apple ipod vs creative zen touch

andysez · 21-04-2005, 20:54

I'm currently after a 20gb MP3 Player. I originally had my sights set on an apple ipod as my other half has one and she loves it to pieces (pink 4gb ipod mini) although the battery doesn't last very long. The Ipod does look pleasing to the eye, but i'm not too fussed about how it looks, more interested in the way it sounds. I do think the sound on the ipod is pretty good, but now i've been directed to another product which I hear very good things about: the 20gb Creative Zen Touch. I actually saw this baby in a shop window in manchester going for £110. i was quite surprised by the price, after all the apple ipod is £209 (£170 at dixons in manchester airport if you're a passenger or staff like myself). I've just had a look on amazon to see the reviews about the Zen and i'd say 95% of the reviews said this was much better than the ipod. so why am i so cautious? apparently the battery is far superior to that of the ipod, but i still want more opinions. is the Zen a good purchase? is the sound decent enough to make my long journey to work much more satisfying? Another reason I am tempted to get an ipod is because I have over 4gb of songs on my pc at work, all apple compressed and running in Itunes. I suppose I could convert them back to Mp3.....argghh can anyone help?

Richard_T · 21-04-2005, 23:39

The ipod has a lot going for it, its a good player, but the Zen touch is also a good player.
The Zen is not compatable at all with Itunes or anything sotred in apples AAC format, althouhge the Zen will play WMA MP3 and .Wav files.
for more readin i would sugest you take a look at
http://www.nomadness.net and http://www.ipodlounge.com
if you research well you should find the right player.

gerbilly · 22-04-2005, 10:00

Sound quality the i-pod beats it hands down plus the software isnt as good as I-Tunes. Some of these other products like I-River and the Sony HD5 are good but the software is a complete dog. My only prob with the pod is battery life which isnt too hot.

chic · 22-04-2005, 14:29

I the zen touch and i am very happy with it the sound quality is very good and the battery life is excellent, the touch pad is a pain though and is not as good as the ipod click wheel, however the other benefits of the itouch out weigh it. I found the software ok to use for transfering songs to the zen touch, just stick a cd in, it then can connect to its internet database to get the tags the it transfers to the zen touch, only takes a minute or 2 per cd

Layby · 22-04-2005, 15:08

I am also intersted in both players although i have been looking at the smaller members of their family (ipod mini + zen micro).

Anyone have a comparison on battery life and know if you can connect either of them to a home cinema system?

gerbilly · 22-04-2005, 16:31

Yes via a 3.5 mini jack connector to 2 RCA connector. You can buy cheapos from Maplins for about 4 quid. However you can get better quality ones for around 20 quid.
If you get the mini make sure you buy the dock as the line out from that vastly improves the sound quality.

Daveoc64 · 22-04-2005, 16:32

The iPod mini has a longer battery life than the Zen Micro (18 hours VS 12 hours).

The iPod mini can be connected to a home cinema using the dock.

thejabba · 22-04-2005, 20:02

iPod every time, navigation on iPod is superb, the touch wheel is superb, the whole operation is logic, and its apple meaning the product always looks great. Can't go wrong with the iPod. Everytime.

Navigation is best things about iPod for me, it takes 2 mins to learn, iRiver is a bastard and sony is slow, zen's touch control is unpredictable and frustrating. iPod everytime.....

flagship2 · 27-04-2005, 11:10

That Creative Zen also can not play anything with a bit rate higher than 128 unlike the iPod which can play up to 320. 128 files sound terrible and are not CD quality.

andysez · 27-04-2005, 13:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagship2

That Creative Zen also can not play anything with a bit rate higher than 128 unlike the iPod which can play up to 320. 128 files sound terrible and are not CD quality.

I've encoded my CD collection using Windows Media Player, and it's playing stuff in the range of 128 - 320. the sound is bob on. I wouldn't fault it at all.

on the air · 27-04-2005, 15:19

I believe the Creative players will also very shortly be compatable with the Napster to go service as well, where you can store unlimited tracks for £14.95 a month.

Richard_T · 27-04-2005, 18:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagship2

That Creative Zen also can not play anything with a bit rate higher than 128 unlike the iPod which can play up to 320. 128 files sound terrible and are not CD quality.

I will agree that 128kbs MP3s sound bad, thats why most of my tracks are at 192kbs with a few at 320kbs.

I dont know where you got your info from, but the Zen series of player will play MP3s between 32kbs and 320 kbs at constand bitrate, or variable bitrates.
they will also play WMA files again at high, low or variable bitrates, with or without DRM protection, and uncompressed .WAV files.

Dancc · 27-04-2005, 20:20

I am also interested in buying one of these babies. Personally, the Creative Zen Micro looks like just what i'm after. Can anybody recommend where I should buy? (Preferably the cheapest)

thejabba · 27-04-2005, 22:08

I agree, 128kbps no way is fantastic CD quality at all. 192kbps AAC is the way forward, lowest bitrate of any serious reducing file size compression where the sound is crystal clear and all the energy from the song is there.

Even though Apple claim 128kbps AAC is perfect try comparing it to a 192kbps import you'll notice that little extra energy to the music.

flagship2 · 27-04-2005, 22:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by andysez

I've encoded my CD collection using Windows Media Player, and it's playing stuff in the range of 128 - 320. the sound is bob on. I wouldn't fault it at all.

On the Zen?

It can't play above 128.

flagship2 · 27-04-2005, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard_T

I will agree that 128kbs MP3s sound bad, thats why most of my tracks are at 192kbs with a few at 320kbs.

I dont know where you got your info from, but the Zen series of player will play MP3s between 32kbs and 320 kbs at constand bitrate, or variable bitrates.
they will also play WMA files again at high, low or variable bitrates, with or without DRM protection, and uncompressed .WAV files.

Maybe they changed the firmware on them to allow them because as far as I know they didn't. Any links to prove they can? The Creative site doesn't specifically say.

Seawolf · 27-04-2005, 23:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagship2

On the Zen?

It can't play above 128.

Sorry to disapoint you but........

I have one of these (the Micro Zen), and my average bit rate on the MP3's i burn is 192kps. I have also played 320kps files, wma ripped at 192kps.

So i really don't know where you get your info from.

Also see this, and look at the playback formats:

http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/zen/zen_micro.htm

flagship2 · 28-04-2005, 00:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seawolf

Sorry to disapoint you but........

I have one of these (the Micro Zen), and my average bit rate on the MP3's i burn is 192kps. I have also played 320kps files, wma ripped at 192kps.

So i really don't know where you get your info from.

Also see this, and look at the playback formats:

http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/zen/zen_micro.htm

Does the player inidicate the bit rate it is actually playing at? Certainly Creative's site only mentions 128.

andysez · 28-04-2005, 08:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagship2

Does the player inidicate the bit rate it is actually playing at? Certainly Creative's site only mentions 128.

you can look at each files details on the Zens' screen. I constantly check to see what bitrate each file is when I'm playing songs, and most of my files are between 128 to 200+.

flagship2 · 28-04-2005, 08:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by andysez

you can look at each files details on the Zens' screen. I constantly check to see what bitrate each file is when I'm playing songs, and most of my files are between 128 to 200+.

Creative then needs to really work on their marketing as they are confusing potential customers.

on the air · 28-04-2005, 08:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagship2

Creative then needs to really work on their marketing as they are confusing potential customers.

Where do creative claim that the Zen will not play above 128kbps?

kevinhinnells · 28-04-2005, 10:17

I recntly bought an 2nd Gen IPOD Mini. The sound quality is very good and it does all depend on the quality setting of your audio when you rip it.

Unfortunatley you still can't beat the sound from a CD.

-K

flagship2 · 28-04-2005, 12:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by on the air

Where do creative claim that the Zen will not play above 128kbps?

Go look at their site and you can't find it saying anything above 128. Poor marketing.

flagship2 · 28-04-2005, 12:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinhinnells

I recntly bought an 2nd Gen IPOD Mini. The sound quality is very good and it does all depend on the quality setting of your audio when you rip it.

Unfortunatley you still can't beat the sound from a CD.

-K

320 is practically impossible to tell the difference between it and CD.

Richard_T · 28-04-2005, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagship2

Go look at their site and you can't find it saying anything above 128. Poor marketing.

found it, under the products section, then under Zen micro, then under specifiation it says this

Quote:

General Specifications

* Size (WxHxD): 51 mm x 84 mm x 19 mm
* Weight: 108g with battery
* Capacity: 5 GB
* Power Source: Battery: 1 x Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, USB bus powered when connected to a power outlet or powered USB port on a computer
* Battery Life:
o MP3 128 kbps: Up to 12 hours of continuous playback with a full battery charge
o WMA 64 kbps: Up to 12 hours of continuous playback with a full battery charge
o FM radio: Up to 16 hours of continuous playtime with a full battery charge
* Playback Formats:
o MP3: Up to 320 kbps
o WMA: Up to 320 kbps
o WMA with Digital Rights Management (DRM) 9
* Recording Formats:
o Voice (via built-in microphone): IMA ADPCM (16 kHz, Mono)
o FM Radio: IMA ADPCM (22 kHz, Stereo)
* FM Radio: Stereo and Mono
o Up to 32 preset stations
o FM region support, International: 87.5 MHz ~ 108.0 MHz, 100 kHz Intervals
* MP3 Playback Performance:
o Signal-to-Noise Ratio: Up to 98 dB
o Channel Separation: Up to -70 dB
o Frequency Response: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
o Harmonic Distortion Output: <0.1%
* Connectors:
o Headphone jack: 3.5 mm stereo minijack, 25mW per channel
o USB 2.0 port: Standard USB mini-B receptacle
o USB 2.0 (High speed)
o USB 1.1 (Full speed)
* LCD: 160 x 104 pixel display with white LED backlight
* Earphone Specifications:
o Frequency Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz
o Sensitivity: 111 dB ±5 dB (I/P Level:1 mW)
o Impedance: 32 Ω ±15%
o Plug: 3.5 mm stereo minijack

Warranty

* 1-year limited hardware warranty

ive highlighted the bit that tells you what bitrates it plays.

21-04-2005, 20:54	#1
andysez Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 525	apple ipod vs creative zen touch I'm currently after a 20gb MP3 Player. I originally had my sights set on an apple ipod as my other half has one and she loves it to pieces (pink 4gb ipod mini) although the battery doesn't last very long. The Ipod does look pleasing to the eye, but i'm not too fussed about how it looks, more interested in the way it sounds. I do think the sound on the ipod is pretty good, but now i've been directed to another product which I hear very good things about: the 20gb Creative Zen Touch. I actually saw this baby in a shop window in manchester going for £110. i was quite surprised by the price, after all the apple ipod is £209 (£170 at dixons in manchester airport if you're a passenger or staff like myself). I've just had a look on amazon to see the reviews about the Zen and i'd say 95% of the reviews said this was much better than the ipod. so why am i so cautious? apparently the battery is far superior to that of the ipod, but i still want more opinions. is the Zen a good purchase? is the sound decent enough to make my long journey to work much more satisfying? Another reason I am tempted to get an ipod is because I have over 4gb of songs on my pc at work, all apple compressed and running in Itunes. I suppose I could convert them back to Mp3.....argghh can anyone help?

21-04-2005, 23:39	#2
Richard_T Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: East Midlands Posts: 3,842	The ipod has a lot going for it, its a good player, but the Zen touch is also a good player. The Zen is not compatable at all with Itunes or anything sotred in apples AAC format, althouhge the Zen will play WMA MP3 and .Wav files. for more readin i would sugest you take a look at http://www.nomadness.net and http://www.ipodlounge.com if you research well you should find the right player.

22-04-2005, 10:00	#3
gerbilly Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 842	Sound quality the i-pod beats it hands down plus the software isnt as good as I-Tunes. Some of these other products like I-River and the Sony HD5 are good but the software is a complete dog. My only prob with the pod is battery life which isnt too hot.

22-04-2005, 14:29	#4
chic Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: glasgow Posts: 276	I the zen touch and i am very happy with it the sound quality is very good and the battery life is excellent, the touch pad is a pain though and is not as good as the ipod click wheel, however the other benefits of the itouch out weigh it. I found the software ok to use for transfering songs to the zen touch, just stick a cd in, it then can connect to its internet database to get the tags the it transfers to the zen touch, only takes a minute or 2 per cd

22-04-2005, 15:08	#5
Layby Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 47	I am also intersted in both players although i have been looking at the smaller members of their family (ipod mini + zen micro). Anyone have a comparison on battery life and know if you can connect either of them to a home cinema system?

22-04-2005, 16:31	#6
gerbilly Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 842	Yes via a 3.5 mini jack connector to 2 RCA connector. You can buy cheapos from Maplins for about 4 quid. However you can get better quality ones for around 20 quid. If you get the mini make sure you buy the dock as the line out from that vastly improves the sound quality.

22-04-2005, 16:32	#7
Daveoc64 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Bristol (BBC1 West) Posts: 15,143	The iPod mini has a longer battery life than the Zen Micro (18 hours VS 12 hours). The iPod mini can be connected to a home cinema using the dock.

22-04-2005, 20:02	#8
thejabba Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: London Posts: 459	iPod every time, navigation on iPod is superb, the touch wheel is superb, the whole operation is logic, and its apple meaning the product always looks great. Can't go wrong with the iPod. Everytime. Navigation is best things about iPod for me, it takes 2 mins to learn, iRiver is a bastard and sony is slow, zen's touch control is unpredictable and frustrating. iPod everytime.....

27-04-2005, 11:10	#9
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	That Creative Zen also can not play anything with a bit rate higher than 128 unlike the iPod which can play up to 320. 128 files sound terrible and are not CD quality.

27-04-2005, 13:37	#10
andysez Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 525	Quote: Originally Posted by flagship2 That Creative Zen also can not play anything with a bit rate higher than 128 unlike the iPod which can play up to 320. 128 files sound terrible and are not CD quality. I've encoded my CD collection using Windows Media Player, and it's playing stuff in the range of 128 - 320. the sound is bob on. I wouldn't fault it at all.

27-04-2005, 15:19	#11
on the air Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,028	I believe the Creative players will also very shortly be compatable with the Napster to go service as well, where you can store unlimited tracks for £14.95 a month.

27-04-2005, 18:59	#12
Richard_T Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: East Midlands Posts: 3,842	Quote: Originally Posted by flagship2 That Creative Zen also can not play anything with a bit rate higher than 128 unlike the iPod which can play up to 320. 128 files sound terrible and are not CD quality. I will agree that 128kbs MP3s sound bad, thats why most of my tracks are at 192kbs with a few at 320kbs. I dont know where you got your info from, but the Zen series of player will play MP3s between 32kbs and 320 kbs at constand bitrate, or variable bitrates. they will also play WMA files again at high, low or variable bitrates, with or without DRM protection, and uncompressed .WAV files.

27-04-2005, 20:20	#13
Dancc Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 50,507	I am also interested in buying one of these babies. Personally, the Creative Zen Micro looks like just what i'm after. Can anybody recommend where I should buy? (Preferably the cheapest)

27-04-2005, 22:08	#14
thejabba Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: London Posts: 459	I agree, 128kbps no way is fantastic CD quality at all. 192kbps AAC is the way forward, lowest bitrate of any serious reducing file size compression where the sound is crystal clear and all the energy from the song is there. Even though Apple claim 128kbps AAC is perfect try comparing it to a 192kbps import you'll notice that little extra energy to the music.

27-04-2005, 22:57	#15
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	Quote: Originally Posted by andysez I've encoded my CD collection using Windows Media Player, and it's playing stuff in the range of 128 - 320. the sound is bob on. I wouldn't fault it at all. On the Zen? It can't play above 128.

27-04-2005, 23:01	#16
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	Quote: Originally Posted by Richard_T I will agree that 128kbs MP3s sound bad, thats why most of my tracks are at 192kbs with a few at 320kbs. I dont know where you got your info from, but the Zen series of player will play MP3s between 32kbs and 320 kbs at constand bitrate, or variable bitrates. they will also play WMA files again at high, low or variable bitrates, with or without DRM protection, and uncompressed .WAV files. Maybe they changed the firmware on them to allow them because as far as I know they didn't. Any links to prove they can? The Creative site doesn't specifically say.

27-04-2005, 23:17	#17
Seawolf Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: West MIds Posts: 267	Quote: Originally Posted by flagship2 On the Zen? It can't play above 128. Sorry to disapoint you but........ I have one of these (the Micro Zen), and my average bit rate on the MP3's i burn is 192kps. I have also played 320kps files, wma ripped at 192kps. So i really don't know where you get your info from. Also see this, and look at the playback formats: http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/zen/zen_micro.htm

28-04-2005, 00:17	#18
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	Quote: Originally Posted by Seawolf Sorry to disapoint you but........ I have one of these (the Micro Zen), and my average bit rate on the MP3's i burn is 192kps. I have also played 320kps files, wma ripped at 192kps. So i really don't know where you get your info from. Also see this, and look at the playback formats: http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/zen/zen_micro.htm Does the player inidicate the bit rate it is actually playing at? Certainly Creative's site only mentions 128.

28-04-2005, 08:40	#19
andysez Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 525	Quote: Originally Posted by flagship2 Does the player inidicate the bit rate it is actually playing at? Certainly Creative's site only mentions 128. you can look at each files details on the Zens' screen. I constantly check to see what bitrate each file is when I'm playing songs, and most of my files are between 128 to 200+.

28-04-2005, 08:48	#20
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	Quote: Originally Posted by andysez you can look at each files details on the Zens' screen. I constantly check to see what bitrate each file is when I'm playing songs, and most of my files are between 128 to 200+. Creative then needs to really work on their marketing as they are confusing potential customers.

28-04-2005, 08:54	#21
on the air Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,028	Quote: Originally Posted by flagship2 Creative then needs to really work on their marketing as they are confusing potential customers. Where do creative claim that the Zen will not play above 128kbps?

DS Forums

apple ipod vs creative zen touch

28-04-2005, 10:17	#22
kevinhinnells Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: IOW Posts: 8	I recntly bought an 2nd Gen IPOD Mini. The sound quality is very good and it does all depend on the quality setting of your audio when you rip it. Unfortunatley you still can't beat the sound from a CD. -K

28-04-2005, 12:02	#23
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	Quote: Originally Posted by on the air Where do creative claim that the Zen will not play above 128kbps? Go look at their site and you can't find it saying anything above 128. Poor marketing.

28-04-2005, 12:03	#24
flagship2 Banned User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 583	Quote: Originally Posted by kevinhinnells I recntly bought an 2nd Gen IPOD Mini. The sound quality is very good and it does all depend on the quality setting of your audio when you rip it. Unfortunatley you still can't beat the sound from a CD. -K 320 is practically impossible to tell the difference between it and CD.

28-04-2005, 18:58	#25
Richard_T Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: East Midlands Posts: 3,842	Quote: Originally Posted by flagship2 Go look at their site and you can't find it saying anything above 128. Poor marketing. found it, under the products section, then under Zen micro, then under specifiation it says this Quote: General Specifications * Size (WxHxD): 51 mm x 84 mm x 19 mm * Weight: 108g with battery * Capacity: 5 GB * Power Source: Battery: 1 x Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, USB bus powered when connected to a power outlet or powered USB port on a computer * Battery Life: o MP3 128 kbps: Up to 12 hours of continuous playback with a full battery charge o WMA 64 kbps: Up to 12 hours of continuous playback with a full battery charge o FM radio: Up to 16 hours of continuous playtime with a full battery charge * Playback Formats: o MP3: Up to 320 kbps o WMA: Up to 320 kbps o WMA with Digital Rights Management (DRM) 9 * Recording Formats: o Voice (via built-in microphone): IMA ADPCM (16 kHz, Mono) o FM Radio: IMA ADPCM (22 kHz, Stereo) * FM Radio: Stereo and Mono o Up to 32 preset stations o FM region support, International: 87.5 MHz ~ 108.0 MHz, 100 kHz Intervals * MP3 Playback Performance: o Signal-to-Noise Ratio: Up to 98 dB o Channel Separation: Up to -70 dB o Frequency Response: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz o Harmonic Distortion Output: <0.1% * Connectors: o Headphone jack: 3.5 mm stereo minijack, 25mW per channel o USB 2.0 port: Standard USB mini-B receptacle o USB 2.0 (High speed) o USB 1.1 (Full speed) * LCD: 160 x 104 pixel display with white LED backlight * Earphone Specifications: o Frequency Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz o Sensitivity: 111 dB ±5 dB (I/P Level:1 mW) o Impedance: 32 Ω ±15% o Plug: 3.5 mm stereo minijack Warranty * 1-year limited hardware warranty ive highlighted the bit that tells you what bitrates it plays.