Clip Zip

MP3 players Sansa Clip | Clip+
1

I am disappointed. While this player has AAC support and a color screen, battery life is rated as the same as the Clip+(if this review is correct). I was hoping for much longer battery life.  it is a bit lighter than the Clip+. I am also disappointed that this has a micro USB connector rather than a mini one. Will I buy one of these? A good question. I still haven’t bought a Fuze+.The Clip Zip seems like a good player, however I am not convinced that it is significantly better than the Clip+. (the color screen and AAC support don’t impress me, and the RDS radio is just slightly interesting. I was hoping for HD radio).

 http://computershopper.com/mp3-players/reviews/sandisk-sansa-clip-zip-4gb

Other reviews say it is the same size as the Clip+ but lighter. It sounds like this is probably true…

2

This review says it is the same size of the Clip+, but heavier. Why can’t  reviewers get the facts correct?

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391262,00.asp

3

So far, I like what I see overall.  It’s a good looking design and the name is catchy. 

4

@jk98 wrote:

This review says it is the same size of the Clip+, but heavier. Why can’t  reviewers get the facts correct?

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391262,00.asp

Good question. This reviewer says it takes over 30 seconds to boot up too. It does not. I don’t see it as any slower than the Clip+. And yes, you CAN program your own FM presets despite what he says.

He also puts the included earbuds into the “Cons” category. This really has nothing to do with the player itself and most (if not all) players comes with cheapie buds that will most likely be replaced by something better by those concerned with sound quality.

5

" He also puts the included earbuds into the “Cons” category. This really has nothing to do with the player itself and most (if not all) players comes with cheapie buds that will most likely be replaced by something better by those concerned with sound quality. "

Imo included earbuds should be decent enough, or else they should not be included. I would like to see a case included instead of earbuds. A case needs to be specific for that model of player. Including very cheap earbuds with a player is like including a 10 cent pen with each package of paper, or including very cheap sox with each pair of shoes sold.  What percentage of people don’t already have some sort of headphone, pen, or sox??? :) 

6

@tapeworm wrote:

@jk98 wrote:

This review says it is the same size of the Clip+, but heavier. Why can’t  reviewers get the facts correct?

 

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2391262,00.asp

Good question. This reviewer says it takes over 30 seconds to boot up too. It does not. I don’t see it as any slower than the Clip+.

 

 

With a nearly full internal memory, and no card, the Clip Zip takes 8.2 seconds to boot up, according to my trusty iPod stopwatch.:stuck_out_tongue:

7

Marvin, you have one of these? Where did you get it? How much? Are there 6 different buttons on top, or is it one back button and a rocker in the center? How easy is the screen to read? Does it have variable speed playback with automatic pitch correction? Is the interface very similar to that of the Clip+?

8

@jk98 wrote:

Marvin, you have one of these? Where did you get it? How much? Are there 6 different buttons on top, or is it one back button and a rocker in the center? How easy is the screen to read? Does it have variable speed playback with automatic pitch correction? Is the interface very similar to that of the Clip+?

 

No pitch correction, just slow, normal, or fast. For further info, check http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Clip-Zip/bd-p/ClipZip

9

Have you Gurus taken a look at the threads in the new Clip Zip board? 

11

Why do you care? Do you have shares or something?

13

The Clip Zip comes packaged with the same earbuds as the Clip+, the round little guys with foam covers.  My wife loves 'em, but I prefer in-ear types personally.

The FM radio is very good on the new machine, using the RDS version of the FM chip.  The display generates less interference than the Clip+ OLED display, an improvement.

It’s really nice to see station and song information when listening to music.  The radio controls are identical to the Clip+.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

15

Why does JK98 care, I mean.

Is he going to buy 7 of them? One in each colour, and then compare them definitively to everything else forever and ever?

Guy’s an :robotmad:

Personal attacks and bad language are forbidden according to the Forum Rules and Guidelines.  This is a family forum!  Consider this warning, refrain from littering up the forums.

microsansa

17

@neutron_bob wrote:

The Clip Zip comes packaged with the same earbuds as the Clip+, the round little guys with foam covers.  My wife loves 'em, but I prefer in-ear types personally.

 

The FM radio is very good on the new machine, using the RDS version of the FM chip.  The display generates less interference than the Clip+ OLED display, an improvement.

 

It’s really nice to see station and song information when listening to music.  The radio controls are identical to the Clip+.

 

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

I use the packaged buds for bed I dont like the IEMs pushing against my ear and a pillow. 

As for RDS there are some “Quirks” with the technology. Its all based on a code of some type and if the code generated by a specific station starts a certain way then the call letters of the station are wrong. (I dont fully understand this but one of the engineers here at the radio station where I work tried to explain it)

 Short example In Toledo 104.7 is WIOT but on any RDS system it comes up KEHB. Just a bit of warning. 

18

@conversionbox wrote:

 

As for RDS there are some “Quirks” with the technology. Its all based on a code of some type and if the code generated by a specific station starts a certain way then the call letters of the station are wrong. (I dont fully understand this but one of the engineers here at the radio station where I work tried to explain it)

 Short example In Toledo 104.7 is WIOT but on any RDS system it comes up KEHB. Just a bit of warning. 

I’ve noticed some Song Titles are nowhere near what they’re supposed to be either, but that I’m sure is up to the individual station inputting the correct data. Sort of like ID3 tags.

19

@tapeworm wrote:

@conversionbox wrote:

 

As for RDS there are some “Quirks” with the technology. 

 Short example In Toledo 104.7 is WIOT but on any RDS system it comes up KEHB. Just a bit of warning. 

I’ve noticed some Song Titles are nowhere near what they’re supposed to be either, but that I’m sure is up to the individual station inputting the correct data. Sort of like ID3 tags.

It is part that and part of the way the audio is packaged for local markets (I believe)

20

“Why does JK98 care, I mean.”

 i have many  pairs of lower quality earphones and headphones that came with audio players I bought over the years… When they are very bad, I sometimes just throw them in the trash. When they aren’t that bad, I save them, but rarely if ever use them. I would rather either pay less for the item and not get the earphones(even if it is just $1 or $2  less) or else get a case(a low cost one like a skin) included with the player.

21

Hehe!  The problem goes a little deeper than that on my end…

As opposed to the debacle we endured with terrestrial TV broadcasting in the United States, where the entire VHF / UHF bands were dropped from analog (NTSC) broadcast, requiring a digital adaptor box (receiver), commercial radio broadcasting chose a better tack, allowing analog and digital signals to peacefully coexist.

For listeners that have purchased the new digital radios, this is marketed as HD Radio.  With a car stereo, the analog signal is selected first; if a digital carrier is present, the wee HD logo appears, and the radio switches to the clean digital signal.

So what does this have to do with RDS?  Read on…

RDS allows a dual output, a solo station identifier, and a longer “ticker” or scrolling text.  Local broadcasters have the task of inserting the requisite data during broadcast.  If the console, and music library are properly configured, the ID3 type tag information can be sent to the transmitter automatically.  If the broadcaster is in the mood for running a promotional message, this can be substituted or inserted between song information blocks.  Heck, some savvy broadcasters even intersperse blerbs that relate to the currently airing advertising, which should make sponsors ever so happy.

The problem is that often, the guys in the booth forget that the ticker hasn’t been reset when song play resumes.  This is one of the quirky things we will see.

Back to the latest and greatest, HD radio.  Remember that we’re dealing with a dual analog / digital signal?  I’ve had folks complain that their radios will play a few seconds of music, then the HD icon lights, and then complete silence.  Interesting.  I went to have a closer look this morning, and sure enough, the RDS info clears, and refreshes as the unit “goes digital”.  Silence.

Then the new data popped up on the display:

www.broadcast.harris.com  stared back at me.  I just about fell over laughing.  Harris, to those who might not know, makes the latest digital transmitters, big guys, very sophisticated, and far more efficient then the RCA transmitters we’ve used for decades, since the airwaves first crackled to life with KDKA radio and the first AM broadcasts.

The brand-new transmitter has not been programmed yet, the URL of the manufacturer is still loaded in the machine!  I will have to call the local FM station and reach the engineer, as they’re broadcasting a clean digital carrier with no audio on it.  Somebody needs to push the volume sliders up, or make a pair of connections at the patch bay.  Awesome.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

22

'Not appropriate for this site, Ingenue . . . . Not that JK98 needs any explaining, but he’s a technology/audio player/SanDisk player fan, interested in SanDisk’s players. And believe it or not, but many people in fact do have multiple Clips, in different colors. " Not appropriate for this site, Ingenue . . . . Not that JK98 needs any explaining, but he’s a technology/audio player/SanDisk player fan, interested in SanDisk’s players."

Miikerman understands. For the past several years I have bought Sandisk players. They are the best available for my needs, but still nowhere near where I want them to be in terms of functionality. The Clip Zip is a very nice player, however imo it isn’t significantly better than the excellent Clip+.Since the Clip+ came out, I have been waiting for something  better. While the Clip Zip is nice, it just isn’t that much nicer than the Clip+. Not yet anyway. If firmware development goes further with the Clip Zip and they give us good variable speed playback with automatic pitch correction and perhaps sound enhancements to make low quality voice recording more comprehensible, then I would rush to buy one. Some will tell me some of these are available with Rockbox. I’m leery of Rockbox.

23

@jk98 wrote:

If firmware development goes further with the Clip Zip and they give us good variable speed playback with automatic pitch correction and perhaps sound enhancements to make low quality voice recording more comprehensible, then I would rush to buy one. Some will tell me some of these are available with Rockbox. I’m leery of Rockbox.

 

 

I’ve been running it on my one remaining Clip+ now for over a year, and it still runs like a champ. Once you take a little time to learn what it can do and how to do it, you’re hooked. My Clip+ running Rockbox is now almost  two years old…I think it was originally purchased in October the year it was released…yet in RB mode, the old battery will still play longer than the new Clip Zip, at least with MP3. (I haven’t done a FLAC battery life test on the CZ yet)

24

I am afraid my Slotradio cards won’t play anymore if I put rockbox on a Clip+. Does Rockbox have an autoresume feature for podcasts similar to the original firmware? Does the variable speed playback on Rockbox have automatic pitch correction, or must I adjust the pitch separately every time I change the play speed?