Apple Ipod and Creative Nomad Zen NX

[belgarion 0]

Hi guys,

 

recently with the release of creative nomad zen nx, mp3 players caught my eye. I'm wondering if it sounds good as a source if i copy my cd directly as wav files into the players.

 

Will it output better quality sound compared to a Minidisc player/Discman ?

 

Just a show of hands how many people are using this products and any valuable experience you can share ?

 

The Nomad Zen NXII (30gb) are going for $499 at creative's online store

 

http://singapore.creative.com/products/por...jukebox_zen_nx/

 

 

Anyone knows how much the Apple IPod are going for now ?

 

Any direct comparison among the two have been done before ?

 

 

Cheers

 

[Absolute0 0]

A lot of comparison has been done lately at head-fi with the release of many HDD-based players. Perhaps you could do a search there, and you may find that your choices aren't limited to the 2 players you mentioned.

 

LINK.

[lekguan 0]

Yes, direct comparison, in November issue of Hardware Mag. Basically ipod was given best performance award and nomad zen nx was given best value. All in all, ipod has better audio quality. And hardware mag has done a fairly good job in the mp3 player shootout IMO, and they tested using HD497 blindfolded so the person does not know what player it actually is.

[belgarion 0]

Anyone knows whats the price for ipod now ? the 20gb and 40gb respectively.

 

Thanks

[ckng 0]

What Hifi did a test, and expectedly, iPod came in editor's choice. Zen NX was a (very) close second.

 

I compared the 2 side by side via my DIY META42 + Sennheiser HD600, and to me, they sound pretty similar. The iPod has got a bit more sibilance, that's all, but nothing really detrimental.

 

Regards

CK

[icelemontea 0]

Yes, direct comparison, in November issue of Hardware Mag. Basically ipod was given best performance award and nomad zen nx was given best value. All in all, ipod has better audio quality. And hardware mag has done a fairly good job in the mp3 player shootout IMO, and they tested using HD497 blindfolded so the person does not know what player it actually is.

its mentioned that ipod audio quality is not as good as zen nx

and this is the case for all the reviews i've read

the only reason ipod is better is its looks and size, period.

 

at 99db/snr no player comes close to zen nx

[lekguan 0]

at 99db/snr no player comes close to zen nx

This does not mean anything though. Besides its 98.

In the comparison, ipod's "what sings" says "matchless sound quality" while Zen NX is only "respectable sound quality". I don't quite dare to comment anything here for I've not auditioned to them. Have you?

[icelemontea 0]

someone has

 

http://gear.ign.com/articles/437/437957p2.html

 

"The best thing about the Zen NX is the sound quality. This has been a trademark of the Nomad line, as Creative's expertise is audio. The NX is no exception. It is loud as hell and clear as a bell from end to end. Like its predecessor, it boasts a 98dB SNR. There is no portable on the market that can hold a candle to the Zen NX, or any Nomad jukebox for that matter, in terms of audio fidelity. All you iPod owners are tricking yourself if you think it can compete with the Zen NX in this department. (I love my iPod, but I have no misgivings about its limitations.)"

 

jus his 2 cents

[kenshinz 0]

To each his own, we can out fro reviews and opnions till the cows come home, and there will not be a conclusive answer. The best thing is to do is to try them out yourself. If you like it then go for it, after all you're the one paying for it, and you'll be the one listening to it most. To me, reviews are only a rough guide to narrow down what I'm looking for.

 

Belgarion, regarding your question, you can copy your CDs directly as wave into the players, but I think battery life will be reduced. However it will sound better than MDs, as there are no compression involved.

 

Cheers

Edited December 3, 2003 by kenshinz

[icelemontea 0]

yah true muz listen then decide

 

so far i only hear the zen nx nvr really try to ipod

 

but its really small

 

 

[lekguan 0]

yeah, thats why we should not give any kind of conclusions. Not until we have heard both, and we should not pass sweeping statement about ipod or zen nx sounding better based on others' reviews, yeah?

[Q00 0]

My suggestion imho would be to get a zen nx...if it has the same eax features like the jukebox3 which i have, it will be worth it. Anything you do not like you can tweak using the eax settings. Another factor for you to remember is that if you rip at wave format, batterlife usage is reduced due to the constant strain on the decoding and the constant harddisk reading. This factor goes both ways for the ipod and nomads. Lastly, harddisk factor is a big factor because the zen has alot of things going for it at the price range it is in. Ipods go for roughly 700+ for the 10 or 20gig versions and if yer using the wav format, that space will run out very very quickly. Another factor to remember is that if u use wave format, the anti shock feature is rendered almost useless because the 8mb buffer of the zen (not sure for the ipod) is simply not enuff to buffer a song that is 30mb (average) compared to the whole 3mb song in the buffer which saves battery by reading it off the cache.

 

Sound quality imho is subjective. One man's taste may be another man's distaste.

 

One thing to note is that alot of the people on head-fi have noted that the latest firmware update makes the ipod sound a whole lot better.

 

My suggestion is for you to audition both first like some lucky fellows have

 

 

[belgarion 0]

thanks for all the suggestions.

 

i personally think that the zen nx are more valuable for $. I have come with a decision, i will go for the zen nx. cheerss

[master 0]

I have listened to both players and found Nomad Zen was sound better on my ears.

 

Still, my suggestion is listen and judge urself.

 

BTW, here is some information you can find from ipod users based on their listening experience to both players.

 

http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/archive/topic/13696-1.html

[papaya86 0]

compared my zen nx with a 3rd gen ipod witht the same cans found zen nx to be slightly better, jus my 2 cents. ipod is one overpriced rich mans toy though.