FM Tuner
64 MB built in plus expansion slot
Sounds great

Button layout is horrible

I bought this unit to use while biking/running/skiing and it serves my purposes perfectly. It is tiny and light and, unlike a cd or tape player, plays without skips and slurs in any conditions, even extreme cold.

The MG is a breeze to set up and use; I don't really like the included software though, and use Music Match Jukebox to download files instead. It seems to take only a minute or two to download an hour of music.

I love the fact that there is a built in FM tuner, and that you can record from FM, although the recording quality is really bad (OK for talk radio, but terrible for music). The biggest downside is the button layout - the buttons are tiny and on two opposite edges of the unit, so when you try to press one of them, you usually hit 2 or 3. But if you just want to hit play and go, then use the lock button and everything be fine.

Great sound, fantastic menu system, tons of great features, expandability

Fairly weak FM radio reception, uncomfortable and bulky headphones, quirky firmware

This is truly one of the very best mp3 players available on the market now. Sound is fantastic. The Menu system will remind you of the most basic GUI's of Windows (or a MAC :) Painfully easy, with a button on the unit to perform every important task. The internal program that the unit uses to create this menu and perform it's other features is upgradable on the Creative website, meaning this unit will be on the cutting edge of technology for a long time. I also found the voice recording feature extremely useful at work. Dont use the FM function to often, but if you're holding the device it works fairly well (since it's using you as an antenna).

The software included with the device includes a beefy copy of MusicMatch Jukebox (available at musicmatch.com) and the Nomad Manager. They are both solid pieces of software, easy to use and powerful. After upgrading my firmware on the Creative website, I was able to convert mp3 files to WMA format using Jukebox before sending them to the Nomad. For those of you unfarmiliar with this format (wma), WMA stands for Windows Media Format, very similar to mp3 but it takes less space for the same quality song. I can fit 1.5 hours of music on my 64 meg memory chip, with 10 minutes of recordable voice available without sacrificing any audio quality.

I've used AudioReview many times before selecting audio products, and I felt it was time to give something back to this great community by informing them about a great product. For those interested, this is my first home audio system. I'm off to a great start thanks to Audioreview!

Reciever: Onkyo TX-DS575
CD Player: Denon DCM370
Front Speakers: Infinity IL10's
Rear Speakers: None
Subwoofer: Velodyne CT120
Cables: Monster

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None, many reviewed

size, style, fascia, folding phones, rechargeable docking station, usb connectivity, Dig Voice record function, fm reception, software upgrade for future formats......

Phones, buttons are not as easy to access when in the carring case, no am ability!?, quite expensive

The price of this product kept me from jumping in right away. But all the great things i'd heard about the mg2 are very true. The unit is the best there currently is on the market. And when one considers you could spend an extra $100 for a dig voice recorder of this quality and diminutive stature, another $75 for a descent walkman with radio ability, and a$100 or more for an entry level mp3 player, the price seems quite reasonable. The one major gripe i have with this unit is it does not do am radio. I love am radio! And it seems to me they could have lessende the number of fm stations presets and thrown in at least ten on the am dial.
The software is supposed to be futureproof so if there is an upgrade or a format transition the mg2 should be able to handle it. And from what i've read, the software is supposed to be the easiest to use of any of the major programs. The only thing that is a bit troublesome-- but i imagine could be solved with the purchase of the wired remote-- is the unit takes some memorization to get the button you want when the player is resting in your pocket inside it's carrying case. The headphones are quite acceptable for factory stock, and they do fold, so you can easily sfuff them in your pocket. But a demanding audio entusiest may be a bit more concerned with reception and comfort. If these issues are important to you then definitely spend some time auditioning other options.
I'm using my Sennheiser hd 36's to solve the aforementioned trouble and they also keep my ears warm in the winter; Which the supplied in ear design will not do. Aside from a few minor quibbles, the overall design, aesthetic, and functionality of the unit is definitely a tremendous relief from the general mass market fare that finds it's way into the weekly classifieds a few months after it's initiation into the public consciousness.

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Great Design/Size! many useful functions, quality of sound is great, WMA Format lets you put tons more songs in, backlit LCD is nice

Headphones included with unit are crap, no included wired remote (not avaliable yet)

This MP3 player is great. That's all I can say to sum it up...The quality of sound that you'll get is fantastic (as soon as you junk the headphones they give you and get better ones) and the 64MB of onboard memory can store a lot of space. The ability to use .WMA files with the Nomad II is great as they are under half the size of MP3's. If you get tired of listening to your music, the radio is easily accessible, although the radio pickup leaves a little to be desired. The built in voice recorder has a mike that picks up sounds very clearly and the EAX Time Scaling function lets you record long lectures and listen to them at a faster speed (still clearly). The only drawback that I can see is that the unit comes with no included wired remote. Creative says that one is optional, but it seems that it is not out on the market yet. The Nomad IIMG retails for $400 at www.nomadworld.com but I found it at www.buy.com for only $250. You can get a instant $30 off code from www.almostshoplifting.com and you can grab yourself a top of the line MP3 player for only $220.

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Rio MP3 Line, Minidisc