Customer Reviews

Sandisk 2GB Sansa m250 Black MP3 Player NEW [SDMX3-2048-A18, Hassle-Free Packaging]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This player is durable and low maintenance. requires 1 AAA battery that seems to last forever, and i've had mine now for over 3 years. It's getting hard to find mp3s that accept regular batteries (most have built in rechargeable batteries that are hard to find when bad)., i bought 2 more of these for future.

Only use it when I fly. No movie or music on SouthWest, needed on a 5 hour flight. Arm band carrier is difficult to put the player into or to get it out, only need to do this to change battery. Battery life is excellent, did not want rechargeable batteries. Don't use the buds, just because I prefer headphones. Sound quality is excellent. Would like larger screen and buttons. Overall, very good product. Would buy again. Is there a difference between this and http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-m250-Player-Black/dp/B000BP8AY2/ref=pd_cp_e_2?pf_rd_p=413863501&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001QLFQOM&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=06ZN1ZCTYMF0BNZGDPME (not that I can see other than price - I bought other one $34.99 a year or so ago). More ratings on the other page.

I'm so excited about this MP3 player. I had purchased and returned a different brand some months ago because it crashed and became unusable the first time I connected it to my laptop. So I was hesitant to try another one...but this one is great. I've been using it for a week now and it works great. It's super easy to load and listen to music, audio books, seminars, etc...and you can't beat the price!!! My laptop has Vista and it immediately recognized the M250. I'd recommend it to anyone.

The player didn't come with instructions so I went on the Sandisk web site and after some searching, located the user manual. In case you're like me and want to read instructions before turning it on, here's the path I used and the URL. A lot of the people who write reviews are very IT knowledgeable, but I'm not so it was helpful to have some guidance. Have fun & enjoy!!!

www.sandisk.com Support > Knowledgebase Sansa Players > Search by Keyword: m250 > Page 4 > PDF of Sansa M200 User's Manual

http://kb.sandisk.com/cgi-bin/sandisk_en.cfg/php/enduser/url_adp.php?p_faqid=241&p_sid=MVrY7lxj&p_brand=sansa&p_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sandisk.com%2FAssets%2FFile%2Fpdf%2Fretail%2FSansa_ug_Eng_m200.pdf

I own 4 of these mp3 players. The range in capacity from 1 to 4 gigabytes. Obviously I really like them.

PROS:
They operate by using 1 AAA battery. I repeat, 1 AAA battery.
That is the single best thing I can say about these units and
believe me it is a HUGE plus. I DO NOT have to worry about
battery life. I keep one of these little gems in one pocket
and an extra battery (rechargeable or not) in another pocket.
If my battery runs low I DO NOT have to take my player "out of
service" while I recharge it's expensive built in battery. I
simply change the readily available AAA battery that powers it
for hours on end. How nice is that?

FM tuner. When I first bought one of these it was hard to
find a unit that had any sort of radio reception. This one
does and it works well.

Recording capability. This unit can be used to record notes
classroom lectures, etc. as it has a built in microphone.
The quality is not great but it will do.

It is easy to use once you get the hang of it. The software
and instruction manual that come with this unit are simply
bad. Fortunately I got help online from SanDisk and other
sources. I use Rhapsody to manage my players and I have no
problems.

CONS:
Lousy software. Windows media player is NOT good for
managing this unit. I use Rhapsody and it works great. It
took some time and persistence on my part but I now under-
stand how to use and manage these players.

No video capability.

Relatively small capacity. The largest unit available holds
4 gigs. That's more than enough for me but it's not for
everyone.

Bad headphones. So what else is new? I can't remember the
last time I got decent headphones with a music player whether
it was a tapedeck (I am a member of the over 50 set who used
and remembers the first 4 AA battery eating cassette players),
mini disc player, or mp3 player.

I really like these units. I know what their limitations are and I can easily live with them. I am sorry to see that none of the newer mp3 players (not even SanDisk) run on "disposable" batteries. They are all powered by very expensive to replace built in batteries. I will not be buying anything with a built in battery unless I have no other choice.

January 2012.

I have acquired two more of the Sansa m200 series
mp3 players. They are version 4 players and they both have major
software flaws. Anyone buying one of the Sansa m200 series
players should check the version by accessing the "information"
tab on the player's menu. If the player is version 4. anything
think twice before buying it as it will more likely than not
have major software issues and SanDisk does not offer any
solution to the problem as they no longer make these units.
My version 2 and version 3 players work just fine and I would
not hesitate to buy another one. But I would not want another
version 4 unit if it were given to me as a gift.

I got one of these some years back for around $130. I used it a year or so, had a bad firmware issue, and Sandisk replaced it. I dropped the replacement 4" onto a stone floor. It survived without a problem and I'm still using it to this day when exercising. I mainly purchased this one because the old one lost it's volume over the years and now sound only comes out of both ears when good quality head phones are used. Odd.

I have to admit being a little skeptical about the "hassle free packaging" thing, but it was the same as my previous one. The latest firmware makes it a little slow and you may have a little hiss between tracks, but improves fast forward in longer clips. A really handy feature, it keeps track of where you were in the current audio clip when you turn it off. A must have feature for listening to podcasts.

I love the battery life. I can use it many hours before it runs down. I abhor using a rechargeable battery I can't replace myself. It's essentially a guarantee the machine will be useless in x charge cycles. Also, I like throwing in a new AAA and "recharging" in second vs hours. It even uses a standard mini-USB connection so if you lose your chord you can buy one pretty easily. I love it because my PDA uses the same one, so I only have to carry one USB chord.

If you use playlists, don't need video playback, and want something that doesn't need recharging, and even has it's own basic protective case (with arm band strap) included, this is a great player to own.

this is a great little mp3 player that can hold about 500 songs , i've had another Sandisk Sansa 1 gb player for 2 years and love it

This is my first MP3 player. My husband helped me figure out that I needed to load CDs first to my computer, and then back to the player to get them into the proper format - not as easy as "drop and drag" as the instructions (online) say.

I'm pleased with it overall, but I bought it for music and audiobooks (primarily Overdrive from my local library). After about 17 minutes into a longer audiobook track, I lose the ability to keep my place or fast-forward or rewind past the 17 minute mark. I can keep listening, but no stopping, going forward, or going back allowed till the next track--and then only for the first 17 minutes.

It sounds like this is a chronic problem, which I read about in the Sansa online forums.

I don't want to mess around with software to "chop up" the files at this point. So I'll use it for music and look for something else for audiobooks.

Overall this is an OK MP3 player. It plays FM and is also a voice recorder. For the price it is good. It does not play video, but that's OK; this isn't a top of the line player. My biggest complaint: It does not have a setup guide. The box tells you to go to Sandisk.com to download one, but I couldn't find one nor did I get a response from their customer service department. I finally found one when I googled for one. But again, this is a pretty basic player so overall it was easy to figure out anyway; I was downloading songs before I downloaded the setup guide so it's not that complicated. The only thing that I am having real difficulty with is that it layers the track of a 2-disc CD (Beatles' White Album). So instead of playing CD1 Tracks 1-17, then CD2 Tracks 1-13, it plays CD1 Track 1, CD2 Track 1, CD1 Track 2, CD2 Track 2, etc. And of course, this is not addressed in the setup guide, Sandisk refuses to contact me and I've deleted and downloaded the discs several times now, together and separately. But you get what you paid for and I paid [...] bucks for this thing. If I paid more money and got a better MP3 player, I would have better results. It also comes with a strange armband that is either loose over forearm or tight on upper arm (perhaps a belt clip would have been preferable); earbuds that keep falling out of my ears (I'm using headphones that fit the jack and they work fine); and a USB cable. But it's a small player that holds some albums, several songs and plays FM radio, which is all I wanted. Overall, it's an OK MP3 player.

Edit your post:

Note that this is July 7, 2009, I've had the player almost 2 months and it is now dead. I tried downloading music and it said it was full. I took off some albums I didn't want to make room and it would not download anymore although it said it had plenty of room. Windows Media Player said to reset. I tried to find a reset, but couldn't. This went on for a couple of weeks. Remember, I had to download a guide from the website because this did not come with one. WMP suggested I remove all files and try again. I debated after a couple of weeks, but finally did so. It erased all my albums (except for one. Strange.) and would not let me add anything or reset. I figured out that since I can't find reset on the player or in the manual that, surprise, it has not reset feature. So I have an MP3 player that has lots of room and will not let me add MP3s on it. I was a little hesitant about getting this one at first, but now I am convinced:

DO NOT GET THIS PLAYER!!! SPEND YOUR MONEY WISELY AND INVEST IN A GOOD REPUTABLE MP3 PLAYER!!

It may cost more, but you will not regret it. Buy iPod. Buy Zune. Just STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE!!!!! Guidelines

These devices are good value for the money. You can't find anything less expensive. I chose this one because it uses standard AAA batteries, which I can purchase anywhere.

The only issue I've had is the life of the device. It works about 2 years and then dies. I don't know if I'm getting it wet, or what. But for the price it's still a good value.

This has been a nice little MP3 player that I use while running. Don't want or need an overpriced "i" whatever. I like this because of the extra memory capacity. The price was good and it was not available in my area.