HiFi Blog: digital audio goodness

Last week, Creative Labs introduced two miniaturized versions of its flagship Zen Vision:M player, the Zen V and Zen V Plus players. What the Plus does that the plain V doesn’t, is video (mainly: MPEG-4, WMV and DivX) and FM radio. And that difference will set you back a mere $10-$30 bucks (depending on the capacity). More details:

Common features for both versions:

• 1.5-inch 128×128 pixel OLED display
• weighs 43.5g and measures at 43.5×67.5×15.9mm
• three capacities (1GB/2GB/4GB), two colours (black/white) and three accents according to capacity (orange→1GB, green→2GB, blue→4GB); 4GB model only comes in black
• 5-way joystick for navigation
• line-in encoding (cable supplied) and voice recorder
• MP3/WMA and Windows Media DRM 10 support (for tracks from subscription services)—Audible support too
• basic PIM functionalities (with some Outlook syncing) / clock / alarm clock
• support for JPEG pictures and album art
• rechargeable Li-Ion Polymer battery rated at 15 hours
• MTP means you need Windows XP to load it with tracks; UMS (Universal Mass Storage) compliance is for data files only (nice, Creative, nice…)
• comes with a pouch and lanyard

Bundled software includes ZenCast for managing your podcast subscriptions and ToolBox, to convert and transfer video files to the player (the latter’s only useful for the Plus version obviously).

Chacteristics of the Zen V

• 1GB/2GB/4GB versions cost $120/$150/$200 respectively
• coming in July

Characteristics of the Zen V Plus

• 1GB/2GB/4GB cost $130/$170/$230 respectively or $10/$20/$30 more than the respective plain V models
• you can set the screen orientation: “the aspect ratio remains the same, but you can orient the controls as you see fit.”
• FM tuner (32 presets) and radio recording
• comes with a neck-strap
• coming in August

Creative’s UK site doesn’t list the two models yet but there’s no reason to doubt a worldwide release.

CNET was the first to review the device; we don’t really like their writing, but it’ll have to suffice for now. The following list of pros and cons can come up after reading it (it’s mostly CNET’s points, mixed with our opinion wherever possible).

Things to like:

• “a splendid little performer” in the sonic performance department with a strong output
• the vivid, ‘viewable from any angle’ screen (though it’s tough to read in bright sunlight)
• great battery life which surpassed 20 hours in CNET’s tests (originally rated by Creative Labs at a modest 15 hours)
• the dedicated volume buttons
• straight-forward menus
• pocket-friendly shape

Things that could use some improvement:

• the tiny, ‘prone to collecting dirt around it’ joystick
• “Contextual Menu” and “Shortcut” buttons (a la Zen Vision:M) are missing while there was room for them and they were actually useful (holding the “Back” button though gets you to the Contextual Menus)
• subpar transfer times over USB 2.0 at 1.25MB/second, according to CNET’s tests

Nano comparisons:

First let’s compare form factors. The Nano weighs 42g and measures at 90×40x6.9mm; the Zen V/Plus:

• weighs about the same (43.5 vs 42g)
• has half the height (43 vs 90mm)
• is wider by 2/3rds (67.5 vs 50mm)
• and twice as thick (15.9 vs 6.9mm)

Anyone who has got his hands on a Nano knows that it’s a marvel of engineering (wafer-thin, incredibly small, etc.) and it’s no wonder other companies have yet to match it from a physical standpoint. (Here’s a gallery with some shots I took when Apple Greece gave me one for review purposes, a few months ago.) However, the Zen V/Plus isn’t that bigger and—as noted by CNET—it can be easily fit into any pocket and has a much sturdier feel than the Nano.

Feature-wise the comparison is a no-go, with Creative’s offering (the Plus version) typically outperforming that of Apple’s. Though we can’t really imagine ourselves watching an episode of ‘24’ in a 1.5-inch screen, the other goodies (radio, voice/radio recording) are nice to have.

Price-wise, if we go with MSRPs:

• [1GB] Nano: $150 vs Zen V: $120 vs Zen V Plus: $130
• [2GB] Nano: $200 vs Zen V: $150 vs Zen V Plus: $170
• [4GB] Nano: $250 vs Zen V: $200 vs Zen V Plus: $30

(We’ll make sure to update the section with price comparisons for the UK market too, when the Zen V/Plus models surface there.)

Amazon sells the 1GB/2GB/4GB Nano models for less ($143 / $185 / $235 respectively), and such is the case for the only Zen V/Plus model I could spot there (the ‘white with green enclosure’ 2GB Zen V goes for $150) but the conclusion is the same: Creative’s offering is priced accurately and competitively.

Conclusion

Competitively priced, feature-packed and nicely implemented. It’s worth noting that this new Zen line of players is coming along nicely from Creative. While we don’t think it’ll enjoy the same success as its bigger brother (the Zen Vision:M has this huge advantage over the similarly-spec’d, full-size iPod called “video support”), it’ll help the company move forward and maybe regain a tiny bit of that lost marketshare—it’s about time after all.

→ Creative Zen V/Plus microsite (creative.com)