Specifications

The player breakdown

• Cirrus Logic Maverick EP7212
  • ARM720T CPU Core
  • Dynamically programmable clock speeds of 18, 36, 49, and 74 MHz at 2.5V
  • Intel Pentium 100 MHz performance-class
  • Native MP3 (320kbps VBR), WMA, and 16-bit WAV playback
• Texas Instruments TPA122 OP-AMP
  • 100 mW headphone output
  • greater than 90 dB SNR
  • less than 0.1% THD
• Crystal CS4341 24-bit/96kHz DAC
• Fujitsu 6GB 4200 rpm hard drive with proprietary filesystem
• Backlit 132x64 LCD
• 8MB DRAM buffer
• Crystal CS4341 24-bit/96kHz DAC
• EAX Environmental Effects including Parametric Equalization
• 2 line outputs for front/rear speaker
• Line-In recording (ADPCM compression)
• Approximately 4 hours playback time on a full charge (128kbps MP3s)
• IRDA-compliant infrared port

System Requirements

• Windows 98/2000/ME
• MacOS 8.6+
• USB port

Bundled Accessories

• Two 4-packs of 1800mA NiMH AA rechargeable batteries
• Behind-the-neck stereo headphones
• AC adapter
• Carrying pouch
• USB cable
• Nomad PlayCenter software

Optional Creative Labs Accessories

• Leather Case
• Premium Carrying Case
• Speakers

The included carrying case

The optional case looks much better

Accessories from NomadJukebox.NET

• 20GB Fujitsu hard drive formatted with Creative Labs' proprietary filesystem
• 30GB Toshiba hard drive formatted with Creative Labs' proprietary filesystem

The value-priced Nomad Jukebox C only offers one set of batteries, and does not include the headphones or carrying pouch.

Cliff's Notes

When I discovered that the Nomad Jukebox uses the CS4341 26-bit/96kHz DAC, I was hoping that that unit would play 24-bit/96kHz WAV files. Unfortunately it does not. The high resolution DAC is only used to decode regular 16-bit/48kHz sound files.

The 1800mA NiMH AA batteries might be worth their weight in gold to some people. Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are fully rechargeable and do not suffer from memory effects. Although NiMH batteries are only 1.2V, these are ideal for high drain devices the technology is widely used in digital cameras. That is, while the NiMH batteries lasted around 4 hours in our tests, regular alkaline batteries fail after a few minutes. What makes Creative Labs' batteries so special is the 1800mA rating. Most of the NiMH batteries you see in stores are 1500 to 1600mA.