[smachine]

I have had my Creative Zen Vision M 30gb since it launched in early 2006. It has worked wonderfully for me, but a part of me is thinking about upgrading to a new player like the 32gb Zune HD or Ipod Touch. I have become really used to the user interface of the ZVM, and love the physical buttons on it. I use it in the car alot and really appreciate the shortcut physical button that allows me to shuffle and play my entire library at the push of 1 button. I also love that it has divx and xvid support without the need of any conversion.

Only thing I didnt like was the thickness, not that I needed it to be super thin, just would kind of like it for cosmetic purposes. The new players have bigger screens, but I wouldnt be using the video functions as much since I hate converting video files. What I want to know from all of you is if I should look into an upgrade to a new player, or to stick with my trusty ZVM that has done everything I ever wanted it to do. Main thing I was looking into was whether the SQ would be better or worse on the new players. I can get a good price on the Zune and Ipod, but I feel bad for thinking of abandoning my perfectly good and trustworthy ZVM.

I have been using TF10s with the ZVM for almost a year.

 

[iPoodz]

Why not get the S9 or X series walkman?

I'm not saying you should get it, I'm just genuinely curious why you aren't considering it. I'm also in the market, and the S9 doesn't require DivX conversion, both have physical buttons, and is quite attractive. It's no slouch in SQ from what I've read, as well.

I was holding out for something to be unveiled at CES '10, but alas, S9 is better than anything {feature-wise} I've seen to date (with the possible exception of the X series' SQ).

 

[smachine]

Thanks for the reply. Not looking for S9 or X series because of the price. I can get a brand new 32gb Ipod Touch or 32gb Zune HD for $200. Im just debating whether I will get any improvement in functionality. I am leaning towards the Zune because of the size and my dislike of itunes. I just can't pull the trigger on a new player because im so used to the ZVM and the ease of using drag and drop to load the player, without the need of installing software.

Apple has the app store which is huge, but im just looking for a audio and video player. It was announced at CES that the Zune would be getting xvid support, if it can handle multiple resolutions like the ZVM then it seems like a solid player.

 

[a_tumiwa]

wow wow
how can u get itouch 32gb and zune hd 32gb for $200? pls share with us

 

[roebeet]

Another recommendation for the S9 - I own one and it does a very good job at playing back divx / xvid encoded files without conversion. It even does H264 unofficially, although you have to encode it a certain way which doesn't make it very practical. As for the SQ, I did my own Zune HD and Cowon S9 comparison and I felt that the S9 was superior - this was mainly due to the extensive EQ settings available.

If the Zune HD eventually gets Xvid support, that's a major win and certainly makes that player more desirable (especially given its OLED screen vs the LCD on the Touch). But, we don't know if MS will cripple the support in some way, so I wouldn't get my hopes up until the firmware update is actually released and tested. Also, the iPod and Zune both require software to sync, wheras the S9 does not.

What you might want to do is wait it out a little longer to see if the S9 price drops. It's been ~$260 US for a few months now, so it's only a matter of time before it drops again.

 

[smachine]

S9 seems really tempting to me now since it does the 2 things i want the most, good sq, and good video codec support. I heard mixed reviews on the actual interface though.

I was able to get a great price on the Zune and Ipod from craigslist. Guess people got them as gifts and had no need for them so they put them on craigslist.

 

[smachine]

.

 

[Jupiterknight]

To start out with, I can't recommend you anything else, but.. The sound quality of the ZVM is IMO actually very decent, maybe one of the best that Creative so far has released in their production line.
Other player's will more or less have a different sound signature, but not neccesarily a better sound quality, and you may also not like the change in sound signature if you buy a new player.
So if you like your ZVM for it's functionality and for what it does for you, why not keep it? Yes it's very bulgy compared to newer DAP's and also looks cosmetically outdated, but with the ZVM it has the benefits that you can change the battery and actually mod it fairly easy with a 80-120 GB hardrive.

 

[roebeet]

Buying used is a different story, entirely. You can search right here for an S9. For example, via a quick head-fi search:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs...won-s9-465748/

I would agree that the UI is not very good - it's probably the worst thing about the player, imo. But, there are mods available to correct some of the issues (see iaudiophile.net for many of these). It also has tactile buttons for pause / next / prev / volume / hold which is very useful when using it on the go (example: I can use it while running, lock the screen and yet keep the tactile buttons active).

I'm only recommending the S9 because I own it, btw. I really don't know much about the Touch or Sony players, outside of what I've read.

 

[smachine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jupiterknight /img/forum/go_quote.gif To start out with, I can't recommend you anything else, but.. The sound quality of the ZVM is IMO actually very decent, maybe one of the best that Creative so far has released in their production line. Other player's will more or less have a different sound signature, but not neccesarily a better sound quality, and you may also not like the change in sound signature if you buy a new player. So if you like your ZVM for it's functionality and for what it does for you, why not keep it? Yes it's very bulgy compared to newer DAP's and also looks cosmetically outdated, but with the ZVM it has the benefits that you can change the battery and actually mod it fairly easy with a 80-120 GB hardrive.

I needed to here a response like this.

 

[Albinoni]

The ZVM would have to go down in history as one of the best MP3 players ever produced or bought into the market even i think today it will rival alot of players out there and on a personal note I still prefer it over any Ipod Touch pplayer. Its video support was brilliant if not outstanding as it could play back virtually any format without any probs, plus its screen clarity was 2nd to non for a player of those days when it was released.

Ohh and I love the SQ of this thing plus it had guts and was loud. Plus it had guts to run high end headphones with no hassles what so ever.

I love this player so much that I have 3 of them, who knows might buy another one oneday.

A thumbs up from me for the ZVM

 

[d_cypher]

I would have to agree with the post above. I also have owned the ZVM in the past, hands down it is one of the best players that Creative has made. The quality was excellent. I regret selling mine to pay rent =(

It doesn't hurt to try and buy both players (The zune HD and the ipod touch) and return the one you don't like.

 

[smachine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by d_cypher /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would have to agree with the post above. I also have owned the ZVM in the past, hands down it is one of the best players that Creative has made. The quality was excellent. I regret selling mine to pay rent =( It doesn't hurt to try and buy both players (The zune HD and the ipod touch) and return the one you don't like.

I think it cant hurt to try out the Zune HD and see what the hype is about. I can get it cheap enough that if I dont like it then I will just sell it without a loss. Though it looks like I will be sticking with the ZVM. All I had to do with the ZVM was put a invisibleshield on it when I bought it and no other case, and it has lived through drops and whatnot. It was built like a tank, and it still looks brand new. I highly doubt a Zune HD or Itouch could withstand that kind of use. Trying out the new Zune HD will probably make me appreciate my ZVM even more and all it does for me.

 

[iPoodz]

Also, it looks like ZuneHD's getting XviD after all

Zune HD to get XviD, better playlists | CES 2010 - CNET

 

[smachine]

Picked up the Zune HD 32gb today. First thing I noticed was how small the player really was. Made my ZVM seem alot bigger right next to it. Its charging now and I had to install all the software. I will give it trial run for a week and see how it is, if im not satisfied I will put it up for sale here for the cost I bought it. The OLED screen is amazing, I have never seen anything like it before.