Customer Reviews

SanDisk Docking Station for Sansa c200 and e200 Series Players

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First off, don't let some of the poor reviews here concern you too much. Anyone looking for a cure-all device to deliver a plethora of features for under fifty bucks is looking in the wrong place (and will probably be disappointed no matter where they look).

This Sandisk base station is a strong unit and serves its purpose competently. I can't find fault with anything on it so far; it's simple, convenient, and sounds great. Set-up took less than a minute, and the included instructions were unnecessary. Operation of the no-frills remote is intuitive, and navigation of the Sansa player (not included, of course) via the dock was already second nature from having used the player previously.

Specifially, here's what I like about this dock/station:

-It sounds fantastic. The built-in amplification alone is worth the purchase. As anyone who's jacked an MP3 player into a stereo, powered speakers, etc probably knows, you need to crank up the volume on one or both of the devices to get decent sound. This dock solves that problem easily.

-It takes care of the charging dilemma some users complain about with the Sansa players (that is, how to charge the player without tying into a computer in the process). Charging now can be done anywhere, and the stand allows the player to sleep with dignity--standing up in it's base; not laying on the floor with a cord coming out of its rear.

-The remote is a useful bonus that, along with an attached pair of powered speakers (see below) or stereo system, turns your Sansa into its own system.

-The weighted base, slip-resistant undersurface, and rear-ported jacks allow for easy and attractive placement pretty much anywhere. I read in a previous review the complaint that this base isn't heavy enough. Short of gluing a cinder block to the bottom of this, I'm not sure what else Sandisk is supposed to do. The weight is fine, and in fact even adds some perceived value in its heft.

-It comes with two custom-fitted adaptors for either of the mentioned Sansa series, giving you the option to retrofit the dock to one or the other series.

Now, if you feel like investing a little extra, and really want to get the most from this device, try what I did. Buy a pair of quality powered speakers (I'm using the Bose Companion 2 multi-media speakers), and plug them into the docking station. This gives you a sturdy, clean-sounding stereo system complete with easy playback, excellent sound, customized EQ (maybe the best reason to buy Sansas), basic remote, FM tuner (via Sansa), and an attractive, minimalist appearance. All in all, it's a worthy sound system that can be easily moved from room to room, and can be broken down for use as individual components.

Absolutely worth the few bucks it costs.

Call me "unhip" if so desired, but "apple" means one of two things to me: edible fruit and/or the latter-date record label of a pioneering English rock band.

My little ol' Sansa E240's four gigs of storage (total storage can be as much as six with a two-gig Micro SD card) holds, count 'em, 16-hours worth of 160Kbps or higher (mostly 192Kbps) bit-rate tunes. Meaning: mostly used when I fly or work in the yard, since I first loaded it I've twice flown cross country (round trip) and "pulled weeds" without hearing the same tune twice (because it picks right up where previously stopped). Granted, I didn't use it every single second while in the air, but I have used it substantially each time.

Speaking of longevity: the E240's hardy battery power lasted the first Florida-to-California round trip and still held half of its charge upon return.

The E240 is intuitive (only cracked the instructions for initial startup info) and I can quickly, like almost "right now," get to key playback aspects such as volume control (love that 'ring wheel!'), forward, back, pause, and more. The color display's so good it's hard to believe.

As for the Base Station: In a stroke of genius, Sansa-maker SanDisk actually put all the wire connections ON THE UNIT'S BACKSIDE! In a day and age where protruding FRONT wires seem the rage, these guys got 'em out of the way.

Wired connections - for which cabling in each case is provided with the SDAMX-BST base station - are: power; USB 2.x; and, handy-dandy stereo RCA audio cabling for direct connect to stereo system. Though I run all of my home entertainment through a dedicated desktop (and thus will otherwise use the USB cable), the RCA cabling is a nice touch for those having a system with RCA inputs and not already using a computer to control music playback.

The Sansa E240 - with a full, non-factory silicone case - fits solidly onto the base station's charging cradle. To be honest, when first received I was a little bummed that the Sansa E240 unit itself didn't use a female USB 2.x mini-port, which is more and more commonly seen today. However, I can now easily see how one would likely have to often strip the unit from something like a silicone case - which increases the E240's exterior dimensions and might not otherwise fit a narrower, unit-sized cradle - if it didn't have the somewhat larger, but more stable, Sansa-specific female/male fitting.

The unit's remote - for which a (non-charging) cradle is likewise provided on the base station - works at least 35-feet away, the distance I now sit from the base station as this is being written.

Oh, already up-and-running, I've yet to open the base station's manual, even for initial startup information. It was that simple to set up.

Acquired through an Amazon-associated merchant (PC Micro Store), I also got a complete Sansa E2xx kit, that has a silicone cover, USB 2.x Sansa-specific cable, runner's arm band and car power (cigarette lighter) port connector for the USB-to-Sansa cable. Worth every cent.

In short: The above works for me and pretty darn good at that - all for hardly more than an iPod Nano, alone.

I got this dock to hook up to my theater system. It looks nice, and does exactly what it is supposed to do and it does it well. There are however some minor annoyances that wouldn't be so annoying if I hadn't paid what I did for this.

1. Power cable easily disconnects from back of dock.
2. Base needs more weight in it, moves around too easily.
3. Remote and Base collect more finger prints than dust.
4. Remote seems as if it needs to be pointing directly at the front of the unit and can only be used at no more than 10'. The further away you are the harder it is to get the base to pick up the signal.

Length:: 4:01 Mins

Samsung Docking Station bought 2 weeks ago on Amazon.com. My camera speakers don't do the sound quality of the setup any good, but you know bose make good speakers. SanDisk Docking Station for Sansa c200 and e200 Series Players

I bought this device to basically serve as a recharger for my Sansa e280R (so I wouldn't have to be dependant upon my computer as my only recharging device), and to use on occasion when I want to play my music over my home stereo system. It performs both functions very well. It also includes a remote control device that is nice, but its functions are pretty basic. Beyond being able to turn the unit on or off or control the volume remotely, you can only navigate between songs on a particular playlist/channel, but not between the playlists or channels themselves. But for me, the remote control was just a nice added attraction, and really played no role in my decision to buy the device in the first place.

This is not worth the cash.

Just received the Sansa Base Station today via Dell. I don't think its worth more than $30 US.

Yes, audio sounds good and it appears to have a built in amp.

Worst problem:

NO MENU/CURSOR controls on the remote! There's no way to change albums or artist from the remote. You have to go to the player and set up each playlist at the player. The remote allows you to power on/off, volume up and down, and fastforward/rewind (also functions as the next/previous track) buttons.

Here's the scenario - you are listening to a podcast. When it ends, the player goes back to the music screen. What do you want to listen to? Doesn't matter. None of the remote buttons will allow you to play a new song because you are stuck on the menu screen with command over nada! There is no way to browse your tracks. Any song or album that finishes will bump you back to a menu that you cannot control with the remote.

Its possible the engineers thought the screen on the player is too small to see. But across a normal living room, I can see the menu fine and I would have no problem choosing a new album to play from the couch (yes - its healthier to get up but if Sandisk is asking $69 US for the base station - don't you want the choice?). This is idiotic design.

Lesser but annoying problems - No video out. Its possible the Sansa E series has no video out capability. Its not clear from the base station ad. If the remote had any navigation functions, it would be great to see the Sansa menu on the TV. Many people would not want to watch heavily compressed video with the base station but it would again be nice to have the choice.

Guide on the base station will not accept the player with a skin/case on it - including the one that Sandisk sells as part of its travel kit.

But the lack of functions on the REMOTE is stupid, stupid, stupid...

You basically can get the same functionality by getting a 1/8th (headphone) to RCA audio adapter from Radioshack. It will set you back about $4 US. Save yourself nearly $70.

I agree with the previous reviewer that the remote control could be a bit more intuitive but the sound improvement from the built in amp in the docking station compensated for all it's short comings in my opinion. I had it hooked up to a Yamaha Sound Projector and after a few adjustments, the sound quality rivals that of an optical/Toslink connected CD/DVD player. Additionally, the design is sleek and seamless to the E200. I also noticed a good improvement in the FM reception.
My out of the box impression was good.
Packaging had individual compartments for each of the components. Supplied accessories: Adaptors for c and e series players, 3 ft. USB cable, 3 ft. audio cable, AC cable/adapter, remote control and a basic user manual. Ensure that you have the latest firmware installed on your player before hooking it up. It would make your installation faster and easier. Overall, I would highly recommend it for those who are tired of manually hooking up your player for external listening or charging. The improved sound was a bonus for me as I wasn't expecting it.

After reading some negative reviews, I still took a chance on ordering this to connect my Sansa e260 to my high quality office stereo.
I would like to comment on some of the negative things people wrote about this dock.
1) Some mentioned the weight as being too light- I feel this is a very well built unit and solid for its size. I have never had a problem with it moving around on its shelf due to vibration, even at very loud/peak volumes, with a 350+ watt stereo and subwoofer just a few feet away. Other things vibrate and fall off the shelves, but so far this base hasn't moved.
2) Lack of controls on the remote- For about $47 including shipping, the fact this unit even has a remote is great. Sure you might have to get up once in a while and scroll to a certain folder or song, but you can still power the unit on or off, lower/raise the volume, skip/rewind/ff thru songs. If the unit were triple the price, I might expect a little more from the remote... but it really is a great bang for your buck.
3) At first it DID make that "buzz" noise and had unacceptably low volume music, BUT, check the connection into the back of the Sansa base itself. I didnt put it all the way in when first installing it, was just a fraction of an inch out. When I pushed it all the way in, WOW! Sounds great, no buzzing what-so-ever and the built in amp actually makes a big difference. Everything I've listened to so far is crystal clear and very high quality. Plus with the Sansa e260 there is a great equalizer that makes the sound quality coming from my already excellent stereo, even better.

Overall a highly recommended piece for connecting it to a stereo system. I havent used it attached to a computer yet but it came with the usb cord and expect it to perform just as well. Great value, high quality product, free shipping, couldnt ask for anything more, especially near this price.

This little adapter is great. It's nice and compact and fits basically anywhere. Setup is simple and quick. The only thing I've found is that the remote could have been made better. The signal doesn't always go through the first time. I would reccomend leaving your backlight on always while using the base station. And I also agree that a scroll option would've have been nice. AND, recharging the remote would've been a big improvement. But otherwise, it's awesome. There aren't too many products out there for the "non-iPod" mp3 players, so, this is defenitely a great product.

As noted in other reviews, SanDisk dropped the ball programming the remote. The only workaround is to create long play lists using Windows Media Player and sync them to the device. Then at least you can play a list and skip/replay tracks from the remote with less fumbling around.

Works best with E200 family players, which can be operated in the dock. C200 models need to be removed from the base, or the whole base tipped sideways, to navigate the menus, which can be quite annoying if you aren't playing from a long list. (The C200 display is bad enough that if you are getting a player and the base station... just get the E200 instead. You'll be glad you did.)

Comes in handy to charge the units and besides your home sound system can be used with any powered speakers left over from computers etc.