Home > Consumer Reviews > SanDisk Sansa Fuze 2 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

The Fuze has more features than I want, but it is very easy to use and it is very easy to ignore the useless features.

When you get the unit, plug it in to the USB cable to charge it. Once it is charged, go into the settings menu and change the mode to MSC. This makes the Fuze act like a regular flash drive, so it will work with any operating system that supports USB. Next, format the unit. Sandisk includes some sample music that was installed in MTP mode. The two modes are not compatible, so your player will have wasted space if you keep the sample music.

Next, go to Sandisk's website. They will have a *.bin file available so you can flash the Fuze's firmware to the latest version. Just copy the file over with any file manager. They do have an updater program, but that doesn't work on my OS.

You now have a player that can handle FLAC and OGG format audio, as well as all the usual ones. That means Librivox and Project Gutenberg audiobooks work, so hard to find classics are easy to get. And if you're an audiophile, you can use FLAC for higher quality sound. There is enough space to fit at least 4 hours of MP3s and a short audiobook.

EDIT: I've picked up a set of cheap IEMs (jvc air cushions, about 80-90% as good as the high end IEMs I've used, at 1/10 the price). The sound is now very clear, with no hiss. Sometimes a good audio chip will have software that adds hiss, but the Fuze is free of this problem. The whole setup will easily fit into a jeans pocket, even if you're a curvy female who likes a close fit.

The display is not visible on a sunny day in direct sun on the lowest brightness setting. Tilting it slightly solves that. The clock is visible even when the unit is locked.

The radio sounded quite clear in my few minutes of playing with it... it's definitely a useless feature for me.

The delete option is a little confusing. I haven't found a way to delete a song unless it is playing. I'm used to doing the odd cleanup on my player to get rid of songs I'm tired of, and I can't find a way to do that without a computer. Very minor annoyance.

I wanted an expandable memory MP3 player so I wouldn't be tied down to something obsolete in a year. With the 2GB base memory and the microSD slot this fit what I needed perfectly. Battery life is good, but not as much as advertised. Screen is good. Sound quality is good, and it plays the main formats, which was also a concern for me. At significantly less than an ipod, this has everything I need without paying for a name. The radio feature was a surprisingly good addition, and comes in crystal clear when my home system doesn't. Go figure. Not very fond of the conversion software, or the apparent effort to make you think you have to install Rhapsody software to use the conversion program. Also, disappointed that they couldn't include a real instruction manual in the package, only a "quick-start" guide. Have to go online to download manual from their website and go to the Sansa user forums to get troubleshooting info from other users. Sansa's customer service could use some improvement, but the product is nonetheless a good buy.

I've had the Fuze for about a month and am quite happy with it. It's easy to navigate, looks good, good sound. I had the small sansa M250 before and this is FAR superior.

I found it a bit weak in the bass and am learning how to adjust the settings. This may be more my weakness than the Fuze's.

The one thing that really bothers me is the on/off switch. I have a difficult time making it slide to especially turn it off, since it has to be held up for a second or two. This has become even more difficult after putting it in the silicone skin. The skin is quite thick and it's almost impossible to get at the little on/off slider on the side of the Fuze. I'll upload a photo of this to help explain.

Otherwise, I'm quite happy with the Fuze. I'll soon be taking a trip abroad and will be better able to judge this device after the trip.

Positives:
1. Preception: Very sleek and perfect size. It's not heavy or too light to carry which is good. People think it's an ipod but it's not. The screen is big enough as ipod mini so you can view things easily.
2. Music: Easy download features. Plug into USB port, drag and drop files. Once again no iTune requirements. Almost all formats.
4. Radio: Not that bad actually, since I take the train, I can still receive clear channels.
5. Movie/Pic: Have not used these features.
6. Navigations: The scroll is fine. I like it just cause I have more control rather than touch.

Negatives:
1. The headphones are on the bottom, right next to the input for USB. Not very smart of them to do this.
2. The turn on/off is on the side and it isn't a buttom you hold, but a small handle. Feels fragile if I push too hard.

Overall, the product is awesome. I had a Muvo mp3 player, very small and awkward button controls with small screen. I never wanted a ipod due to iTune requirements. ScanDisk Fuze is up there with ipod in preception and usage. Not only that, it is far less expensive and does just as much.

Def would buy as a gift as it seems the price for this is going down. So you will not get a better deal.

This is the first mp3 player I have owned and I LOVE it! It is affordable and does the same things and more than an ipod nano. I love being able to listen to the radio on it. The channels are very clear. The screen on the player is bright and easily navigated. The only thing I have a complaint about is finding accessories for it. You can buy a million accessories made for ipod brand, but they don't work for the fuze because the power button is on the side of the player. I also love that if you get a lower memory player you can add more music to it buy purchasing a micro SD card.