Attention anyone who is thinking about buying a Clip or has recently bought one

MP3 players Sansa Clip | Clip+
1

To those who are thinking about buying one:

DO NOT BUY ONE.

To those who have recently bought one:

Assuming you are still under the return period, run back to the store and return it as fast as you can.

Please read this which will explain why.  This was posted today regarding the problem of music playback on the Clip with regards to slow playback or put another way, problems with pitch.

All,

 

The SanDisk Firmware developers are aware of this issue and a fix is in the works for the Sansa Fuze and the Sansa Clip+. At this time due to development targeted on the Clip+, firmware for the original Clip is not currently under development. This may change in the future as time permits.

 

Forum Admin

slotmonsta

Message Edited by slotmonsta on 09-13-2009 02:46 PM

Basically, Sansa has chosen to pretend like the Clip no longer exists along with all of the people who own one.  It is in your interest not to buy one or to return your recently bought one immediately, as there won’t be any more support for the product.  The huge glaring problem with the basic function of the player will not be addressed.

Also, spread the word to anyone you know not to buy Sansa products and how Sansa is a reprehensible company that lies, because over 6 months ago there was a post by another Admin which stated flat out that it was a known problem and that a fix was in the works.

If this post leads to saving just one person from buying a Clip either directly or through word-of-mouth, then the purpose of this thread will have been met.

Thank you for your attention and time in reading this.

-Warrior1986

UPDATE 9/29/2009

Sandisk has come out and officially stated that the problem will never be fixed. http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=clipplus&thread.id=40&view=by\_date\_ascending&page=12

Over the last few days there have been several meetings with Engineering, Marketing, and Product Management regarding the pitch issue some users have seen. Please see below a statement regarding the decision that was reached as a result of these meetings.

 

At SanDisk, our goal with our Sansa MP3 product line is to provide products which deliver a quality consumer experience at price points which are accessible to the majority of the population.  Our “value” positioning has served us well historically, although we acknowledge that occasionally our products do not live up to some users’ expectations.  The issues raised on this Forum regarding sound fidelity are important to us however due to trade-off decisions that were made in engineering these products to deliver superior consumer value at what we believe are extremely attractive price points, our sound fidelity isn’t perfect.  We have re-evaluated the possibility of reducing the pitch variation and due to the engineering trade-offs the decision was made to stay with the current design. Very few listeners, however, have noticed or complained about it as an issue in actual practice.  For those who can detect sound differences with their naked ears during actual use and not via frequency analysis, our products may not be the best choice for them.

Forum Admin

slotmonsta

Message Edited by Warrior1986 on 09-29-2009 08:10 AM

Message Edited by Warrior1986 on 09-29-2009 08:10 AM

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Please do not read things out of context and jump to conclusions. What was said is exactly what was meant Development may continue in the future as time permits. ** As I have said before I have engaged this issue with the Sansa Firmware developers team on behalf of all consumers. I am waiting to hear back if it is feasible to have a firmware release that would correct the Pitch issue and not impact other projects. Currently all developers are working on different projects however this does not mean that there will never be another update released for the original Clip.   **

 

Once I hear back from the development team I will update the forum. 

 

Forum Admin

slotmonsta 

Message Edited by drlucky on 09-14-2009 03:14 PM

Message Edited by drlucky on 09-14-2009 03:15 PM

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Please do not read things out of context and jump to conclusions. What was said is exactly what was meant Development may continue in the future as time permits. ** As I have said before I have engaged this issue with the Sansa Firmware developers team on behalf of all consumers. I am waiting to hear back if it is feasible to have a firmware release that would correct the Pitch issue and not impact other projects. Currently all developers are working on different projects however this does not mean that there will never be another update released for the original Clip.   **

 

Once I hear back from the development team I will update the forum. 

 

Forum Admin

slotmonsta 

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Updates on the firmware support for the Sansa CLIP would be great.     I have Qty 2- 8gig’ers that i plan to use till they die.   So I may not be the first to run out to get a new CLIP+.

But in my opinion using my own judgement, I would think CLIP- is obsolete.   (New word for the old clip    CLIP-  CLIP MINUS haha…   )   This aging product  has been replaced,  I can’t imagine any attention will be given to it.   We live in a world of obsolesence and its approaching Xmas Season.

  

CLIP-  RIP   say HELLO to the New CLIP+

Message Edited by niko_sama on 09-14-2009 06:38 PM

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Updates on the firmware support for the Sansa CLIP would be great.     I have Qty 2- 8gig’ers that i plan to use till they die.   So I may not be the first to run out to get a new CLIP+.

But in my opinion using my own judgement, I would think CLIP- is obsolete.   (New word for the old clip    CLIP-  CLIP MINUS haha…   )   This aging product  has been replaced,  I can’t imagine any attention will be given to it.   We live in a world of obsolesence and its approaching Xmas Season.

  

CLIP-  RIP   say HELLO to the New CLIP+

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@miikerman wrote:

@slotmonsta wrote:
Please do not read things out of context and jump to conclusions. What was said is exactly what was meant Development may continue in the future as time permits. ** As I have said before I have engaged this issue with the Sansa Firmware developers team on behalf of all consumers. I am waiting to hear back if it is feasible to have a firmware release that would correct the Pitch issue and not impact other projects. Currently all developers are working on different projects however this does not mean that there will never be another update released for the original Clip.   **

 

Once I hear back from the development team I will update the forum. 

 

Forum Admin

slotmonsta 

 

 

Slotmonsta–

 

With all due respect, it is not simply an issue of the pitch bug.  It is getting the Clip up to date to where the Clip+ firmware is:  folderview/navigation, gapless, current/next track information, faster screen scroll, etc.

 

Really, it has been 7 months, with these improvements in the making but no upgraded firmware for the Clip, and the Clip customers patiently and politely waiting … 

 

In one sense, the “development time” for the Clip+ firmware was that also belonging to the Clip.  Can’t SanDisk finish the Clip with these firmware improvements?  I’m not an engineer here, but would it really take all that much time at this point?  And as a responsible and honorable company, wouldn’t SanDisk agree that it should provide that much to its loyal consumers who have made the Clip a bestselling product for the company (including with regard to sales still taking place)?

No company, or very few continue development with products that have been superseeded by newer products.  I think it is asking a bit much from the developers in this difficult time to continue development on a product no longer in production.

I think Sandisk has gone out of their way to improve the product line, and it is unfair to demand an update for an obsolete product. A lot of companies offer no updates to their product lines, even when they are still in production.

All of these posts are becoming very repetitive, and will not increase the odds of an update.

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I’m completely happy with my 8gb clip. As far as the pitch problem, I would never have been aware of it if I hadn’t read about it, in no way can I hear it although I was able to measure a small difference doing a synchronized compare.

Folder option would be ok, but ripped music gets tagged and it’s simple enough to tag stuff using mp3tag. If these things bother people like warrior guy and others, buy something else, but it’s somewhat presumptious to be telling the rest of us what we should be doing. Post your concerns then move on.

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“Folder option would be ok, but ripped music gets tagged and it’s simple enough to tag stuff using mp3tag.”

Some of us have a steady stream of podcasts we want to listen to once then delete from the player. Quite often these are untagged, or parially tagged, missing many fields. It would be very annoying to have to tag these on an ongoing basis. Having folder view is extremely important so that these podcasts don’t need to be tagged.

Imo Sandisk will probably have one last firmware update for the Clip, perhaps early next year. If it is rushed,

then it might not be so comprehensive. I hope Sandisk plans to release some more new products soon. A replacement for the View has been long overdue.

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@fuze_owner_gb wrote:

No company, or very few continue development with products that have been superseeded by newer products.  I think it is asking a bit much from the developers in this difficult time to continue development on a product no longer in production.

 

I think Sandisk has gone out of their way to improve the product line, and it is unfair to demand an update for an obsolete product. A lot of companies offer no updates to their product lines, even when they are still in production.

 

All of these posts are becoming very repetitive, and will not increase the odds of an update.

Exactly!

And if they do release another update, what if it introduces some new bugs? Here we go again, more cryin’ and whining for another update. It could become an endless loop that Sansa may wish to avoid. It may also be part of the reason why the View updates got halted.

Hey I’m loving these threads! Some burnin’ up, some warming, some cool, some cold as ice and some like me cruisin’ along getting a great laugh out of it all!

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And more so, so do the View owners who have been waiting over a year. At least the Clip owners got some response, the View owners are still waiting for that.

14

@14124all wrote:
And more so, so do the View owners who have been waiting over a year. At least the Clip owners got some response, the View owners are still waiting for that.

That’s an excellent point!

15

@miikerman wrote:
SanDisk’s improvements to its software typically are exactly that.  And after 7 months, the Clip and its owners merit that, it seems to me.

 

It seems to me like yourself and several other Clip owners feel that merely owning a clip gives you some kind of entitlement to every feature you want.

However it seems to me that merely owning a Clip only entitles you to the following:

  1. A player that when powered on actually comes on
  1. A player that plays music
  1. The ability to go to the store and exercise consumerism

Thats it really.

Sandisk doesn’t have to give us anything… At all. Once we buy the player it’s our problem, but Sandisk releases updates to make the player better…FOR FREE… which is something they dont have to do, or that they could charge for.

 

So in conclusion, It seems to me you should be happy with what you got, because its a privilege to even have that, and there are people who don’t. If you cant figure out a way to be happy with what you’ve got, look on this forum, there are work arounds to some of the issues. Of course if your not willing to do the work it takes to make yourself happy, then its nobodies fault but your own.

 

BTW… I have a clip, and I figured out how to get “Gappless” and how to deal with the folder issue without Whining and complaining… I did a search and did the work. 

Message Edited by Conversionbox on 09-15-2009 02:20 AM

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@conversionbox wrote:

@miikerman wrote:
SanDisk’s improvements to its software typically are exactly that.  And after 7 months, the Clip and its owners merit that, it seems to me.

 

It seems to me like yourself and several other Clip owners feel that merely owning a clip gives you some kind of entitlement to every feature you want.

However it seems to me that merely owning a Clip only entitles you to the following:

  1. A player that when powered on actually comes on
  1. A player that plays music
  1. The ability to go to the store and exercise consumerism

Thats it really.

Sandisk doesn’t have to give us anything… At all. Once we buy the player it’s our problem, but Sandisk releases updates to make the player better…FOR FREE… which is something they dont have to do, or that they could charge for.

 

So in conclusion, It seems to me you should be happy with what you got, because its a privilege to even have that, and there are people who don’t. If you cant figure out a way to be happy with what you’ve got, look on this forum, there are work arounds to some of the issues. Of course if your not willing to do the work it takes to make yourself happy, then its nobodies fault but your own.

 

BTW… I have a clip, and I figured out how to get “Gappless” and how to deal with the folder issue without Whining and complaining… I did a search and did the work. 

 

Message Edited by Conversionbox on 09-15-2009 02:20 AM

Well said CB!

and I did the same thing for gapless…took a few minutes, and some ingenuity and common sense, but it worked. I mentioned my solution here, but nobody wanted any part of it…they either wanted SanDisk to make it happen, or Rockbox to save the day.

18

@miikerman wrote:

@conversionbox wrote:

@miikerman wrote:
SanDisk’s improvements to its software typically are exactly that.  And after 7 months, the Clip and its owners merit that, it seems to me.

 

It seems to me like yourself and several other Clip owners feel that merely owning a clip gives you some kind of entitlement to every feature you want.

However it seems to me that merely owning a Clip only entitles you to the following:

  1. A player that when powered on actually comes on
  1. A player that plays music
  1. The ability to go to the store and exercise consumerism

Thats it really.

Sandisk doesn’t have to give us anything… At all. Once we buy the player it’s our problem, but Sandisk releases updates to make the player better…FOR FREE… which is something they dont have to do, or that they could charge for.

So in conclusion, It seems to me you should be happy with what you got, because its a privilege to even have that, and there are people who don’t. If you cant figure out a way to be happy with what you’ve got, look on this forum, there are work arounds to some of the issues. Of course if your not willing to do the work it takes to make yourself happy, then its nobodies fault but your own.

BTW… I have a clip, and I figured out how to get “Gappless” and how to deal with the folder issue without Whining and complaining… I did a search and did the work. 

Message Edited by Conversionbox on 09-15-2009 02:20 AM

 

Thank you, Conversionbox, for your views, and for assuming what I’m expressing and for characterizing my posts.

 

In fact, I don’t believe that I have an entitlement to most things.  But, at the same time, I believe that wise and good companies support their consumers, and that this goodwill and support comes back to reward those companies in the end.  The marketplace supports this time and time again.

 

My posts generally have been respectful and polite.  They are not “whining” (your words).  But perhaps unlike you, I see nothing wrong in trying to encourage a company forward (and not critisizing others who do so).  

 

Oh, and thank you  for assuming that I can’t get my electronics to do what I want and need them to.  You are wrong, as you probably would see from my posts here.  That is the danger of assumptions.

I was not referring to you about whining or when I talked about getting things to do what you want. I know you can, I had read those posts. How ever for the last 4 months it has been you starting the threads pushing this issue. I must admit that you are correct about your posts being respectful. In fact your posts have been well reasoned and make sense. The people who I take issue with are those who cling on to your posts and are nasty, disrespectful, and whiney. There are people on here and in this thread with no real experience or credit to their name who act like they are omnipotent and what they say should go. It is these people who show an egregious lack of respect for Sandisk, and for SlotMonsta the admin here, that I am attacking. Quoting you was my way of saying this is the person you should let speak for you… He knows what he is saying. I now notice I left that bit out (Its been a long day and I honestly thought I typed it).  As for my comment about a sense of entitlement I stand by that statement. The rest of us sit here and allow Sandisk to work, and if we get some type of update thats wonderful, but if we dont we will live. But you and a few other feel the need to beat the issue to death, that is where I see you and others exhibiting a sense of entitlement.

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Another thing to remember is that whoever from Sansa is posting here letting us know what is going on is almost certainly not the one setting priorities.  No need to kill (or abuse) the messenger.

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Something that needs to be pointed out.  In the past 6 months, how long did it take to get ANY sort of response at all from Sandisk?  Now take a look at the timestamp on the post.  Sandisk replied in less than 30 MINUTES.

I think I’ve made my point.  Politely asking and inquiring about solutions to the problem has had no effect.  Hitting their bottom line?  Instant response.

I will continue this thread, and urge everyone who reads this to link to it, put it up on social media sites (Twitter, share it with people on Facebook, etc), or simply just spread it’s message via word-of-mouth to your friends and anyone you know.  The more and more people become aware of this, the more purchases that can be prevented and the harder it hits Sandisk where it hurts.

Also, thank you for keeping the discussion and comments clean and civil so that the thread isn’t locked.  However, it would not surprise me (and you should not be surprised either) in the LEAST BIT if this thread either gets locked, or even more likey, eventually just gets deleted from the boards.  I’ve seen this exact same pattern and circumstances happen far too many times in the past with other companies.  And if it the thread does in fact disappear, well, everyone should know at that point what’s going on.

Respectfully submitted,

Warrior1986

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Reality !

CB had it right…   Your entitiled to what you already have.   Added features are probably not part of reality. 

Your CLIP’s are good, for as long as your warrenty lasts and as long as they exist on Retailers shelfs.   Sansa Clip+ was on the drawing boards ages ago.  Its a released product now.  In two years there will be a replacement for it.  I have a drawer full of consumer electronics, that I don’t play with, cause they are obsolete.  

Anyone want a 256M Sandisk player?  LOL   Amazon has one left in stock  $119.99   http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-256-MP3-Player-Red/dp/B00066EK36

WTF…  I will give mine away for free if I can find it …  stopped playing with that ages ago…

Your Clips aren’t worth that much money.   Get your use out of it and thank SANSA for making a great product.    I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for Sansa to invest time and money into old products.   If you want the latest features,  get the latest products.

Reality…

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@niko_sama wrote:

Reality !

 

CB had it right…   Your entitiled to what you already have.   Added features are probably not part of reality. 

 

Your CLIP’s are good, for as long as your warrenty lasts and as long as they exist on Retailers shelfs.   Sansa Clip+ was on the drawing boards ages ago.  Its a released product now.  In two years there will be a replacement for it.  I have a drawer full of consumer electronics, that I don’t play with, cause they are obsolete.  

 

Anyone want a 256M Sandisk player?  LOL   Amazon has one left in stock  $119.99   http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-256-MP3-Player-Red/dp/B00066EK36

WTF…  I will give mine away for free if I can find it …  stopped playing with that ages ago…

 

 

Your Clips aren’t worth that much money.   Get your use out of it and thank SANSA for making a great product.    I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for Sansa to invest time and money into old products.   If you want the latest features,  get the latest products.

 

Reality…

Most of us aren’t asking for new features, just fix the slow-playing issue that was audible while the unit was in production.  Asking for basic functionality fixes is not unreasonable.  I don’t consider it a great product if it can’t get it’s basic “mission” right.

25

The real solution is getting all Clip owners to send their unit in for warranty. At least in Germany you can get your money back if the problems can’t be fixed after 2 attempts. Your mileage may vary.

26

Apple have released firmware updates for older ipods after releasing new models, so it doesn’t seem like a completely insane idea to expect the pitch bug fixed, if nothing else.  Personally, it has made me question sandisk a little, especially given the fact that they had already said fairly recently they were still working on the clip.  

Why continue keeping the V1 firmware up to date with the V2 firmware if, like some of you say, outdated products aren’t expected to be worked on? V2 was a hardware upgrade in certain respects, although not as outwardly different as the plus.  Either way, people are entitled to their opinions, and a month ago everyone was in agreement that the clip should be updated so it shouldn’t be that hard to understand why people are upset. Not everyone was aware of the view situation so this has come as a surprise to some.

If rockbox development of the V2 starts gathering speed everything people want will be available eventually.  And hey at least the V2 should get rockbox before the plus.