4GB Zen V (not plus) or Samsung YP-Z5??help!

[Roo]

I really like the looks of the 4gb Zen V (not plus) however im concerned about the freezing problem reported. The samsung YP-Z5 has also grabbed my attention and seems flawless. I Dont want to buy something i will have to send back...will the firmware work on the Zen V (not plus)?
All opinions and help much appreciated. Thanks

[CrowdAds]

[ZenChick]

Hi, Roo!

Zen players traditionally have strange issues with the included firmware, but are almost always corrected with a firmware update. If you get the Zen V, be sure to download the latest available firmware version from Creative's support site and install it first thing. Installing firmware is very easy: You download it, plug in your Zen, then double-click the downloaded firmware file. The rest is automatic.

[the_hackman]

I've had my Zen V Plus lockup once since purchasing it on 12/27. It was corrected by inserting a paper clip into the 'reset' hole. I checked for a firmware update the moment I connected it, but it already had the latest from the factory. Almost every piece of electronic equipment I have owned over the past several years has displayed at least one anomaly. Don't let that get you down. I don't know about the Samsung, but the Zen V is one marvelous piece of equipment.

[Lifter59]

I have owned both devices (my Samsung met an untimely end at the jaws of my Basset Hound). I can say that they both offer very good sound, stable performance and very respectable playing times. However, both have their share of quirks. I would suggest that you read both forums and get a feel for what people encounter.

That said, you will probably find better pricing for the Creative device (the non-V is far less popular than the V) but shop around as YMMV.

Good Luck.

[wtd]

@Lifter
I've noticed in your signature that you owns both, sansa and zen V, could you make a short comparison between them? My sansa(e270) has broken down and I've send it back to the store, now I'm wondering if I should get another e270 hoping it'll be ok, or should I pick the zen V? They cost similar and I'm not sure if zen is worth having 2GB less.

[drspark61]

I owned a Sansa e260 prior to getting my Zen V+. I prefer the Zen due to its smaller size, durability and simple yet powerful interface. But the single overriding factor for me was sound quaity. I felt that the Sansa had inferior sound quality. The system noise that the Sansa makes when it is loading/buffering tracks drove me crazy. There are trade-offs, for sure. The Zen has shorter battery life (and no user-replaceable battery) and no FM recording capability. On the other hand, with the Zen you get line-in recording, PIM capability and a lot of options for customizing.

[wtd]

While my sansa is sent away I'm using muvo tx (it really isn't funny -.-) and system noises here are really annoying, not only while buffering tracks, but also while playing tracks, it's kinda fu**ed up, sometimes these noises are louder than (silent) music. I believe Zen V doesn't have problems like muvo. No fm recording don't bother me, I have EU sansa and don't have radio built in so, zen looks better, and as far as I've noticed playing with it in store, it's much easier to use, buttons which are flanking the wheel in sansa are hard to press to press, this small joystick in zen is a lot better. But anyway I decided to give my sansa other chance, sent it back to the store and demanded a new one (one question according to it, If I updated my sansa with sansa updater, then in service mode get previous firmware back, and then updated once again, can they tell me that I've broken player by my own and refuse warranty repair?)