Customer Reviews

SanDisk Sansa Express 1 GB MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I picked one of these up for work yesterday at a major retailer/e-tailer that seemed to have it "first", because I was really feeling the necessity of a device like this and the feature-set sounded promising. I frequently have to crawl around in ceilings for insane numbers of hours doing networking and cabling jobs. I needed something to fill the dead-space in my brain.

Light-weight, feature rich. Very attractive (and user-intuitive) design. The surface is black mirrored finish. Very shiny, but prone to fingerprints. The "finger print problem" isn't a big deal for me. Everything gets grimy and icky up there anyway.

The battery life is insanely good. I don't run the volume way up, so I'm not over-driving the amplifier - probably one reason. Anyway - I worked for 16.5 straight hours, and never stopped it. It was on shuffle/repeat all. It was still showing 1/4 on the charge indicator when I went to bed. I plugged it in before I fell asleep, and it's fully charged now.

The included earbuds sound pretty darned good, but they aren't terribly comfortable, and they don't stay in my ears with any kind of activity. I'll be immediately replacing them.

I also couldn't believe the thing is so feature-rich but doesn't include a clock! A few bits of scratchpad nv and a few bytes of code. This surely has to be on the to-do-list for Sansa...


Capable of playing both MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) at a much improved size-for-quality (to simplify: WMA is effectively MP3 at 50-60% of the size), this is far superior to my view than Apple's "Shuffle" being primarily limited to iTunes/AAC.

The FM receiver had moderate sensitivity. Not much of a groundplane for that antenna, so I guess it's to be expected. It works fine for strong stations. I wasn't really buying it for the FM tuner anyway. That said, many gyms have an FM broadcast of the TVs over the equipment. That's probably what this is designed for primarily - and it'd be perfect for that.

The display is awesome. VERY readable and it's downright gorgeous in a totally darkened space, as are the blue backlit buttons.

I transcoded 293 songs out of my MP3 collection to 64kbit/sec WMA. It required just under half the device's storage. So at that bitrate, 600 songs may be a fairly accurate accounting with the types of music I listen to at work. I'm sure the sound may lack a bit, but when you're just using it as background filler - who cares? It's about the amount of music stored at that point...

Just for kicks, I encoded a 384kbit MP3 track from an SACD (Charlotte Church. Very demanding.) utilizing a commercial well-reviewed MP3 CODEC implementation, and plugged the Express into my More Headroom headphone amp, and that into my HD580 Sennheiser headphones.

There was some identifiable amplifier noise on the Sansa. It didn't punch the lows or lift the highs. Probably 75% of SNR that I get on the Creative Zen NX. A friend's Shuffle shows similar characteristics to the Sansa Express (by seat-of-pants method). The Shuffle seems to carry the bass a bit better, the Sansa a bit cleaner on the highs. But that's just my "golden-ear" opinion. I don't think I'd want it as my only MP3 option for more audiophile-type listening. But again: It's a "micro-device".

The one niggling "gotcha" that is common out there: Why put the lanyard attachment point on the cheap and disposable cap section rather than the actual "business end"? Hmm. Maybe I answered my own question. ;) I like the idea of the lanyard, but wouldn't use it given the probability of losing the device and keeping the cap.


With all that said, I am *super* happy with this device; for its purpose and value proposition. In fact, I'm ecstatic. I would give it a 9.25/10 rating. Earbuds are a very personal thing. I'm only docking them 0.25 for the earbuds. I have no problem replacing them. I'd like to hit them another 0.25 for not adding a clock - but heck, the Shuffle doesn't even have a display. I'm going to hit them another 0.25 for apparent SNR/THD/Amplifier quality, but I'll apologize for it since other similar micro-players have similar apparent performance.

Honestly, a "fairer" rating is probably 9.90/10 when all factors (cost, size, battery life, display quality, quantity of music stored, overall feature-set, etc.) are taken into account.

This is truly a ShuffleKiller. I just hope SanDisk can push the marketing and advertising hard enough to upset the Apple cart [sic].

Yeah, scratch that... I'd give it a "10" on the emotional scale for a day and a half of use. ;)

With apologies to Cliff Richard:

"Walkin' about with a head full of music, MP3 in my pocket and I'm gonna use it-stereo, out on the street ya know whoa whoa whoa, [...] I feel so ecstatic, it's music I've found, and I'm wired for sound"


--- Jodie

I've owned several MP3 players, including the Rio Karma, Creative Zen Micro, and a number of smaller capacity players. This is hands-down the best player I have come across. Excellent sound, sturdy and compact, color OLED display, plenty of battery life, compatibility with online music services, FM radio, recording, driverless functionality with Windows ... all of the features you would expect. The Micro-SD expansion slot, along with my past experiences with SanDisk products in general are what sold me. The most important feature to me is that the player has the functionality I want, at a price where I can afford to lose it ... so I have it with me whenever I need it. This is by far the most bang for the buck with regards to MP3 players, "entry-level" or otherwise. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

Don't forget some extra storage space! Sandisk Micro SD 2 GB works like a champ in my player.

-- UPDATE --

Still have it, it still works, and I still love it. One note, though ... since I bought this player, microSDHC cards have become readily and cheaply available ... this device, as far as I know, only supports microSD, so you're limited to cards with a max capacity of 2GB.
An update to support up to 16GB microSDHC would compel me to buy a new one in a heartbeat.

I bought my Sansa Express a bit more than a week ago and I have made use of it just about every day since. Overall I am quite pleased with it. Its positive attributes include:

Appearance -- To rip off J.K. Rowling there is only one word for the physical appearance of this MP3 player: Cool. It has a silver colored body and a black mirror face. The controls are back-lit in a cool blue and the display is primarily blue-green. The brightness of the display is adjustable which is very important if you take it out for a walk on a sunny day. It is the size of a pack of gum and weighs about the same.

File Formats -- Supports MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WAV, and Audible files. Caveat: I could not find any information in the Sansa Express documentation or on line about what bit rates are supported. According to a telephone technical support person it supports 128KBS MP3 which is OK for "Jump'n Jack Flash" or the like but not so good for more complex art/alternative rock, jazz or classical. However, I have downloaded 128, 192, and 320KBS MP3 files to the Sansa Express without a hitch and they seem to work fine, so I am inclined to believe that the unit supports all standard bit rates.

File Formats Update 4-22-07 -- I have been in contact with Sandisk technical support via email and they gave me the following information on Sansa Express supported bit rates:
WMA - 64 to 128 kbps.
MP3 - 96 to 320 kbps and VBR.
(VBR = variable bit rate, a CD ripping option in some media player encoders that varies the bit rate based on the dynamics of the music, increasing the efficiency of the compression process [if its properly done])
Sandisk technical support responded with an answer to my question in less than 24 hours.

Sound -- The MP3 sound is good enough that I have not felt the need go back to my portable CD player although I have been using 192 and 320KBS music files rather than 128KBS files which reduces the amount of music that can be stored on the device. This, I should say, is a matter of personal choice; alot of Napster-To-Go rock and roll sounded fine at 128KBS.

Radio -- The radio is a nice feature and I would rank its quality as roughly comparable to a pocket radio I have used for quite some time, but you should not expect it to pull in weaker stations or work in places with a lot of radio frequency interference.

Controls -- I found the controls to be easy-to-use. If you do get lost or take a wrong turn you can always press the power/menu button again and quickly get to where you wish to go. I will mention one thing to guard against: the radio has a feature that will automatically scan the FM band and set presets to the strongest stations -- a nice feature but if you activate it by accident say goodbuy to all your own presets; and also it skips stations that you may want preset that can be received just fine (the radio search function has the same problem.)

Compatibility with Windows Media Player 11 -- I have had no problems at all using Windows Media Player 11 with the Sansa Express.

Compatibility with Subscription Services -- I have used the device with Napster-To-Go with no problems at all (exploiting a free-trial offer by Napster). After importing my ripped CD's to the Napster library I could download any music regardless of its source (ripped CD or downloaded Napster-To-Go) to the Sansa Express by simply dragging the desired track(s), album(s), artists(s), or playlist(s) to the MP3 device window. You can select multiple items to be dragged using standard MS Windows techniques (for example mouse click, followed by as many cntrl-clicks as you need). Its a piece of cake.

Mini USB cable -- I plug my Sansa Express directly into one of the front-mounted USB ports in my desk-top computer where there is plenty of space, but if the only USB port you have available is located in the tightly crowded space in the back of your machine Sandisk includes a mini USB cable with the Express that allows you to use a USB port where physical space limitations prevents a direct connection.


Not so positive attributes:

Ear Buds -- the ear buds that come with the Sansa Express are OK as far as sound goes but they do not cover the ear canal so they do not block out local ambient noise at all. Also they are not particularly comfortable. However, the earphones I was using with my portable CD player work fine with the Sansa Express and they do not seem to adversely effect battery life.

To sum up:

Overall I am very pleased with the Sansa Express. I am particularly pleased with its size and looks, that it includes an FM radio, support for subscription music services, expandable memory, and costs just 59 bucks.

Love it a lot. Only things that could have made it better for me:
1. lanyard connection on main body instead of cap.
2. play music while plugged into USB port
3. pehaps bigger buttons, but ok.
4. On/Off button should be seperate from menu button (dual use currently)
5. would like a clip instead of lanyard if possible.
6. Need to be able to delete songs from device instead of just PC only. Example. You might record a file from FM or mic. but you have to delete them from a PC only (atleast I have not seen it yet in the menus).

All in all, I am very pleased with the sound quality and happy with my purchase. FM reception can sometimes get staticy, but for the most part, it is probably in line with all other portable FM devices I have used. I really love the ability to add micro SD cards to expand storage room. I tried it in windows media 11 and could add songs to either the device or the expanded memory and it worked perfectly. Copies songs very quickly using USB 2.0. No lockups or hangs (I love the auto firmware updater whenver I plug it into my PC, it looks for latest firmware). I'm hoping for song delete ability in the future from the device menu. Volume buttons are great and work very good (plenty of range). Equalizer for Pop setting is good for me. This is a great deal for the price point. It even handles audio books. Highly recommended as I have bought two of them.

I really enjoy the express because it's a direct connection. I used to have the original apple shuffle which was also "express" in that you didn't need a dock or cable. Thats why I liked it, however it didn't have FM or expansion capabilities and was pretty bare bones. On the bright side, the original shuffle did have good sound unlike the 2nd iteration. So basically I was looking for a direct connection player without wires and for whatever reason Apple's new shuffle was not direct connection so it wasn't a candidate. I heard about the sansa express and took a chance on it because it was direct like my old shuffle which was very convenient. The sandisk sansa express has exceeded my expectations and to be honest I use it more than my other players now. Its like the original direct usb connection shuffle but not bare bones. I couldnt be happier to have a first generation shuffle like player WITH a screen and FM. No wires, no hassle and now that I use yahoo for podcasts, no more itunes. Itunes took forever to recognize my old shuffle for some reason so that nightmare is over. Don't get me wrong, I still like some Apple players like the video iPod, but back to sansa express: The sansa express also can be expanded so for few bucks more, you have a bigger capacity player thanks to the SD card slot and the cheap sandisk micro cards. So to summarize, its easy to use, can be affordably expanded to hold more songs or books etc., has really great sound quality, has FM and a sensible menu system, and is relatively inexpensive. Next time you get out all your wires with your Mp3 player, think about just plugging it in directly to the usb slot on the computer and filling it up in seconds... trust me, its a lot nicer to have a direct connection...very convenient for travel and working out or anytime, because really, who wants the hassle of cords ?
Added: I wanted to add that the FM reception is excellent and that the player looks great and is designed with high quality components and casing. IMO, this is by far the best small sized mp3 player available today for the money.

** Updated

I have charged this player at work twice via the USB port and noticed that on this system, also running Windows XP Pro, I was unable to load the files off the drive like a flash device. If you Google the terms: msc mode sansa express, you will find an anythingbutipod forum post titled "How To Use Sansa Express in MTP and UMS(MSC) Modes without Uninstalling Drivers" by a user winwithben. This method worked for myself and several others without removing any registry items.

Now the Sansa Express works just like it does at home (a flash drive) and I can easily play mp3s without Windows copying each file to the harddrive to temporary space. If you are using newer versions of Windows Media Player the Sansa has its standard MTP mode installed first and you aren't given a choice normally. I can still use WMP fine as well (as a player but not a syncing agent), so I have my cake and can eat it too.

I'd say this was the best $50 I've ever spent on an mp3 player. It has caused me the least headaches, as I simply had to do a bit of Googling. If only more devices were this painless AND cheap. Thank you SanDisk!

***

I purchased the pink variety of this 1 GB media player June 1st at a local Best Buy, along with a protective sleeve. The next week I bought a 2 GB SanDisk MicroSD card at Radio Shack on sale. I waited three months to review the item as I wanted to know how it has treated me. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of owning this little monster, previously only owning a small 512 MB non-Sansa and a CD-based mp3 player.

As soon as I got home from Best Buy I had begun to sort songs in a folder that felt right for the initial space. I tried to choose a range of file sizes, qualities, and genres. The PCs at home run WinXP Pro and WinXp Home and installed the device without even a hiccup. I have yet to upgrade the firmware either, as it has given me very little trouble. The ability of this player to show up as a flash drive and allow basic copy/paste functions without requiring a heavier syncing agent is one of the best points besides the price. The syncing would likely save me a LOT of time adding music to the player naturally, so perhaps one day I will get around to using it.

The only problem I noticed whatsoever is that the player occasionally locks up when I start it, normally when it gets lower on battery. I only noticed it after I bought the MicroSD card, but the card seems fine. Hard reset with the key combo select (middle silver button) and vol + allows a quick remedy. Firmware likely fixes the problem but I have yet to worry about it since it occurs so infrequently. I have had FAR more trouble with both of my prior mp3 players than this one has given. I never have play issues such as skipping or locking the player up from a bad file.

The battery life is better than advertised in my experiences. The volume it can put out is far louder than any other audio player (including portable CD players) I have ever owned. The included earbuds are much better quality than others I have paid for, though I will eventually get better ones I imagine. The sound quality may not be audiophile-tastic but you really are able to tell the difference between the various sound recording qualities. 128 kbit/s and below really sticks out, especially when you have this hooked up to a home stereo line in, or into your car stereo via tape player adapter. I don't have space to record audio using the built-in mic, but imagine I would be recording more skits like I did with my micro-cassette and Palm Pilot for a while.

I managed to fit 538 songs (most 192kbit/s or above) onto the 3 GB total, spread between internal and external memory space. Some of my favorite songs are longer (and in much higher quality) so I could easily fit more music with a bit of effort. I take this player wherever I go, just slipping it into a pocket or bag. Its radio reception is better than I can get at work with a normal radio, so I opt for it over a streaming feed to catch Ace & TJ in the morning.

I highly recommend this for people who don't want to spend a lot, but want a lot of music accessible on the go. You will likely want the 2 GB MicroSD card, protective carry sleeve, a more comfortable set of headphones, and a y splitter to share your music with a friend. I have yet to be disappointed by a SanDisk product purchased, and this is no exception.

I've had my express for a few days now, and the experience has been absolutely excellent. First, the things I find to be of most value:
Pros:
+ Small, sturdy construction (Sexy too)
+ Expandable Memory (MicroSD)
+ Powerful radio receiver
+ Excellent recording functionality (recording off the radio was never easier)
+ USB Plug built in
+ Beautiful OLED Screen (top area is yellow, main section is blue)
Cons:
- A bit bulkier than the 1st Gen Shuffle
- Play/Pause/FFWD/REW buttons are not active unless you are at the "what's playing" screen (use the power button to get back to that screen quickly)

Neutral/Don't really matter:
+- The recordings are uncompressed .wav files, so they are much larger than mp3, wma, aac, etc.

Comment: the controls took a bit of getting used to because they are more complex due to the increased functionality

I don't know if some people are reviewing the same device that I've been using and loving for a few days now... but I have to say that this thing is awesome for the price you pay. Add in a microSD ($10 - $30) and make it a 2gb/3gb player easily.

I don't have problems with it dying, as when I got it, I updated the firmware immediately (I suggest everyone to do so), and am running Windows Vista HP 32bit (It even shows battery charge in Windows!). So if your player is dying, it may be an earlier firmware fault that has been fixed, or maybe not, but at this point, its been great.

The sound quality is excellent, this is coming from an owner of multipe Etymotics (ER-4P) and SHures (E3s), as well as Headbanger Earsubs, cheaper Sennheiser earbuds, some Creative ones that came free, big labtecs etc.. Well you get the picture. The equalizer function works well, and non equalized sounds best with the good headphones.

The main pros this player has:

-USB plug & play mass storage!! No extra wires, no mess. It transfers and charges all in one. I can't understand people who are saying your computer "has" to be on to charge it... (Um, hello all Ipod owners).

-Small but has a OLED display. Clear enough to find your songs and choose playlists, that's enough for me.

- Slick looking, great controls, very intuitive. If you don't think these controls are intuitive, um... well you can't teach intuition at school perhaps... The power button returns you to the main menu, as well as powering on/off. There are dedicated volume controls, and a HOLD switch. The center button does the work, while the selecting, while the left/right seeks, and the bottom button goes to your playlist/settings. Can it possibly be any more self explanatory?

- 15 hour battery life. This is overexaggerated but possible if you leave it playing and don't touch it.

Some CONS:

-The microSD card sticks out a tiny bit! Upon immediate inspection it seems prone to getting pushed and ejected. I haven't had it happen yet but I really am not surprised if it will eventually, especially if you put your player in your pocket and not wear it w/ lanyard.

-The lanyard connector is on the cap itself. Now it does snap in QUITE tightly and won't come off without a LOT of excessive force. Granted, it is a tradeoff, between easily losing the cap if it was on the player itself or having it on the cap w/ lanyard but run the risk of pulling it out. The ideal solution that failed to be implemented would have been a built in cap, or retractable USB plug.

-Screen/display will fingerprint like crazy. Just a part of the material I guess.

I really liked this little DAP, especially the OLED display and microSD slot.
It did tend to lock up sometimes. Plugging it into a USB port on my computer always brought it back to life. The other day it suddenly stopped playing music and powered off by itself. I turned it back on and it got halfway through "refreshing database" and turned off. I tried the USB trick and hard resetting but alas, she was gone for good. Since it was on the last day of the 30 day BB return policy I brought it back for a refund.

This MP3 Player is really, really nice. It is sleek, small, and the sound is amazing! It holds around 250 songs. You can record you voice! The voice recording feature is actually really nice and it doesn't sound scratchy like some do. It can also play FM Radio that it picks up well off the air. It is very easy to download songs on to it also. Downloading is extreamly fast, it takes anywhere from two seconds through fifteen seconds to download a song. It also fits in your pocket perfectly. Here is what I rate for different things.

Sleekness: 5 Stars
Size: 4 1/2 Stars
Shape: 5 Stars
Sound: 5 Stars
Radio pickup: 4 1/2 Stars
Over all: 5 Stars

If you are looking for an inexpensive, sleek, small MP3 player that sounds great, then this is for you!