Customer Reviews

Creative MuVo Micro N200 256 MB MP3 Player Orange

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I own the 512 meg version in black. I saw this white version and thought the color plain looking, but I didn't realize until I came home that the cool protective rubber holder is a frosted white rubber, so the white player actually looks much better in the holder than it looks by itself. Had I known that, I would have considered this less expensive model. Still, though I have it in 512 meg black, I like this player very much.

I wanted an mp3 player for working out and running. I am one of those guys who reads everything they can about something before buying one. What I read about mp3 players was a bit worrisome: countless reports that mp3 players break or have minor problems. So I picked up a Memorex Biomorph (I liked the size and features) along with an extended warranty beyond the 3 month product warranty, and sure enough, with light use, the product died with lots of strange nonsense on the lcd screen after 4 months. (I "reset" the device per technical support troubleshooting, but it didn't help.) I went through the hassle of returning it and getting reimbursed, minus the 40 dollar extended warranty cost. And I set out to read all the reviews I could before buying another mp3 player. I read the most positive reviews and least complaints with the Creative MUVO series.

My requirements: Driverless flash drive [I use it to transfer files between my laptop and desktop, and I want the convenience of being able to plug it into any of my friends' computers, Mac or PC, and share files/music], arm band for working out, FM radio, small and light [so a AAA battery model, not AA], and 1 year warranty (this is no longer negotiable). Microphone recording a plus, but not a requirement.

The Muvo series fit the bill. I wanted a flash memory player, not a small harddrive, because for me it's mainly a workout device, not a home for all my music. I came close to buying the Muvo Slim, because I loved the idea of a lithium ion battery charging by USB, and I think it looks very cool, but the leather cover has no place for a belt clip, and it lacks an arm band entirely, and so I went for the Muvo N200 ("micro").

So far the unit has really impressed me. The Memorex came with a bulky, cheap nylon arm strap that was the size of a belt, and even on its smallest setting, was huge. The Muvo Micro, by contrast, has an excellent arm strap, suitable for a variety of sizes, made from a nice smoky-grey slightly stretchy material. It has a well-sewn extra place to secure the Muvo, too, which they could have skipped, since you could attach the Muvo anywhere, so it is a nice touch. The Memorex used a very cheap thin faux-leather case for the Biomorph, while the Muvo really surprised me by having a case that is not merely a cover to prevent scratches, but is a thick frost-white rubber sleeve that the Muvo slips into. It's pretty cool: clearly if you drop it, and it lands on one of the three corners protected by the sleeve, it will be well protected (it might even bounce). In addition, unlike a vinyl cover, this leaves all of the buttons easily accessible: i.e. it's not like a ski mask with holes for the buttons (this was a pain on the Memorex, as the vinyl kept slipping over the buttons). The buttons are well laid out, too. Even after four months, I always had to think for a second or two to remember which buttons were for what on the Memorex. The Muvo makes more sense. For example, the volume up and down buttons are by themselves (not next to other buttons), and they border the lcd screen. The volume up botton is on the side where the bar increases with the volume, and the volume down button is on the side where the bar begins: so it's easy to make second nature. The play/pause button is also by itself somewhere else, so you don't accidentally hit that. Overall, a very good layout.

The lcd screen is small, but it's sharp, and you can adjust the brightness, contrast, etc. As others have said, there is an audible buzz on the headphones while the backlight is on, but that lasts about two seconds, and it doesn't bother me.

The menus make a lot of sense. One very nice feature is the ability to make the screen appear upside/down. This way YOU can choose how you want to wear the player while working out, and then if the screen appears upside down, just flip it. It's those little things that I was happy Creative thought of.

Another thing: I was quite surprised that the Memorex didn't get very loud. I usually had the volume on maximum. The Muvo, by contrast, is much louder, so I can have control of the volume back, keeping it around 2/3rds, and then adjusting depending on mood, surrounding noise, etc.

The earbuds which came with the Memorex were painful and were garbage, but the Creative earbuds are actually pretty good. I did have problems keeping the right earbud in my ear while running, so I'll probably go back to my pair of padded over-the-ear headphones which I prefer. But I was still pleased with the quality of the Creative earbuds: e.g. they don't hurt.

The USB 2.0 cable that comes with the Muvo is a small-standard USB cable, which means that it's the same cable my digital camera uses, as well as many other devices. This means you can replace it at any store should you lose it and, more practically, it means I can just share the cable I use for the digital camera, thus cutting down on clutter.

I haven't tried some of the advanced features, such as on-the-fly recording of any analog source through the input cable. I also plan on trying some rechargeable batteries. When I do, I'll revise the review.

One final recommendation: I do recommend you consider the size of an mp3 player before buying one for working out. I saw a picture of a Sandisk I was considering, and it looked small, but when I saw it in person, it was huge compared to the Micro.

This little device is the Swiss Army Knife of Mp3 players. I already own an iPod, but wanted something smaller to carry around and load Mp3 to without the hassle of iTunes. I looked at lots of players including the RCA Lyra and iRiver, but what sold me on the MuVo is the ability to record directly from audio sources like tape decks, Turn Tables and the like. I can just hook up the inlcuded stereo mini plug and convert an LP or cassette into MP3 while listening to it! No need to mess with the computer and Mp3 software.

I have a G4 power mac at home, and this little device works perfectly with it. It just shows up as a Disk Volume when connected to the USB port. I can drag and drop Mp3 files and they play just fine on the MuVo. It's nice to be able to bypass iTunes when you're in a hurry or just need a few files dropped on. Of course you can drop other files like jpegs into the MuVo as well.

I also enjoy the FM radio function. It's nice to have handy if you're stuck somewhere or just need to check traffic or weather. I have not yet used the built-in microphone.
Battery life is great, with just one little AAA powering the MuVo. If it dies I can just pop in another one. Unlike the iPod, which you have to charge using a special cable and power outlet or computer firewire port.

This is not a replacement for the iPod, although lately I tend to carry the MuVo more because it's light and convenient. Sound from the MuVo is amazingly good. It's as good as the iPod and even includes a Graphic Equalizer to customize sound. The included headphones are OK, but not very comfortable. At any rate they're easy to replace. The only drawback is the small amount of storage. 256 MB can get eaten up pretty quick....so I find myself deleting stuff a lot. On a per megbyte basis the 20 gig iPod is a better deal, but the MuVo is a great first Mp3 player or even a replacement for a USB flash drive.

The Creative Muvo Micro N200 MP3 player may not be found in the market, as it has been 'replaced' by a 'new' model called the Zen Nano Plus, which seems to be the same model with a new name. I think that this review can apply to new player as well.

As regards the player:

The Creative Muvo Micro is a flash based MP3 player, not hard-disk based, unlike the Apple iPod. Let's see it according to various parameters:

1. Style:
Well, the MP3 players from creative have been stylish, and this one is no exception. It is almost the size of a cigarette lighter, and only slightly larger than a matchbox. While this may seem de riguer for all flash based players these days, not all of them can truly claim to be this small in reality. The Micro is basically a rectangular/cuboidal shape with soft edges and a small display (which is not colored, but suits a player of this size). Of course, some MP3 players like Sandisk's Flash range offer a bigger display, but are also bigger in size overall.

2. Build:
This is one area where I feel the player could have done a bit better, It is well made, even though it is constructed in plastic, but the volume and play/power button are a wee bit flimsy. Nothing to worry about, of course, unless you have a 6 year old with a penchant for using it as a WMD ;)

3. Features:
This is the Creative's USP. It is one player that is loaded to the gills with features such as a FM radio with FM Radio Recording, Microphone, and even Line-in recording, for converting songs from cassettes directly to MP3 using th player alone. No need of the computer. In addition, the player has 4 equalizer settings, and even a customizable one. And of course, it plays music brilliantly. My player has 256MB of memory which holds about 50-60songs, and the player also comes in 128MB, 512MB and 1GB versions. I would advice you to avoid the 1GB version, as it is expensive, and at that price, I'd rather say you stretch your budget for the uber-cool 2GB iPod Nano. (which has a colour screen, but no FM radio).

4. Sound:
This of course is the primary thing anyone should look for in an MP3 player, and the Creative does not disappoint. The sound quality is quite good, and can handle all genres of music from Pop to Rock to Hip-Hop, Trance... and everything in between. The earphones provided are of an excellent quality, with a nice comfortable padding, and feel quite good to use even for long durations. The volume may need to pumped up a bit for listening in loud situations, but i found that a software update on the net loudens up the set quite a bit, providing even louder volume, which is good.

5. Other features:
The player also comes with a very nice rubber-like extra cover to protect it. This cover is white and translucent, and lets you access the controls very easily. IT also doubles up as a belt clip, and the Micro also comes with a shoulder strap. The cover is quite good, as it saved the player from getting scratches when I dropped it.

A few quirks/drawbacks of the player:

There area a few drawbacks to the Muvo, primarily the weird sort of faint buzzing sound which comes whenever the backlight is on. This can or cannot be a major issue, and I guess most owners have come to accept and live with this. This problem is only heard when you are changing songs, in the silent period between the change of songs. For once the song is being played, you cannot hear the buzz in the background. Besides, I found that, unless you use the player at night or in a dark room, you do not need the backlight. In a moderately lit room, the backlight is not needed.

The other quirk is the relative lack of FM signal strength. I say relative, as compared to other players, as reception is quite good. It may only get a bit fuzzy if you are in a lift or a closed room with no windows ;). You have to manually scan for the FM stations, as Auto scan can't pick them up very effectively, but once you've got your station of choice, you only need to save it to the Preset mode, and you can access it at the flick of a switch.

Overall, the Muvo Micro is a very nice MP3 player to have. For those concerned about the slight Buzz, you can try Creative's Muvo TX FM, which has the same features, but is slightly larger.

I have to admit that I am so electronically challenged that I can't figure out the remote to my TV. But I needed something better for my gym workouts than my CD player...so I took the plunge and bought this mp3 player.

I am very pleasantly surprised! It's tiny -- about the size of a cigarette lighter -- and weighs almot nothing. After growing up in the era when it took roomfuls of machinery to do what a PC does now, it still amazes me that you can pack so much into so little.

After a couple of hours dickering around with it and only a tiny amount of frustration, I was able to load my music in, listen to it and work the controls. The drag and drop function is easy to use once you figure out WHERE you're supposed to drop what you're dragging. And even after loading 48 songs, there was still plenty of space left, so next time I'll put in a lot more.

The controls are so simple, I don't even need to look at them to turn it on or scroll to the next song; I can do it by feel. This is a GOOD thing because the screen is so small that I can barely see what is going on (OK, I'm old and my eyes are going, you young whippersnappers won't have any problems with it).

I don't like the earphones that came with it, but then again, I don't like most earphones...and the kind I prefer work well with it.

The only thing I wish it did is play in the order I put the songs in...but that's OK; it's easy to move to the next song.

The color (I got blue) is nice too. :)

I'm a non-technophile, I just want to listen to music as quickly and easily as possible, and the MuVo N200 allows me to do precisely that. Its plug-n-play and jog away.

Purchased Nov. 9th, the 256 MB model. Within minutes of getting it out of the box the N200 was on my computer via the provided USB cable and I began dragging and dropping music files into it. Turned the N200 on and music came flowing out, exactly what I wanted. Didnt install the software til later, and didnt need to. Thats how flexible, easy and intuitive the device is to use.


PROS:
1.) Size - its so small, and very light weight too. The Professor/Boss will never know you have it in your pocket.
2.) LED screen - nice back-lighting with easy-to-surf menu.
3.) Sound quality is very good, and the Equalizer can be custom-set so it sounds exactly as you like it. Excellent!
4.) Somewhat less expensive than many others I compared.
5.) 4-button control design is great. One button is for power/play/pause/off, depending how long the buttom is depressed. Two others are dedicated to volume high/low. And the last one is a wheel for selecting menu funtions, press the wheel in to confirm a selection. Brilliantly simple. Fits in the palm of the hand and the buttons are easy to recognize by feel alone.
6.) Every option is included - comes with an energizer battery, an arm band, a nice protective carry case, an USB cable (these arent cheap) and another cable for patching directly into other audio devices:
7.) One can record from any audio source now, even the FM radio. It also has a microphone to record and send message files to your girlfriend...trust me, this helps justify the new toy.
8.) Battery life seems very good so far. 5 hours of loud playing and only 1/3 drop in the battery indicator.
9.) Name of song being played scrolls across screen during entire song. Plus time song has been playing and EQ setting.
10.) Has super fast USB 2 port capability. But still recognized the slow 1.1 USB port on my old computer and that worked fine too. Flexibility, I like that.
11.) *I've heard* that the warranty on this item has been extended compared to previous models, but cant confirm this yet.
See gripes about web support below.


Bottom line: I love this thing. It does exactly what it says it would do and the price is right. Its EASY to use and offers extraordinary flexibility across platforms. You can get music from just about anything now, just dont forget the cables.


CONS:
not to be pessimistic, but this is the most important part in evaluating a potential new purchase:

1.) Earphones - if you've read reviews of other CREATIVE products then you know the earphones are nothing to write about, so I'll end it here. Buy your own, they're not expensive.
2.) FM radio reception only does well with the very strongest of stations. Mildly strong stations cut in and out while moving about and weaker ones are all static. Reception is far inferior compared to my 10 year old Walkman so its not me, its the N200.
3.) Funny, faint buzzing sound every time the LCD backlight is on...which is anytime one pushes a button. Not a bother really.
4.) The order of the songs loaded onto the N200 is instantly alphabetized. Does not retain the order in which you load them or attempt to re-arrange them in Windows. I've heard there is a way around this, but I dont know how to make play-lists. I'm no technophile and I dont want to be, I just want to hear music. This affect/feature is a little annoying.
5.) Web support - so far I have none. Tried to register the new product using the included software and continuously received failure messages. Then it gives the option to register online, so I tried this and found that the N200 is not yet listed as a product on the registration site, so that failed. I sent technical support an email asking what to do. Still waiting for an answer. So I cant determine my warranty details. I'm sure they'll work it out eventually.
6.) The case is fragile looking/feeling. Make use of the nice rubberized carrying case included.
7.) Menu is nice and easy to use, but the organization is a little random. Makes it hard to flip flop between FM music and the mp3. You have to stop jogging and fiddle through the menu. Once I accidentally erased my station pre-set instead of turning it on. This menu might have been more logically organized, and almost prevents a 5-star rating. More like 4 3/4 stars.
8.) The instruction manual is a little sparse on info, but certainly adequate to get a 'Quick Start', since this thing is so intuitive anyway.

Overall I really like this device and recommend it highly. Its' a lot of bang for the buck.

I had moderate expectations with regards this. My daughter (age 11) has been eye-balling all the iPods her friends are getting, but I couldn't afford them (especially the Mini, which I understand is being phased out in deference to the iPod NaNo. Plus, I liked the idea of a flash memory based storage, and the advertized ease of draging-and-dropping MP3's and WMA's into and out of the player. And that she could connect it to her CD-player to import songs as MP3's, without the need of a computer.
Well, it has been everything I'd hoped it would be for her. She loves it, and her iPod-ish friends think its cool, too. It is sturdier than I expected, very small, and weighs almost nothing, so I can see why it would be appealing for jogging/aerobics. She also likes the FM radio (though reception is not exceptional except for the strongest signals) and the digital voice recorder features. It has been relatively intuitive for her to figure out - otherwise it would have gotten shoved in a drawer. She keeps a library of MP3's and WMA's on her computer, and drags-n-drops files between the MuVo and her computer, for whatever ~4 hours of music she wants to take around with her. Frankly, I think this beats having to try to use your MP3-player as the library of all your music - less tragic if something happens to your player if you have your master library at home on the computer (which you are of course backing up regularly, right?). She gets excellent run-time off of a rechargeable AAA battery (my estimate at this point, 25 to 30 hours). I strongly recommend investing in a pair of rechargeable batteries (one in the unit, one in reserve), as they seem to run longer, and will pay for themselves over the cost of akaline batteries very shortly. And get a charger for them.
Also, it's nice to work with MP3's and WMA's instead of the semi-proprietary M4A format. And make sure you understand that this unit will not play M4A's.
These must be getting popular, as the price is now ~$14 more than I had paid in August.
Hope this helps.

I've been in the market for an MP3 player for some time now, and I've looked at the iPods and considered getting a shuffle, but the Apples are clearly too much hype over nothing. If Steve Jobs put his vomit into an off-white plastic case and sold it, everyone would still be running to buy it. I was seriously looking at the iRiver branded MP3 players, but after reading multiple reviews of their inferior build quality and price premium, decided to settle for the Muvo N200 or the Sandisk. The Sandisk was comparatively too large and bulky, and thus I settled on the Muvo N200.

It offers the most features for a very reasonable price- song shuffling, FM radio, microphone, a LINE-IN jack for recording from an input source, fast USB 2.0 connectivity, a very easy interface (hey, it's just plug and play!), and many attractive colors (I finally settled on orange and white). I prefer the N200 to the TX series or the upcoming V200s, because the N200s are of the one piece design, rather than have a detachable battery section.

So, a quick glance at the well equipped N200 package. It comes with a;

- mini-USB to full USB cord
- very decent earbuds that come in iPod-white (I found them quite comfortable, even at the gym, and are attractive as well)
- a nice soft neoprene like plastic case (with built-in belt clip) that has a side opening allowing easy access to buttons
- line input cord
- arm band for working out at the gym

First impressions: I was shocked at how small the N200 is! It's about the same size and thickness as a cigarette lighter, very unobtrusive, yet very functional. Construction appears to be robust and well made. The sound quality is superb, and sounds as good as my Creative sound card, lol. The volume is easily tunable, and the wheel for scrolling through menus is intuitive and easy. The LCD screen is backlit in an attractive blue; there is a bit of a buzz when you press buttons as previous reviewers have noted, but I did not find this to be a problem or irritation for me. Despite the screen being about 1 cm x 2.5 cm, it can surprisingly squeeze a lot of text and images in it, that are easy to read.

256 MB is fine for me, as I mainly need this as a workout player. I have no problems running with this MP3 player, as the earbuds do stay in my ears. It uses a single AAA battery rated at 15 hours according to Creative; I haven't been able to test the battery to its maximum potential yet, but at 6 hours so far, the battery life is still on maximum.

Even better, since the plug and play interface is so easy to use, the N200 can also function as a backup USB flash drive for storing those important files! The radio is fine for a unit this small. Bass is surprisingly good! and settings can further be tuned with the onboard graphic equalizer.

So in conclusion- no problems so far. I'm very happy with the purchase, and it's a great little flash based MP3 player for the buck! Trade in your iPod today!

I just got this, my first mp3 player, yesterday. Sound is great, pretty easy to set up and use, with one problem. I tried for hours last night to get my songs to play in order (a playlist order; they weren't from the same album). Every time, they would be in the correct order on the computer, then when they would transfer to the player they were in alphabetical order. I tried several things and alphabetical order every time. I did an internet search and seems this is a known problem (I didn't know before purchase) and requires more software in order to set up playlists. It costs $15 but works great and so far is worth it. The software and more information is at http://www.redchairsoftware.com/notmad/featmv.php.

Overall I'm satisfied so far, but wish I'd known this ahead of time. This may be a problem with other brands, too, as this same site had additional software for iRiver players and others.

As a novice to the mp3 player world I was looking for a device that would fit my criteria for a player that would perform well during workouts:

1) Consistent, excellent sound;

2) Non-interfering with workouts.

After reading the reviews on the MuVo Micro N200 I decided to buy the player and put it to the test. I have been doing cardiovascular workouts for over 25 years and have used the best technology available during those years. Needless to say, going from portable radios, cassette players, compact disc players and now mp3 player has been a mix of success and failure. I had become so disappointed in the past that doing without seemed better than the hassle of dealing with faulty players. Until now. Without a doubt, the MuVo Micro lives up to the reviews. Every time I put the headphones on I get clean, clear sound with no skips, hesitations, bobbles, etc. just pure sound all the time. I tried using the armband that came with the device as well as clipping it to my shorts. Both ways work well, my preference being to keep it clipped on. The only negative I found is something common to alot of reviewers. The ear buds provided are not the best for active workouts. I bought a pair of Philips SBC HS500 neckband headphones and they work flawlessly with the mp3 player. I estimate that the 256 mb holds about 10-12 cds worth of music. More than plenty needed for an hour workout. Downloading was essentially drag and drop with no drivers needed with my XP computer. Overall, I am extremely pleased with this device and have finally achieved something I have been wanting for years; consistent, hassle-free sound.

This MP3 player represents an incredible bang for the buck purchase, and is the perfect MP3 player for those looking for something to use for their workouts or those of us who want to spend under $100.
2 points that were important to me were the quality of the music experience and the look of the player:
Quality of music:
-Excellent playback, I ripped a Tribe Called Quest CD to start out with and was amazed at the clarity, the volume can be raised to too-loud heights, which is great.
-The FM tuner, which was a deciding point in my purchase of this product, far outperformed expectations. This really is an FM tuner that works, not an after-thought add-on that doesn't really live up.
-The software that comes with it is very intuitive, and I was up and running within 10 minutes, most of that time being waiting for the tracks to copy from the CD to my computer.
-The headphones are not as bad as expected reading other reviews, but yes, they could stick better.
Look:
-Very cool, fits in the palm of your hand, and has an easy-to-read, very sharp LCD display. Comes with a rubber casing to protect against drops without taking away from the look. Overall, cool-looking machine.

In summary, I cannot recommend this product highly enough for those people who don't need the huge memory capabilities of the Ipods and others, and who are looking for a high-quality player they can take to the gym without breaking the bank...