Creative MP3 players

[Bushie]

Does anyone have any good experiences with Creative MP3 players,

A while ago my daughter bought a creative zen player, it never worked correctly - the fault was corrupt firmware, more than once until eventually it would not turn on.

It was returned for a refund.

Yesterday she purchased a creative micro (8gb?) after the required time charging, it would not turn on. After spending sometime talking to someone in india on there user help line and trying the suggested work arounds she was advised to return it to Creative or take it back for a refund.

Needless to say it will be a refund.

Has anyone got any good words to say about Creative? If not which brand (other than iPod) could you suggest.


Bushie

[Pedro_The_Swift]

if their ZEN support is anything like we get with their sound cards--
then,,

no.

I dont have anything nice to say.

[Outlaw]

Just go with the one you know will work... iPod... how come you don't want to here that?

We've got 3 in the family... i've got a 60gb, my dads got a 4gb nano, and my sisters got a 4gb mini... all work flawlessly.

Mines always sitting in the 4by when offroad and hasn't missed a beat.

[Bushie]

Just go with the one you know will work... iPod... how come you don't want to here that?

That's a good question - easier to explain the workings of a 17 yo female brain - No idea why. We have one ipod that works perfectly (I suspect she can't afford a 20gig iPod).


Bushie

[dullbird]

as far as i know

nearly all mp3 players have there problems

but i have an iriver and i can't say that i have had any problems with it as of yet it's a good player i have the h340........which is 40g hard drive it holds pictures etc etc.......

you can get a 20g version also which is cheaper

but i will say is the iriver h10 is a really nice little player......but beware they have also had a lot of problems.....but i do feel it's economy's of scale the more that are sold the more likely you are going to here of problems......

the thing that i liked with iriver over ipod is you can put cd's onto your iriver and mp3's on any computer as it uses windows media player as it's interface......where as ipod is itunes and although itunes is ment to be one of the best softwares out for putting music onto your ipod

personally i would go with convieniance.........unless of course your daughter is rich and likes to carry a laptop everywhere.....

it is a matter of personal choice really i had an ipod when they were first out i liked it for the first week then got bored wanted something different especially now everyone has got one........

the best thing i can suggest is go onto the manufacturers website and look in the forums to find out what problems they are having with various products by reading peoples threads

thats what i did with the iriver..

dullbird

[Abaris]

I bought a Creative Muvo, and that **** itself, then I was given a Zen by a bunch of mates for my birthday, and that has just been replaced under warranty. The next time it goes (and im sure it will) I will replace it with an iPod. I dont need anything flashy, just something that works right!!!

[Phoenix]

I've got a creative Zen Touch (20 GB I think). It's been great, and only a coule of small issues like it occasionaly freezing, which was fixed by pressing the reset button with a paperclip.

I'd recomend them, but i've heard of problems from others as well.

[George130]

If you wan't to convert between the various formats you want a program called ImToAudio. It covers prety much all the formats and is very quick and simple to use. Also handles batch conversions.

[worraps]

the 2 best brands imho are "apple" and "iriver" i did my home work when i was looking and those 2 were the way to go i ended up with teh iriver h320 20gig mp3 player it does most formats of audio plays avi files if encoded corectly and i beleive it to be more sturdy then teh ipod hope this helps u some what


Duane

[cwebb]

I bought my Creative Zen MicroPhoto 8Gb in Kuala Lumpur in February this year, and so far, it has been exceptional.
However, regarding charging, it is as idiosyncratic as a Land Rover.
To charge by USB, you MUST HAVE THE DRIVERS INSTALLED on Windows XP. If you don't, the Zen Microphoto "pretends to charge". You must see the outer blue light (that runs outside the outer edge of the player) pulsing to know that it is actually charging. If it is not "pulsing", then it ain't charging, I'm afraid, despite the tiny "charging icon" showing otherwise.
The only other way to charge it via USB without drivers on your PC is to go into the menu on the Zen Microphoto, select "Removable Disk" (I think). Highlight that, and then connect it to your PC. Allow Windows to identify it as a removable drive, then the blue ring light begins to pulse, again indicating it being charged.
If you cannot get it to pulse the blue light, regardless of what I stated above, then it could indeed be faulty. However, I really like this particular device. It doesn't crash, the colour is great, has 8GB of storage which isn't too bad considering the size. Hope this helps. Regards Chris

[CraigE]

I bought the wife an Ipod 2G, they are a pain in the arse to set up, but good quality. I have a Base Mp3 512mb and it is a good reliable little unit for the bike. It is easier to load than the ipod as it is just drag and drop. The new Sony 30G unit looks good and at a good price. My preference for myself next is either an ipod or a Sony.
Creative used to be really good gear but seem to have lost the plot with mp3 players.
As long as you can return them to place of purchase for a refund it is not too bad.
The only downside with all of them is the crappy, poor fitting earphones they supply. I bought a set of ear plug type headphones called Koss and they are fantastic, especially on the bike.