Can you please help me in deciding between Fuze, Clip+ and E270?

MP3 players Sansa Fuze
1

Hi!

I have finally decided to buy a SanDisk MP3 or MP4 (which anyway I will use just for music).

I look for something small, with long battery life, and the best possible audio quality and features (like customizeable equalizer to fit my earphones needs, and several random features). And of course, price.

And, also, comfort (for example, sided earphone plug on Clip+ is not a good solution to put it in the pocket, neither is the clip), easy to use, if buttons are solid and silent, or if they do a terrible CLICK, etc…

I understand that each one of these is the best in one field? Fuze and Clip+ are the smallest ones, E270 is the one with more battery time (especiallybecause I can have an extra battery - which I do not understand if it comes with the player or if the player just comes with one).

I also need to use a MicroSDHC Kingston, 8GB, with it.

Can anybody tell me aboutr his experience with one or more of these players please?

SO I can understand well feaures and differences directly from the field, by the real users…

THANKS!

2

The Fuze is your best bet. It has better sound quality than then Clip+, its battery life is fine and it’s small. The EQ is not great in any of the Sansa players.

The E270 is bulkier and you won’t know until you get it whether you have a v1 (lower sound quality, only uses 2GB card unless you install Rockbox) or v2 (Fuze sound quality, any microSD card). 

The Fuze headphone jack comes out the bottom but you just put it in your pocket upside-down. Fuze buttons are solid. It does click, but so do they all. 

The Fuze power button, a slider you have to hold up for a few seconds, does require a bit of thumbnail or fingernail to use. 

You might look at anythingbutipod.com , although in my opinion they are wrong about the sound quality of the Clip +.  I played my files on both Fuze and Clip+ through the same headphones and the Fuze was clearly superior. 

3

'The Fuze is your best bet. It has better sound quality than then Clip+"

Not really, although maximum volume is a bit greater on the Fuze than the Clip+.

4

I compared them through 29 ohm impedance headphones. Perhaps 16 ohm doesn’t show any difference. The Clip+ also has lower battery life. And the clip itself isn’t removable, which would have made for a nice tiny device.

5

I find the sound on my Clip to be slightly better than the Fuze but both sound great.  I use the Fuze more for general listening because of the features.  I use the Clip for working out because of the size.  Both can be had for cheap refurb’d, why not get both?

6

Clip or Clip+ ? They’re different hardware, besides the fact that Clip+ has a microSD slot.

7

Ah, this would be so interesting. SO, Clip sounds better than Clip+?

I have not clear the impedance theme, I like technical matters but I miss this. Anyway I understand the concept. 

Do you think it may depend on the equalizer? I mean, may it be that you were listeing in Fuze with a better equalizing settings? I guess a test should be done with flat equalizing… If you still own both devices, it would be interesting to know if with a flat equalizing you canhear difference in the reproduction quelity of the same song, with same earphones, and even better if you can try both 16 and 29oms…

But this is just for curiosity, I guess it is not such a big deal.

Yes, I am disapponted too with their decision of making the clip fixed in Clip+, I was so hapy with the idea of a removable clip, so that I can use it without clip when I have to put in my pocket…

A question about E270: I had understood that no E270 may be V2. Only E280 can be V2 I guess, or anyway, never a E270.

Also, the lesser sound quality comes from the chipset (no solution) or from firmware (solution: rockbox).

And why should rockbox not be a good thing? I tell you that I have no idea about that, it is just a real question.

So, the three of them have clicking buttons? Mpf…

DO you think E200 are cofortable to carry on frontal jeans pocket?

The customizable equalizer is only on CLip?I have read that I can set 5 bars equilizer as I like. I find it useful to adapt the sound to my hearphones…

8

@san_discolo wrote:

Ah, this would be so interesting. SO, Clip sounds better than Clip+?

 

 Its exactly the same hardware, so probably not.

San_Discolo wrote: 

A question about E270: I had understood that no E270 may be V2. Only E280 can be V2 I guess, or anyway, never a E270.

No all models can be either V1 or V2.

San_Discolo wrote: 

And why should rockbox not be a good thing? I tell you that I have no idea about that, it is just a real question.

Rockbox is the only way you’ll get a good EQ, but IMO EQ is not so important for portable unless you have odd headphones.  On the e200v1 Rockbox is the only way to go.  On the other models its a toss up since the rockbox port is much newer and not nearly so well refined.  Theres no rockbox at all on the Clip+ or the V2 Fuze/clip.

San_Discolo wrote: 

 

DO you think E200 are cofortable to carry on frontal jeans pocket?

 

Yes its about the same volume as a Fuze.  I use it as my main player due to good rockbox support.   

9

The 6GB memory size was unique to the v1 devices.  The v2 devices were manufactured in 2, 4, and 8GB versions.  The e270 designation is unique to the v1.  It’s the one e200 model that easy to find whether it’s v1…well, it was also released as a Rhapsody model.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 01-23-2010 07:49 PM

10

I don’t have much experience with portable players. Is the Fuze’s database-refresh downtime representative of other Sansa products? How about with the other popular brands?

Also a bit disappointing is the Fuze’s lack of Unicode support. Is this also the case with the other Sansa devices? I take it then that Sansa lines aren’t sold in Asia?

Message Edited by TomJensen on 01-23-2010 08:44 PM

11

@neutron_bob wrote:

The 6GB memory size was unique to the v1 devices.  The v2 devices were manufactured in 2, 4, and 8GB versions.  The e270 designation is unique to the v1.  It’s the one e200 model that easy to find whether it’s v1…well, it was also released as a Rhapsody model.

 

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 01-23-2010 07:49 PM

Oh I never noticed that, but now that you mention it, I don’t recall seeing a 6GB v2. 

12

Cool, huh?  I had to think for a while about it, as it was over a year ago, but the e270 (6GB) was unique to the PortalPlayer machines.  The v2 memory sizes were in step with the Fuze versions, naturally.

Bob  :wink:

13

Mmm. The thing that I have not clear is: E270 with Rockbox, beside supporting with no problem micro SDHC (kingston?), also sounds AS well as a V2 e200 or Fuze or Clip?

An entire new world is opening to me, and I start to feel a bit confused. Rockbox site, anythingbutipod site…

Wow…

I see that in Rockbox site trhey talk od a ClipV2. I guess I cannot find it here. But, what is it? Newer than Clip+?

I also understand that I cannot install Rockbox on Fuze (at least not on V2, while I can on V1 if I do not need USB). Is it a problem? I mean, is Rockbox better than Sansa players firmwares? Anyway I guess it is better a new Sansa with Sansa firmware than an old Sansa with Rockbox…

14

@san_discolo wrote:

Mmm. The thing that I have not clear is: E270 with Rockbox, beside supporting with no problem micro SDHC (kingston?), also sounds AS well as a V2 e200 or Fuze or Clip?

 

 No, the e200v1 isn’t as good, particularly if you use IEMs.  On those you will hear a bit of noise for a few seconds when the flash memory is accessed (but not once the memory is done reading).

San_Discolo wrote: 

I see that in Rockbox site trhey talk od a ClipV2. I guess I cannot find it here. But, what is it? Newer than Clip+?

 

Its exactly what it sounds like.  The second hardware revision of the Clip.  That makes it newer then the Clip v1, but older then the Clip+. 

15

Sounds like I will have to see what I get here and then be more specific on my investigation.

I generally like to get informed before, so I can take a decision on the fly wen in the shop.

But I will probably need to come back here before buying…

Well,  a last question: do CLip (V1 and 2), Clip+, and E270 support MSC mode as the Fuze does?

16

OK, apparently here I can find only Clip+ and Fuze.

I can get a better price on Fuze. But I still have to check other shops where maybe I can get price on Clip+.

So, mi question would be now, really, and in consideration of what said in this post: which one sounds better, finally?

Fuze, or Clip+?

17

Ah, sorry, last question: is rockbox so good that I should prefer E270 just to be able to use RB?

18

@san_discolo wrote:

 

So, mi question would be now, really, and in consideration of what said in this post: which one sounds better, finally?

Fuze, or Clip+?

They’re the same inside, so there shouldn’t be any difference.  The Clip+ is basically a fuze in a smaller package but no color screen and less battery.

19

Yes, I understand what you say, but I was confused by commentaries about Fuze sounding better than Clip+ (Black Rectangle), or Clip sounding slightly better than Fuze (Rob), and even that Clip+ sounds a bit warmer than Clip (anythingbutipod review).

I understand that you guys live in US, and ther you get these products for nothing, compared to what we pay here, and that we pay in a weak currency…

So, it is a certain quantity of money and I will not be able to try them.

I am anyway tranquill in this case because nobody told “this sounds so much netter than this”, and opinions where finally balancing themselves.

I think I will see them, and try to choose the one I like more in my hand.

20

@san_discolo wrote:

Yes, I understand what you say, but I was confused by commentaries about Fuze sounding better than Clip+ (Black Rectangle), or Clip sounding slightly better than Fuze (Rob), and even that Clip+ sounds a bit warmer than Clip (anythingbutipod review).

 

User error.  They’re literally identical: 

  

 http://rmaa.elektrokrishna.com/Comparisons/Sansa%20Clip%20vs.%20Clip+%20(No%20Loads,%2016%20Ohm%20Loads).htm

FWIW you should basically never listen to other people who try to compare the sound of different players.  Its so hard basically no one can do it correctly.