Creative Labs NOMAD MuVo² 4 GB MP3 Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have had my Muvo 4GB player for 3 weeks now and have been extremely pleased with it.This player fit my very specific needs.I have a large number of files that are MP3 and WMA (the latter purchased online), so I felt it was best to NOT get an iPod.
My previous mp3 player was a MagicStar 256MB, but wanted to upgrade because I found my commute to be longer, spent a lot of time in the car or metro, and became bored with listening to only the same 60 some songs over and over again.Plus, I go to the gym, and specifically wanted something durable and not have to worry about a huge spinning hard-drive.I wanted a player that was light, small, unnoticeable, but could deliver big on functionality.The Muvo definitely hit the spot with its 4GB Toshiba Micro-drive (v compact, durable, and high capacity).
First, this thing is SMALL and LIGHT... it fits perfectly in the closed unused ashtray of my car, keeping it out of site from prying eyes. I compared side-by-side with the new iPod 4GB, and the muvo is SUBSTANTIALLY smaller, lighter and compact. It probably weighs as much as my Siemens C56 cellphone.I currently have 500 songs loaded on there with 3 different playlists, and have used less than 2GB so far.
On the metro and in the gym, I use the included belt holster.Its very well structured and shock-proof, but the only drawback is that the buttons are inaccessible.I can overlook that drawback since I tend to use playlists or continually shuffle my music.
The buttons are small, and people with large fingers may have some difficulty.I have not had any problems manipulating the directional button (vol up/down, prev/next track), nor accessing the menu (push button straight down).A slightly annoying factor is that you need to hold the PLAY/PAUSE button down for 5 seconds straight in order to power on/off.
The menu is small but readable, but I don't really read it all the time since I'm always on the go.The backlight is blue, and ID3 tags for the songs scroll across when playing.The menu includes tools, playlist, playmode (shuffle, repeat, etc), EQ, delete, radio, and microphone.You navigate using the directional button. For my basic needs, I use playlist and shuffle.I delete files using Windows Explorer.
I ditched the included earbuds and use my own Koss Plugs.I did use the included earbuds for the first couple of days and found it to be sub-standard in sound and uncomfortable.
The sound from this unit is great... many different equalizer settings, but I set mine to Rock and don't use the other ones.With the right set of earplugs, the bass is nice and heavy, and the sound is very crisp.I use a cassette adapter in the car with the Muvo, and it sounds just as good.I've noticed a little hissing or distortion, but that's either because of the cassette adapter, not having the player set at the proper volume, or your unit needs is almost out of juice.Just play around with the unit to find the right balance.
The unit comes with a rechargable lithium ion battery.I was spoiled before because my last player was able to recharge via USB port.This battery gets a full charge in about 3 hrs with the included AC-adapter.I haven't really pushed (nor paid attention) to the full claimed 10 hour charge.Let's just say, I recharge every 2-3 days of my everyday activities.I recommend plugging in your unit to the charger when doing large song transfers; those tend to eat a lot of juice. Oh, and the battery COMES OUT, meaning that you can replace or buy an extra one if needed.The iPod batteries are non-removeable.
I use MusicMatch and am able to do file/playlist transfers using the "import to portable" function in MMJB. It takes some getting used to... I initially would set up playlist folders on the Muvo using Windows Explorer, and import my playlists into each discrete folder with the proper m3u file.If I did not set up playlist folders with the m3u files, the unit would randomly read any existing mp3s in its memory regardless of playlist.I've toyed with the included Creative MediaSource software, and it is a little clumsy with too many frames and windows going on.Stick with what you're comfortable with because everything is drag and drop. You could just use Windows Explorer to drag and drop your files and m3u's directly to the Muvo, but if you do a straight drag-and-drop of your music files only, the player will play them alphabetically according to ID3 tag. File transfer by USB 2.0 is SUPER FAST. I was able to transfer my current 2GB of files on there in about 10 mins or so. I wasn't paying attention to exact duration because I was getting ready to leave and needed to do this on the fly before I left!It did the job superbly.
I ran a recovery once on the unit because it froze during a transfer and the drive became undetectable to my notebook. When in doubt, there is a small pinhole in the back of the unit that will reset your unit to original state.
I do recommend that you upgrade to the the firmware: http://www.nomadworld.com/downloads/firmware/
User manuals, support, etc are available on this website.
PROS:
- extremely small and light (moreso than the iPod)
- Great sound
- Huge capacity with a very durable and dependable microdrive (I've dropped this thing a few times with no probs at all)
- Long battery life
- Works with MMJB
- Inexpensive compared to other comparable players
- its not an iPod! Be different!
CONS:
- Small buttons take some getting used to
- Small screen
- does not support AAC files (for iTunes users out there)
- Playlist transfer (.m3u files) is not intuitive unless you play around with it and properly set up the folders just right
- Does not charge via USB (there aren't many out there that do that to begin with, and I was spoiled by my MagicStar)
I am extremely happy with this item and highly recommend it to people always on the go (commuters, gym, school, driving) and for people who are tough on their toys (toss in the bag, car, drop, etc).Great value. I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars for minor quirks.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Creative Labs NOMAD MuVo² 4 GB MP3 Player

Product Description:
The Creative NOMAD® MuVo² combines cutting-edge 1" hard disk drive storage, high-speed USB 2.0 and superb sound quality in a remarkably compact, easy to use package. Grab it, load it, clip it on your belt and you're all set to go!Holds up to 128 hrs WMA / 64 hrs MP3 songsHuge hard drive capacity in a flash memory sized player allows you to carry all your music with you in a tiny digital music player.High fidelity 98dB SNRCrystal clear sound with full bass and exhilirating highs.Creative is the recognized leader in audio sound quality among portable MP3 and WMA players.Removable Li-ion battery - Charge through USB connection or with power adapterUp to 14 hrs continuous playback on a single charge.The removable battery allows you to carry a spare for unmatched playback time.Easy-to-Use - Drag and drop filesTrue plug-and-play simplicity.The NOMAD MuVo² 4GB is automatically detected as a removable disk by Windows.Transfering files to and from the MuVo² is as simple as dragging and dropping files within Windows Explorer.Or use Creative's easy to use and comprehensive Mediasource™ software to rip your CDs to MP2 or WMA, create playlists and transfer them to your MuVo².Super fast USB 2.0Transfer a song a second with super fast USB 2.0.Load your music collection in a matter of minutes.Compatible with USB 1.1.Music management softwareNew to digital music?Creative's Medisource™ software (included) has everything you need to get started.Rip your CD's to MP3 or WMA with automatic ID3 tag labeling via free online CDDB (CD Data Base), add tracks downloaded from a variety of online music services, create playlists, transfer them to your MuVo² and you're ready to go.