Creative ZEN Vision:M 30GB MP3 / Multi-Media Player - Black  

 

 

Create your own review

I have been looking to buy an MP3 player for quite a while, desperately searching for something which doesn't tie me into the iPod/iTunes monopoly. I reviewed and tried many different products (from Apple, Cowon, Sony etc) and finally decided on the Vision M - and boy, am I glad I did!

The unit is sleek (if a little thicker than the iPod), good looking with a truly fantastic screen (far better than any Apple) and outstanding sound quality, even through the provided earphones. The user interface is a breeze - it takes about 2 minutes to get familiar with it, even without the manual - and has some nice touches such as the DJ functions (most played, album of the day etc.). Viewing photos & videos is excellent and the player can handle a great number of audio, picture & video formats which is a real plus. No need to be tied to a particular content provider (unlike Sony & Apple) - which in my view is an excellent thing! The built in radio (another reason for buying) is excellent with 32 presets and good sound quality.

If I have a few minor gripes, they would be:

1) The "Search By All artists" lists absolutely every artist, including each artist on a compilation album - it would be good to limit this to just the main artist of an album
2)The plastic finish on the front will get tiny scratches quite easily. Personally I think that Creative should have used their "satin" finish on the back of the player for the whole thing - it is lovely and doesn't scratch at all
3)Lack of accessories - still fairly limited accessories - though with built in radio etc., this is not a big deal.
4)Trouble loading software - it took me a while to get my computer to recognise the player, though Creative's excellent support forums and e-mail support quickly resolved my issues
5) No Screen Lock - this would be an excellent security addition and should be easy enough to programme - there is, after all, the option to have "hidden" folders with a 4-digit lock code. Come on, Creative - give us this in your next firmware upgrade!

All in all, I'm delighted with my purchase - this is a fantastic bit of kit. If you, like me, want to avoid being an iPod-following sheep, then buy the best player on the market!

I wanted an mp3 player to save me lugging all of my CDs up to my new house in September (student), and since I had heard bad stories about the iPods, I opted for this.

It's a little more expensive but is definately worth the extra money. The player is very simple to use, although a quick browse through the manual will definately help you out since the menu system can seem pretty bizarre at first.

The picture and sound quality is absolutely amazing - I was expecting a slightly above-average mobile phone screen, but after watching a few music videos on this thing I was stunned.

The firmware for me was a bit tricky to upgrade, and I had to reset the player once I had done it because it got stuck in the 'Docked' state (ie, it thought it was connected to the computer), but pressing the reset button only tells the player to turn itself off completely and then back on, so you don't lose any of your files.

You can customise the player's menus and settings very easily through the system menu, and you can even set your own wallpapers, which is a nice feature (pick a good contrast one though, since you can only change the text colour by changing the whole theme).

The sound quality is superb, you won't tell the difference between the player and an ordinary CD, and the radio is pretty good too. It's not a DAB radio though, which would have been a brilliant feature to have, but if you're within the range of a radio station the quality should be ok. You can record the radio too, which is always good. I haven't used the built in mic yet but other reviews have said it's good quality.

My only gripe is that the player doesn't come with a decent protecting case. Seriously, you'd think they'd come as standard now. Instead you get some stupid looking leather pouch, which is basically useless since you have to take the player out completely to use it, and you can't even attach the pouch to anything anyway. Absolutely no reason for it to be included. The 'screen protector' which is stuck on by default is one of those little rubbery things you sometimes see on wrist watches and gameboy screens etc. Mine came with two little air bubbles which don't really interfere with the display at all, but I'll have to live with because there's no way I'm taking it off until I get a decent carry case for it. Just read other reviews to see how easy this thing is to scratch, I've been lucky so far and it's in mint condition. I would recommend you buy a decent carry case / screen protector at the same time as you buy this.

Overall it's a fantastic player and the software works flawlessly, even though my brother has a different Creative mp3 player installed too. No conflicts whatsoever. Oh, but do turn off your antivirus while you're installing, as it will slow right down. It's very easy to sync, (just click 'sync', how hard is that?), and you can also download 'ZenCasts', which are essentially podcasts. You can also flag tracks to buy from ZenCasts, by pressing the bottom right button and then scrolling down. I assume it works by opening up the store the next time you connect the player to your PC.

Definately buy this over the iPod, you won't regret it.

I knew creative were good, but I never thought they could be this good. I've had the vision m for a while now and every day it just gets better. The screen is amazing and the video player so cool. I've been watching lost on it the quality is unreal. The screen resolution is impecable.Having seen the video ipods i can definitely confirm that the creative far surpasses it. The battery life does exactly what it says on the tin, great for music, maybe not fantastic for video, but for such a stylish little piece, what more can you expect. The touch pad is easy to control and the whole system is simple to navigate through. Transferring your media onto it is very simple as it accepts most formats so rarely is conversion necessary. The radio player is also a nice bonus as there are virtually no other mp3 players except creatives with them. I cannot fault it. Definitely a quality purchase.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 326 customer reviews...

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative Zen : Vision M 30GB
This is beyond the best mp3 player i have ever owned and by far the best company when dealing with issues with a product! Read more

Published 11 months ago by orange.organic

4.0 out of 5 stars creative zen 30gb
I was pleased with the big screen and being able to save photos on to it.
i have had this product for over 2 years and still havent filled it all up.

Published 11 months ago by glitteriefire

5.0 out of 5 stars The most reliable MP3 player EVER!
I'll keep this short, simple and sweet just to put the basic message across ...

The creative zen vision: M is by far the best MP3 player I have ever bought! Read more

Published 11 months ago by M. Vandervelden

5.0 out of 5 stars Still doing the business
Had my Zen 60G for about 5 years now and it still works like new. I really don't subscribe to the Apple thing and find this machine does everything I want and rarely has a problem... Read more

Published 11 months ago by Mr. S. Burgess

5.0 out of 5 stars Punchy player rocks like thunder
This player belts out volume with great sharp quality.
It is robust - I've dropped it several times and not even a scratch. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Mr. Philip J. Greenwood

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC
Quite simple I had bought 2 30 gig Ipod videos about 1 or 2 years back THEY BOTH FAILED!!!!! so i changed to this little gem. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Sammy

5.0 out of 5 stars awsome player
Ok I'v had the 60gb version of this for 3 years now and i cant fault it! put it this way I still use it every day at work and home. Read more

Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Mr. Justin Hodges

4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Probably should have bought an ipod. Its the old Betamax VHS thing where the best product fails to capture the market

Published on 15 Dec 2009 by Terence Scott

5.0 out of 5 stars Seems Big for 2010
I have been using the ZEN:M for nearly 4 years now, and i think it has to be one of the best mp3 player there has been. Read more

Published on 2 Dec 2009 by Michael Sheriff

1.0 out of 5 stars Great until screen breaks (and it will)
I had this for several months and thought it was a great product (thumb pad takes a bit of getting used to). Read more

Published on 29 July 2009 by S. Watson

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 326 customer reviews...

Search Listmania!