Leaving Sansa fuze and Going to Zune HD

@neutron_bob wrote:

Personally, I’d hunt for a refurb v1 and run it 'til the cows come home…

That is exactly what I am doing.  I didn’t even have to hunt.  When my Fuze got the white screen of death about a year ago, a v1 in the original packagingof '08 (I see it’s different now) showed up at my front door as a replacement (Actually, it was the back door, but that doesn’t really matter).   The bad part is the fact that the battery doesn’t last long because it’s old.  Oh, well.  Can’t have everything.  Where would you put it?

@neutron_bob wrote:

Personally, I like the aesthetics of the little GoGear device

I find them quite cheap feeling, but they are pretty reliable.

Compared against SanDisk’s 2006 vintage piece de resistance, the e200 , all players feel tacky and light to me.  Well, I have to admit, the Fuze’s convex glossy shell and cushy scroll “wobble wheel” are a noteworthy successor, and the Clip+ does feel more solid than its predecessor.

I haven’t had a chance to sample the little GoGear as yet, nor test whether the combination front face and pushbutton control is cheesy or not, but it will be fun to check it out.  It helps me keep things in perspective, looking across the aisle, as they say.

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

My Fuze v1 is still going.  About two years on it now.  Hard to complain about that with a $75 price tag.

The rubber coating on the back and sides is peeling off and looks horrid…but what the heck.

I’ve pretty much mastered the little thing, and with a pretty decent understanding of Mp3Tag and Audacity to clean up issues, I’ve had no serious problems for quite some time.  (However, I really don’t know what I would have done without this forum in the first six months of ownership.  Hat’s off to Bob and all the other experts out there)

The sound quality still seems great. I’m upgrading to a 16 gB microSD card this week as I’m constantly up against the limit with my 8. 

I record sound clips of my boy as he grows up and off the FM radio when I travel abroad.  The device should win an award.

Hoping for a lot more time with it.  If it bites the dust, I’d replace it with the same thing ( or v2).

I’ve been eying smartphones for a while now.  Have a hankering for the HTC Incredible that just landed on Verizon.  Even with something like that in my pocket, I think I’d still pack the Fuze.

My V1 is still going after 1 1/2 years.  These message boards were great when I first got it, helped me a lot.

If SanDisk doesn’t come out with a newer version when mine dies, not sure what I’ll do.  Might look for an older one.

I’ve also been looking at smart phones (Droid is so tempting) but I think I would prefer to have my music on a little portable, light weight player.  I have some on my Env2 phone for when I don’t have my player with me.

I’m surprised it didn’t say “going to ipod”… so at least some have better taste then others… won’t say who…

Message Edited by Dalaug234 on 05-10-2010 02:39 PM

I remember when I was getting my first new player (I had recieved 3 used ones before… a Sansa 1gb m240 (which bricked out on me), a Creative Zen V Micro (the head phone jack broke, causing my sister to replace it with a new MP3 player, and giving this one to me) , and a Creative Zen V Plus (broken screen, thanks sister). She eventually got an Ipod and lost it:smileyvery-happy:). I knew nothing about MP3 players in general. All I knew was that I did not want an Ipod, and that I wanted to be able to drag and drop to/from the device. I figured I should get a Zune, since it came from Microsoft. I hoped that Microsoft would want to protect their reputation (which seems to be dropping), and would do everything humanly possible to ensure reliability. Instead, I got a Fuze. Then, I broke it, trying to take it apart (its a long story… trust me), and wanted nothing more than a replacement Fuze (again, Fuze). I love this thing, and don’t want to use anything else.

I remember when I was getting my first new player (I had received 3 used ones before… a Sansa 1gb m240 (which bricked out on me… but a few years later I fixed it), a Creative Zen V Micro (the head phone jack broke, causing my sister to replace it with a new MP3 player, and giving this one to me) , and a Creative Zen V Plus (broken screen, thanks sister). She eventually got an Ipod and lost it:smileyvery-happy:). I knew nothing about MP3 players in general. All I knew was that I did not want an Ipod, and that I wanted to be able to drag and drop to/from the device. I figured I should get a Zune, since it came from Microsoft. I hoped that Microsoft would want to protect their reputation (which seems to be dropping), and would do everything humanly possible to ensure reliability. Instead, I got a Fuze. Then, I broke it, trying to take it apart (its a long story… trust me), and wanted nothing more than a replacement Fuze (again, Fuze). I love this thing, and don’t want to use anything else.

I still have my Fuze (V1) and like it. I have Rockbox on it and it does a pretty decent job of playing my 24-bit/96KHZ vinyl rips.

But the model is showing its age, and Sandisk really needs to come out with an upgrade or brand new model that has the following

-64 GB internal memory

-plays the new XC cards (imagine being able to stick a 1 TB mini-sd into that slot)

-plays 24-bit/96 KHZ Flac without any downconversion

One thing that I don’t think Sandisk management realizes (or even Apple or Microsoft for that matter) is that there is a growing audience that is dissatisfied with the cold quality of CDs and their corresponding16-bit rips. The first time I heard a high-quality vinyl ripped to 24-bit/96 KHZ, I was blown away, and I haven’t looked back since.

Vinyl is the fasting-growing physical media for music is 2010. But you can’t take your record albums and your Linn Turntable to the gym! And The Cloud, especially at 3G bandwidth levels, will not stream HD-music.

I realize that Sandisk is probably too busy right making millions selling their memory to Apple to think about the Fuze’s successor, but I do hope they can come out with a new model that will satisfy the growing audiophile market. 

Message Edited by databass on 06-18-2010 08:10 PM

databass wrote:

I still have my Fuze (V1) and like it. I have Rockbox on it and it does a pretty decent job of playing my 24-bit/96KHZ vinyl rips.

 

But the model is showing its age, and Sandisk really needs to come out with an upgrade or brand new model that has the following

 

-64 GB internal memory

-plays the new XC cards (imagine being able to stick a 1 TB mini-sd into that slot)

-plays 24-bit/96 KHZ Flac without any downconversion

 

One thing that I don’t think Sandisk management realizes (or even Apple or Microsoft for that matter) is that there is a growing audience that is dissatisfied with the cold quality of CDs and their corresponding16-bit rips. The first time I heard a high-quality vinyl ripped to 24-bit/96 KHZ, I was blown away, and I haven’t looked back since.

Vinyl is the fasting-growing physical media for music is 2010. But you can’t take your record albums and your Linn Turntable to the gym! And The Cloud, especially at 3G bandwidth levels, will not stream HD-music.

 

I realize that Sandisk is probably too busy right making millions selling their memory to Apple to think about the Fuze’s successor, but I do hope they can come out with a new model that will satisfy the growing audiophile market. 

 

Message Edited by databass on 06-18-2010 08:10 PM

As I just posted, you don’t need to mention these same points in every single thread! http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=sansafuse&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=43475#M43475

There have been some very clean digital recording formats over the years.  PCM (pulse code modulation) has won out as the most universal format, with 16 and 24 bit depth, and now higher sampling rates, of course.

I still remember the clean sound of the Soundstream studio digital years ago, and the dbx sigma-delta modulation machine, single-bit at over 600kHz.  These machines had a smoothness reminiscent of the best analog decks. 

I love the sound of vinyl, nothing like listening to the Virtuoso and the warm smell of tubes.  It just isn’t really portable, and this is where the Sansa fits in just great.  Years ago, I had some really crazy turntables, like the Audiomeca J1 with a linear magnetic arm.

As for the debate between 16 and 24 bit, I prefer all-beef hot dogs.  It depends upon the masters themselves whether you will have a great final result.  I have some RCA recordings (re-released under the Chesky label), recorded with the Westrex recorder in the mid 1950s.  That thing is a big noisy beast,  churning coated 35mm film.  The sound of those sessions cannot be compared against modern digital.  They had some incredible engineers back then.  Today, they just crank it up to the peg.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 06-18-2010 11:32 PM

@marvin_martian wrote:

 

As I just posted, you don’t need to mention these same points in every single thread! http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=sansafuse&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=43475#M43475

databass is probably experiencing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-purchase_rationalization.

Marvin_Martian wrote:

 

As I just posted, you don’t need to mention these same points in every single thread! http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=sansafuse&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=43475#M43475

 

Maybe databass is related to JK98. :smileyvery-happy:

Sorry about the over-posting.

I’m just trying to express my frustration, as a vinyl-lover, audiophile and loyal Sandisk customer for Sandisk not seeming to “get it” with all the over-attention they’ve paid to SlotRadio which is a utter and abject failure, and the under-attention to the Sansa Fuze which is vastly under-rated and has so much potential to meet the needs of the HD-audio consumer, if only Sandisk could give it some TLC. 

That’s all. I’ll keep quiet for now!

For audiophile, go Cowon–even the old iAudio X5 supported FLAC. Of course you have to put up with a goofy GUI and weird choices about batteries and such, but since your ears are golden enough to hear differences at 24-bit, that’s probably where you should go.

SanDisk is into the mass market, not the audiophile niche. 

I was looking into the Cowon J3, but I couldn’t ascertain for sure whether it or any other Cowon model supported 24-bit/96 KHZ Flac, so I thought I’d save the $200 and upgrade my ancient Fuze with Rockbox. And I realize that touch screens are all the rage these days, but I do really the volume-dial on the Fuze–when I’m on my bike, it’s nice to be able to change the volume without having to look at the screen.

@whatchamacallit wrote:

For audiophile, go Cowon–even the old iAudio X5 supported FLAC. Of course you have to put up with a goofy GUI and weird choices about batteries and such, but since your ears are golden enough to hear differences at 24-bit, that’s probably where you should go.

 

SanDisk is into the mass market, not the audiophile niche. 

databass wrote:

Sorry about the over-posting.

 

I’m just trying to express my frustration, as a vinyl-lover, audiophile and loyal Sandisk customer for Sandisk not seeming to “get it” with all the over-attention they’ve paid to SlotRadio . . .

 

We’ve been down this same road many, many times now for well over a year. It’s time to take a different route.

Does anyone know if Sandisk is currently working on a successor or major upgrade to the Fuze, or have they thrown in the towel?

I fear that Cowon seems to be squeezing out Sandisk as the dominant number 2–they just came out with a nice-looking touchscreen 32 GB J3.

So much has changed, just in the last year. Memory has gotten so much cheaper, and soon 64 GB cards will become commonplace. This opens the door for a lot potentially-interesting new products. 

@tapeworm wrote:


@databass wrote:

Sorry about the over-posting.

 

I’m just trying to express my frustration, as a vinyl-lover, audiophile and loyal Sandisk customer for Sandisk not seeming to “get it” with all the over-attention they’ve paid to SlotRadio . . .

 


 

We’ve been down this same road many, many times now for well over a year. It’s time to take a different route.

@databass wrote:

Does anyone know if Sandisk is currently working on a successor or major upgrade to the Fuze, or have they thrown in the towel?

 

 

Sandisk typically doesn’t announce new players in advance. For example, the Clip+, although a logical evolution of the Clip, was a total surprise when released.

databass wrote:

Does anyone know if Sandisk is currently working on a successor or major upgrade to the Fuze, or have they thrown in the towel?

 

I fear that Cowon seems to be squeezing out Sandisk as the dominant number 2–they just came out with a nice-looking touchscreen 32 GB J3.

 

So much has changed, just in the last year. Memory has gotten so much cheaper, and soon 64 GB cards will become commonplace. This opens the door for a lot potentially-interesting new products. 

 

While Cowon makes some nice players, they’re not threatening SanDisk’s #2 spot…at least not in the USA. Overseas, that may not be the case though.

I bet a lot of Clip users are pretty happy with this list . . .

is it just me, or does database fit this description
http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/issues.htm