SanDisk Sansa Clip 2 GB MP3 Player (Red)
See it at Amazon.com for $28.34Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
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(5 out of 5)The New Leader In Small MP3 Players
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.
(4 out of 5)Sansa Clip 2GB - Great MP3 Value and Performance!
The Sandisk Sansa Clip 2GB is a great value MP3 player. It has twice the capacity as the iPod Shuffle for about $50-60. 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!!!
(5 out of 5)Great player for the value
This is the first MP3 player I have owned. I own 1000+ CDs, and at age 37, consider myself a bit of an audiophile. I have listened to some songs from my phone, but never took the plunge to a dedicated MP3 player. Even after a few days, I don't know why I put this off.
First, moving music to the player was remarkably easy. I just plugged it in, and the player showed up in Windows Explorer. I copied MP3s from my computer, with no specific directory/file structure to follow, and they showed up, sorted correctly by artist/album/song, etc. No extra software to use! No iTunes or WMP or Rhapsody or LockYourMusicIntoOurStore stuff!
Second, this is a fine interface. Yes, it is text-only. But that is how I always listened on my phone anyway, I scrolled through the album titles and when I found the one I wanted, I hit "play". Naturally, if you REALLY NEED to see cover art, get a different player. But if you are buying music, and not cover art (and also not little plastic disks and boxes), then get this player.
Now I have already purchased eight albums from Amazon in MP3 format, with no problems putting them onto the player. Great playback quality, easy to use. I won't go back... I can't go back...
(5 out of 5)compact and super easy to use!
I bought a red 2G Sansa Clip for my mom and the same in black for my Dad. Both were thrilled to have such a small, stylish, easy to read (i.e. great display contrast), easy to use mp3 player with FM radio. Initially they had requested IPods but after receiving the Sansa clip they got over the hype pretty quickly. This one is a winner, and frankly, if I didn't already have my 30G Video Ipod, I'd be a Sansa clip owner as well.
(3 out of 5)doesn't hold charge
I bought this b/c it was great value compared to the Ipod Clip and also had a display.
PRO's
So far everything that I expected is great. Holds alot of songs, good reception, small and light weight, clips works wells.
CON's
- Ugly white headset and wire too short
- Doesn't hold a charge for the 15 hours as speced out. For some reason even when it's off it is still using power.
- Trickly stop button. I accidentally press this and then my radio stopped. It took me a awhile to figure out why the radio wouldn't work. The stop button should only work for mp's and not for the radio which should be only off or on.