Creative’s MP3-CD Player

The advantage of this one over other portable music players is its ability to playback audio and MP3 CDs; most others can do either of the two. It has an electronic shock-protection system that buffers 120 and 45 secs of music for MP3 and audio CDs.

This worked well and prevented jitters in music when we subjected the player to extensive shaking. A bar graph on the LCD panel displays the remaining buffer time. Audio playback is crystal clear, though it doesn’t have equalizers. There is no backlighting on the LCD panel. The earphones are comfortable to wear over long periods. One problem is that sometimes the player doesn’t skip corrupt or damaged areas of a CD, and just hangs. 

The display gives extensive information, and you can create playlists of up to 30 songs. It works with two standard Alkaline batteries for up to 13 hrs, or with an external 4.5 Volts power adapter. Unfortunately, the latter was not provided with the player. Other good features include a locking system to avoid accidental pressing of buttons, a line-out to connect to a sound card or audio amplifier and a button to skip 10 tracks at a time. All buttons, however, are rickety; soft-touch would’ve been better. The player comes with a wired remote that works fine, but for the volume dial which is uncomfortably placed. Being a portable player, it ought to have a belt clip, which is missing. Overall, a useful device for enjoying loads of music when on the move, though a little expensive. 

Ankit Khare