Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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288 of 295 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The New Leader In Small MP3 Players, December 12, 2007
BACKGROUND: I was in the market for a small MP3 player with primary usage at the gym. I was looking for a rechargeable unit as my previous player ate AAA batteries about every week or so. I considered three options of which the Sansa Clip was one of them. I eliminated the iPod Shuffle due to its cost and lack of display. The other primary contender was the Creative Zen Stone Plus (I rejected the non-Plus model due it its lack of display). I will reference how the Sansa Clip won out throughout the rest of the review.
SET UP: The Sansa Clip is about as simple as it gets in this area. It requires no additional software installation. My home system runs XP SP2 with Windows Media Player 11. When I plugged the player in to charge, it was detected and recognized automatically. I told windows to "Take No Action" as the default behavior when the device connects. This allows me to maintain complete control over the syncing process. My unit charged in about an hour.
MUSIC TRANSFER: You have the option of using simple drag and drop of MP3 files to the device as you would a USB flash drive. However, using Windows Media Player allows you the more advanced feature of playlists. Since I primarily use my MP3 player at the gym, I created multiple playlists for warm up, workout, and cool down. The workout lists are about 90 minutes while the others about 20 minutes. I really liked that I was able to create multiples of each for variety. Right now I have three of each with about 1.5 Gb still remaining to use as I please. Using Windows Media Player, you can sync albums, songs, or playlists as you would with any other device. The Sansa Clip fully supports all of these options so it is a nice low effort, highly functional set up.
SOUND QUALITY: This is an area where the Sansa Clip is pretty impressive. I previously had the Sansa M230, and I can tell a significant difference in sound quality. I am able to hear a lot more detail in the higher ranges (such as high hat cymbals). I am using the headphones that came with the unit, but I would image that higher quality headphones would sound even better. The player also has a series of preset equalizer settings for different music styles as well as one that you can customize.
DISPLAY: This is a distinguisher between the Clip and the Zen Stone Plus. The display is larger and easier to read. The mix of blue and yellow against the black background is also pleasant.
NAVIGATION: The Clip has a normal four button dial that is common to most small MP3 players. With the crisp, clear display it is easy to move around and select music by artist, album, song, or playlist. The only thing that I have noticed that doesn't work quite the way I would like is that if you navigate away from the song that is playing there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to it to see the details of what's playing. This is pretty minor, though, because I do not regularly navigate away from the song that is playing.
FM RADIO: This is about what you would expect from a unit with no external antenna. Strong signals come in clearly, but it is not going to match what you can pick up on your car stereo. This is a nice to have feature for me so it is plenty adequate.
OPTIONS: As I mentioned previously, my primary usage comes at the gym. I had used the song timer to measure the time between reps while lifting weights on my M230. However, the Clip has a power saving feature that shuts off the display after 15 seconds by default. However, you can change this to 30, 45, 60, or 90 seconds which should cover your needs. After adjusting mine, I wake up the display after completing a set. When the display shuts off, it's time for the next set.
USE ON THE GO: This is the other area where the Clip separates itself from the Zen Stone Plus. You can clip the player to your clothes or an arm strap (I use the one that came with my M230). The Zen Stone Plus requires purchase of a separate armband accessory for an additional $15.
COST: At base price, the Zen Stone Plus and Sansa Clip are a push. However if you factor in another $15 for an armband you have a clear winner given the other advantages.
CONCLUSION: The Sansa Clip is now the leader in 2 Gb small MP3 players. Give it a spin and you won't be disappointed.
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89 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sansa Clip 2GB - Great MP3 Value and Performance!, December 17, 2007
The Sandisk Sansa Clip 2GB is a great value MP3 player. It has twice the capacity as the iPod Shuffle for about $50. It also has a screen, FM Tuner, voice recording and more. You can get the 1GB version for $35.
Pros -
+ good sound
+ nice capacity for a decent price
+ light-weight
+ FM tuner (20 Presets)
+ voice recording
+ nice design with more color options
+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, DRM WMA, WMA, Audible)
+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity
+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage
+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via software
+ 15 hours battery life is better than Creative Clip Plus
+ Integrated Clip means no add-on case / lanyard purchase needed!
Cons
- larger body than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shuffles
The new Sandisk Sansa Clip has the advantages of the iPod shuffle with some of the compatibility, feature, and price benefits of other MP3 players. Unlike the Sansa Express, which you can plug in directly into your USB port, the clip uses a standard USB B cable.
The Clip is definitely a little bigger than the iPod shuffle, but not by much. It has a great feel and a nicer clip. It is also priced VERY well for the holidays. It fills the market for a starter MP3, workout unit, or gift.
The rechargable battery seems better than the Creative Zen Stone Plus and gives you a respectable 15 hours. The sound is nice. The earbuds are passable for beginners but most people will replace them. As for durability, only time will tell; so far it's holding up nicely.
I definitely recommend the larger 2GB option. For those needing more space, you will have to explore the Creative Zen, Sandisk Sansa, Sansa View or new iPod Nano. All of those units have higher price tags.
SanDisk Sansa View 8 GB MP3 Player
SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB MP3 Player
Creative Zen 4 GB (Black)
Creative Zen 8 GB (Black)
Creative Zen 16 GB (Black)
Sandisk SDMX4-4096 Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot
SanDisk SDMX4-8192 Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)
Apple 4 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Silver (3rd Generation)
Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation)
Overall, an awesome starter unit that deserves a try. Enjoy!!!
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69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Money well spent, February 22, 2008
Rating:
Possible CON - I feel the build material could be a tad bit more robust. Considering this MP3 player is designed to be attached to your body as you are working out, I think the plastic casing might be a little fragile in the event the Sansa Clip falls to the floor. Then again, the MP3 player is so light that the force of it dropping probably wouldn't crack it. Actually, the only reason this thought came into my head was because my Beagle was eyeballing the SansaClip as it dangled from my computer case. I'm sure one crunch from my dog and this thing would be less than fully functional. Other than the small player being plastic(which is a completely minor gripe since the only small player I know of made of metal is the iPod Shuffle) I have no complaints and believe the device warrants a 5 star rating.
Size:
The Sansa Clip is super small. Granted, it isn't quite as small as the small iPod shuffle, but any smaller and the player becomes too small in my opinion. With this size you still have a nice sized screen, easy to access buttons, and yet a small enough form factor to forget you've got it clipped to your shirt.
Features:
I won't run down all the features because many people have done that. Suffice it to say, you won't find any MORE features available in an MP3 player of this size for the same money. The newer small iPods with the video can claim video play back, but those are larger than the Sansa Clip. I'd also contend that you wouldn't use video on such a small device anyway.
I will say that my FM reception was good on strong stations, but only passable on weaker channels. Don't expect to get that college radio station with that weak signal. Still a handy feature to have especially if your gym puts the TV sound on an FM frequency.
Purpose:
Very important is the idea that the Sansa Clip serves a distinct purpose, transportabitlity. The ultimate use for this device is to listen to music while being active. No more goofy armband cases for your $400 video iPod which is too heavy to be strapped to your arm. No more worrying about your iPhone falling out of its case as your go mountain biking. Just clip and go.
Value:
$55??? Really?? All this for less than $60? That just says it all really. Imagine you're running with your $400 iPod video and the velcro strap comes loose. SMASH! there goes $400! Now let's say for the sake of argument that some how the Sansa Clip comes loose and smashes into the ground. You're only out $60! Seems like a steal to me.
Connectivity:
When I first got mine I went straight to SanDisk's website to download the latest firmware (I don't think this was all that necessary, but it couldn't hurt). You download and intall the firmware updater (a self-running program which requires no effort on your part), then plug in your Sansa Clip. The program updates your device and asks you to unplug it. Done.
When I plugged in my Sansa Clip (even before the update) Windows XP recognized it right away and gave me the typical window with choices for what action I wanted to take. I could have opened it in Windows Explorer, but I had other ideas. Each time I plugged it in I would get the same window so using the device is a snap, complete plug-and-play.
Transferring Music:
Not recognized by iTunes (obviously)
Recognized by Windows Media Player
Recognized by WinAmp
Recognized by MusichMatch Jukebox (version 10)
Recognized by Windows Explorer for drag-and-drop transfers
these are the only methods I tried
I didn't install any programs and the device didn't come with any CD to load anything anyway. It seems the choice is up to the consumer on how to transfer music.
I used MusicMatch (the version just prior to the blackhole that is Yahoo's version after buying out MusicMatch). The jukebox recognized the SansaClip right away and I had full-functionality. I made a playlist and transferred 370 songs with room to spare. Disconnected and started listening.
Sound Quality:
I will admit, I took one look at the included earbud headphones and didn't even bother unwrapping them. I already own several "good" headphones that I prefer. With my Bose Triport headphones the sound was as rich and full as my 80GB iPod video. For earbuds, I'd recommend pairing this device with Creative's EP-630's, they are cheap, light weight, and sound great.
Sansa Clip vs. iPod Shuffle (the small one):
Has FM tuner, iPod does not
Has screen to view song information and change settings, iPod does not
Has 2GB, iPod will but not just yet
Has on-the-go playlists, iPod does not
Let's you choose song, artist, etc., iPod cannot
Costs $55, iPod WAS $79 now $49 but is still only 1GB (2GB version forthcoming)
Has a clip, iPod has a clip too!
Comes in different colors, iPod does too!
I think the choice is clear.
Hope this review was helpful.
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