Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB MP3 Player

by Creative

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002BRMNA
• Item model number: 70PD055000031
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (240 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Featuring a large, hi-res, blue backlit LCD, the NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra builds on the industry-leading music features of the NOMAD Jukebox Zen product line.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

252 of 259 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best reason not to buy an iPod, September 9, 2004

By 

Coral S. Amende (Incline Village NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB MP3 Player (Electronics)

When I first started looking for a portable jukebox, I--like everybody else--was drooling for an iPod. Then I did my research, and here's why I decided on the Zen Jukebox Xtra: (1) the iPod battery is not user-replaceable, you have to pay $60 for a two-year Apple plan in order to get it replaced, and you have to send the unit back to them to get it replaced (evidently it starts losing its charge about six months into ownership); (2) huge storage space--I have my entire CD collection on it plus a whole bunch of downloaded tracks at high quality and I've still only used half the space; (3) sound quality is fabulous, especially if you spring for a decent pair of headphones. As far as durability goes, granted I haven't passed the dreaded 90-day-warranty mark, but it goes with me trail-running daily (because of other reviews I've read, I hold it in my hand over rough spots so it doesn't get jostled too much) and in the car on long drives a few times a week. I've also dropped it from a pretty good height with no damage. My one complaint? No support for MP4. BUT...you can upgrade the firmware to be Real Player compatible (their downloads are only 49 cents) and I've found the process easily done. Good tech support as well. I just don't think there's a better value for the money.

110 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So far so good, July 9, 2004

By 

J A W (Norman, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB MP3 Player (Electronics)

It's passed the 6 month test, no problems w/ it, no shutdown of hard drive. Fingers crossed it can pass the 8 month test...I'm sorry about the horror stories, maybe I just got lucky w/ a functioning Jukebox. I'm pretty active w/ it, jogging, weightlifting, painting w/ it on, even dropped it once or twice, but still works. Course, I don't throw it around or treat it like a stupid little walkman, it *is* a computer and should be treated as such.

I have never tried the Ipod, so I can't compare the sound, interface, ect. All I can say, is that this product is a Godsend at 220 bucks. If you are a finnicky listener like me, and you can't stomach listening to the radio because you have to change the station every other song, if not turn off the radio completely, because you are so freaking sick of stupid music passed off as, well, music, then a product like this is mandatory in your life. You need to have the ability to only listen to what you want to listen to. I have a playlist of over 400+ indie-esque rock songs, another of 50+ that lists my current fave songs, and another of 40+ classical and celtic music pieces. It is what it is, a personal jukebox, a personal radio station. No more interchanging CDs while driving (btw, I just used an old car tape-deck adapter from my CD player to adapt the jukebox to the car stereo, no need to buy the accessory car adapter kit), no more tedious and infuriatingly redundant pop-"alternative" rock music while waiting to hear one good song out of thirty, no more 8 minute commercial breaks...just pop in the jukebox and hit shuffle. The interface can be a little messy, but it's still worth it. 80 bucks less than an Ipod and 20+ GB more...yeah, it's definitely worth it (if it works for you).

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ipod Alternative: Excellent Capacity, Reasonable Price, November 28, 2004

By 

mowry4875 (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB MP3 Player (Electronics)

I waited a full year before writing a review of my Creative Labs Zen Nomad 30GB Xtra, because some products work well for the first 6 months and then break down once its too late to return. Well, after 12 months, I can say this has been a great purchase, with no regrets. I listen to it everyday going to/from work on the train, with no major performance issues. With 30GBs of storage space, I have 4000 songs loaded and use the extra space to store files I need at work. Another plus is that it plays both WMA and MP3 file formats, so I can play all the songs from my CD library, as well as downloaded songs, without having to convert them. The unit itself is not as graceful/compact as an Ipod, but when you consider a 20GB Ipod costs around $300, whereas a 30GB Nomad costs around $225, I think you get more for you money. Plus, you're not forced to download tunes from Ipod's Itunes store at 99 cents/song.

Regarding usage, I use the included Nomad MediaSource Organizer on my PC. It scans your computer for song files, and then organizes them. You can then plug in your Nomad using the included USB 2.0 cable (which works with a USB 1.1 interface, albeit slower). The computer recognizes the Nomad after a few seconds, after which you can transfer all the songs on your computer (the first time), and then new songs afterward on an individual basis. One major drawback is that if you change a song title, genre, artist name, then the software will not recognize the song as being the same. As a result, you may have multiple versions of the song on your player. Perhaps a new updated version of the software will be `smarter'. Another problem is that you cannot delete or make changes to songs on the Nomad directly - instead you have to sync it with your computer to make those changes.

Regarding durability, the player has not had any major problems, except it froze once, but I pressed the reset button with a toothpick and that fixed it. I haven't dropped it (yet), but I do notice the faceplate of the player is not too secure and has come loose a couple times. If you use the leather case (included), that won't be a problem, but the player will be much bulkier as a result. I use the player without the leather case so I can put it in my pocket, which works fine. I wish there was a separate control unit on the headset cord, because Japanese trains can get so crowded that even my pocket is inaccessible. Speaking of headsets, the included pair are not the greatest, but they work.

The battery is supposed to last 12 hours, but I find that it last closer to 5-6 hours on a single charge. This is not an issue, because I only listen 1-2 hours per day and charge it up at night. One minor complaint - the power indicator has only 4 bars, so once you are down to a single bar, you're never really sure how much listening time you have left (which is why I charge it to full every night). I hope Creative Labs can improve that function on future models.

In conclusion, if you are not concerned about having the coolest, most ergonomic player around, but you want to have access to every song you every owned, wherever you go, the Nomad Zen 30GB Xtra is well worth it.