Creative ZEN

The ZEN is a family of portable media player models of which three are particularly suited to milonga DJing. It is also called Creative ZEN after its manufacturer, and ZEN Classic to disambiguate with respect to other Creative families - ZEN MX, ZEN X-Fi, ZEN Style etc.

The ZEN family models are operationally identical, differing only in storage capacity (2 to 32Gb) and colour.

Features

Features making the ZEN well-suited to milonga DJing are:

• high-quality audio
• robustness and high-quality construction
• solid state (not hard drive) storage, for reliability and robustness
• optionally powered by internal battery (eliminating cable-borne electrical interference) with capacity of at least 20 hours.
• storage capacity up to 32Gb, 96% of which is available for content e.g. 8Gb (1,600 tracks compressed at 256kbps), 16Gb and 32Gb.
• accepts lossless (uncompressed) audio format (WAV including metadata), though not lossless compressed
• 2.5-inch display with large bright clear white-on-black lettering
• physical buttons, not "touch" buttons or wheel
• five-band EQ
• digital clock always on-screen during use
• main menu customisable to show only the items needed for DJing, hiding the player's other functions such as FM Radio, Recording, Videos etc.
• alphabetic 'thumb index' for rapid pages (scroll-free) navigation of lists
• user-configurable shortcut button for rapid adding of tracks in on-the-fly DJing
• separate menu for rapid access to pre-chosen curtains ('Highly Rated')
• on-the-fly set creation by addition of individual tracks or tandas from custom picklists, tanda playlists or setlists
• single-track playback mode letting DJ manually start each track play
• clear graphical display of time to end of current track
• ability to retain the on-the-fly setlist and transfer it to computer, for recordkeeping or setblogging
• user-installable firmware update to remove the EU statutory volume limit, maximising signal level to PA
• Management on PC without requiring manufacturer's own software, using standard music librarian programs e.g. MediaMonkey
• comprehensive documentation

Limitations

• Charge meter can show 10% remaining when charge is almost at zero.
• The SD Card option's functionality is minimal, leaving this option not useful for DJing.
• On two units, queuing an All Tracks list of 1950 tracks once caused a freeze which required reset. This happens apparently only under certain conditions, unrecorded.

Purchasing

The ZEN is no longer manufactured and so rarely for sale new, but used units are frequently offered on eBay, found using e.g. this focussed search[1].

Choosing model and condition

The 8Gb model is sufficient for most DJing, holding 1000 dance tracks and a selection of curtains using 256kbps compression. 16Gb allows as many tracks and curtains as most DJs would ever need, and 32Gb allows the same as 8Gb but in lossless format.

Blemishes on the screen - scratches and scuffs - are rarely an impediment for DJing. Damage elsewhere suggests past rough handling and hence greater likelihood of functional damage, including in ways invisible but shortening life.

Judging offers

• Verify the offer text identifies the model as Creative ZEN or ZEN Classic. Avoid models named ZEN plus another word e.g. ZEN Style, given these are other families.
• Verify the text identifies the capacity e.g. ZEN 8Gb.
• Verify the photos show a ZEN [2] not one of the other ZEN families and in particular not the similar-looking ZEN MX [3] which is distinguished by a power button icon (ring) on the bottom-right button [4].
• An offer saying ZEN MX in the text but showing ZEN in the photos is likely for a mis-described ZEN, so consider asking seller to correct the description - on the offer page, not just in private message.
• Don't be put off by firmware version earlier than the latest, 1.20.03 or 1.20.03e, given you can easily update the firmware to the latest.
• On eBay verify Condition is "New", "Opened – never used", "<some> Refurbished" or "Used", given these are defined as fully working [5], not "For parts or not working" or similar. Elsewhere, verify description says "fully working", "tested working" or equivalent, not "not working", "parts only", "for parts" or equivalent.
• Favour offers with many photos e.g. of all six faces of the unit, since this shows the seller has nothing to hide.
• Don't be put off by missing accessories, user guide and packaging, given the only ones needed for DJing are easy obtainable separately.
• Favour a unit in a case, given these are less likely to have suffered from rough handling.
• Favour seller in the UK and unit shipping from UK, to reduce chance of delivery problems.
• Obviously, consider the seller's rating/reviews.

Health-checking a newly-purchased unit

• Ensure the unit's charge indicator at screen top right shows green - by charging if needed.
• Verify played music is audible through connected earphones or PA. (If no track is present, first add an MP3, WMA, M4A or WAV to the Music folder e.g. by Windows Explorer drag and drop.)
• Verify the output jack socket is intact e.g. that wiggling the plug does not interrupt the output signal.
• Verify the USB socket is intact e.g. connect to external power and verify wiggling the plug does not interrupt the charging icon
• Verify the battery holds sufficient charge e.g. after a full charge, disconnect external power and play tracks for a sufficient time.
• Verify operation of all buttons, including the shortcut button and the power/lock switch, ensuring that each of the four direction pad buttons operates only its correct direction e.g. when navigating a list having an alphabet bar.
• Verify no pattern of coloured bars or dots on the screen that remain fixed as content changes, given this is a permanent screen fault.
• Verify the unit can be nearly to capacity with tracks from a PC (using e.g. Windows Explorer drag and drop to the unit's Music folder, or MediaMonkey) and that the number of tracks showing on System > Information matches the number sent.
• Verify clock time and date persist correctly by setting both to something different, powering the ZEN off and on again, and verifying the clock and time have not reverted.
• Don't be alarmed by a soft rattle when the ZEN is shaken, given years of time decay the adhesive used to hold the internal battery in place, which is not a problem for DJing.
• Note: bulging of the unit's rear face indicates battery decay which is likely soon to end the player's life.

Accessories

For DJing, the following accessories are needed:

• An audio lead to connect the player's 3.5mm stereo jack socket to the PA.
• Optionally a power supply unit, to power the player in use and/or to charge it. (The player may alternatively be powered by its internal battery, and charged by USB cable from computer.) The mains power supply unit offered by the manufacturer has output 5V and 0-1.5A, so any model with output 5V and at least 1.5A will suffice. Alternatively use a portable power bank of the type sold for mobile phones.
• Optionally a USB lead, to connect to the PC for data transfer and/or to a power supply unit for power and/or charging. The USB lead provided by the manufacturer is Type-B plug (for player) to Type-A plug (for computer), and 10cm long. For reliable data transfer particularly with older computers, any replacement lead should be no longer. For powering/charging, any length is suitable.

Reference info

• Creative ZEN on Wikipedia|[6]
• Creative ZEN User Guide, Firmware and Support articles [7]