Customer Reviews

SanDisk Sansa Express 2 GB MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

This is the slickest, easiest to use, and most intuitive electronic device I've ever purchased. The sound is fantastic, it easily charges from the computer's USB 2.0 port, the flash drive holds over 500 songs, and the tiny screen is easily read with these 65 year old eyes. I can't believe all the function built into this tiny device. If you're considering a non-video MP3 player you would be hard pressed to find a better choice for $80. I know I couldn't.

PS: It works great with the free MS Windows Media Player 11.0!

I've been very pleased w/ this little unit after a month of use now. The ability to plug it into any system and drag-drop is a huge plus for me. I don't like having to install software just to manage a MP3 player. I've not measured the battery life but it's impressive. I listen to audio books frequently on it and it starts up mid-track, right where I left off, very nice. The mirror finish front picks up prints etc but they wipe off w/ a finger swipe and it hasn't scratched yet, seems durable.

Very affordable and great quality music in a tiny package. I use the device to play music in my car, for jogging, and just anywhere else. I believe this is the best product out there for its particular category.

I recommend buying the 2 gb version because a 1 gb expansion card costs just about the same compared to the difference between the 1 gb and 2 gb versions of this product.

Only a few notes:
The shuffle option does not seem to spread out music from their initial alphabetical-order well.

A few minor problems of not turning on or freezing, but this occurs after unplugging the device from a computer or initially turning it on. The problems do not occur during playback. A "hard reset" fixes everything. When I bought this product, I noticed bad reviews, but I also noticed reviews that explained how to circumvent problems noted in the bad reviews. A "hard reset" was the answer in their reviews and the answer from my own experience as well.

The concept and application of the direct USB conncection (cordless) seemed like a dream (with 4 kids and 3 or 4 devices per kid, USB cords and chargers are taking over our lives!), as did the elongated rectangular shape (I could tuck it anywhere for transportation) and sleek design; indeed, these factors WERE a dream, for a week. Spontaneously, the device failed to power up, even though fully charged, and failed, as well, to be recognized by my computer. Before purchase, I read at least one review whose writer had the precise problem, but I did not pay much attention; now I wish I would have taken it to heart. The disappointment didn't stop there: the most frustrating part of the deal was SanDisk customer/technical support. After spending literally hours on the phone with non-English speaking tech representatives who spilled out worthless memorized solutions, applying all their suggested updates and other fixes with no success, and losing every bit of data on the device, their final offer was this: try to get a reimbursement from Amazon. SanDisk, even after admitting its product was faulty, will reimburse and/or replace the product ONLY after the retailer (in this case, Amazon) refuses to replace. Even though I anticipate no trouble acquiring an Amazon solution, I will not be purchasing another SanDisk product--WOULD YOU?!??! Resist the "too good to be true" qualities of this Sansa Express; go for one of the tried and true brands, like Apple--if that one fails, at least you'll have customer service to back you.

Without mentioning the poor / total lack of compatibility with other devices (it just crashes when I connect it to my in-car mp3 stereo using the usb connector); The main problem with this player is that it can't read mp3 ID3 tags. As its entire library system is based on tags, it only works properly in shuffle mode.
You always end with a lot of music sorted as unknown artist / unknown album.
As it can't find the track number on e-books, the chapters come in the wrong order. I got so sick of it that I went back to Creative...

You probably won't find a better MP3 player for the price. While it has its flaws and occasionally buggy performance, the combination of size and features more than compensates for its shortcomings imo.

Pros:
1. Small size
2. Direct USB connection - no need to carry a USC cable around with you (although it comes with a small USB extension cable for use if you need it)
3. Doubles as a USB drive - I have had no problems storing all kinds of files on it
4. Syncs well with Windows Media Player or simply by drag and drop
5. FM player and recorder
6. Charges fairly quickly from computer
7. Decent battery life
8. Good sound quality
9. Micro SD expandable memory slot

Cons:
1. Prone to occasional glitches such as screen freezes (I found that connecting it to a live USB port will fix these problems)
2. Sound quality of FM recording is average at best
3. FM radio appears to mainly use headphones as antenna - may need to find the right pair of headphones for best FM signals
4. User interface could be slightly better

The headphones that come with the device provide decent sound and FM radio signal but are not comfortable (to me). I purchased another pair immediately. I would update the device's software as soon as you get it to improve reliability. Use the device lock and remember to turn it off when you're done using it to avoid the battery from running out - it is easy to turn on accidentally.

I'm not looking for an MP3 player that has a mischievous bent. Roughly once a week, my player decides to empty out the playlist or the radio presets. All on its own. (Even when it has been in my pocket, playing away, with the lock on.) This is big on the hassle factor scale. There are plenty of MP3 players out there with a number of good features, and the Sansa Express is one of them. However, this random reset is not a feature that I like.

for some reason i could not submit this review without at least 1 star rating...this product deserves -5 stars...i would not recommend the sansa express mp3 player to anyone...i have had mine for less than 6 weeks and already it is unuseable...the menu/power button has become stuck so it cannot even be turned on...i only used it 3 times a week so it failed with only 15 uses...a google search showed that other people had the exact same problem so it is not user failure but product failure...

The menuing system is difficult to use. It certainly doesn't work as indicated in the instructions. Tech support had me reformat and then downloaded newer software, but that didn't solve the proble.

Basically this Mp3 is a suped up version of the sansa m series.

Pros (?):
Slim and sexy look.
You can see yourself on that faceplate.
OLED Screen.
Very light.
Very good sound quality.
Amusing Dino

Cons:
USB Charging only (I haven't check for products that'll charge it w/o a computer yet 08/07)
Easily smugable (fingerprint prone)
No info of bitrate of a file on the bottom like the m series (But I think that'll be fixed in a future firmware update).
Easily ejectable microsd card. (Better buy that toughskin accessory)
OLED screen not really visible outside on full brightness.

Other Thoughts:
This Mp3 has a weird Graphic EQ. Only 5 bars. Leftmost being the bass and rightmost being the treble.
When you turn a bar up, basically the Mp3 will just lower the sounds from other ranges of the sound spectrum.
Solution:
Just jack up all 5 bars by 3 times and then set your EQ preference.

Lousy shuffling
Solution:
Repeat All and then shuffle.

Pretty good so far.

I wouldn't recommend the c series normally b/c I do not find it a plus to have photo viewing on a ridiculously small screen.

The dino is amusing to watch.

Ipods have the best interface.
The sansa seems easy to get lost in for the average person.

The dino is amusing to watch...
...
...
...
SanDisk should animate it more.
...

------
Opps, that dino is a dog