Customer Reviews

Creative MuVo V100 2 GB MP3 Player (White)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

About this reviewer: I listen to music a lot, but about 95% is books. I use this Creative Labs V100 MuVo mp3 player about 20 hours a week.

PRO:

1. Flash based: Meaning no HDD spinning around thousands of times a minute, movable parts=easily breakable or they wear down. Meaning you can also jog with it. I'm from the computer world, and us cats know that all HDD's fail, period. *Especially* if you're moving it all the time. We, who want something that lasts, universally stick to solid state; ie FLASH based mp3 players. 2GB is also quite nice as well. They make a 1GB version too. That's enough for most before they can get to a computer again... which brings us to:

2. Connectivity: You don't need any stupid dock, any proprietary cable; USB or Mini-USB or any cable whatsoever. :) You just pull it apart and it becomes a thumb drive, just detach and plug in any standard USB port. It really is ingenious.

3. Size: This thing is small, there are various pictures here, this one is about 1mm smaller on all sides than the CL's Zen Nanos. About the size of a 17-stick pack of gum, but thinner. This is great for jogging, it's weightless. Slip into your shirt pocket as well, without any huge bulge or weight.

4. Compatibility. You DO NOT have to use some weird 3rd party DRM CRAP software like iTunes or Windows Media crap (like you do with Ipod's or IRivers) just drag, drop & GO! If you want some of your friends songs, you don't have to load up itunes, then some hack, or your mp3 players proprietary software cluttering up your friends computer to get his or her songs. I recall a conversation I had with a friend trying to get the songs of another mp3 player "FREAK, it took me 40 minutes to find the right software that world work to get the songs off" and that's not some novice. All the software to use this mp3 player is one just about every computer on earth.

5. Storage: You plug it in you not only drop any of your mp3s/WMAs on it, you can throw some pictures, some huge files, documents, anything, and use it just like a thumb drive. And still listen to your music, it just skips the non-audio files, etc.

6. Mic. The mic is great for recording class, or conversations, just throw it on your desk or shirt pocket and there you go. Much better than the previous N200 and other Muvo's which were terrible. It's as good as the current Zen Nano's. One can easily record a class lecture by sitting it on your desk. One must crank the volume to listen to it a bit, but it's defiantly workable.

7. NON-proprietary battery: Good old AAA Normal battery, throw a few recharables in your bag, you're good to go. I don't have to "dock" it or some crap like that. They do last a VERY long time, I've gotten over 20 hours of play all the time, just listening to books with a single alkaline. With the standard Alkaline AAA batteries this runs you about $0.025 an hour. 2.5 pennies an hour to run. Use rechargeables and your cost almost disappears. I can't not emphasize enough how important this feature is! Who are you going to go to when your ipod's batteries die, and the last few months? You need to limp along not wanting to fork out a huge percentage of the current value to get it shipped to somewhere and sent back, all at your expense.

8. Yeah it has other features I don't use much, WMA playback, flip screen, customizable 5-band equalizer, playlists, Audible playback support, volume restriction option, nifty navigation scroll, blah, blah, blah.

CON:

-No Radio: The Zen Nano's have a radio, if you are so inclined, which while I have the Zen Nano as well, I never use it.

-No Bookmark feature. I listen to books for 20 hours a week. This would be nice, as I could have used it a few times. Creative! This is just a software item, make it into it!

-No Line in. If you want Line in, get a professional recorder or the Zen Nano. I just never used it, but it would be nice to have, I suppose. More is better, right?

-Doesn't come with armband like the Zen Nanos. I'm sure you can get one cheap if you want one on ebay. I use my old one, works perfect.

-Wish it came in other colors. I mean come on now CL, we get your stuff because we don't like ipods, why you gotta make the first one white! It's white against black here, give us black! I'm sure this item will be fixed soon. It's November 2006 when this was written.

I have no comment on the earbuds. They are little bit better than most, but I'm 6'6" and figure that's why no earbuds anyone has ever made, did anything but hurt my ears and/or fall out randomly. So I have my own (Sony MDR-EX81LP/B Bud-Style Stereo Earphones - Black). As most people who are serious listeners do. (have their own earbuds) I got there here, they are great; but earphones are a matter or personal physiology and audio-snob preference. :)

I don't hate ipods, they are really sessy, but they are just not for me. I could list reasons why I can't like ipods but they are just too freaking expensive for too few bells and whistles. I mean, if you look at my "pro" list, the ipod nano is somewhat small and flash based, but that's it. I don't want to use some crap software, crap dock/cable, expensive battery, short battery life span, can't store anything else, and I don't need to see stupid 200X200 pixel color screen, sucking down the battery all the time as well, I just need to know what's playing and navigate around. (The V100 screen is simple & nice with a back-lit blue screen) Why should I pay twice as much more for an ipod, when it doesn't even get close to HALF the features?

So, I will give it a 9.5/10. But in reality, nothing else touches it. The bookmark feature is the only thing I miss, but that's because I listen to books 95% of the time.

I own the Creative 1GB Nano Plus with FM tuner, and it is one of the best flash players out there. It is small, beautifully designed, and full of features. The only problem was that I outgrew the 1GB size, so I thought what could possibly be better than having a later version of it and a 2GB size? Well, this MuVo works like an earlier generation of Creative's mp3 players, not like a newer generation.
- I was warned about the transfer speed, but I figured I only transfer music onto the player once every 3 or 4 months. It takes about 90 minutes to transfer 1.85 GB (that's the maximum capacity). My 1GB Nano Plus took about 15 minutes (so 30 minutes if a 2GB version of it existed).
- For some reason, my Nano Plus also sounds far better than this player. The sound is flat on this player. I tried adjusting the custom equalizer to match my Nano Plus's custom EQ settings, but the sound is inferior compared to the Nano Plus.
- I'm not a fan of the default folders labelled A, B, C, D on this MuVo. On my Nano Plus, I created my own folders. I can also do that with the MuVo, but anything outside of the lettered folders is considered part of the root folder, and I can only keep a combined 500 files outside of the lettered folders. In other words, you'll have to keep at least some files in the lettered folders, and you'll have to remember whether your audio book is in generically labelled Folder B or C. When you select one of the labelled folders, it automatically plays the first file of the first folder by default instead of letting you select the subfolder within the lettered folder before playing. Not as easy or intuitive to manage your folders as the Nano Plus.
- The player is lighter than the Nano Plus, but it is also slightly wider and longer. And the plastic feels very cheap. The USB drive that detaches from the battery is not easy to remove, and you have to crush the LCD screen to even get a grip on it.
- The only positive of this player over the Nano Plus is that there is a "favorites" option where you can tag any track that is playing (by holding down the scroll wheel for a few secs) as a favorite. This acts like a built-in favorites playlist which can span across folders.
- I suggest you buy the Nano Plus if it's still available and you don't need 2GB (2GB holds about 600 songs with an average VBR of 128kps in WMA format for me). And the Nano Plus also has an FM tuner which this MuVo lacks.

This device is easy to use, small, and not ugly. I am largely satisfied with it, except for one drawback: its transfer speed is far slower than I expected. It transfers at the speed of a USB 1 device. I am not the only person to have this problem: check out the forums over at Creative's website for confirmation (forums dot creative dot com, search for "muvo v100 slow transfer").

The Muvo V100 is advertised as USB 2.0, but as Wikipedia points out in the "Transfer Speed" section of its article "Universal Serial Bus": "Though Hi-Speed devices are commonly referred to as "USB 2.0", not all USB 2.0 devices are Hi-Speed...All devices are tested according to the latest spec, so recently-compliant Low Speed devices are also 2.0."

THE CREATIVE MUVO V100 TRANSFERS AT USB 1 SPEEDS: 12 Mbit/s as compared with Hi-Speed USB2.0's 480 Mbit/s.

My review is more one to clear up an issue that some people seem to have with the MuVo V100 in regarding music organization.

I'm a drummer and I was looking for a small mp3 player that would allow me to easily load and listen to songs that I wanted to practice with as I was really getting tired of fumbling with CD's. I didn't want to spend a whole lot, but I still wanted one that was relatively easy to load songs on to, would hold a decent amount of songs, was somewhat organized, and in my case as a drummer, was loud enough for me to hear over the drums. So I bought the Creative MuVo V100 2GB.

I'll be honest, I didn't do my research on this and I know nothing about mp3 players. I bought it because I knew Creative as a reliable name for mp3 players, and the price ($70 at Staples) was right. So far I've only played with it for about an hour, but I don't regret my purchase. tHE MuVo V100 is small, lightweight, and plugs directly into your computer USB with no cable to mess with. Great!

The first thing I did when I got it home was loaded the software that came with it. Personally, I don't think it's necessary as it's much easier for me just to copy and paste music onto the device. I'll probably wind up deleting the software. Once I decided how I was going to transfer my music I set out trying to organize it once it was on the device, and this is my main reason for writing the review, to clear this matter up. At first, and after reading some of the reviews here, I didn't think this was going to be very easy or possible. The device allows you to place music in the root directory, or in 3 sub-directories: Library A, B, or C. At first I thought those were the only places you could organize the music. I tried creating a new folder off of the root directory and putting music into it but it didn't work the way I thought it would. I was discouraged because I thought, as one reviewer put it, that I would have just one big pile of music. After some fiddling, I found out that is not the case. You CAN organize your music by different albums or whatever folder name you would like. This is how you do it:

1) Connect the device to your computer.

2) Either drag and drop a music folder over to the device's root directory, or create a new folder titled whatever you would like, and put the music there.

3) Unplug the device, put it back together and turn it on. When it loads, press the jog wheel and choose "Skip Folder". Once you do that, you can choose either one of the Library folders or the root folder. Choose the root folder. As soon as you do that, you will be delighted to see that your newly created folders are there! Simply cycle through them and pick the one you want.

I don't know if you can drag and drop a folder that has sub-folders or create them yourself, as I haven't tried that. So for now I'll just say that if you're going to create a new folder or drag one over to the device, make sure the music is in that folder, not in a sub-folder off of it.

NOW you can have your music arranged by album or however you like. The only thing I found is that even though you pick a particular folder of music to listen to, when you choose it, it will only put you at the beginning of the songs in that folder, not in that folder itself. So when you get to the last song in that folder, instead of bringing you back to the beginning, it will bring you to the first song in a new folder.

Hopefully this clears that issue up!

I've had two Creative MuVo players before this one: Creative MuVo 1 GB player (the red one) and 512 MB version (blue). My husband accidentally destroyed his (the blue one) so I gave him my red one.

Well, I was finally getting around to replacing mine, and I was looking for the red 1 GB player. Unfortunately, it's discontinued. Should I buy the new V100 2 GB, I wondered? (One of the reasons I didn't because it was white. What a let down compared to the great-looking previous versions. Ugh.)

I impetuously bought a Philips 1 GB player, but after looking at it in its package once I got home...I just couldn't open it. It was chunky looking--a gray rectangle the size of an extra-large Wrigley's chewing gum package. Plus, the USB wasn't connected to the player like the Creative MuVo's.

So I returned it to Stuff Mart...and then bought the MuV100 2 GB. I've been using it for a few days now and it plays just as great as the older version in terms of sound. In fact...I think it plays better. I'm listening to all my Rush songs and, I swear to God, I'm hearing things I've never heard before!

However, navigation is a pain. I can't figure out how to arrange the folders--they've added extras like "favorites" and such...ack. I just wanted a simple player to arrange my music by folder!

I've even tried to mess with the Creative Media Solutions that comes with it to organize the music, and I can't figure it out. So I just went back to burning, going to My Music, and sending to my J: Drive.

I love the fact that the USB part disassembles and goes directly in the port, as opposed to having to use cables (which is what most, if not all, MP3 players other than Creative use.)

There is supposedly a feature where you can get lyrics, but I don't plan on using that feature, nor the recording features.

The earbuds are large like the other ones--and not very comfortable. I'll no doubt be switching to my other headphones.

The reason I gave this MP3 player four stars is not only because of the color and frustration with navigability, but also because of the lack of the rubbery plastic holder that came with previous versions. That's right--there is NOTHING provided for hooking your MP3 player to your pants or belt.

However, my husband happened to save the holder from the MP 3 player that he dropped/broken--and it works fine with this MP3. Whew!

Light as a feather with good sound, the Creative MuVo V100 is a fine MP3 player. I just wish Creative hadn't messed with a good thing by complicating the menus...

Creative's Muvo series is really the most ingenious thing to happen to portable music since the invention of the mp3. Being able to carry and listen to music on what is essentially a thumb drive means you never have to wonder where the USB cable went: you can swap music to and from the player using any computer's USB port, no software necessary (DRM'd tracks being the exception, for obvious reasons). This makes it a snap to create new folders and stuff them with whatever goodies you happen to have on your hard drive. I also love the feature that lets you delete tracks without going anywhere near a computer, which is great if you just uploaded a brand new album and discovered some less-than-listenable tracks while you're on the go. These players also get amazing battery life as well - I usually get between 12-15 hours from a single AAA. The players come with a dizzying array of playback options: Normal, Shuffle, Shuffle Folder, Repeat Folder, Repeat Track, etc to keep things interesting.I've been using the 1 GB model for about a year and a half now and couldn't be more thrilled with it. The 2 GB models were christmas gifts to several family members and have since gotten rave reviews as well. For some strange reason I was never able to find the Muvo series at any of my local electronics stores, but they were well worth the wait from the online retailers. I can't see how anyone would be disappointed.

Good basic mp3 player if you know what to expect. Reasonable price and durable: flash memory less prone to damage, less than half the price of 2 gig iPod nano. Performance and functionality between that of shuffle and 2 gig nano, can be enhanced by workarounds.

No indexing system: songs listed by file name alone. But you can put similar songs in unlimited amount of folders (limit 500 tracks per folder). In a positive light, no need to bother with iTunes etc.

Limited playlist options: songs can be added while playing to player's only "favorites" folder. Again, work around by using folders, renaming tracks to add numbers sequentially so tracks are played in desired order. Many larger capacity iPod competitors are also somewhat lacking in this respect. USB is rather slow.
Easy connectivity: USB plug in and drag and drop, doubles as storage device. Good battery life and convenient AAA alkaline. Compatible with a limited range of generic accesories. Voice recorder can be useful

In conclusion, handy for bringing music with you. Not quite the best for dorm/house party soundtrack. For that purpose a computer trumps even the best iPod anyway.

pros:
- no proprietary docking station or cable to connect to your computer
- small/light
- flash-based
- price
- battery

cons:
- slow download speed. I have the older 1GB version, and it is faster than this unit (????)
- NO CARRYING CASE. This makes no sense to me - there is no case shipped with the unit, and I so far haven't found one online. So, I find I still use my old 1GB player at the gym and jogging.
- folder structure on the unit is a step backwards from the older 1GB model. It has folders A, B, C, D which reappear even if you delete them. Plus, navigating folders is more difficult than the 1GB model. Not sure why their firmware would get WORSE in some respects from previous models???

I purchased one of the Creative MuVo TX FM 1GB units about two years ago and spent hundreds of hours listening to books on tape and downloaded lectures on it. I loved this thing and when the jog wheel/switch finally gave out, I ordered its successor, the MuVo V100 2GB player. What a difference - they've cheapened the quality of the plastic so that the whole device flexes. I don't care to see light through the gaps in an electric device. I couldn't believe that this unit would last as long as the previous device, so I immediately returned it and ordered another MuVo TX FM. I'm not sure how much longer this older unit will be around, so I may have to order a second as a spare. BTW all of these units have the same multifunction jog wheel/push button switch and it is their one great weak point. Too much stess is put on that one critical piece.

This is a great player to have especially if you're like me and use Linux. Since there is no proprietary iTunes type software to use, you can mount this as a simple USB drive and copy files over using the shell or any file manager you want (Nautilus, Thunar, etc). Or you can do what I do, and write yourself a nice bash script to automate the process of "syncing" your podcasts to this player. Since it works like a standard drive you can write simple scripts to communicate with the device by calling tools like rsync.