looking.
Bonus: convenient way to transfer files between PCs.

CONS
The ear buds are junk. Toss 'em.
It'd be nice if the display was a bit longer, but this is a nit.
FM radio receiver is mediocre.
Can't force FM to mono; this is annoying with a weak signal.

Overall, this is the audio book device of my dreams. I was using a Pocket PC for the purpose, but it was bulky compared to this, and I was always afraid of dropping it because they're pretty fragile. And the software controls on a Pocket PC are incredibly awkward to use compared to the purpose-built buttons of the MuVo. This isn't a replacement for a really high quality FM reciever like a Sangean, but it's a nice bonus. I have no regrets getting this, and it's a great value too.

We all know size matters, and as tiny as the MuVo is, it's one of my sexiest gadgets. I've owned larger lighters.

This is my first mp3 player, so look elsewhere for comparison based reviews. As a first time owner, I am absolutely delighted. The sound quality is as crisp as a CD. The controls are simple and intuitive. It's tiny enough to fit into the smallest fashionable purse, but also comes with an easy-to-use removable belt clip and exercise arm band. What more could I want?

I bought the MuVo to go with Audible.com. At 256 megs, it will hold 2-3 medium length novels or one huge unabridged one. I could've bought a MP3 jukebox, but in comparison, even the iPod mini is HUGE. I don't need every song I've ever heard with me all the time. I'd rather throw on a playlist and a book and have a wonderfully tiny little device.

The software is so simple I never needed to open the manual. Plug and play, baby! The MuVo is also a USB flash drive, so no cords are needed. Just slide it into your USB port and you're all set. Loading files is simple and intuitive. If you already have audible.com, loading audible books is just as easy (IMPORTANT NOTE: This is only compatible with audible files at a 2 or 3 resolution. Higher or lower and they won't be recognized by the player.)

The biggest shock was the FM player. I owned a Radio Your Way for awhile and couldn't hear the songs over the static. My tiny little MuVo picks up even the faintest NPR stations with incredible clarity.

The included headphones are a bit uncomfortable, but headphones are cheap and easy to come by. I can't begrudge them that. Other reviews complain about low battery life. I get about 8 hours on my rechargables, which I find pretty reasonable since it's powered by a single AAA.

If you're looking for a small, inexpensive mp3 player/FM reciever, with great sound quality, you can't go wrong with the MuVo.

***addendum:

The Samsung Yepp is, in fact a tiny bit smaller. For people out there who want to rub it in, the MuVo is the sexy thong of the MP3 world while the Yepp is closer to a g-string. Less is what you see and less is what you get - the Yepp is NOT Audible ready and does not offer any Audible support. In addition, the Yepp does not come with either a belt clip or an armband (MuVo gives you both) so make sure your clothes have plenty of pockets. The MuVo is still the tiniest MP3 player in it's class, but there is a less classy competitor out there if you're looking for sheer Geek Chick Size Coolness.

The size difference is pretty minimal. MuVo: 1.4 x 2.9 x 0.6 versus Yepp: 0.94 x 0.94 x 2.2. It's really more a question of whether you prefer your MP3 player flat (the MuVo) or cubical (the Yepp.)

This is one AWESOME MP3 player. It has so many features and the fact thats they are also easy to use makes it even better. I may have had it for a few hours, but that's all I (and most people) need to operate this player to it full extent. I have made a pros and cons list as well.

PROS:
MENU SYSTEM - This is GREAT! It's so easy to use because of the icons and the scoller button. One of those players that you could operate out of the box without the manual.

SIZE - It's VERY small for an MP3 player. I can't say it's an amazing size because I came from an Panason SV-SD80 (THAT player, by the way, is INCREDIBLY TINY! The size of a psotage stamp). But the size DEFINITELY pocketable.

SCREEN - It has a nice blue backlit screen. Some people says it's too small, but I don't think so. It displays the battery life, time elapsed, type of EQ (equalizer), and song name (NOT artist). The only showing the song name is a little bad, but it doesn't seem to bother me much. Technically, you DO get the see the artist's name because right before you select the song, it displays the file name. If you put the artist's name in the file name, you get the see it for a split second.

Accessories - It comes with Creative earbuds, a belt clip, and an armbamd. The earbuds are nice sounding, but they are so big and thick in my ears that it hurts them after 5 minutes. The belt clip is rubber, which does WONDERS to the plastic surface of the MuVo. It grips the player. Plus, the way the belt slip is designed, you must stick in the key ring side of the player, so the MuVo's keyring goes into the keyring hole. That way, the player cannot fall out. That was hard to explain; it's something that you must buy the player or see the belt clip in order to understand. The armbad is actually nice to use. Not hard to use and the player is VERY safe. To use the armband, you have to use it with the belt clip, even safer.

SOUND - The sound was GREAT when I first used it. Then it got even better when I setup my settings for the custom EQ. NOW it sounds AMAZING. Plus, now I can actually hear nice music coming from Sony Street style headphones (I couldn't before on my Panasonic)

TRANSFER - SOOOOOO FAST! The USB 2.0 is amanzing when it's on an MP3 player AND a thumb drive. I LOVE the drag and dropp ability of the Muvo. My panasonin had to use Realplayer to transfer the songs. ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING! Now I have no fustration. Drag and drop and I outta the house.

FM RADIO AND VOICE RECODER- GREAT I just autoscan for the radio station. I don't know how many presets it can save total, but when I autoscaned, I got 16. still impressive. I don't have picky ears, so the FM radio recorder was nice to have and listen to. Voice recoder is nice but not high quality. Can't expect much from an MP3 player.

PRICE - I think it is a plus because you get all these things all together in one packeage: MP3 player, Voice recoder, FM radio/recorder, and flash drive. Plus, the original 256 MB MuVo TX that had NO FM radio was more expensive than this one. Funny, huh?

CONS:
NOT RECHARGEABLE OUT OF THE BOX - It didn't come with rechargeble batteries. It was kind of sucky, but I cant juss buy either ALOT of AAA batties, or a rechargeble battery kit.

NO LANYARD - It didn't come with a neck strap. I kind of like those because if you don't want to use the belt clip or armband, but still hands free, a neck strap would be nice.

NO DISPLAY OF ARTIST'S NAME

SIZE - I had said that size was a PRO of the player, but it's also a CON. When you separate the player and the battery pack to plug in the player, you'll notice that the player will take up the space of 2 PORTS. Kind of annoying for some people since for me, I don't have that many USB peripherals. I'm just telling those people who DO have all USB ports filled and a USB HUB. Other than that, size is still a PRO

Memory - Although 256 MB is actually ALOT more than I expected, it would be nice to have a 512MB version or even a 1GB version of this AWESOME player. 256 MB is definitely plenty for the average user and even above the average user.

All and all, VERY nice player. When I rate this player, I have no doubt in my mind taht is deserves a 5.

My life is full of first-time experiences. As a oblivious infant, I experienced my first time walking. As a 5-year-old, I experienced my first time how to read, and speak cohesively. As a adolescent, I experienced my unbalanced emotions that I couldn't understand when I'm around girls. And now, as a modern electronic-enthusiast, I experienced my first time purchasing an mp3 player...or in this case, FLASH mp3 player.

~REVIEW~

Let me get right down to this: I LOVE this device. Any newbie who's under the same shoes I am, looking for good mp3 player at its core, should place this player on their electronics checklist. This review probably isn`t going to be THAT informative, because I don't know got-dang much about the selection of mp3 players. I took me quite a while to find the best player on the market with the green I little have on my wallet, and I believe this CREATIVE product is the right choice to make; right on the features, and right on retail.

The "CREATIVE MuVo TX FM" player is cool, because like what it says on the box, it's not only a mp3 player: it's a mp3/FM radio/microphone hybrid! The player is small, it can place well into the palm of an adult's hand. The screen is small too, but the buttons are big, and the text on the screen are quite readable, so the size is not that big of a deal. Plus, it shows how much juice the AAA battery got left. Like every music player affair, it has a standard play/pause, and volume button; the play/pause button also acts as a power button, but it's one of those power buttons where you press and hold it for a few seconds in order to turn off. The scrolling gray thingy on the black width side of the player controls the rewind and fast-forward of the song whenever it`s pushed either left or right, which also skips tracks the same way, and pressing it can activate the selection the screen highlights or go to the main screen.

On the mp3 side,...well, it plays mp3 songs obviously, and it plays well, and sounds clear and flawless (it also plays WMAs). Since I bought the MuVo TX FM with 256 Megs (approximately, meaning between 240 to 250), it can plays up to 4 hours of songs with 128 kbps. This player also has its own Equalizer, which is basically a bunch of bars moving vertically so the adjusted sound placement of the songs can be just right for the listener. It contains its own sets of EQs: rock, jazz, classical, or if you're a EQ pro, you can customized your own EQ to personalize.

I can pull the black piece out of the white area of the MuVo, and use it as a separate USB hard drive, which was the greatest thing about it, because it's the easiest way to drag in any files (NOT JUST MP3) from the computer and put it in the device shown as a separate drive without out all that yes-or-no legal-disclaimer nonsense. And I couldn't believe how fast the transmission is from computer to device; it took me almost a minute to put in all 25 4-minute songs. The MuVo package does include a CD program, and with it I can convert my CDs into mp3s; there are other programs that can do that, but I don't mind this one.

One thing must be notified: Licensed music files CAN'T be transmitted through point-A-to-B dragging, so you must transmit these types of files through a computer media program.

On the FM side, albeit without AM to back up, it sounds just as fluid as an mp3. I can save a preset to the radio stations, using the in-device menu, and up to 32 presets can I automatically go to any of my favorite rock/rap/whatever station. The reception is good; it's not great, though. Sometimes I have to wave my hands around like an airplane director with diarrhea just to hear the local college jazz station. Otherwise, the FM radio is a wonderful alternate if I don't feel like listen to my personal tracks.

You go to school, and you were snoozing while your algebra teacher is discussing about the Pythagorean theorem, this device is effective as a microphone. I went through the same situation, and this device works wonders as a listening stand-in. And up to 16 hours can I record any kind of situation I want to hear again, or forgot to hear the first time. Just a reminder, this takes up the same amount of Megs as the mp3s, so record it wisely...or not.

I made so much positive facts, the MuVo seems perfect, right? Sadly, not true. When it comes to putting the music files in the MuVo, I can't sort the tracks of my choosing, because the tracks are always listed alphabetically. For that, it became a time-consuming process to rename the whole files on the computer so the MuVo can list them the way I wanted, and that's tiresome. The play/pause button has a tendency to get a slow response when I press it, and like everyone who reviewed this product, the uncomfortable headphone included in this device can make a person spend 30 extra bucks on a new one.

THE FINAL WORD: Value. If a media player has a ton of features AND it cost less than $150, almost nobody would ever stop saying "wow!", and with MuVo, I still have the habit of keep saying that. Okay, it's not an Ipod, a Rio, or a Sony network walkman, and what I say is no different from every other positive reviewer for this item, but another positive review is just another example of why this is such a good buy and a good alternate for those who just wants to listen to music, no matter how much it can hold. Don't distant yourself on this one.

The MuVo TX FM 256MB is perfect for listening to music outside your house. It is practically weightless, at 1.5 ounces, and of course, it doesn't skip at all. Perfect for if you are running, biking snowboarding, climbing, taking a stroll around the block, or sitting through a boring English class. It is small and unobtrusive, easy to use and best of all it has an amazing sound.
It can hold a surprising amount of music for its size and weight, right now I have about 4 or 5 hours of music on it. But if you get bored of listening to your music, you can always add new stuff or switch to the FM radio. it doesn't have a big antenna sticking out of it, it doesn't even have an antenna, yet it has amazing reception. You can also switch from scanning mode, to preset mode. It you ever have a quick though that you need to remember, but you have no aper, just record it, with 16 hours of recording time, you wont need a note book any longer.

So over all this is an amazing MP3 Player, that you should consider buying. The only downside to it is changing the battery, but that is not too big of a deal, it has about 15 hours of it.