Creative Zen X-Fi 8 GB Video MP3 Player with Built-In Speaker (Black/Silver)

Creative Zen X-Fi 8 GB Video MP3 Player with Built-In Speaker (Black/Silver) Review

I've owned some of the best there is: Zune HD 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black), Apple iPod touch 8 GB (3rd Generation) NEWEST MODEL, and now this one. I can safely say that one is really not "better" than the other - it's all a matter of what you intend to do with the device. When you boil it down to its core, you need to find out exactly what you want - and then get that device, even if it's not necessarily the most 'popular' of them all.

I'd been using my Blackberry Storm as a media player. For the record I only needed such a device to funnel audio out to my car as my current car does not have iPod or other inputs, nor does it have USB or flash inputs. That only leaves me with Line In - opens up the possibilities, limits the coolness. I don't watch videos on the go except on my netbook, so I don't need a small video player. I don't use it as a picture device; the Storm can handle that. Same for a voice recorder. I only need it for music. The problem with the iPod Touch is that it's essentially a toy: a device that you can play with all day and lets you do whatever you want without having to carry multiple devices; yet it doesn't really do any one thing all that well. The Zune HD is a music and video player, and it excels in music management, but it suffers from (A) a price that's a bit iffy for the size, and (B) proprietary connectors and software that are turnoffs for someone on the move like myself, not to mention (C) issues with Wi-Fi that I've spoken to in my other review.

Enter the Creative Zen X-Fi. On Black Friday I decided to buy a media player, and it was going to be one of the aforementioned three. I settled on the X-Fi because it seemed to offer everything I needed: A way to get a bunch of music portable and accessible with a reasonable price point, in an attractive form factor. It's already more than proven it's up to the task, being able to continuously play music on a 10 hour drive and still have more than 3/4ths power remaining. The audio quality is comparable to what I would get playing the music from an MP3 CD, which is about what I expected to get. It also has a built-in speaker, and others have commented that the speaker quality sucks. I don't agree. If X-Fi is on, the speaker sounds quite robust to be so small (which makes you wonder why they can't use the same technology in cell phone speakers). It's not going to rock a party, but it's more than sufficient to have sitting by your desk to play some music without earphones. I did have some issues which I will speak to, but for now I'm satisfied with the device on the whole. I find it to be worth the price I paid.

=- What the Zen X-Fi Does RIGHT -=

- Small form factor, easy to carry, easy to obscure
- Attractive design
- Most attractive packaging I've ever seen
- Uses standard mini USB to communicate, sync and charge
- Support for connecting to media servers wirelessly
- Mass Storage and software sync support - you can drag and drop files or use WMP, WMC, TVersity, etc. to sync your files
- Native support in Windows 7; it will show up in Devices and Printers as a Zen X-Fi, no external driver needed, with full connectivity
- Audio quality is quite superior to the iPod Touch in my opinion. Zune HD is higher on the scale, but does not have the external speaker
- Lots of memory AND an SD card slot to go even higher


=- What the Zen X-Fi Does WRONG -=

- The included earbuds look fantastic but sound horrific. I mean, they sound worse than the built-in speaker. That's sad.
- No apparent support for shuffle play within a genre. For example, if I select a genre, it won't allow me to play songs in random order, only alphabetically.
- No backlight. The front interface seems to scream for it, yet it is not here.
- Button placement is rather haphazard. Play/Pause is on the bottom right - no problems there, but then navigation buttons are an odd array of 9 metal buttons with no markings to tell you what they do or how to use them. When you navigate you're using the center crosshair buttons, and if you're in the dark, you have to "feel" it out. Very annoying. Also, when trying to type something in, you have to use these same navigation buttons, and instead of a cellphone-like manner, they're...I can't describe it. Trust me that it's uncomfortable.
- Navigation buttons are a tad bit hard to press. I don't know why they didn't make them clear acrylic like the other four music buttons.
- Album art won't show up unless you sync with software (i.e. you can't drag and drop). This is a bit troubling, since the artist/song information doesn't change either way. That the device is not smart enough to go get it at the time you drag and drop it, seems like a very small thing that was overlooked. For the record, I drag and drop because it's faster than sync, plus I'm not then held hostage to that software if I need to make changes to my musical makeup.
- Videos require sync (you can use Windows 7, doesn't have to be Creative's software, but still), even though their native formats (WMV, MP4, MPG) are supported by the device. Why can't I just drag and drop them?? The sync takes 5 times as long to complete! I mean I love that it's got so many formats it supports and all, but it really should support drag and drop all the way around. Seriously. I don't even use the feature and this is the primary reason why - too much hassle.
- No included wall charger. At all. You have to charge on a computer or buy a charger. I *think* a mini USB charger like the one for the BlackBerry Pearl might work, but I've never tried it.


So...do I recommend it? At its current price it is definitely a solid product...but it does have issues. For someone who only needs to be able to play music it's light years ahead of the competition. IF you're the kind of person who is a 24-hour device head, get the iPod Touch. If you're the kind of person who wants to sync his media with his computer and his 360, get the Zune HD. The Creative Zen X-Fi is a 5 star music player, a 4 star device, and that's what this review is trying to tell you.

Creative Zen X-Fi 8 GB Video MP3 Player with Built-In Speaker (Black/Silver) Feature

• A firmware bug could result in the player locking when playing the FM radio; to fix the problem, upgrade the latest firmware (1.04.08) posted on support.creative.com
• Capacity: 8 GB (2,000 songs or 30 hours of video); up to 30 hours of continuous audio playback or 5 hours of continuous video playback on one charge
• 2.5-inch TFT LCD with 320 x 240 pixel resolution: 16.7 million colors
• Supports MP3, WMA, AAC5, WAV (ADPCM), Audible 2,3,4 audio formats; MJPEG, WMV, MPEG-4 video (including DivX and XviD); and JPEG photo formats
• 1-year limited hardware / 90 days service warranty

Creative Zen X-Fi 8 GB Video MP3 Player with Built-In Speaker (Black/Silver) Overview

Experience your MP3 music as the artist originally intended with the Creative Zen X-Fi--the first player to restore the quality of compressed music with award-winning X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology. Indulge in rich, crystal-clear audio when you listen to your music, as the detail thats lost during file compression is now beautifully restored and played through premium-quality, noise-isolatling EP-830 earphones.

Creative Zen X-Fi 8 GB Video MP3 Player with Built-In Speaker (Black/Silver) Specifications

Experience your MP3 music as the artist originally intended with the Creative Zen X-Fi--the first player to restore the quality of compressed music with award-winning X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology. Indulge in rich, crystal-clear audio when you listen to your music, as the detail that's lost during file compression is now beautifully restored and played through premium-quality, noise-isolatling EP-830 earphones.

Creative Zen X-Fi, built with X-Fi technology--the sound of perfection.

A pocket-sized player that weighs a mere 2.4 ounces, the Zen X-Fi sports attractive curves with a graceful finish.

The included EP-830 earphones provide optimum comfort with excellent noise isolation.

A control/feature schematic.

Immerse yourself in the brilliant 2.5-inch TFT screen with 16.7 million colors as you watch your movies and view your pictures.

Sleek Beauty
A pocket-sized player that weighs a mere 2.4 ounces, the Zen X-Fi sports attractive curves with a graceful finish. Immerse yourself in the brilliant 2.5-inch TFT screen with 16.7 million colors as you watch your movies and view your pictures. Build with X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology, the player lets you experience the very essence of music perfection as you listen to audio in crystal clear clarity. Hear your music the way it was always meant to be heard. Plus, the included EP-830 earphones provide optimum comfort with excellent noise-isolation capability. Or, be the life of the party as you share your music out loud with the powerful built-in speaker.

More Content, Endless Enjoyment
Listen to your music in multiple supported formats, such as MP3, WMA, and (non-protected) AAC (m4a) from iTunes Plus. Download Creative Centrale to rip, transfer, and manage your media content easily. Enjoy the ultimate collection of free video and audio podcast channels on www.zencast.com. Manage all of your favorite subscriptions with Zencast Organizer, and experience the best of the free-to-share formats available. Tired of your own music? Switch to the FM radio. The 32 station presets let you switch stations with ease. Increase the size of your portable media library with an SD or SDHC card. Transfer your files easily to enjoy more videos, music, and photos in your player.

Packed with Features
Record your important meetings or personal audio memos with the integrated voice recorder. Set audio effects to enhance your overall music listening experience. Choose from eight EQ presets or customize your own EQ and enhance it all with bass boost and smart volume controls. Start the day on the right note with your very own alarm tone. You can even set the alarm for any day of the week.

What's in the Box
Creative Zen X-Fi 8 GB, installation CD, quick start guide, EP-830 noise-isolating earbuds, USB 2.0 cable

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 06, 2009 16:47:05