Be prepared for an intoxicating sound trip with Creative Zen. Its 96dB audio quality is crystal clear and puts it in a class above the rest. Look beyond its ultra-sleek magnesium... more
This review already contains more than 120 words. As a Ciao member you could earn up to £5 with this review.
A review by coopsta133 on Creative Zen 20 GB December 8th, 2006
Author's product rating:
Sound Quality
Good
Ease of Use
Very Easy
Look & Design
Satisfactory
Range of Features
Diverse
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
good sound quality, large storage, cool lights
Disadvantages:
bulky and large
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
The Creative Zen 20GB Black is a pretty useful little*(maybe not so but...) toy. It is an mp3 player which has 20 GB of storage, Radio, sound recording and acts as a storage device.
Specifications: 10,000 songs, 20GB capacity Superb audio clarity up to 96dB SNR Large 1.65"LCD screen Up to 11 hrs playback time on a single battery charge Completely Touch pad control FM radio & recorder Voice recorder Syncs with Microsoft Outlook Contacts, Calendar & Tasks Storage Device USB 2.0 Playback for MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3), Windows Media Audio (WMA), WAV, IMA ADPCM That is very useful as some mp3 players only support Mp3. WMA files are smaller than MP3 thus you can fit more tunes on it :)
Quality: The Zen is a piece of equipment that feels sturdy and surely as if it is not about to break any time soon. I have dropped a few times and the only problem was one or two minor scratches which do not worry me. The screen has never, nor does it feel like it is about to crack. The touch pads are put on very nicely and are not loose or glitchy in any way. They work fine. The sound off of this thing is perfect. Not once has it ever skipped through a song or missed one. Its frequency response is 20Hz to 20 kHz.
Design: The overall design of this player is OK. The blue light around the outside look pretty cool. Also the designs on back look pretty cool also. The design is a bit rather on the bulky side however which is quite off putting as it feel like a small brick in your pocket.
Contents: Upon opening the box you get a set of headphones, the Mp3 player (of course) and some software to install on your computer. The software was very simple to install and took no more than 3 minutes.
NEGATIVES: I have a few negative points for this player which may prevent you from buying it. I don't recommend it as I would say get a newer player from Creative or Ipod etc. The first problem is that it is quite a large piece of kit. To be carrying this around when all you friends have the latest nano version can be quite off-putting. I do recommend the nano version unless you are surely in need of loads of capacity then you can get the Zen vision. Secondly, the small little carrying pouch it came with was quite shabby. For paying over 100£ surely they would send you with a little more to protect your investment. You can buy new cases at a cost however. Finally, the touchpad system you may be thinking to yourself at first it sounds really cool- slight tap to turn volume up etc. But after periodic use it can get fidgety and really sensitive. A slight tap by accident could turn your current song back to the beginning for example which then leaves you having to fight with it again to fast forwards. Perhaps they should've stuck with a more conventional press button design- most likely dropping the price down a bit also!
Conclusion: Even though I use my Ipod's now, I will still always use this thing. I mainly use it for when I want to transfer large files between computers. This is really helpful because if I have this on me I do not need to buy an overpriced expensive USB storage device. I also use it if I need to listen to radio in my bedroom. However, if looking to buy an MP3 player, you should try not to get this one. Try going for a newer Zen Vision as they can support videos on their nifty colour screens. If you have your targets set on this beastly thing then by all means go ahead- It won't fail you.
Advantages: Space! Durability! Easy to use for all! Disadvantages: Froze on me once...i forgive if its just once...
...in easier terms than the creative instructions. The email help was also very good, I sent my problem to the help email, and somebody replied with 24h with step by step instructions. Twas all fixed in the end, and it hasn't misbehaved since...maybe it didn't like my Eurovision album I had, hmm.
I can't comment really on any other technical stuff, I am not a tech head...all i can say is that I cannot recommend it enough for ease of use, durability ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Big storage, good quality, no software/installation problems Disadvantages: Chunky, no protective case supplied.
...Creative. Not only that, the Creative allows you to delete music without even needing to plug the device into your computer. Add to that a useful FM Radio and a slightly less useful Microphone feature, and you can quickly see how much thought and technology has gone into this product.
If the device has a flaw, it is that it is very large and bulky, though not as large as some Mp3 players. This, coupled with the fact that no protective padding/case ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Easy to use Software, Easy Navigation, Great sound quality, Lots of space Disadvantages: Short Battery life, Fairly Bulky
...which I could afford. Creative first caught my eye with the Zen touch which I had used in the past and found to be one of the easyest mp3 players to use. The new Zen is a huge step forward design wise, they have streamilned the design making it far smaller than its predecessor. They also made all the buttons (on the face) touch sensitive making the unit look far more stylish. This is also helped by the new blue border glow. The mp3 player comes with ... ...to use and comes with Gracenote, a program which links to the internet and finds all your album information for you. The package also includes Headphones, which unfortunatly are far too big for anyones ears and are abnormally uncomfortable, a USB cable and a new accessory, a plastic casing which allows the attachment of either a belt clip or a stand whilst also protecting the player from damage. The capacity is 20GB which roughly allows between 2500 ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Very large storage, great sound quality, easy to transfers tracks Disadvantages: Big, bulky (broken after 1 year)
I bought the Creative Zen 20GB around xmas time 2005 as I was looking for a big storage capacity which would also deliver great sound quality throughout all 10,000 tracks it is said to hold. When it arrived I quickly un packaged it (very tidy little box - very impressed) charged the player, then installed the software that came with it onto my PC. The software loaded up very quickly and from the start was very easy to navigate. Downloading tracks ... ...try it won't work, the Creative website giving no help. Now I am a very careful person with electicals, always treating them right. I have never dropped the player in all my time and never crushed it in my pocket so for it to just die out of the blue wasn't the best of things to happen.
Overall I would say that there alot better MP3 players out there, any of the newer Creative versions seem much better. This player is bulky, and a little annoying ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Attractive, good memory, great functions Disadvantages: Not as small as some others on the market
This MP3 player is great. I have had mine for over a year and I highly reccommend it to anyone thinking of purchasing a portable audio player. The design is gorgeous, the blue backlight is really pretty. The controls are incredibly easy to get to grips with, it feels instinctive, although the scroll can take a while to get used to, you do get used to it and the sensitivity is easily adjusted. There is plenty of memory; I have over 2500 tracks and ... ...used the FM radio and the quality is amazing, not what you expect from a feature which is just an extra, supplementary to the main function. Although it is not as slim as an ipod, it isn't heavy and could fit in most pockets. The software to manage your music is also very good. It is extremely simple to transfer music, it is obvious even without reading the instructions how to do it. ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Features: Calendar, FM radio recording capability, notes, USB 2.0 compatibility
Built-in display
Built-in Display: LCD
Display Illumination: Yes
Display Illumination Colour: Blue
Diagonal Size: 1.65"
Digital player (recorder)
Supported Digital Audio Standards: WAV, WMA, MP3, ADPCM
ID3 Tags Support: Yes
Response Bandwidth: 20 - 20000 Hz
Playback Modes: Resume play, random play / shuffle, all tracks repeat, one track repeat
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 96 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.01%
External Hard Drive Function: Yes
Radio
Type: Radio tuner - digital radio tuner - FM
Tuning Display: LCD display
Headphones
Headphones Type: Headphones - binaural - ear-bud
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Sound Output Mode: Stereo
Microphone
Type: Microphone - built-in
Manufacturer's product description
Be prepared for an intoxicating sound trip with Creative Zen. Its 96dB audio quality is crystal clear and puts it in a class above the rest. Look beyond its ultra-sleek magnesium alloy design and you'll discover a suite of powerful music management and audio functions tailor-made to enhance, personalize and navigate your entire music collection easily on the go. Because Creative Zen also automatically syncs up with Microsoft Outlook, you can be assured that your Contacts, Calendar and Tasks list are always updated easily. Think audiophile quality sound and unrivaled features, the Creative Zen has it all. Music lovers would appreciate Creative Zen's superior quality playback of songs in MP3, WMA and WAV format. Boasting a signal-to-noise ratio of 96dB SNR, listen to your music with the best sound quality possible. Creative Zen's subtle new shape makes for a handsome statement that embodies the meaning of the contemporary spirit - simple styling, perfectly accented. To top it off, it's clad in magnesium alloy for added strength and durability. Often the smallest touches make the biggest impact and with Creative Zen, you are given more screen to look at. The enlarged LCD screen enables easier viewing and monitoring of what you are recording and listening to, making it less straining on your eyes.
Connections
Connector Type:
1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
1 x USB
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories: Belt clip, carrying pouch
Cables Included: 1 x USB cable
Software: Creative MediaSource, Creative Media Explorer
Power
Power Device: Power adapter - external
Battery
Battery: Player - rechargeable - Lithium Ion
Run Time (Up To): 11 hour(s)
System requirements
OS Required: Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP
System Requirements Details: Pentium II - 350 MHz - RAM 64 MB - HD 30 MB
INTRODUCTION
With so many MP3 players out there now, it becomes quite a task to sit down and study all the specs to come to a decision doesn't it? Don't worry, I know only too well. I spent a good 20 minutes agonising over which model to fork out £200 more
It seems that unfortunately Apple has managed to shake off one of its leading competitors in the race to produce the cheapest and most stylish mp3 player. A few years back, the '''Creative Zen:M''' was actually a better product than the '''5th Generation more
Recently it was my girlfriends birthday, and having heard her talking about wanting an mp3 player, I decided to get her one as a present. I looked at the obiocu Ipods etc but couldn't afford anything quite so luxurious, instead I took a look at the... more
CREATIVE - Where the ZEN came from - 02/11/2007
The Creative Worldwide network is called LABS > Creatives UK product branch is under the Europe labs which established itself in 1993.
Networks include - America labs- Asia labs- Europe... more
I recently bought a Zen v plus 4gb from Amazon. It was only about £91. My husband has the Zen 20gb and loves it.
The Zen v plus 4gb holds around 2,000 according to the box, I haven't filled it up yet, i've only put 140 tracks on.
The small big more
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
