iPod or Zen?

My sister is thinking of buying me a portable media player. The choices are:

- Apple iPod Video (30gb)
- Creative Zen Vision:M

I think that the Zen is a bit better than the iPod cuz of the video quality and battery life, but i dont know which one to choose. Any one know which one would be best?

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Well, my experiences with Creative protable media players have been a little poor. It seems as thought Creative's products just somtimes like to screw with you. My ol' Zen seemed fit to have its drivers not work on first installation, so that wasn't quite a great first impression.

Now, I also own an iPod Mini 6gb, which works quite well. Installation was a breeze, and iTunes really is a fantastic program, once you learn to use it fully. The best part about an iPod, in my opinion, really is the compatibility with iTunes.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I would say Zen all the way. I have a Zen Touch 40GB player, 24-hour battery life, 96dB SNR, sturdy built, replaceable battery, beats iPod in every possible way. Plus the Zen Vision M has won numerous awards, you'll love it, it's an amazing player.

Double Post:
Prosthetic, do you have any idea what quality is? All my friends have iPods, nearly all of them had serious issues with it, they broke, won't shutoff, dead battery, you name it. I'm sorry but you sound awefully like an typical Apple zealot.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I had to return two video iPods before I finally went with the Vision:M. The first iPod had a broken button, and the second one had a bunch of dead pixels.

My Vision:M is pretty great, and I have not had any problems with it so far.

So basically, go with an iPod if you want access to a ridiculous amount of accessories, better and easier access to customer support, if you really enjoy iTunes, and to be part of the crowd. Everyone has an iPod, and they are definitely more fashionable and better looking than the Vision:M. Go with a Vision:M if you are an audio nut, want to have a better screen, and you like being different.

Vision:M pretty much wins when it comes to performance in my opinion.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

A fifth generation iPod with Rockbox installed is where it's at, in my opinion.

I've heard some of the iRiver products are very, very good as well. Some of them also have Rockbox builds made for them.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I've noticed that a lot of the people who complain about iPod problems purchased their 'pods from 3rd-party retailers. I have a 4G 60GB colour iPod that I ordered straight from Apple and it's given me no trouble at all. I got my brother a 5G 30GB and he's had no trouble either.

I'd say that whatever route you take, if you do go with iPod, get it straight from Apple or a brick-and-mortar Apple Store. Not sure what Best Buy and the like do with their merchandise, but it seems to me like it sees a bit of manhandling.

How ya doing, buddy?

Actually, all my friends got their iPods from Apple. However, if you talk about quality, it still has to go to Creative, Creative's players beats iPod's battery life by at least 2 fold, in my case, 3 fold. Creative players have really high sound quality, usually at least 94dB SNR or above, after all, Creative is the one that's the leader in audio products, not Apple, and I wonder why Apple didn't list SNR in their specs (maybe cuz they are nowhere near Creative players?). Next structural integrity, I have dropped my Zen numerous times on hard floor from about 1m above the ground, and it's still going strong, iPods on the other hand, is an entirely different story. I could give you more and more facts, but you get the idea. People buy the iPod just to say they have an iPod, it's like fashion, people buy Creative cuz they want a good and reliable player, oh and did I mention about the price, Creative players are much cheaper than iPods. After all, if you want an iPod so you can show it off (well I guess it won't be much of a show off since everybody has an iPod) then by all means go with the iPod, but if you want a high quality player that's going to last, then go with Creative, it won't burn a hole in your wallet too.

FELIPE NO

For the record I have dropped my iPod multiple times, and it has yet to break. Also, installing Rockbox lowered the noise floor significantly. I can turn the volume almost all the way up without hearing any hiss at all, and there isn't any hiss whatsoever at normal listening volumes. Although batterly life is somewhat shortened with the iPod version of Rockbox, it has been lengthened with other builds for other players. We're (that is, the audiophile community) hoping that future builds will actually improve iPod battery life.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I purchased my iPod at an Apple store.

I bought my Vision:M from Best Buy.

If we are going by performance/quality, Vision:M wins hands down. There is no debate about that.

The question here is which MP3 players best suits your needs and which one makes you feel the most comfortable. If Rockbox is really important to people, then obviously the iPod is the best choice. But I feel that the Vision:M has a little bit more to offer than the iPod.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

A fifth generation iPod with Rockbox installed is where it's at, in my opinion.

I've heard some of the iRiver products are very, very good as well. Some of them also have Rockbox builds made for them.

What is Rockbox?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Mucknuggle

What is Rockbox?

Alternative firmware for various DAPs.

One of the more recent developments with the project was getting it working on iPods.

I don't know exactly what improvements it has are, to be honest, though.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Mucknuggle

What is Rockbox?

It is a replacement OS for the iPod (And others). It has all sorts of nice features, like file-tree based browsing, a 5-band fully parametric equalizer, support for OGG, FLAC, Wavepack, and MPC files, a really nice crossfeed effect, fully skinnable with themes, and a lot more.

You also don't have to use iTunes anymore (yes!). Just create the directory on your iPod and drag the files there. That is the primary reason I installed Rockbox on my iPod. I have always hated iTunes and the ID3-tag based navigation system that the iPod uses. Now, I can organize my files exactly the way I want them. That, and the MPC support. (Most of my own music is encoded in MPC.)

The only real drawback is that battery life is a bit lower than it normally would be, but I haven't had any problems, and I am confident this will be fixed as new builds are released.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Personally, I would say go get a Samsung or an iAudio mp3 player as I have found both vastly superior to the iPod. However, if I had to choose between a iPod or a Zen, I'd go with the Zen since it offers more features and is cheaper as well. The only reason I would get an iPod is if I wanted to listen to FLAC, in which case I would go for the iPod with Rockbox (but the iAudio X5 can also be upgraded with Rockbox which is even better).

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by ORLY

Personally, I would say go get a Samsung or an iAudio mp3 player as I have found both vastly superior to the iPod. However, if I had to choose between a iPod or a Zen, I'd go with the Zen since it offers more features and is cheaper as well. The only reason I would get an iPod is if I wanted to listen to FLAC, in which case I would go for the iPod with Rockbox (but the iAudio X5 can also be upgraded with Rockbox which is even better).

But those dont go up to 30 gb do they?

Thanks for the tips guys. I guess im gonna get a Vision:m after all. I think 80% of my friends own an iPod now lol.

I really like that the zen can play radio and record it and also record voice. Also its bit cheaper than the iPod.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by R1CH

But those dont go up to 30 gb do they?

Well, I'm not sure about Samsung (I've only listened to their flash players), but iAudio definitely does. In any case, the Creative Zen Vision:M is still a great player and I'm pretty sure you won't regret buying it.

FELIPE NO

People buy the IPod for the same reason they by Budweiser - its the name, not the quality.

I have had several friends who've had many IPods between them. Obviously, some of them were abusive towards their MP3 players but some were not.

Ive heard some great things about the Zen as well as the Iriver. Id stick with those options before buying Apple crap.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Part of its the name, Lehah is right, part of it is the trend, but part of it is the "sleek" look. I mean the iPod does make the Vision:M look like a turd. The other thing is people like simple, which iTunes and iPod provide in spades.

I had a Creative Jukebox 3 for about 4 years. Replaced the hard drive on it once, but it died recently because of a cracked LCD screen ;(. What can you do. So I'm gonna be in the market shortly. I've been thinking iPod, but not too sure yet. I'm not a big fan of Creative these days. I just havent been pleased with their products as of late.

I really wish there was a good music portable like the jukebox that could record line in. That feature alone made that jukebox worth it.

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I have an iRiver H10 5GB MP3 player. It has a removable, rechargable battery and it doesn't need any programs like iTunes or anything like it to import songs onto the MP3 player. That's the only thing i like about it. You can just drag and drop your songs onto it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Oh forgot...

If you want to spring for it the Archos AV500 is supposedly the shit. It has 4.5+ hours of video playback. You can buy it on newegg for about $400 with a 100GB harddrive. It also records video or audio via line-in.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Dayvon

The other thing is people like simple, which iTunes and iPod provide in spades.

Boy, it's a good thing all modern Creative players support drag and drop through Windows Explorer, which is the simplest method of putting music on to a device.

Strike for iTunes.

In before comments about Apple stealing Creative's Interface ideas.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Personally I'll be purchasing a Toshiba Gigabeat S60. It runs Windows Media Mobile 5 and just looks like an awesome player. iPods are total shit and I refuse to buy one, and besides waiting for the Zune, this is my only real option since Creative players don't really have 60GB models and Archos' are very expensive.

Anything But iPod Gigabeat review
CNet Review

Its the top rated MP3 player on Cnet right now, scoring in at 8.3; higher than the iPod and top Creative players in its market. The only con is that it lacks a drag-and-drop interface and requires WMP9, but that can be worked around I'm sure, or at least might be fixed in future firmware releases.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Gigabeat doesn't work on Windows XP SP2. What is that all about? Seriously, what were they thinking?

I've been putting off getting a mp3 player for a long time and I really think I'd get a Creative product. I don't like iTunes and I don't like Apples playlist shenanigans. I just want to drag and drop my shit, hook it up to my car stereo, and jet. Creative has price, space, and battery life on their size. The only advantage I see with the ipod is if you rockbox it so you can play flac, mpc, and other shit on it. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they figure out how to do it to Creative's products and that becomes a null factor.

I probably still won't get one for a while but it's something that's always on my mind.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Merv Burger

Boy, it's a good thing all modern Creative players support drag and drop through Windows Explorer, which is the simplest method of putting music on to a device.

Strike for iTunes.

In before comments about Apple stealing Creative's Interface ideas.

Yeah and iTunes is hard to get stuff on your iPod, you connect it and it syncs. End of story.

I'm not an iPod pimp or anything, but the reason people love it is that they only have to mess with iTunes... The iPod works based off what is in iTunes. The average joe doesn't want to leave some songs on the iPod and some off, blah blah blah. He wants his music easy to play in his hand. And that is what iPod/iTunes is good at. And for Apple ripping you off for DRM crap, but thats another story.

I prefer more control, that is why I had a Jukebox 3 for as long as I did. I know when I get something, I'd prefer it to have line-in recording. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those. So I'll have to look at higher end stuff.

Course, I could get this!

How ya doing, buddy?

iAudio over iPod anytime.

At least for me. I don't want an iPod, I want an MP3player. Given that the 'pod is nothing but a fashion statement these days when there really are vastly superior players around.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I checked out reviews of the Vision:M - it's really thick. Ugh. While I prefer it's extended battery life to that of my iPod Video, I think that I still would have bought the iPod had the Vision: M been out at the same time due to the thickness.

Jam it back in, in the dark.