Creative TravelDock Zen Micro

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http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/accessories/0,39100116,39195297,00.htm

Reviewed 1 December 2005

Reviewed by Tim Gideon

Unless you own an iPod, you'll generally be hard-pressed to find a slew of accessories available for your MP3 player. Aware of this, Creative offers some choices that are specifically designed for the company's players. One of these is the TravelDock Zen Micro (around £85), and as the name suggests, it's geared toward Zen Micro owners. Yes, you can plug other sources (even an iPod) into the auxiliary input, but we don't recommend these pricey speakers to anyone but Zen Micro owners.

Creative's strong suit has always been design, and the TravelDock is no exception to this tradition. With a flip-top cover that, when open, becomes the stand for the unit to lean on and four drivers flanking the cradle for the Zen Micro in the centre, the TravelDock is a good-looking piece of equipment. We wish that the stand would stay put -- it occasionally slides a bit and changes the angle of the speakers -- but overall, this is a handsome and well-designed unit. It makes a good travel companion, too, as it measures a compact 188 by 110 by 48mm and weighs 500g. Unlike the MP3 player for which it was made, the Creative TravelDock Zen Micro comes in only one colour -- white.

The Creative TravelDock Zen Micro includes this useful remote

Aside from its obvious, main use as a speaker dock for the Zen Micro, the TravelDock boasts a few other tricks. It includes a remote control for adjusting volume, navigating tracks and turning the power on and off, though it only works if a Zen Micro is being used. The speaker also has an FM antenna, so you can listen to even clearer radio through your Zen Micro. And, like several of its Creative cousins, it boasts an expanded stereo sound-enhancement feature. When pressed, the expanded stereo button seems to widen the stereo field and add vibrance to the music. Without this feature, the sound isn't so vibrant.

Just about every rock tune that we cranked up on the Creative TravelDock Zen Micro became a distorted mess -- this machine is for lower listening levels. Regardless of the levels, the bass performance was a disappointment -- given the size of the TravelDock and the four drivers involved, we were expecting more punch. True, it has a Sub Out, but who brings their subwoofer to a hotel? Don't expect any goosebumps from the low end, but for listening at moderate levels, this is a fine travel companion, and it's certainly pretty. The rated battery life of 25 hours from four AA batteries isn't bad either.

Edited by Jasmine France
Additional editing by Kate Macefield