Creative, the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for users of the personal computer and the Internet, today announced the NOMAD Jukebox 3, the first digital audio player with both SB1394 (IEEE-1394 compatible) and USB 1.1 connectivity to the PC.
The NOMAD Jukebox 3 comes with a 20GB storage capacity to hold up to 8 000 songs and an industry-leading sound playback quality of 98dB SNR (line-out) and will be available at retail outlets in SA from the end of May at an estimated street price of R5 999.99 incl VAT.
The NOMAD Jukebox 3 connects to the desktop or notebook PC through either SB1394 or USB 1.1. With transfer speed reaching less than one second per song, the SB1394 connection is ideally suited for use with Creative`s Sound Blaster Audigy family of sound cards, which also feature SB1394 connectivity.
"We took our best digital audio player and made it even better," said Gordon Buitendach of Creative. "We added SB1394 so that you can download more than a song per second. Plus, this player has line-in recording to high quality MP3 and WAV files in real time. And although we`ve added many new features, this is the easiest to use NOMAD Jukebox ever, and the best sounding. We know of no other digital audio player that offers 98dB SNR playback quality."
Navigating through up to 20GB of content on the NOMAD Jukebox 3 is easy, thanks to the introduction of the Scroller wheel, which allows users to move through the interface and create playlists on-the-fly in seconds. Just press the Scroller on the first letter of a favourite artist, song or genre to quickly jump through the alphabetic listings to a desired selection. The Scroller also accesses a host of customisation options and EAX environment presets to create the sound of music being played in different venues, such as an arena or jazz club. In difficult listening environments such as a plane or car, and late at night when trying to tone down sudden contrasts in the audio track, activate Smart Volume Management (SVM) which intelligently controls the dynamic range of a song for a superior listening experience.
Besides evening out the volume `bumps` in an audio track, SVM also employs a `Match Volume` (normalisation) feature to keep the playback volume of all the tracks on your playlist at the same level.
Users can unplug the NOMAD Jukebox 3 and listen for up to 22 hours without the need to recharge the batteries. The player ships with one rechargeable lithium-ion battery that powers up to 11 hours of continuous playback; and a second battery (available separately) can fit in the convenient second battery bay.
In a home or office setting, front and rear line-outs and Multi-Channel Effects on the player allow users to enjoy 3D audio with 4.1 or 5.1 speaker systems such as the Creative Inspire 4.1 4400 or Creative Inspire 5.1 Digital 5700. The optical and analogue line-in port enables audio encoding from just about any source (MiniDisc player, DAT deck or CD or cassette player, etc) in real-time directly to the NOMAD Jukebox 3 in MP3 or high quality WAV formats.
The NOMAD Jukebox 3 is not limited to storing only music files. Data transfer functionality also enables the player to store, manage, and transport photo, text and video files.
Features and benefits
* SB1394 (IEEE-1394 compatible) and USB 1.1: Transfer music, photo, text or video files in seconds with SB1394;
* Second battery bay: Up to 11 hours of continuous playtime with one lithium-ion rechargeable battery, offering up to 22 hours of uninterrupted playback when both battery bays are used (second battery available separately);
* Scroller: Intuitive Scroller navigation makes it possible to find songs, albums, artists or playlists in seconds and allows the user to create and name playlists on-the-fly;
* Industry-leading sound quality: Offers up to 98dB SNR playback (Line-Out), frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz, and harmonic distortion output at less than 0.1%;
* Massive storage: 20GB player holds vast quantities of music and other file types;
* Optical and analogue line-in: Can take any optical or analogue input (CD, MiniDisk or cassette players, DAT deck, etc) and encode directly into MP3 or WAV format in real-time, and does not require a pre-amp source;
* Smart volume management: Normalises file volumes regardless of how recorded and customises the audio output to match noisy environments such as on a plane or in a car;
* AudioSync: Found in PlayCenter 3, AudioSync synchronises a PC music library, or only tracks from a user-specified genre, artist or playlist, to the NOMAD Jukebox 3;
* Anti-skip protection: Provides up to seven minutes of protection to ensure smooth operation while on the move;
* EAX audio tTechnology: Provides Smart Volume Management, Environment Effects, Time-Scaling, Multi-Channel Effects, Headphone Spatialisation and Advanced EQ;
* Creative PlayCenter 3: Provides an intuitive interface for encoding, decoding and archiving MP3, WMA or WAV files as well as converting unlimited numbers of CD tracks, and managing and transferring audio files to the NOMAD Jukebox 3;
* Creative file manager: Can be used to move non-music files quickly and easily;
* Upgradeable firmware: Firmware can be updated via web downloads to support new features and enhancements; and
* Optional accessories: Users can customise and personalise their player with an infra red remote; convenient PC docking station; wired remote with FM tuner, built-in mic, and LCD; car adapter kit; interchangeable faceplates; and extra lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.
For more NOMAD Jukebox 3 information and full product descriptions of available accessories, visit www.nomadworld.com.
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