Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen NX 20 GB Digital Audio Player

by Creative

Product Details

• Item Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000BVUYQ
• Item model number: 70PD041000000
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,112 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great player, great price, kills the iPod!, November 22, 2003

By 

JDK (Milwaukee, WI, United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen NX 20 GB Digital Audio Player (Electronics)

My 2 cents..

If you want a stylish player, get the iPod.

If you want a player that provides twice the hard drive capacity for half the price, get the Nomad Zen Nx.

If you want a white (blah) player that will show every sign of dirt and dust, get an iPod.

If you want a silver player that looks utilitarian, and like it can take a beating, get the Zen Nx.

I really do not mind the Mediasource software, except that I prefer not to use its CD ripping function, because it doesn't allow you to include the Track # in the filename. There's plenty of freeware CD to MP3 rippers out there that don't hog resources like Mediasource does.

Other than that, the software functions just fine although a little slow for a P3 700Mhz PC.. If you look around the Internet, you can find a piece of software called Nomad Explorer, an official release written by Creative Labs, that will integrate with Windows Explorer and allows you to drag and drop your MP3s right from within Windows Explorer! Niiice.

The thing I love about this player the best, and what matters most to most people, is that it sounds absolutely GREAT. I encode most of my MP3/WMA's at 128-160kbps and both bitrates sound great.. My 192kbps sound even better, but 160kbps is pretty much all I need with this player.

EAX allows you to set preset EQ settings like Rock, Pop, Jazz, etc, or environmental settings like Auditorium, Concert Hall, Garage (most environmental settings make it sound like you're in a big restroom, in my opinion).. I use the custom 4 band equalizer, and it works great.. Beware though, with EAX enabled, your battery life will be cut in half! Luckily the battery charges in just two hours.

If you want a good pair of earclip headphones to go with this, pick up some Koss KSC-50 headphones.. They are full open air size headphones that clip to your ears, and they're a LOT better than the ones that come with the Zen Nx.

One minor complaint about the Zen Nx, and that is, Creative seems to be pushing their Zen Xtra, even though they just released the Zen Nx in August! As great of a player as this model is, I hope they aren't pushing it under the rug, in favor of a newer model with a bigger screen.

Another minor beef I have is the lack of FM tuner. True, I can buy a decent portable FM radio for under $20, but it surely would have been easy for Creative to have on built in, wouldn't it have?

The scroll wheel takes some getting used to. I can't say I like it for menu scrolling, but it does come in handy when scrolling thru 100+ artist/album names. It just does not feel precise, that's all.

If you want a great HD based player at a great price and don't mind slightly clunky included software, get this- it's a steal.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Millions of years of evolution has led to this!!!, November 10, 2003

By 

"kikh" (East Stroudsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen NX 20 GB Digital Audio Player (Electronics)

I've never written a review and I've bought from Amazon for years. I am so happy over my ZEN NX that I have to let everyone know. I've downloaded close to 300 CDs and still have over 4 gig left! The sound is amazing. The interface could not be easier. Files are listed by ARTIST, ALBUM, GENRE, PLAYLISTS and TRACKS. If I want to hear R.E.M. I can listen to "Out of Time" or one song or all 5 albums in order or in a shuffled order. If I'm exercising I can click on Techno and listen to every techno song in the jukebox. It's true the headphones aren't that great. The battery life isn't 14 hours. Did anyone mention the LEATHER carrying case? It's great but should have an opening so you could see the window. The aluminum face plate is ultra cool as is the green light. The scroll wheel is easy to figure out. The media source software is more than adequate. It downloads the track listings and then you copy the CDs. Who needs to pay $200 more for an iPOD?

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Player, Great software, September 13, 2003

By 

Lihkin (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen NX 20 GB Digital Audio Player (Electronics)

This is an excellent MP3 player. The sound quality as well as the features are way above average. I dont understand how 'software engineers' could not get the software working. Does not speak well of their engineering skills. Trust me, if you have an iota of computer savvy, you will find this extremely easy to use. And oh yeah, its half the price of the IPOD- just a bit bulkier. Its time that these apple fanatics start to appreciate a good product instead of harping on the IPOD. The sound quality and the battery life (replaceable too and 14 hours on a single charge) way outweigh the IPOD. Dont take my word for it- go to a bestbuy and check it out...