Customer Reviews

Creative Zen Nano Plus 1 GB MP3 Player (White)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I listen to music almost all day from my car, at the office and when I work out at the gym. So I wanted a simple mp3 player that was small, that could be controlled with one hand, that wasn't that expensive and that was easy to put music on.

I bought the CREATIVE ZEN NANO PLUS 1 GB in white, because it looks clean and stands out. When people see it and try it out they are surprised by its size and sound. It only uses 1 AAA battery and I am using the Energizer NiMH Battery Charger and 4 AAA batteries. One battery typically lasts me two days before I need to change it. I just charge the batteries up one day then take two with me, one for the mp3 player the other as a spare. When the mp3 player is connected to a Windows XP pc, it gets detected and listed as a removable USB drive. That means that you don't have to install any software to move files onto or from this device. Its does come with a cdrom that includes software to rip and compress songs. This device can play both mp3 and wma files. It also comes with an IN_LINE cable that you can use to connect to the headphone jack of a cdplayer to record songs onto the mp3 player. Also there is a built-in equalizer with 5 settings, one of which you can customize.

They are a few things to note. First, the headphones don't fit. They are bud headphones which you are just supposed to stick in your ear, but they are too big so they keep popping out. So I got a pair of Sony MDR-E818LP Fontopia headphones, they are inexpensive and they sound great. Second, you can't just put all your music on the player in one location. You'll need to create at least 2 folders. Which is fine with me, because I separate my music by the style. The voice recording is fair. It creates a .WAV file on the player, which can be moved to your pc. The radio is pretty good, I haven't had a problem with it yet. However, when the battery gets low it will affect the signal strength.

PROS:

+ its small, about the size of a pack of gum

+ no software needed to install, works like a USB drive

+ can be operated with one hand

CONS:

- headphones don't fit well

In my review I am using the bit rate of 128kbps.

I bought this for my step-daughter. We didn't have to install anything - just connected it to the computer via USB. We used Windows Media Player to manage ripped CD's and downloads to the player. She doesn't live with us so I needed something easy for her to use on her computer at home. It comes with all kinds of goodies like the armband and fm tuner. I would recommend this product if you are looking for an MP3 player in this price range.

I run 5 days a week and needed something to listen to music that would hold up to the rigors of running. I bought this player about 2 weeks ago, and I am thrilled with it. It came with a sports armband, comfortable earphones, and easy to understand software...which was not really needed as its plug and play. It's quick and easy to add or remove songs from the player. Earphones are comfy and the sound goes loud enough to cover the noise of traffic. It only picks up one radio station,but that is not a downside to me, as I bought it for my own music, not to listen to the radio. The only con I can think of is learning how to actually manuver around once you turn it on. ( IE: making it play all songs instead of one and then going into pause. ) But I am sure this is something I can work out once I read further into the manual. I definately recommend this player to anyone who is athletic and wants a decent priced mp3 player.

This little gadget is great. Delivers almost everything it promises. The only thing i can really complain about is that the FM tuner is not as good as i hoped. There's quite a bit of static and it does not pick up all frequencies that a more powerful tuner would. Also scrolling through the channel presets is a pain. On the plus side for this gadget is that the sound it delivers is great. I also own an ipod nano and i believe the zen delivers better sound. The customizable equalizer right on the device itself is a very useful feature for audiophiles like me. To customize the equalizer on the ipod, u need to do it on a computer through itunes although admitedly the ipod does have many more preset equalizer settings. The AAA cell power pack for zen is also an unbelievably useful feature. Ever so often my ipod runs out of battery power and i'm left with a beautiful looking but dead digital music player till i get bac and charge it again. With the zen it is so much more convenient to just change the cell on the go.

Brilliant design--small, FM radio, uses an easily-found and and cheap AAA cell. Stores lots of CDs.

Very good sound quality, and a nifty equalizer too. Loading it up is the essence of simplicity--plug it into your PC, and it shows up as a hard drive. Just drag and drop your mp3 folders, and you're done.

FIRST OF ALL THIS DOES NOT COME WITH A NECKSTRAP!!! There is a misprint above, it comes with an armband - not a neckstrap. I was aware of this so it's fine with me but thought I would warn others.

In regards to the product itself I read all the professional reviews and this was basically tied with the ipod shuffle for best sound quality in the flash player category. If you are an audiophile looking for perfect sound you should get something more robust, because the sound in these small players can be slightly muddy. How to correct this? As with all portable players you need to toss the headphones that come with it. The Creative headphones are average and aren't really made to stay in the ear during workouts or running. If you are considering purchasing an ipod shuffle they will tell you the same thing - default headphones are always cheap. There's a huge difference in sound quality if you upgrade them to something better so it's highly recommended you do this.

I bought the Sennheiser PMX 70 headphones for this purpose. They sound great and stay in place while running. For walking around or light house-work I also bought the Sennheiser PX 100's which have even better sound and are more comfortable for longer use.

The armband that comes with this is great and you don't have to pay extra for it like you would with an ipod. I also own an older 256mb version of this product. It received alot of abuse but still works fine. It also comes with a rubber housing so if you bang your arm against the wall it won't break. Operating the unit is a no brainer, you just attach the USB cable to the player and your computer. It then acts as a hard drive which Windows will automatically read. A little window will pop up asking if you want to open files in the removal disk. Then, all you have to do is drag and drop your MP3 files and you are set. It comes with a CD with software but it's not really necessary. The software does have an owners manual that is much better than the written documentation that comes in the box so you may want to install it anyway.

A prior reviewer complained you could not put songs in folders. This is not true. You can organize your songs in folders on your computer then simply drop them into the player. When you want to change folders during use just press in the wheel and select "skip folder." You can then rotate the wheel to the folder you want. There are many options available, for example you can set it to play random songs or you can play them in order. If you like to play folders in order you may want to put a number in front of each folder or it will play them in alphabetical order.

There are several equilizer presets such as classical, jazz, rock, or custom. I set mine to normal because I read that you lose a little sound quality to distortion if you use a preset. Battery life is good, I didn't count the hours of use but it lasted quite a long time and the batteries are small and cheap so is not a large concern. I wish however the armband had a small slot in it to hold an extra battery. It's a bummer to run out of juice while on the trail or in the gym but that's a picky complaint.

There are other goodies as well such as FM radio, microphone to record voice and even mp3 encoding capability but I have not tried them out. I only use as an mp3 player.

The bottom line is that if you are looking for a player to take with you to the gym then look no further. It has good sound, good battery life, good options, good armband, and is easy to use. What more do you want?

I've bought four of these for myself and friends. They're cheap enough that you don't have to worry too much about losing or breaking them (like you would an ipod). It doesn't have silly restrictions on what kind of MP3s you can play (but you can't play itunes music!). It's literally as small as a matchbox and great in the gym. One gig is plenty of music for one outing, and you can always change it. I got one wet and it kept working.

Down sides: The sound quality is a bit tinny. The interface isn't as sleek and engaging as the ipod, but it's not bad. Two of the four I bought stopped working after about 14-18 months of use, and there's really no way to get it fixed. You probably shouldn't think of it as something that will last forever... or else you could get one of those 2-3 year replacement warranty deals.

Still, not too bad a deal overall, I think.

Don't believe the negative reviews. I've had two of them in the house for almost 6 months. No problems. They are great for downloading books on tape and music. Some libraries offer free downloads that will work on this Creative Zen Nano. They are small and easy to carry around---weigh almost nothing! Email:boland7214@aol.

After comparing this model v. others, I chose the Zen Nano because:

1) great price

2) Abundant features and comes with everything you need.

3) Works with many subscription based music services. I use Yahoo Music and its simple to drag and drop songs onto the player.

I use the player mainly during workouts and runs. The Nano is small and lite and has more than enough storage space (1 GB) for my purposes.

The setup is non-existent. Just plug it to your computer and start swapping files.

I recommend that you don't install Creative's software unless necessary. One, I don't think you'll ever need it. Secondly, it slowed down my laptop's startup.

I highly recommend the Zen Nano Plus.

I recently purchased one and the first one would not turn on even though we changed the batteries a few different times. We exchanged that one for another one thinking it was just faulty. The next one allowed us to turn it on and even put A song on it. When we went to put more songs on it the computer would not recognize it. We persisted, we tried uninstalling and reinstalling the programs and reseting the computer but it just wouldnt work. We also returned that one. Dont buy this product. the user's guide is worth nothing and costumer service doesnt make sense. Even though this product seems to be a great deal dont buy it. Go for something from a company you already trust.