Digital Trends

Creative Labs Zen Nano Plus (1GB) October 18th, 2005 | by Brandon King

Setup and Use

Sound quality is very good, with crisp, clear sound throughout the entire spectrum. We experienced some distortion on the low end when using the equalizer settings that boost bass. The Nano was able to drive any headphones we threw at it. We auditioned the Nano with several headphones: the Koss KSC-75s, Sennheiser HD580s, and Etymotic Er-6i, as well as the included earbuds. Surprisingly, the earbuds were not as bad as most of the others we have had the displeasure of using. While all of our headphones easily outperformed the packaged buds, we found them to have better range and clarity than those bundled with the iPod, the Playstation Portable, and various other portable electronics released in the last two years.

The user interface does leave a little to be desired. Music navigation is quick and easy, but once you try to use other features, the submenus can be confusing and difficult to access. We had trouble switching from recording mode to playback mode, and vice versa, without consulting the manual. After a brief acclimation period, though, there was no trouble. The screen is small and somewhat difficult to read, but still a welcome addition. The settings menu allows the user to change backlight timing, contrast, and orientation, as well as language and the idle power off interval.

How does the Creative Nano stack up? Compared to its Apple namesake, there appears to be a disconnect. Obviously, the Apple Nano holds more music and has a nicely colored LCD. But the Creative Nano is smaller, more rugged (read: a better workout option), and has built-in recording options. Plus, you get an armband and neck strap. But for just slightly more than the Creative Nano, you can get the higher capacity Apple Nano. In short, it all depends on use. The Creative Nano is intended to compete more with smaller flash-based MP3 players like the Apple Shuffle. While the Shuffle barely takes the price crown, if you tack on the price for the armband, the Creative Nano is a cheaper option—and it includes screen plus encoding capabilities. Another factor to consider is that the Creative Nano is a Mass Storage device, so there's no proprietary software keeping you from using any number of options for organization and syncing your tunes.