[calvinhobs]

Alright, I've pretty much narrowed my search down to these two units. I know the Zen Sleek isn't out yet but I'm going on Creative's wide spread sound quality and also the good reputation out on the Zen Micro...which the Zen Sleek is supposed to be similar to. I'm leaning towards the Zen Sleek because it seems like it may have better controls and it may be more user friendly towards a wide variety of music downloading sites. I know the X5 has had good reviews with the Shure E4's, which I am going to get, but I just keep reading good review after good review about the Creative's Zen.

Any input???

 

[MIKEp]

WAIT untill the sleek has a few months to prove itself. When the players come out they often have problems (zen micro headphone jack for example). These problems are always fixed and its best if you wait. the x5 looks very nice though id just go for that, it doesnt seem to have any problems

 

[SoundsGood]

I own an iAudio X5L and love it, but I think you have to look at what you really want. These two players offer different things. Are you interested in all the features the X5 offers? Video support, color screen, etc.? If not, I would maybe go with the Zen Sleek. However, I can vouch for the X5s superb sound quality. I haven't heard any of Creative's products, so I can't compare. The X5 gives many more options with regards to audio formats, including flac, if that's important to you. The X5 is MSC which is very nice. Is the Sleek? I don't know if it is or not.

How important is battery life? As stated, Sleek gets about 16 hours, which is about on par with the X5. Though, if you're interested in the X5L, it will go for around 30-35 hours on a charge.

I guess the bottom line is, do you want the extras the X5 offers? Also, for the price, you can get a 20gb X5 anywhere from $280-$300 depending on the deals you find. The Sleek is supposed to sell at $270. Not much difference in price there. With that being the case, I would go for the X5. More bang for your buck.

Of course, the X5 is available now and the Sleek has yet to be released. Depends how long you want to wait I guess. Who knows what types of problems might arise with the Sleek's initial releases.

 

[calvinhobs]

Thanks for the input...

One of the things that caught my eyes in a previous review on this site was from this thread...iAudio X5 vs iRiver H320: brief summary.

It mentioned that the X5 has a better soundstage and a clearer sound than it's Iriver counterpart. However, it also said that the X5 "seems to suffer from the same low impedance bass fall-off as the iPod". I've read this elsewhere as well.

However, this site did mention that this took place with low impedance phones...the one's he tested were rated at 16. Which brings up my question, the Shure E4's are rated at 29ohms. So what does this mean? Will the E4's be a better match than the Sony MDR-EX71 they used in the review?

Here's the thing...I have consistantly read and heard that Creative makes great sounding MP3 players. Which is why my mind keeps coming back to the Zen Sleek and its potential. But I'm not sure if I want to wait 3-4 months to see how well it does. Do you even think I'd be able to tell much of a difference between the X5 and the Zen Sleek? Assuming the Zen Sleek sounds similar to other Zen MP3 players???

 

[calvinhobs]

Plus I forgot to mention...the X5 only works with Napster, right? I wish it worked with the new yahoo service.

 

[SoundsGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvinhobs Plus I forgot to mention...the X5 only works with Napster, right? I wish it worked with the new yahoo service.

The X5 doesn't currently work with Napster. A firmware update late this month or early next month will make the X5 compatible with downloaded songs from subscription services.

 

[calvinhobs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoundsGood The X5 doesn't currently work with Napster. A firmware update late this month or early next month will make the X5 compatible with downloaded songs from subscription services.

Which subscription services?

 

[Electric_Mofo]

I bought a Zen sleek yesturday and I'm lovin it. Its quite small, sounds great and looks alot better in real life. The touch pad is a little fiddly but I think it handles better overall over the X5.

 

[MDDrew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvinhobs Which subscription services?

all wma based sub services

 

[calvinhobs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MDDrew all wma based sub services

Which would be who???

 

[MIKEp]

any of the yahoo or napster services. basically almost any online music store.