Creative Zen X-Fi Style

One for the audiophiles

Portable Media Player Review: Creative Zen X-Fi Style

by May Chua

05:55 AM Jun 04, 2010

When the black 8GB Creative Zen X-Fi Style review unit arrived, it looked to me like any other non-Apple MP3 player. But once I plugged in the earphones, my impression changed.

This gadget sports Creative's audio-enhancing X-Fi technology. The X-Fi Crystallizer restores details lost during file compression and the X-Fi Expand gives the audio a more live feel. You can switch any of these features on or off, and adjust the levels according to the effects you want to achieve.

With the X-Fi Crystallizer on, I could hear more details in the sound - nuances I hadn't noticed in songs I'd heard countless times before. The difference is the aural equivalent of watching a YouTube video in high definition instead of standard definition. However, I only noticed the extent of the audio quality boost when I was in quieter environments.

The X-Fi Expand option seems to work best on songs recorded during live performances, making them sound more realistic and closer to the concert experience. On other songs, turning this on just gives them a strange echo-ey effect.

When the X-Fi features are set to high levels, songs that are heavy on drum beats tend to produce a slight crackling noise.

For videos, audio quality is almost as good as that for song files. The effect felt less impressive when I listened to the radio, but I did experience cleaner and clearer sound.

The built-in speakers were much softer than those on my feature phone, making them too soft to be heard properly in open areas.

You can view photos and videos on the 2.4-inch TFT display. As someone who has been spoiled by the larger and brighter screens on smart phones, I found the experience mediocre.

Besides the usual features, such as an alarm and a voice recorder, the X-Fi Style can also display RSS feeds downloaded on your computer and synced to the player. It's a good time killer, but opening some of the items from one of my feeds took two minutes. So, you have to be patient.

The Zen X-Fi Style may look like a plain Jane, but it does its job beautifully. And the best part is, the X-Fi technology gives you high-quality audio without costing a pretty penny.

The player is priced at $159 (8GB), $199 (16GB) and $249 (32GB). It is available in black and white. Red versions of the 8GB and 16GB models can be ordered from www.creative.com/shop. May Chua

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