# ipod or creative



## adm1 (11 Sep 2006)

I want to buy my husband one for a pressie.  I have no idea about these things so which is best?


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## ClubMan (11 Sep 2006)

Have you checked previous threads about this very issue? You should be able to find them by browsing/searching this forum and the _A/V _forum.


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## Darth Maul (15 Sep 2006)

Go for MP3, I Tunes are too expensive and people who bought in to the whole IPOD scene will soon realize this...


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## blacknight (15 Sep 2006)

It depends on what you want. Big or cute?

I'd go with either an iRiver or an iPod


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## Humpback (15 Sep 2006)

I've a Creative. Bit bigger than the ipods, fair enough, but they have a radio as well on the Creative, which for me was a big selling point.


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## DrMoriarty (15 Sep 2006)

I bought an iRiver h10 5Gb for my daughter and we had endless hassle with it.

Dixons are currently offering Creative's for €150, which is not bad, if 4Gb is enough storage...


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## Ron Burgundy (15 Sep 2006)

DrMoriarty said:


> I bought an iRiver h10 5Gb for my daughter and we had endless hassle with it.


 
honestly first ever person i've heard say that. I have an i iver almost 3 years and love it. one of the best items i've ever bought. no annoying software, just use it as a hard drive and with the radio as well its the perfect item.


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## Frank (15 Sep 2006)

Roanan 

The brothrs wife got him a creative zen.

Where can you get accessories like ipod have for connecting to a car stereo or the wee speakers and stuff you see for ipods?


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## Satan's Bed (15 Sep 2006)

Go for the Creative Zen Vision M. It is soooomuch better than the i-sh*t.
Far superior Audio
Far Superior Video
Interface takes abit to get used to but not too difficult.

S.B.


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## Satanta (15 Sep 2006)

Frank said:


> Where can you get accessories like ipod have for connecting to a car stereo or the wee speakers and stuff you see for ipods?


The FM Transmitters to connect to your car radio are made by many generic suppliers. You'd pick them up in most retailers who supply any of the "i-pod" specific accessories or any general techy/electrical goods shops. Most simply connect through the headfone socket of the player. Some previous posts around for info on these. (Search AAM for Creative Zen for more information specific to that MP3 player)

The same goes for a lot of the speakers, but the market does have a lot of i-pod specific stuff so do be careful when looking/buying.


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## carpedeum (15 Sep 2006)

I bought my son a Creative Zen Vision M a few months ago. My daughter has the iPOD, which may look better and is not as clunky, but, the Zen is more versatile in that it can be used with any PC, handheld device etc. Build quality is excellent. The sound and video quality are outstanding. My son is on his second Creative and would never have an iPOD! 

The dial and screen will get scratched (this happpens all players, iPODS too). I would also recommend buying a skin for the front of the player. I purchased a set at [broken link removed] for $4.99. The skin is a thin plastic film that comes on paper. You insert it in a bit of water and washing up liquid to separate it. The skin is then applied, wiping away air bubbles as you apply it. The result is totally transparent. My son has had the skin on the player, covering the screen and dial for two months now and it is still looking great after being in daily use during the holidays and being brought to school every day. There are other protective covers, but, this appealed to my son because you don't realise it's on the player! Check the Creative forums:
http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/search?board_id=pmc&submitted=true&q=best+skins

Check the following sites for reviews and prices:-
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/

http://reviews.cnet.com/Creative_Zen_Vision_M_30GB_white/4505-6490_7-31632700.html

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ZE...1_5/202-3960026-7761437?ie=UTF8&s=electronics


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## MonsieurBond (18 Sep 2006)

Satan's Bed said:


> Go for the Creative Zen Vision M. It is soooomuch better than the i-sh*t.
> Far superior Audio
> Far Superior Video
> Interface takes abit to get used to but not too difficult.
> ...



I don't think this is an entirely subjective review.

The iPod consistently gets best-in-class for audio performance, or should I say, audioperformance. 

The video playback, while useful, is not the main feature of the iPod with Video. 

While pricey, I always feel that the build & sound quality, ease of use, superior software make the iPod hard to beat. Especially now that the nano has a tougher body.


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## Humpback (18 Sep 2006)

MonsieurBond said:


> I don't think this is an entirely subjective review.
> 
> The iPod consistently gets best-in-class for audio performance, or should I say, audioperformance.
> 
> ...


 
I presume you mean entirely *objective*? Given that this review is actually entirely subjective, just like your own.

For some objectivity, having been an owner in recent times of both an ipod and a creative, I can say that for me, there's no appreciable difference in sound quality.

The ipod is slightly easier to use, physically. The software on them is much of a muchness, and if it's accessories that you want, then check out here.


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## blacknight (18 Sep 2006)

I find the ipod software to be awkward and cumbersome. The iRiver is simple - drag and drop onto the device


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## MonsieurBond (18 Sep 2006)

ronan_d_john said:


> I presume you mean entirely *objective*? Given that this review is actually entirely subjective, just like your own.
> 
> For some objectivity, having been an owner in recent times of both an ipod and a creative, I can say that for me, there's no appreciable difference in sound quality.
> 
> The ipod is slightly easier to use, physically. The software on them is much of a muchness, and if it's accessories that you want, then check out here.



Yes, of course, I meant _objective_.

The iPod versus everything else debate is one that raises zealous opinions on all sides. I prefer the iTunes approach to simply dragging and dropping, for example, as I find the organisation features useful. Plus you can stream audio from your PC cheaply with the Airtunes feature.

However, there is a reason why iPods have 90% of the market and it's not just because people are sheep - it's because they are well designed, easy to use and have a certain X factor. And people stay with Apple, using the same iTunes software, and are happy to upgrade over time to an equally rich experience on a future product.

Not sure if I would say the same about some of the software from competitors - Sonic Stage springs to mind. 

I grant you there are technologically superior and more feature-rich MP3 players out there. But for me, nothing beats the iPod / iTunes proposition. (Not to mention that AAC - the native codec - is much at representing music than MP3 as it's about 10 years more modern, so an iPod or iTunes on your PC or Mac it is going to sound better when you connect your iPod to real speakers. Increasing the bit-rate on the MP3 helps but it's not going to equal AAC.)


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## Jimoslimos (19 Sep 2006)

Having used both an iPod mini and Creative Zen micro vision, I'd have a slight preference for the creative. ipod wheel/menu is probably a little bit more intuitive than the zen micro but the extra features on the creative swung it for me, (radio, photo, extra space). On the point about the formats I don't notice much difference between MP3, AAC and WMA. Incidentally the ATRAC format introduced by Sony a few years back was IMHO superior to all these but would I ever use it again - NO!


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