Firstly the model being reviewed is a Creative Zen X-Fi 8Gb (not 8GO)
I chose Creative because they have been in the PC soundcard business for over 15 years and have a very good reputation with soundcard technology.
The Zen X-Fi is a fantastic little MP3 player, which incorporates a video player, a picture viewer and a radio. Price paid was £87 at Amazon.co.uk with free delivery.
Standard memory capacity for this model is 8Gb (about 2000 x 4mb songs), but there are also 16Gb (£120) & 32Gb (£199) versions. It also has a SD/SDHC slot for increased memory capacity - an 8Gb SDHC card costs £10-£15
The SDHC does not integrate with the players own memory so your can't create a playlist with songs from the respective memories.
The Zen X-Fi looks very sleek and attractive, being about the size of a credit card, about 1cm thick and weighs 69 grams.
I chose the Zen X-Fi over the conventional Zen (about £15 cheaper) because the X-Fi restores the music quality that is lost when music is compressed to MP3 format.
The clarity of the Zen X-Fi, through the excellent earphones provided, is of the best quality. I used to listen through my Nokia mobile phone and the sound quality is far better. Video & picture quality is also very good with excellent screen resolution on the 2.5inch LCD screen. The radio has an auto-tuner and the headphones seem to act as the aerial and doesn't work that great
The On switch is located at the rear. The player automatically switches off after a period of inactivity.
Navigation uses 3 rows of 3 buttons - top row centre navigates up, bottom row centre navigates down, and so on. The buttons are solid and appear to be hard wearing.
The corner buttons seem to perform a random function but have cleverly been programmed to peform specific functions. Top left with navigate to the start of the menu whereas bottom left will navigate to the end of the menu. The opposite corner buttons navigate a quarter way down from the top and a quarter way up from the bottom on the menu respectively.
The menu is easy to navigate but creating playlists on the player is a hassle - the Creative software does however make this task easy. The software needs improving as it regularly freezes up when ripping CD's. But it does interact well with the player so I don't really mind restarting the software from time to time. You aren't limited by iTunes type libraries and can rip anything onto the player without limitation.
Overall, this is a smart little player but I would recommend it without reservation.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Great screen quality and size, built in speaker and stand. (-) The only downside is that it is fragile, and can be hard to get used to the on screen keyboard.
Advantages: Top notch sound, rich bass and full med/high end. Feature packed. Disadvantages: Buttons are fiddley and not very logical. Pain to use really.
piloteer81 25.08.2008 (25.08.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Creative ZEN X-FI
Advantages: Superior sound quality that makes non-stop rocking possible! Disadvantages: An awkward control pad and menu screen takes some getting used to.
clownfoot 26.03.2009 (26.03.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Creative ZEN X-FI
Advantages: Superior sound quality that makes non-stop rocking possible! Disadvantages: An awkward control pad and menu screen takes some getting used to.
clownfoot 26.03.2009 (26.03.2009)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Creative ZEN X-FI
Advantages: Top notch sound, rich bass and full med/high end. Feature packed. Disadvantages: Buttons are fiddley and not very logical. Pain to use really.
piloteer81 25.08.2008 (25.08.2008)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Creative ZEN X-FI
Advantages: slick and light, afforable, excellent audio, large screen, microSD slot, TV Out Disadvantages: Touchscreen takes a little bit of getting used to
vendetta123 05.10.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of CreativeZenXFi2 16GB
Advantages: Av Output to plug to a TV, built-in speakers, easy to use. Come with very good earphones Disadvantages: Does not come with power supply (easy to charge from the PC though), av cable is sold separately
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