4. Connections

The Jukebox 3 connections are all on the front and side of the device. There are the 1 and 2 line-outs managed by a Philips chip. For headphones, it is best to use the pre-amplified output on the right side of the player. All three outputs are of excellent quality and much better than most MP3 players. There is no distortion, and the Jukebox 3 can only improve on your hi-fi or automobile sound system. On the other hand, the headphone output is a bit short on power and its top volume a bit weak for using the Jukebox 3 in a noisy environment like the subway. This may be due to the fact that we could not test the phones usually delivered with the Jukebox 3. We will check this aspect when we get a hold of them.

The Jukebox 3 uses SVM technologies, for Smart Volume Management, and Match Volume. These normalize the volume on all tracks, no matter the volume at which they were initially recorded.. In addition to these outputs are the SB1394 port (actually a FireWire/IEEE1394 port) and the USB 1.1 port for plugging into a PC. While the presence of the SB1394 goes without saying, given that this interface is found on Audigy sound cards, it's a pity Creative Labs has not thought ahead and integrated a USB 2.0 port, too. Right of the ports is the 5-volt DC-in for mains connection to recharge the batteries. And on the left is an analog input combined with digital optic input, where you can plug in either a classic mini-jack or a digital optic cable. Then you just select the relevant source in the Jukebox record menu to make your recordings.