Creative Technology Zen Micro Dark Blue (5 GB) MP3 Player

Before buying the Zen Micro, I did a fair amount of research on the available small MP3 players in the 5GB range. There are quite a few things about the Zen Micro that convinced me to buy it, and only a few downsides.

While shopping around, I compared the Zen Micro primarily with the Ipod Mini, and the iRiver H10 5GB. This review not only details some of my findings while researching, but is also based on my personal experiences with the Zen Micro.

First and foremost, I've found the Zen Micro to have the best and loudest sound quality. (PCMag has measured about 115db for the Micro, with only 104-109db with the Ipod Mini) I love my music loud, and a pet peeve of mine was cranking a portable player, and still being able to hear the world around me. At the same time, nothing is worse than a player that is loud, but distorts sound at high volume. The Zen Micro has neither of these problems, with crystal clear sound quality at high volume.

Part of the reason for the good sound quality in the Zen Micro are the ear buds. These are by far the best ear buds I've used in a portable player, with only one small problem. The buds are slightly larger than a normal ear bud, and have been known to cause mild discomfort after prolonged use (I've not personally had trouble with this though).

I also really like the size and shape of the Zen Micro. It's a bit shorter and fatter than other 5GB portables, and I find that it fits very comfortably in the palm of my hand. It could be a bit thinner but it's not bad.

I like the touch interface of the Zen Micro better than the iPod (The iRiver has a similar touch interface to the Zen Micro). I find the vertical touch pad much more comfortable than the circular iPod mini touch pad (I have friends who get sore thumbs and cramps from using the iPod touch pad). I did find the touch pad to be a bit too sensitive at first, but you can adjust the sensitivity. Once I lowered the sensitivity, I quickly got used to it.

The menu system I find to be more intuitive and easier to use than either the iRiver or the iPod. You can add to and create playlists while music is playing, which is definitely a plus, although for larger playlist creation, you'll probably want to hook it up to the computer and use the file management software that is packaged with the player.

One of the downsides of the Zen Micro is the file transfer speed when moving music onto the player. It is a bit slower than the iPod, but this was a minor concern for me. With 5GB of space, I only need to transfer music occasionally.

Another downside of the player is the battery. While it is supposed to last for 12 hours, for me it only seems to last for about 7-8 hours, although I do play it quite loud (20 out of 25 volume on average). A minor pet peeve of mine is that, while I can listen to music and charge the player at the same, and I can listen to music and transfer music at the same time; I can't charge the player and transfer music at the same time. This is because the power adapter and the USB cable both plug into the same port on the player.

The player comes with a hard, open faced protective case, which I really like. It protects the player well, and yet allows easy access to the interface.

Over all, I give this player 5/5. I really like it, and recommend it to all my friends.

adien01