Customer Reviews

SanDisk 256 MB MP3 Player Red

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(69)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I recently bought this player. Both my wife and I have been in the market for new MP3 players and just haven't been interested in a hard drive based player, iPod or not. We don't need to carry that much music around and I like the non-moving flash thing a lot better. We mainly want to use a player for workouts and traveling. So far, I think it's an excellent player with some minor exceptions.

The player comes with a clear plastic snug carrying case that not only provides screen protection but also can be worn on a thin belt or on the provided stretchy armband. It also comes with the USB cable and headphones that are too short for my liking, but then maybe you don't want long cords when it's attached to your arm. It takes one AAA battery and I haven't done any form testing or anything, but my original battery has lasted several days now with several hours playtime each day. The battery meter is flipping between one bar and no bar so it is getting low. There is a quick start guide, but the manual is a 29 page PDF on the CD. The CD also has Musicmatch and 98SE drivers.

This player has been compared to the iRiver series of MP3 players, and I would have to agree they are very similar except that the iRiver takes a AA and is triangular while the SanDisk player takes the AAA and reminds me more of a thick cigarette lighter both in shape and size. I was also told the iRiver is bit pricier. I like the finish and look of the player, which shows through the case. The red and silver is very sharp and the whole look of the player is very clean. It has the USB port, which has a rubber door on one side of the player and the headset port, microphone and neck cord hole on the opposite side.

The actual operation of the player is also very good although it has a lot of features and functions that are only accessed by the joystick and three side buttons. With so many features, it takes a little bit getting used to navigating around the player and of course the manual does not go into great detail about the features, although it does have an exploded menu diagram which is nice. This is probably why I only gave it four stars. I might have actually done 4.5 stars if I could have, because once you have the chance to play around with things and read the manual it isn't a big deal.

There are three modes: player, FM radio and voice recorder. I am most impressed with the radio as this was a minor reason why I bought the player. The radio actually does a decent job of picking up the stations here in the Phoenix area and the reception and sound quality is fairly good. Considering how small the player is, I was surprised I am getting as good a sound as I am. The player will automatically scan available stations and add them to the presets and you can tune manually and add presets manually as well. You can also choose if you want mono or stereo mode, although I don't know why anyone would want mono, unless it saves on batteries. I don't see myself using the radio too often, but it's nice to know it's there if I needed it. I haven't really played around with the voice recorder either, but it records at 32kbs and 8Khz so not the greatest of quality. Again, voice recording is not the reason I purchased this for so not a big deal.

So, as far as the Audio Player mode, it is a great! A few minor quibbles, but for the most part, I think both my wife and I will be very happy with this player. I have uploaded mainly 192Kbs music files and 64kbs spoken word files and they all sound excellent. As a non-audiophile, the sound and volume are quite good for me. Maybe even better with a quality pair of headphones. I can't even get past 32 (of 40) on the volume scale before my ears are hurting so I know the volume should be just fine while working out at the gym. The display is blue backlit and somehow they manage to put a lot of info on the LCD without cluttering everything up. And supposedly,It does read the ID3 tags and displays them. I am not going into all of the features here, but it is packed with them: sleep, hold, repeat, shuffle, playback speed, A->B play, equalizer. One feature I will go into detail about is Resume. I am a big fan of the audio book and my previous MP3 player did not have resume so when I had a long file playing and I had to stop the player, it would not pick up where I stopped it but at the beginning of the file. Not this baby. It picks up right where it left off when you power it down. Whoo-hooo!! No more fast-forwarding to find my spot on an audio book!

The joystick on the player is a multi-function device that navigates the file browser and the menu system. This is the only part of the player I am not thrilled with. The file browser can be cumbersome to navigate with joystick and sometimes I end up hitting select or the wrong direction and end up a different place than I thought. The other thing that seems counter-intuitive to me is that rather than selecting a directory or file by pushing select, you need to select the file or directory by pushing right (or left, the display is rotatable). I keep forgetting this, and I end up back at the currently playing song. But other than that, I really can't complain about it. I can easily see folders and files, and files that are too long for the display scroll to the left to see the entire file name. These minor things are the other reason I did not give the player a full five stars. Just a matter of getting used to it and someone else might not even agree that it's a problem.

The joystick also is the way to get into the main menu of settings and functions: Audio, Display and System. From here you can customize just about anything on the player including: display orientation (useful for righties or lefties), backlight time, ID3 tag scroll, display info, auto power off, sleep timer, FM region, FM scan sensitivity, resume control and a ton more. You can see the memory usage, firmware and format the player as well. Full featured and well designed. The other three button, A>B, Rec, and Play/Stop/Power also do multiple functions depending upon if the player is playing and the mode it is in.

Windows 2K and XP both recognized the device as a USB drive no problem and I used both Media Player and drag/drop to add music to the player. Although I did notice today that if you build folders or add files via drag/drop, then Media player will not do anything with those particular files and you will have to change them via the directory listing in Windows. Haven't bothered with the included Musicmatch as my media is already set up in Media Player. According to the instructions it will play MP3, WMA and WMA DRM files. Voice recording is in ADPCM format.

Since this is to be my wife's player, the real test was if she was going to like it and at first look, her comment was ""Ooooh, look how cute!!" And she liked the weight of it as well. So, now I just have to instruct her on how to use it. I ordered the 512MB model for myself, which was probably a good move since both of us will have the same player and I can answer any questions she has since I will have the same way to do things. I highly recommend these players for anyone looking for a flash based player with all the basics of today's digital audio player and a few bonuses as well and a great price.

Well, I got this device and looked at it for 5 seconds. Ok, there's the USB connector. Bang, it's on the computer. Since I was looking forward to this player showing up, I went ahead and created a file of music for it. So about a minute or two later I had 115 songs on the player, even before I got around to putting the battery in it.

I took out a pair of cheap Sennheiser headphones, the full sized kind. The sound quality is just fine with no adjustment. Unfortunately, now I ran into the first problem. The unit is so light, and the Sennheiser headphone cord is quite thick, so the darned thing wouldn't just drop to the bottom of my pocket. Geeminy, the stuff you have to put up with to use these little gadgets.

I suppose it would be a good idea to use rechargeable batteries. But the good news is that you can get 2 of them, the NiMH kind, for 10 bucks. And if the first one goes bad, you should have a few spares for the 10 dollar outlay. Who needs a player with a battery only the factory can replace?

Well, now my only regret is not getting the 1 gigabyte unit. That would be 500 songs (mostly wma at 64 and 96), and might not be too good in terms of naviagation. Like I say, you can transfer the full capacity in a couple of minutes with USB2.

Why go with a huge capacity hard drive player? Do you really need a fancy program to track every song and synch up with a player? Look, if you want simple, this is your baby. Just transfer the songs as files, to the player. That's it. WMA or MP3.

Way to go, Sandisk. Just last a year, OK?

We bought this player for my husband to use while jogging and while he is working in the yard. We didn't want to spen a fortune on constantly upgrading technology and at 256mb we figured he would have plenty of music for the reasons we bought the player. We loaded 4.5 CDs onto the player, 2 of which had 14 songs and some of those songs were as long as 6-8 minutes. It is awesome. The volume is very loud, loud enough to be heard over an old riding lawn-mower that is VERY noisy. The arm band is handy, it't useful for holding the player while doing dishes and chopping wood, jogging or working in the yard. It is very easy to organise the music on your computer by copying/pasting or dragging/dropping. I never even bothered with the software, I found Windows Media Player and my own music folder much easier to use. It took less than a minute to put an entire CD onto the player and I simply disconnected the USB cable and we were ready to go. It is so simple to add and remove music that I could care less about the smaller memory. In addition to the MP3 part there is the FM radio. This is great. Since the Sandisk has a small memory, you can go to the radio if you are sick of your music selection and the reception is great. We also used it to burn my son's books on CD when we went on road trips, the grocery store and the doctor. It is so tiny, much better than a CD player or radio walkman. The controls take a bit of getting used to but the light makes it easy to see what you are doing. Many of the players in this range did not have a light which I think is an absolute must. This player is not an iPod which I think is in its favor. At the price we paid, I would not freak out if it got destroyed the way I would over an iPod. I could easily afford to replace it and I also can be assured that I won't spend a fortune and then have an equally expensive new and better model come out mere months later. This is a small and simple player for a great value. I highly reccomend this purchase!

If you're here, you're probably trying to figure out whether you can live with 256 MB with all the "bigger fish" in the sea. What features you can live with, and what you can't. Maybe even how much a brand name like iPod is worth to you. But if you're like me, you have your eye out for value, too. With this in mind, I can heartily recommend this little player to a good number of (though not all) prospective listeners.

Let's be clear here. SanDisk's 256 MB player in particular is designed for a specific niche of users. It's not for audiophiles, nor is it for people who want to take a ton of music with them all the time. You're probably a good match for this player if you need some portable music during a task - the gym, the library, a bike ride, a morning's commute - and don't intend to be jamming non-stop to fresh tunes the entire day.

Here's what you'll get: a sleek little red player that scores solidly across the board. We have mainstream support for the old (MP3) and the new (WMA DRM), a suprisingly readable screen, a pretty good form factor and some little extras here and there. Yes, this comes at the expense of space. But you get everything that you'd expect on an MP3 player. And consider how much your money gets you here, compared to the competition. Without question, the going price of this 256 MB player is one of its key strengths - it's not a serious investment.

With that said, if you're willing to invest more, there's a few issues to bear in mind with this player. The menus and controls, while quickly grasped with a bit of experimentation, may be confusing to users who don't intend to read the manual (which, unfortunately, is not very extensive). Sorry, you only get one color choice here. And the plastic sleeve that comes with it is functional, but feels like a cheap afterthought. But hey. That's what I'm trying to get at with this review. The player is functional AND cheap (in the good sense).

Many people have been complaining about the radio. But I think it's fair to say that nobody's buying this player primarily to listen to the radio. It's just there for value. Think of it as a supplement to your space - if you were to play through all 256 MB of your stored music, the radio's there in case you need it. I'd say the same about the voice recorder - just in case.

If you were thinking about the iPod Shuffle, as I was for a while, consider: this is still definitely pocket-sized; the screen is there to help you navigate; you don't need to install iTunes; you can change your own battery. On the flip side, you'll be carrying around less music, and you'll need to keep a USB cable handy at your computer.

In the end, you just have to weigh your options. Know what you want, and find the best player for your needs. For the gym, this was the best choice, and I'm happy with it. SanDisk's little player is going to give you your music, when you need it, without cleaning out your wallet. Best of luck in your search.

I've had the sandisk for a month now. I have not had a single problem. Don't waste your money on anything else. This is the BEST MP3 player on the market. I researched for months and this was the best buy for the buck. If you really want an MP3 player, BUY SANDISK.

PROS
---------

1) cheap

2) easy to use

3) tons of storage

4) long lasting battery

5) great style

6) lightweight

7) FM radio works great


CONS
---------

1) no expanable memory

2) head phones are junk

This is an awesome gadget! I use it for when I go to the gym. The sound quality is excellent, but don't use the headphones that are included, go buy a new pair. Besides, we didn't buy this for the headphones, right? I purchased a separate belt clip and you don't even notice it's on. It's incredibly easy to use. All you have to do is plug the USB cable into your machine, drag & drop files and you're ready to go. Best of all, it doesn't cost $400! This is a reliable product that has excellent sound quality, is easy to use, and doesn't hurt the bank account.

I was in the market for a Flash-based mp3 player since my (hd-based) Archos Jukebox was getting up there in years and felt too bulky to bring to the gym, especially given the recent options.

What I wanted was something exactly opposite to what I already have, basically I wanted something light and small, both in terms of size and amount of space for songs. Since there were many different options out there for a small, Flash-based player, the price became the ultimate deciding factor. That's how I ended up buying this player.

Pros:
- Very light, the perfect gym accessory (especially since it comes with an armband)
- Limited space for songs (I find this to be an advantage since it forces you to constantly update your song list so it won't get stale)

Cons:
- Battery life is a bit on the short end since it only uses a single AAA. When I leave it unattended for a week, I see a dramatic decrease in battery life.
- You need to use a USB cable to transfer songs. I wished I could directly connect the player straight into the PC's USB port.

Tip:
If you really want to conserve your battery, you can take it out while you transfer songs via the USB cable, provided your PC has USB 2.0

Passing thought:
For the reviewer who complained that the armband was too big for his arm, I think it is because he failed to loop it around properly. My body frame is smaller than his, but the armband fits snug as a bug in a rug...

After doing quite a bit of research on MP3 players, I ended up getting the SanDisk Red. I wanted the most bang for my buck. Something with an FM tuner as well as MP3 storage. It's not the largest capacity player on the market, but SanDisk does offer bigger ones. I have used it quite a bit and love it. The only problem I had with it was when I tried to download songs according to the directions, it didn't seem to download them all. However, I "synced" them from WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER and everything went smoothly. When you connect it to the computer through Windows Media Player, it also lists all the songs on the player already so you can manage them easily. Also I don't like that there is no instruction booklet informing you about features (just a sheet of paper for downloading songs). You have to play around with it to figure it out, which wasn't hard.

I considered the IPOD Shuffle, but after all was said and done, I realized the only reason I wanted it was because it was the "cool" thing to have but didn't really meet my needs. I am not one of those people who walk around with a radio plugged into my ears all day long. My husband and I joined a gym and all I really needed was something to get me through an hour long workout. I have yet to fill up the player with songs to capacity. When I get tired of listing to my downloaded songs, I switch over to the radio. You can also tune it in to the gyms radio stations and watch TV (while on the treadmill, my personal favorite).

All in all, I think this one is perfect. There are bigger players on the market, but if your not even going to fill up a 256 mg player, why buy a 1 G and waste your money. As a matter of fact, I like it so much, I'm going to buy one for my husband so he will keep his hands off mine.

Granted, I've had this player for only a few days (so I can't attest to its reliability over time), but so far it SEEMS great. The sound is good. The price was the best I could find for 256MB. It also has FM radio, too.

I like that no software is necessary. And, contrary to what someone else wrote, it IS Mac-compatible. I just tried it out before writing this review. I plugged the USB into a new Powerbook with OS X, it showed up on the desktop, and I was able to delete files and add files with a simple drag-and-drop. I don't know what problem that other person had, but it's not a problem with the player. I've also used it with XP, and it works the same way.

Unfortunately, the player itself comes with only a one-page instruction "manual" that doesn't really tell you much of anything. Amazon has a 29-page manual that goes far more in-depth about what the Sandisk 256MB can do. It kept making reference to a "select button," which I had no clue about until I realized the select "button" was pushing the joystick in (as opposed to up, down, left, or right). It took me a good 15 minutes to figure out how to use the player and customize it to my liking. Afterwards, though, I was charmed by its light weight, clear sound, and general sturdiness.

Other down sides that aren't really that bad: The clear plastic case that comes with it is lame. Maybe some people like it, but I think it makes the player look tacky. The player looks fine on its own without the cover. Also, unlike some flash drives, this one does not plug directly into computers. It needs a separate USB cord in order to connect to a computer (the cord comes with the player, though--don't worry).

To the reviewer who said "If you are listening to a rather long recording, say a book, you can't return to the same spot after turning the player off as far as I can tell. And if you pause it, and can't get back right away, it shuts itself off and won't return you to the same spot": The Sandisk player actually gives you the option to "resume" or not. Sure, the interface is confusing, but it does have high functionality. If you turn "resume" on, the player picks up just where it left off.

I've done a lot of research, and this is definitely the best buy you can get for a small flash drive with FM capability. The Amazon discount is a nice one, as this is usually well over a hundred dollars otherwise.

P.S. 2/1/05 At around two and a half weeks later, I'm still using the AAA battery that came with the player. Granted, I listen to the radio half the time, but the FM radio is part of the reason I got this and ditched my iPod.

As you may have read in other people's reviews, this mp3 player has one really bad problem...it occasionally freezes on the welcome screen and you can't do anything except take out the battery. This really pissed me off, and I was about to return it, however, I checked the Sandisk website and they had a firmware update that fixed the problem completely. Now it works perfectly, and I have no problems with it at all, so make sure you download the update, otherwise you are going to get really frustrated. BTW, will probably need to get new headphones because the ones that come with the player are really short. Also, the battery compartment is a little difficult to open, but if you press the arrow thing in a diagonal motion (down and forward) it opens fine. Anyway, good mp3 player for the price.