[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver Oh, so there are no official Mac drivers from Creative - at least not for their newer MP3 players.

No, though for the plug directly into USB MuVo, I wonder why not. It supposedly works fine.

 

[nales]

http://www.nod32.com.au/nod32/awards/cnet_zdnet.htm

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by fappar cnet=biased retards. no ****ing way the ipod deserves a full 9.0, and it is totally rediculous to give the zen a 7.7 and when the 60gb zen comes out... UNF

Played with both. Got iPod. Agree with cnet. Sound quality is good enough. I think you could argue that the zen has slightly better quality and better features, but Creative hasn't got the user interface as well as Apple and it doesn't feel as special.


Quote:

Anyway, I'm sure you know better, or you should anyway...THIS is the place to go when you want honest answers and opinions (or places/forums like this). Never trust someone who gets free equipment all the time..they simply don't care enough to do the same detail oriented review that a hardcore audio/tech buff would.

I've found this is the place to go when you want honest answers relative to what people have tried, which is not necessarily the same breath of experience as someone who gets free equipment to play with all the time. Said person's likely to be much more jaded and therefore something really good is likely to get their attention that much more. There's a lot of 'I got it so it must be good' mentality here, which I don't really care for. Experiences are relative, and there's always something better.

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sweet Spot Anyway, I'm sure you know better, or you should anyway...THIS is the place to go when you want honest answers and opinions (or places/forums like this). Never trust someone who gets free equipment all the time..they simply don't care enough to do the same detail oriented review that a hardcore audio/tech buff would.

Spoken like a true newbie.

Many Head-Fi threads contain the most ill-informed, biased tripe imaginable, often posted by people who have absolutely no experience with the gear they fanatically bash or promote.

Others are as informative as you'll find anywhere. It's up to the reader to learn the difference.

 

[Sweet Spot]

Quote:

Spoken like a true newbie. Many Head-Fi threads contain the most ill-informed, biased tripe imaginable, often posted by people who have absolutely no experience with the gear they fanatically bash or promote. Others are as informative as you'll find anywhere. It's up to the reader to learn the difference.

Newbie to this forum, perhaps, but not to life my friend

I should have made myself more clear. I do understand, and have seen the bias running rampant in this particular forum, however, I've also seen people here that come off as being the total opposite. And yeah, you just have to know how to weed those people out. I guess what I meant was that it's more than likely that a person can find "less biased" reviews on such a place only because a great deal of said persons are striving to meet with an exceptional audio product, rather than boast their latest acquisition just for the "wow you're cool" effect.

That, and I don't trust online reviewers. They're mostly shady characters. Tom is the biggest shade around

 

[cyberhazard]

Ok. Now my point.

The Apple iPod out in the PC world is put at a disadvantage. Even so, compared to some of the PC worlds best
offerings, the iPod seems quite sterling. What disadvantage you say. Well imagine playing a Stradivarius violin
with a $10 Cello bow. Ooh, sounds sweet. NOT.

Now, hook up a iPod to a PC running MUSICMATCH Jukebox. Ooh, sounds sweet. NOT. I'm sure the pairings
I've used in these examples could and do work. But I would much rather hear a Strad with a matching violin bow.
And I would much rather have an iPod matched up with iTunes via FireWire.

I'm thinking if the reviewers out there in PC land tested iPod's on there home turf, with iTunes. Well lets just say 10
is not high enough.

Although, this is just one mans opinion...

 

[Textual Intercou]

Quote:

Originally posted by cyberhazard Ok. Now my point. The Apple iPod out in the PC world is put at a disadvantage. Even so, compared to some of the PC worlds best offerings, the iPod seems quite sterling. What disadvantage you say. Well imagine playing a Stradivarius violin with a $10 Cello bow. Ooh, sounds sweet. NOT. Now, hook up a iPod to a PC running MUSICMATCH Jukebox. Ooh, sounds sweet. NOT. I'm sure the pairings I've used in these examples could and do work. But I would much rather hear a Strad with a matching violin bow. And I would much rather have an iPod matched up with iTunes via FireWire. I'm thinking if the reviewers out there in PC land tested iPod's on there home turf, with iTunes. Well lets just say 10 is not high enough. Although, this is just one mans opinion...

Well, I'm sure music quality is meant to represent user experience, which doesn't come into play after you've loaded the music in...

Also, iTunes supports so few formats that it's a joke. Of course, if all you want is AAC or MP3, I guess you're set...I dunno, when I'm listening to my computer I find myself on the PC thanks to Winamp's support for APE rather than my Powerbook's iTunes just cause it's such a hassle to convert into something iTunes can read.

Bah, that's why I'm just going with CDs at any rate, I only listen to my computer to check out new music on newsgroups as it is.

 

[Lando]

FYI guys, the MuVo is supposed to sound pretty good and work well considering the size and price, but it took over half an hour to fill the 128MB version! This is about six times as long as it takes to fill a typical 128MB usb thumbdrive. If you want it, wait for an improved version.

 

[88keys]

Having just gone through the debate myself of whether to buy an iPod or a Zen, I'm going to throw in my 2c and say that the Zen came out looking far better than the iPod. Agreed, the Zen's interface isn't as 'sexy' as the iPod's, but I found the side jog-dial much easier to use than iPod's front wheel (easily navigable with one hand). Also, I found the iPod to have an over-sensitive touch...the Zen feels more reassuring.

All the above is my opinion, but noone can argue that the Zen has about 4 hours' more battery life than the iPod. Furthermore, the Zen has a more powerful on-board amplifier (100mW vs. 60 mW max output), which was better able to drive my Grado 60s. (Granted, both sounded far better with an Airhead, even though the Zen doesn't have a line-out).

Finally, should 20gb end up being insufficient space for your mp3s, the Zen is fairly easily upgraded (merely swap out the native drive and replace it with a 9mm laptop harddrive of larger capacity).

Yes, the native software of the Zen is crappy. But for $25 you can get Red Chair Software's Notmad which is every bit as good (if not better than) the iPod interface. Given the amount you'll save on the Zen, the extra 25 is more than worth it.

The iPod is certainly the cooler looking device...but that's where its advantage ends. Not only is the Zen a better value, it is an all-round better device (IMHO

)

Peace to you and yours.
-88keys

 

[bangraman]

Hmm, good points. But it depends if you're looking at things on paper or for real. The zen does have superior stats and that's what made me go to try them out first.
For me the decider was the size, the weight and the interface. Battery life I don't really care about, as 8 hours of playback will last me a good 3 days, and I wouldn't usually use the iPod on the plane (I usually buy a stack of CD's at or before going to the airport). The iPod is incredibly easy to use with one hand. I found it much more transparent than the zen. The amp's differences were negligible for practical purposes, I have to say... Unless you're using headphones totally inappropriate for portable use (dare I say... Grato

), there's no need to turn up the volume with both. That said I do have once specific need which requires a reasonably powerful amp, which is usage with my PXC250. That I'll try next week when I get the phone back.

 

[88keys]

True, true, Bangraman. The size is an issue for some people. The Zen's not quite as different as it seems, however...it's about 90g heavier than the iPod, which is most probably less than the change in your wallet (I actually checked this out on my own wallet). In terms of size, it's about 14 mm wider than the iPod, 8mm taller, and 6 mm deeper. That comes to about 5/8 of a cubic centimeter in difference...hardly a big deal.

The difference in the amp power was pretty evident to me using the Grados, but as you aptly opined, they are hardly the standard portable phone. Once I actually get a pair of Etys we'll see how the Zen stacks up against my roommate's iPod. Those, like your PCX250s, do require some power. I have a feeling, however, that both players are going to end up being the weak link once the 4Ps get plugged in.

Too bad I can't take my home system with me in a hand-cart

.

Peace to you and yours.

 

[Flasken]

Quote:

Originally posted by 88keys In terms of size, it's about 14 mm wider than the iPod, 8mm taller, and 6 mm deeper. That comes to about 5/8 of a cubic centimeter in difference...hardly a big deal.

??
Ipod: 61 x 104 x 15,8 mm = 100,2 cc

Zen: 75.9 x 112.6 x 24.5mm = 209,4 cc

LOL, more like DOUBLE the size....

 

[Dweebgal]

Quote:

Originally posted by cyberhazard Ok. Now my point. The Apple iPod out in the PC world is put at a disadvantage. Even so, compared to some of the PC worlds best offerings, the iPod seems quite sterling. What disadvantage you say. Well imagine playing a Stradivarius violin with a $10 Cello bow. Ooh, sounds sweet. NOT. Now, hook up a iPod to a PC running MUSICMATCH Jukebox. Ooh, sounds sweet. NOT. I'm sure the pairings I've used in these examples could and do work. But I would much rather hear a Strad with a matching violin bow. And I would much rather have an iPod matched up with iTunes via FireWire. I'm thinking if the reviewers out there in PC land tested iPod's on there home turf, with iTunes. Well lets just say 10 is not high enough. Although, this is just one mans opinion...

musicmatch sucks, yeah, i'm with you on that one.
but what about ephpod?
and surely the sound quality has quite a bit to do with how the mp3 is ripped in the fisrt place... i use eac and lame, and it sounds lovely

however, i'm sure that the whole experience is a lot nicer with itunes, what with the ipod and itunes both being apple products.

syncronicity is a good thing

but i'm sure it's still very good on pc, otherwise, why would there be so many pc ipod users.


[edit] actually scratch that, i think i might get the trial version of xplay first, becuase that looks a lot simpler[/edit]

 

[Spad]

88Keys-

Unless I miss my guess, your decision between the iPod and the Zen was predicated primarily on price. When necessary, this can be an overriding consideration. But, if you're really comfortable with you choice, why the obvious need to justify it at every turn?

The differences in size, quality, style and OS more than offset the battery life and claimed power-out of the Zen to many of us.

If you base all your decisions on such simplistic criteria, I have to assume you're now saving for a dump truck.

 

[DLP]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver Oh, I thought that USB 2.0 is for Windows PCs only, and Macs still support only USB 1.x...

I thought USB 2.0 was backwards compatible with USB 1.x, therefore it'd work, just at the old speeds. The issue with Creative is they just aren't doing the damn drivers, which is a shame because since it has USB support (more comps with USB than firewire, including mine), I'D BUY A USB ZEN OR A JUKEBOX 3 SEE I WILL I WILL I PROMISE CREATIVE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.