I bought the headphones for exclusive use at home, connected to a PC for music. They were not taken outside the house nor were they mistreated in any way. Unfortunately, when removing them from my head, the joint connecting the earcup to the headband twisted outward and broke, without me applying much pressure or pulling them abruptly.

As shown in the photo, I was forced to hold them together with tape in order to continue using them. In terms of sound, I was satisfied, but the durability of the construction disappointed me significantly. For their cost, I expected better quality and greater durability at such a critical point. If you use them often, it is good to keep this issue in mind.

Overall, the sound is good, but the build quality did not meet my expectations, as the damage occurred during absolutely normal use inside the house.

Update: 02/06/2026 – both sides broke

The other side of the frame also broke, not at exactly the same spot but a little lower. One side had already broken and now the headphones cannot stay on my head. The damage occurred with normal use, without any drops or mistreatment. Very disappointing build quality for a product that essentially became unusable within two days.

I have already contacted the store and am awaiting a response regarding replacement or another solution. If there is a positive development, I will update the review.

I rate them 4.5 out of 5 (Skroutz doesn’t have this option)
What I liked:
- Sturdy, beautiful construction
- They fold, and come with a fabric pouch.
- Large buttons, easy to recognize by touch. The power button also does start/stop for YouTube videos and call answering.
- Long battery life, charges quickly.
- The internal voice that tells you what you’ve activated, if it needs charging, etc., can be turned on/off from the mobile app.
- Very satisfactory sound, not wow. Clear bass, doesn’t get muddy but also doesn’t boom. Creative may have done this to protect the user’s hearing, so it’s a plus even if we just find it okay.
- Very good active cancellation sound, outside noises don’t bother you.
- Sxfi personally I find okay, not impressive, it just adds a bit of reverb to the sound. I believe its real value shows in movie watching, not music, calls, or general use.
What I found annoying:
- At first, they were quite tight, I couldn’t use them for more than half an hour. What I did was put some books between them and left them like that overnight, and gradually they loosened up to the right level for long use.
- In calls, the sound is satisfactory but I have received complaints that I’m not heard well, not always. I haven’t figured out why this happens yet. Maybe it’s interference from other Bluetooth devices.
- There are two separate apps only for mobile, not PC, one for adjusting equalizer, active cancellation, voice on/off, and the other for Sxfi. I believe there should be one app for everything, also compatible with PC...

Is it worth buying? So far I’d say yes, it’s worth it, it performs well for general use, music, gaming, podcasts, etc., plus the price-quality ratio is good.

Design-wise, the Zen Hybrid are very beautiful headphones. Both the headband and the ear cushions feature memory foam, and their soft fit allows for use over several hours. They fold securely and come with a case for easy transport. It’s not very convenient that the function buttons are clustered on one side.

The Creative app is simple and well-designed, and it works without lag. On the home screen, there are settings for SXFI, the equalizer, and ANC. The equalizer offers many options, with great detail for both music genres and ambient sounds, as well as for specific games. For ANC, we have 4 options: full isolation, Adaptive mode which adjusts the cancellation level according to the environment, turning off the function, and Ambient mode which allows external sounds to pass through to a greater extent. It’s very important that both for ANC and for Ambient Mode there are adjustable levels.

The headphones provide very clear conversation during calls. This is aided by the very good fit of the headphones in the ears as well as the effectiveness of the ANC. The sound performance is excellent. The SXFI function makes a really significant difference. The sound is very clear, without muffling or distortions, and also loud even at low volume. When watching videos, there is no delay in sound transmission, and the dialogues are heard clearly.

The battery is indeed long-lasting, comfortably approaching the times that Creative claims, and recharging is also very quick.

The Creative Zen Hybrid are headphones that combine nice appearance and comfortable fit with high-quality sound performance. Additionally, the long battery life and the settings offered by the well-crafted application ensure a pleasant user experience. The package is completed by the very good purchase price, particularly competitive given all that the headphones offer.

PROS
- SXFI function
- Multipoint
- Price

CONS
- Difficult handling from the buttons

Check out the detailed presentation on my YouTube channel