April 2021 Update: Still have this player and it's one of the two I use regularly since I bought it.... I only have one issue with this and it's 100% NOT the player's fault at all. I am in a humid and hot climate and while if i even think I may get caught in a storm, I will leave this player at home, to not take chances ... THE ISSUE is that I got a rubber case and an armband and sort of hold it in my hand when I use it ... apparently the heat/humidity and the armbands/case all dont mix well ... the player that was in GREAT condition when I got it from Fit Sale (great seller by the way) ... now the player looks REALLY bad ... especially the back of the case where the strap somehow .. well I will just say that I was WORRIED and almost tossed this player because it looked like something was leaking on the inside and that is where the battery is .... I opened the case and the battery and the entire area around it... LOOKS GREAT. The "damage" is on the outside only and ... if i were to sell this player, which i dont even want to ... Used-Acceptable may even be a stretch. Again it was the case I bought to protect it and the strap + high humidity mixed i admit with me sweating that did it ... even now the player works perfect. I'd at least CONSIDER getting another e-series if the price was right in better condition just to have ...and the point of why i love it ... how easy it is to replace the battery ... well with the batteries going up in price a bit and/or not getting the best reviews ... that maybe what i do "down the road" ... I would still keep my current one in case i find a good way to really clean it up, though.
The only other comment is that even WITH Rockbox ... it can lag a big vs Rockbox and my Sansa Fuze+ browing my library ... NOT bad at all though i have to keep some Rockbox settings OFF ... just a second or two lag say switching songs that doesn't happen in my other players. I also cant say I have tried a microsd card above 16GB but even if the stock firmware (if i remember) can only read 2GB cards MAX ... this player never had a problem reading my 16GB card with Rockbox firmware.
Summary- Disappointed about the condition it's in .. .SINCE i like it so much ...
Totally happy with my purchase
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Before I start, I want to give a brief history of my some of my recent Mp3 players, so you know what I am comparing things to. I have/had a model CD/Mp3 Player similar to the Sony D-NS505, a Sansa Clip+ 4GB, a Sony EWZ-463, a recent purchase of a Sansa Fuze+, and this Sansa e260. While I can't speak for the old Sony CD/Mp3 Player, I do not use the headphones that came with any of the players, but the same (sort of) model over the ear headphones of Sony MDRZX100 or MDRZX110..please keep that in mind when I write about “sound quality” … there is a reason I stopped using earbuds in general.
Pros:
- Sound Quality is great, and really with Rockbox, I am just getting the settings “perfect” for my ears … it really is good sound quality though I think my Sansa Fuze+ … default firmware or Rockbox… just sounds a tad “crisper” … I can’t really explain it. I am not saying they are miles apart, but something I noticed, listening to both players, back to back and using the same mp3 files and the same headphones.
- Replacing the battery – I admit while in the same week, I bought that Sansa Fuze+ … this replaceable battery feature (without soldering or too much fuss) is the reason I got this e260 too. I have taken the back off of my unit just to see what it is like … and WOW it’s easy … four screws that can be removed with an eye-glass repair kit’s phillips head screwdriver and you basically just lift the battery out and replace it. The biggest “issues” there are not losing the screws and buying a replacement battery that works and is not “half bad” already.
- Build quality - While I don't want to go nuts with this … I did notice the great build quality right away … I decided on buying this e260 after not only seeing the stuff about replacing the battery, but all the other reviews everywhere saying how much the reviewer loved the build quality .. while I can’t speak for this myself, some said they even dropped it on hard surfaces awhile before their review and they said it kept on going, without any issue. Not saying some of the other Sansa models are made cheap (some of what seem like the Sansa "clones" are made cheap, however)... but the e-series just SEEMS more well built, than other mp3 players I have had.
- Default firmware
I have to say that the default firmware ... I like it ... I am a tech guy but I think almost anyone would be able to use this ... as I say below you may get the navigation (up vs down) backwards as far as clockwise vs counterclockwise of the scroll wheel ... but it's no big deal. The biggest issue is if you dont watch what your getting and get a player with version 1 firmware that can only support a lower capacity sd card then the "same" e-series players with version 2 firmware.... noting that if you are ok with using Rockbox (third party firmware) even on a player with version 1 firmware .... the higher capacity cards (at least up to 32GB, if I understand it... I can at least say 16GB sd cards are fine) limit is not an issue ... though you will not be able to see that media with the Default firmware ... that is it.
- This Pro seems silly and it's a late addition to the review ... the size ... well, it's not as small as the "Clip" series from Sansa but it's really a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be ... maybe it's the way the pictures are "zoomed in" so you can see it on Amazon but ... it filts roughly in the palm of my hand ... I suppose if you have small hands, it wouldn't but for some reason I was picturing this unit to be bigger and slighly bulkier ... that wouldn't have been a huge issue to me, though when I saw the size when I first opened this, I was "Oh ...well that is nice" at how small it is.
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Cons:
- Noting that this first one goes for other Sansa players and even my Sony Player ... I ... I just don't care for almost any earbuds anymore. The sound quality with any of them that I try, including "new" models of old favorite earbuds from 15+ years ago... the sound is not that great. With those on the ear headphones I mentioned earlier ... things sound MUCH better, with any of these mp3 players.
- with a unit that uses v1 firmware the max sized memory card that you can use is 2GB … while this is not an issue for some people, It does mean that I am unable to use the 16GB MicroSD card I have used for years, with the default firmware. This APPLIES to the DEFAULT firmware. If you have a unit that uses v1 firmware and you dual-boot Rockbox on your e260, I think the highest memory card that Rockbox can see on it is 32GB and I can confirm that my 16GB card works just fine with Rockbox.
- the scrollwheel- The scrollwheel is very responsive, though you may end up going backwards from time to time, forgetting if up/down is clockwise or counter-clockwise … no big deal.
- REALLY off the top of my head, after using the e260 for a bit ... .I can't think of any other cons ... I HAVE TO ADMIT my "new" Sansa Fuze+ ... which may be the ... sort of "grandson" (Sansa e-series ~> Sansa Fuze ~~> Sansa Fuze+ ) and I do admit it has a slightly crisper sound overall ... that's not saying the e-series is bad ... and ... I have to say I may like the e260 better than the Fuze+ ... though I love both to be fair.
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I did get a case that ... well, I don't want to do a review for the case here but if you have an e-series you may know it's awkward at times to hit the buttons with them being located around the scroll wheel and the scroll wheel being raised up. Well the case is still a tad bit of an issue, it completely covers the bottons and not the scroll wheel. The problem I had at first with it is that while it raised the buttons up (just the case, where the buttons are)... it now flipped the issue around, where the scroll wheel is ... not difficult to use, but it's not as smooth as it was without the soft plastic case ... however, actually using the case + e260 on long walks in south Florida here during the hottest time of the year.... well the issue doesn't seem as bad now.
as you may see I separated this from Cons where I originally had it, with this almost being an "eh ... not great .. but it's a non-issue now... AND the player is better protected now" thing.
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It all depends on the price being asked... I got my e260 as "used -very good" and it's the same seller I bought a used Sansa Fuze+ from (100% trust them)... really the replaceable battery, sound quality (noting what I said about the headphones), build quality from my own and other's experience ... I would 100% recommend an e-series player. I had to replace my broken (battery) Sansa Clip+, which I do still miss, but looking at these two other model (e series and Fuze+ .. though the Fuze may be great too)... well I don't feel as bad seeing the old $29.99 Clip+'s being sold for over $100 ... I know each model has its pros and cons, but being disappointed about not being able to get another clip+ ... I'd say "you can't go wrong, with a Sansa Player" ... just do your research on the different models, to see what may fit you better.
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2019 Update on a (bought) used model: ... this one I haven't found myself using as much as my Fuze+ (no reason to be honest) but it's still going strong ... my only issue really has nothing to do with this player ... it's the GOOD case I got for it ... I am not cutting the case or anything but the case around the scroll wheel makes the navigation/functionality of the scroll wheel ... laggy/jumpy at times ... i CAN COMFIRM that, this effect doesn't happen at all without the case but ... I want this player protected so i am just "living with this" issue .. I would 100% recommend this player, still .... it's sad that ... (admitting I have no experience with the new Sansa models that you cant use Rockbox on) Sansa discontinued this model, the Fuze, the Fuze+, the Clip+ and the Clip Zip.
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Good quality
When I got this mp3 payer i was generally happy. One thing I didn't like was the fact that you cant rewind or forward movies. otherwise It was cheap, innovattive, and a lot better that the ipod nano.
