Sep 14, 2008 02:38 PM
4655 Views
What looks like a polished granite pebble, weighs just 18 grams and churns out better quality music than most high-end portables? Without doubt, it's got to be Creative Lab's Zen Stone Plus mp3/WMA music player.
After auditioning several mp3 flash players, I purchased a 1GB Zen Stone Plus in December 2007 at a Creative authorized retailer in Chennai. I paid Rs. 2200/- when the MRP printed on the box said Rs. 3990/- (including all taxes)!
The reason for picking the Zen Stone Plus, over other similar capacity music only devices from Apple, Phillips, Samsung, iRiver and a few others, was merely for its surprisingly stunning sound quality - deep bass, warm mids, pristine treble. Forget digital, this is almost analogue-like sound quality, the kind of sound that I am used to with my more expensive Sony Discman (CDs) or my Walkman Pro (cassette tapes). The nice clean pebble-like feel, compactness, ultra lightweight, O-LED screen, a FM radio and a few other things thrown in has to be considered added bonuses.
Though my initial listens were through the supplied earphones, I realized that the sound could be even better if I used some quality lightweight headphones. Secondly, earphones are something I'm not used to and I find myself constantly fidgeting with them for correct fit/placement and sometimes they just fall off with a nod of the head. And then there is a question of hygiene when you want to pass it on to a friend for a listen - it's like lending your toothbrush! Yes, I did realize that I was going to loose a bit of playtime on the Zen Stone due to the higher battery drain when I use headphones with bigger magnets. It was worth a try and I did not mind shorter playtimes.
The lightweight Sony MDR-51 headphone (23 grams - supplied with Sony's Walkman Pro) was pressed into service. What was already quite decent turned into audio bliss, most certainly close to audiophile territory. Frankly, I did not expect what I heard. With the Sony headphones and the volume set around 70%, (as opposed to 40% with supplied earphones for the same volume levels) I get about 4 hours of music on a full charge. Not too bad, it will cover all morning jogs and most domestic flights.
Most music on the Zen Stone are from my CD collection or downloaded from C-Net's free music download site. The conversion rate to the mp3 format at 256K of higher. Anything lower, I don't go near it. Though you can transfer mp3 or wma files directly from any source, the Zen software Creative Media Lite (downloadable from Creative Lab website) provides for easy way to transfer mp3/wav files from you PC to the Zen Stone Plus via the supplied USB cable which just 5 inches long. The Media Lite software also displays battery levels. Charging the embedded lithium-ion battery is also done via the same 5 inch long USB cable. If you have USB ports located only on the rear of your PC cabinet, you will have to buy a longer USB cable.
There is one BIG hiccup here - the transfer rates are extremely slow. Ten songs (mp3 files), say at an average 8K size at 256K resolution, takes about 7 to 8 minutes. I'll understand if it was a hard-disc recorder, but for a flash recorder this is really slow.
So far so good. What's on the downside? I had is a severe problem with the built-in battery pack and power retention. The Zen Stone that I am currently using, is the (read my lips) THIRD unit replaced by Chennai distributor IDLDPL.
The first unit, purchased in Dec 2007, failed to charge the battery even within one month of use. It will also not power-up when switched on. Sort of dead. The unit was replaced in Jan 2008 with a new one. The second unit worked fine until mid July. This unit will charge the battery only up to 20% to 25% of capacity and when not in use, the battery will drain to zero.
The second Zen Stone Plus was replaced yet again with another new one. Now the third unit seems to be working fine, but with just one problem. When left unused for more than two days, the battery drains to zero. All I can say is, either I am a person with no luck or Creative Lab has put out a lemon on the market. Since both replacements (with a chance for a third) were done within the warranty period of the product, I have been able to get free replacements. What happens when I run out of warranty? Throw it and get an iPod?
Plus
Minus
power/battery problems
slow file transfer rates
tacky controls
supplied earphones just on par
supplied USB cable very short
no built-in clip (skin with clip or key chain is available as an accessory)
