Zen Vision:M

Just tried the newly released Creative Zen Vision:M. Conclusion: Nothing short of amazing. The 2.5" LCD display is capable of displaying 262,144 colours compared to the iPod's paltry 64k. Videos and photos are splendidly displayed in rich, vibrant colours. Dark scenes in DiVX movies were rendered properly without losing detail.

The AV output is able to output video at full 640x480 resultion. On my TV this is amazing, considering it's only delivered via a "lowly" composite connection (known to be the worst video connection around). It's almost DVD quality, assuming your source is good to begin with of course. One can only imagine what a component connection can do. I sure hope this will be available in future players from Creative.

Am I hearing things? Can this be?

I had my bare DIY AMP3 digital amp kit running in my hifi for some time now, but decided to switch back to my old Musical Fidelity A220 amplifier to hear how it sounds in comparison. Hmm, don't remember it had that much 'glare' in it. Doesn't sound quite like the way I remember it.

Decided to hook up the AMP3 again. Despite being a much lower powered amp (~8W vs 50W for the Musical Fidelity), it sounds more detailed and with much less 'glare'. It also sounds a lot more musical. Much less fatiguing to listen to. Of course it can't play orchestral climaxes really loud, but it's more than enough for a small room like mine.

Am I hearing things? Is the AMP3 really better than the Musical Fidelity? Hmm... no wonder everyone is raving about digital amplification!