Customer Reviews

Creative TravelDock Speakers for Zen Micro

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have become very jaded lately with the quality of some electronic products, and I am starting to get reluctant to buy something without doing some research. However, I gave this set of speakers to my daughter for Christmas to go along with her Zen Micro, and I am blown away. Even though the speakers are tiny, I am very impressed with the full range of sound coming out of them. They have a surprising amount of bass for such small speakers. The other included features like a remote control, AC power, and other attachments for the computer, subwoofer, FM Radio antennea, and computer line in/out cord make this a very fine item. Creative got it right with this gizmo.

I recently received the Zen Microphoto as a gift. Since I travel fairly often, I decided to purchase the Traveldock after reading the reviews. It's great. The Microphoto fits in easily and comes out just as simply. The sound is rich, loud enough, and better than any other travel speakers that I own. Many people comment on the bass issue. For travel speakers, the Traveldock has the best bass to date, in my opinion. True bass enthusiasts could purchase the subwoofer (for an additional $60 from Creative's website). I'm very satisfied with the sound and the convenience. The jacks are easy to reach and use, which are on the back of the unit. Also, the Microphoto charges while docked, whether it's playing or not. There's even an attachable FM antenna that plugs in to give you reception when docked (since you are not using the earphones which serve as an antenna also). By the way, it comes with a remote control which allows you to switch between FM and MP3's, adjust volume, and play/pause/FF/Rew. Overall, this is a very nice addition to the Zen Microphoto.

This little gem is very compact and has a bigger sound than I was expecting. It is convenient and simple to use. My 9 year old uses it and it is sturdy enough that I don't have to worry about it getting broken. The hard case has a flip over cover and it also comes with a soft carrying case. It is great on trips, especially when you don't have a computer with you to charge your Zen. If you are an audiophile, the sound will not be good enough for you, but for the average person, it will exceed expectations.

Again, Creative Labs has combined all you need into one package: line in jack, usb port, fm antenna, and even a jack for a sub-woofer! for a small portable speaker, this system gets pretty loud and clear. The stereo effect button works great, the design is very stylish and the remote is a nice finishing touch. now for the cons;like most reviewers,i too, have to say the bass is lacking a bit, and the stand has a bit of trouble holding the speakers up due to small rubber feet that doesnt grip very well. and the last thing is the speakers itself doesnt have any grill or guard on it and it looks like it could be damaged easily, but these are minor things i can overlook and all in all for the price, this speaker system is very good.
i tried the Altec Lansing portable speakers for the same price and i returned it the next day. it didnt even get half as loud without distortion and it didnt have as many cool features either.
right now, im using the speakers with the zen nano plus and it works great! im saving up for the zen micro now and if it sounds good with the nano, then i know the TravelDock will sound amazing with the micro that it was intended for.
one more thing, if your going to use the line-in cable for a device other than the zen micro, be sure to insert the BLACK end of the cable into the device your want to play and the WHITE end into the speakers line-in jack. i read a reviewer who said the speakers sounded tinny like a transistor radio and its because she had the wrong ends of the cable attached. i did it myself and i figured it out. unlike the reviewer who returned the speakers before taking the time to learn how to use it before returning it and giving it a bad review.
I love these speakers and i even use them for my t.v and they sound great for that too.

After a long internal battle with myself, I finally splurged and got these speakers. I am pleased with the design of the system. The exposed speakers and the blue LED light on top make the system feel modern and compliments the styling of the Zen Micro perfectly.

The IR remote is the best part of the system. I no longer have to get up and walk across the room to turn up the volume or change tracks. I was just using a pair of old computer speakers as a "stereo system." Sad, I know. From the perspective of an about-to-be-starving college student, these speakers are a good step up from the computer speakers but they definitely will not satisfy the more hardcore audiophiles. The highs and mids are well represented but bass is lacking. I think the optional subwoofer is a must and if you have a subwoofer already, use that. It was nice of Creative to include the subwoofer cable, FM antenna, and line-in cables with the speakers.

Classical and instrumental music sounds pretty good but for more bass heavy rap and rock, the speakers just can't provide enough bass to rock the house. These speakers can get pretty loud and I didn't find them to distort unless it was really loud. Sometimes there's a little background hiss but it's negligible. I was impressed with the "wide stereo effect" of the speakers because they can fill a whole room with music from corner to corner. I did not expect something so small to make so much sound.

Another thing that I liked about these speakers is that they can run on just four AAs for around 20 hours, making this system truly portable. The system also feels pretty soild and shouldn't break easly. I would be cautious when plugging and unplugging your player as bending the plugs would destroy the whole system.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with these speakers. They are just a little expensive and have mediocre sound that won't satisfy people who are used to having high quality headphones and/or a high quality home stereo system.

Pros: I've owned a MicroPhoto for almost a year, and subsequently purchased this item last fall for my bedroom. It is very compact, solid and well-built; there is a plastic lid functions as a speaker stand and as a cover for the speakers when the unit is not in use. On a recent flight, I packed it into my check-in suitcase with no probs. Playback is excellent. The sound fills the room and the bass is very good. The IR remote, which provides basic play/fwd/rev/on/off functions and works across a room. The main unit takes 4 AA batteries and can use an adapter as well. I took a recent 2 week trip, used the unit daily and never ran out of juice. This thing is great for toting around the house as I use it in the yard, garage, different rooms. You can charge your Micro/MicroPhoto by docking. Additionally, it comes with a cable so that you can use the unit as external speakers for a laptop/tv

Cons: The speakers are exposed. I wish that they were covered by a protective screen or had some kind of cover to it. It would be great to take to the beach, but I'm afraid that sand exposure could damage the speakers. The remote is very handy, but finicky. I've encountered weird powering up conflicts (the speaker system would turn on, but my MicroPhoto would not.) It depends on how long you hold the Power button down. It would be nice if the remote had additional functions that could allow you to navigate your Zen menus or shuffle/repeat.

Other Thoughts: I wish that they had something this compact for the Zen Vision:M! I also tried the JBL OnTour. The TravelDock definitely blows the OnTour out of the water.

I was pleasently surprised of the sound quality from such a small devise. It has plently of volume without getting tingie. I take it to the beach, on camping trips and out in the yard. I'm glad I made this purchase.

When i plugged it in and couldn't believe the sound it was great. It is compact and allows me to listen to music and charge my Zen. It also acts a proctective case which is awesome and needed when it comes to me. Its a great buy.

I bought the TravelDock to go overseas with my MP3 and I couldn't be more thrilled about this compact and flexible system. The sound is surprising good, and the remote is a neat extra.

I love the fact that it has a cover to help protect the system when traveling and it's compact to not take up a lot of space. There are also several power options from plugging directly into the wall to running off a computer's power supply to compete portability with 4 AA batteries. I'm going to be traveling to places that won't always have electricity so I'm excited that at least my music can still go with me! Then, when I can plug in I won't have to worry about using up all my batteries.

Overall, very satisfied and glad I bought it.

We recently purchased these speakers as a gift to compliment the Zen Micro we bought our college age daughter for Christmas.
She and her friends are absolutely thrilled w/this product & she's already asked for the subwoofer that's available! First & foremost the sound quality coming out of these little speakers is EXCELLENT-especially when you compare the price point to Bose...the size is perfect for her dorm room which is already overcrowded and the fact that it also serves as a protective travel case is a big plus.As far as our daughter & her friends are concerned the best part is they now have EASILY portable music for all,whether they are hanging out on campus,having a bonfire at the beach or camping over spring break they can take their music with them and and as long as they have or can buy batteries the music never dies,only improvement would be asst colors to match MP3! HIGHLY RECOMEND THIS PRODUCT!!!