Newbie with speaker compatibility question

MP3 players Sansa Fuze
1

How do I know which speakers are compatible with the Sansa fuze? I keep reading about a “proprietary” connection and I’m afraid I’ll buy something that doesn’t fit.

When reading abt different speakers, some say they are compatible with the c or e or m series but never mention fuze so I am leary.

Thanks in advance for your help!

2

The Fuze is newer so it may just be a case of the packaging (of the speakers) or the description being updated. The Fuze uses the same ‘propriatary’ 30-pin connecter as the others and should work, unless the player (Fuze) sits or plugs into a receptacle to hold the device (like the Sansa Docking station). Because the Fuze’s headphone jack is located on the bottom of the unit, the connector port is off-set, so this profile is different than the ‘centered’ connector port on the ‘E’ & ‘C’ series.

If the speakers connect via the headphone jack and are either un-powered or self-powered with their own amp (many have batteries), anything with a headphone output will work safely. Just be leary and read everything carefully (and/or look at it) if it touts the buzzwords, “Works with I-pods”. Somtimes this is just to grab your attention as the I-pod has the greatest name-brand recognition (it’s almost becoming a generic term for any mp3 player), but if the accessory is called an “I-whatever” and uses the connector port, be aware that these ports look similar and the Apple cable will fit (sort of), but the power is applied to different pins and this will fry your Fuze!

3

Thanks for the explanation and the warning! I had read abt the dock thing and that was one of the things that scared me.

So if I understand you correctly, I’m ok as long as I buy speakers that say they work with another Sansa. That would make it very simple!

But Murphy’s Law being what it is, what are the chances of that? So I want to be sure I understand the other part of your answer.

@tapeworm wrote:

 

 

If the speakers connect via the headphone jack and are either un-powered or self-powered with their own amp (many have batteries), anything with a headphone output will work safely. Just be leary and read everything carefully (and/or look at it) if it touts the buzzwords, “Works with I-pods”. Somtimes this is just to grab your attention as the I-pod has the greatest name-brand recognition (it’s almost becoming a generic term for any mp3 player), but if the accessory is called an “I-whatever” and uses the connector port, be aware that these ports look similar and the Apple cable will fit (sort of), but the power is applied to different pins and this will fry your Fuze!

 

 

I don’t want anything that has to run on batteries and I’m not sure what you mean by unpowered. Wouldn’t any speaker have to have a power source? I was assuming the non-battery ones would plug into a wall outlet. Can you expand on that part? Thanks! 

4

There are speakers that are just that . . . speakers. The powered ones (either battery or AC adaptor) are just ‘amplified’. Like the ones you can buy for your computer; most are amplified because your computer puts out such a weak signal that you can’t hear them otherwise.

And remember, your Fuze only puts out about 60mw. Enough for earbuds or small headphones, but it isn’t designed to drive anything larger. Most small ‘un-powered’ speakers are going to sound pretty bad with this miniscule signal from the headphone jack.

I would get a pair that are ‘marketed’ towards computer add-on speakers. They even have some with sub-woofers! These will be powered (usually by AC) & probaby sound pretty good. The battery-powered ones sound good too, but they’re a pain because you have to remember to turn them off, or the power will drain out and the next time you want to use them, they’ll be dead, then you’ve got to hurt around for more C battteries. It can get expensive unless you use rechargeables, and then you have to remember to charge them :angry:

5

You can buy a Y-cable  (3.5jack-RCA jacks) for a few dollars to connect to a home stereo also…that’s what I did. Turn the Fuze volume up to about 75% and it sounds great through my 10+yr-old home system. Just make sure everything’s turned off when you’re plugging/unplugging, to be safe :wink:

6

Very educational!! Thanks so much for your time and patience! With “Speakers 101” under my belt, I think I am ready to go shopping.

7

I’m not sure the advice that any Sansa speakers will work with a Fuze mp3 player is accurate.   I’ve had my Sansa Fuze for several years and never had a problem.  

I purchased an Altec Lansing im510 speaker system that is designed for e200 and c200 series Sansa players.  Amazon.com showed it as being frequently purchased with a Sansa Fuze player, so I thought it was OK. Within 10 seconds of connecting my player to the speakers, the player crashed.  No power, no detection by my pc.  Completely dead.  Sandisk service helped me do a reset, and the player is working again. 

I’m not going to risk reconnecting.  The speakers will be on their way back to Amazon tomorrow.  I can’t find any currect products that are designed for use with a Sansa Fuze.  Is the only option a powered set of speakers that run via the earphone jack?

8

@kdh wrote:

I’m not sure the advice that any Sansa speakers will work with a Fuze mp3 player is accurate. 

 

I purchased an Altec Lansing im510 speaker system that is designed for e200 and c200 series Sansa players.  Amazon.com showed it as being frequently purchased with a Sansa Fuze player, so I thought it was OK. Within 10 seconds of connecting my player to the speakers, the player crashed.

You’re talking about a ‘dock’ which is a different animal than just speakers. Any speakers will work with the Fuze, just as they will with any other device that puts out an audible signal though the headphone jack. Docks, on the other hand are much more complicated, rely on the multi-pin port for the proper connections and do not work with all devices.

For what it’s worth though, there are many who are enjoying their Fuzes with the Altec Lansing docking systems, although I believe it is the im413 (now discontinued) that is the most compatible.