This is directed at those who have been using Sansas for years. I’ve been using them for nine years. I hate the new ones.
Wondering if anyone’s found anything comparable to the old versions, where there wasn’t a file limit, external and interal storage were integrated, and the player remembered where you were when you switched between music and another section (for me when I switched between audiobooks and music, it would remember where I was in both when I returned). Love some feedback; I was so incredibly disappointed when I tried out my new Clip Sport and found out that the main reasons I loved Sansas had been removed (simplicity, functionality, integration of external storage up to 32 GB regardles of number of files). Let me know. I’m getting a Zip, but I’m looking for a long term replacement player since both Zips and +s are only available for %150 of what they used to cost. Almost worth it though at this point.
While I (and many others) agree with you, just to be clear there was always a file/database limit. It’s just that the newer players, Sport & Jam’s limits are much lower than the previous models.
would be really interesting to know if sandisk have some plans to propose a next “advanced” generation of mp3 player without the strong limitations of the Clip Sport (not merging the cards, no genre, 4 000 mp3 with last firmware). I mean, do we have to hurry and buy good old clip+ or clip zip, or can we expect that sandisk will return to good product, in the line of clip+ and clip zip (rockbox)?
i could understand that many people can live with clip sport, but music lovers will always try to use clip+ or clip zip kind of player.
yes my fear also. incredible that the only valid option is to buy obsolete material…in a hurry !! I have only one Clip Zip, and i am really pissed off not to have bought some before they become so difficult to find. Would be good that Sandisk simply re-activate the Clip Zip and Clip + in some months, taking a birthday or commemoration excuse so that we can quickly buy some for the next decades…Really a shame…and difficult to follow/understand…life. (computer world: “when it works, it becomes obsolete”. Now we got it on material…
Surprised no one has mentioned their phone as relacement for their mp3 players. I’m not suggesting it’s better than the clip+ but since I’m carrying the phone most of the time, I might as well use it for music as well.
Surprised no one has mentioned their phone as relacement for their mp3 players. I’m not suggesting it’s better than the clip+ but since I’m carrying the phone most of the time, I might as well use it for music as well.
Most people today ARE using their phones for everything, including playing music. Hence the decline in the assortment and features of available dedicated mp3 payers these days.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Western Digital, which makes memory like SanDisk, phased out the players entirely.
However, there is an interesting, inexpensive player on the horizon from another company:
It’s the FiiO M3, which will list at $55 (and FiiOs don’t get discounted much) with 8GB of internal storage, capacity for 64GB cards and playback for mp3 and lossless files. The hype says it has a separate digital-analogue converter for better sound. Buttons, not a touchscreen, like the Clip.
FiiO is known for hi-fi at low prices, but until now their players have been thick and chunky, and their cheapest player, the X1 at $99, is not loved, though the X3 and X5 are.
The M3 has only been announced, not on sale yet, but for just $55 I’m going to keep an eye out for reviews.
The FiiO M3 is based on nearly the same SOC as the Clip Sport/Jam (ATJ2129 for M3 vs. ATJ2127 for Sport/Jam) and they share many of the hardware limitations. It will be very interesting to see how they have dealt with the tiny amount of memory and if the end result is any better than of the Sport/Jam.
I don’t see anything wrong/unethical, etc. about discussing a similar product in so much as how it compares to a SanDisk offering. If one were to ‘promote’ it that would be an entirely different matter and yes, in poor taste but otherwise I think it’s ok.
The purpose of my previous post was to point out that The Clip Sport/Jam and the other DAP shares the same hardware and software platform, are closely related and thus also shares most of the limitations. In my opinion SanDisk has received a lot of unfair criticism for not being able to address the flaws of the Sport. When the initial excitement has passed I think we will see very similar complaints from the other side and I think the flaws will remains just as with the Sport. The hardware is very limited and it’s not much you can do with it. It’s not easy to find a caplable SOC at this pricepoint nowdays.
I’m aware of that this is a SanDisk only forum and that’s against the rules to discuss products from other manufacturers and wish to thank Miikerman for the exemplary way he pointed that out to me. It will be all SanDisk posts from me here on.
SanDisk isn’t a mom-and-pop store, miikerman. And if I hadn’t mentioned the FiiO we wouldn’t have gotten the interesting information that the units have a similar (and limited) SOC (system on chip).
As further information emerges, it appears the FiiO M3 can’t do Replay Gain or gapless, so that SOC is indeed limited. Still Googling around to see if there’s a limit on the number of files.
There aren’t a lot of standalone players being introduced any more, particularly in the Clip price range. If SanDisk isn’t worried about the quality of its products there’s no harm in mentioning a competitor. If it is worried about the quality of its products, it can improve them.
Personally I think that Sansa players have been going downhill since the Fuze. Still, I’m glad I picked up a couple of $20 refurbed Clip+ while they were still around. Saw an 8GB Clip+ today on Amazon for about $67.
The OP wanted to know what to replace the Clip + with. Since the Jam and Sport are, by all accounts, serious downgrades from the Clip+ , the answer to the question may be another brand–or, while they can be found, another Clip+. Never had a Zip, so I can’t address whether that was an improvement, but those are disappearing too.
If there’s another little inexpensive unit comparable to the Clip+, I certainly would like to know about it.
The FiiO M3 won’t take Rockbox and does have a file limit (for navigation by tags) in the neighborhood of 3700-4000, while a Rockboxed Clip+ will take as many as the card can hold.
The only reason I put in a purchase link was because when I initially posted the FiiO had only been announced, not made available. It’s also an easy place to see what it looks like and, eventually, to look at user reviews–so better than a link to the FiiO website that’s all hype.
If a moderator wants to delete my posts, fine, but I don’t see any reason to withhold potentially useful information from people who come here looking for it. I get the feeling SanDisk can afford the bandwidth for a text forum. If they would just bring back the Fuze, all would be forgiven.
Head-fi.org is the place to discuss other brands of players and compare them to Sandisk players. I am also disappointed with Sandisk’s current player offerings. The last two players I bought were not made by Sandisk(no, I won’t mention here which they are). I do own the Sandisk Clip+, Clip Zip, and Clip Sport. The Clip+ and Clip Zip are Rockboxed. I owned two Fuzes, and used Rockbox on the Fuze. I also owned the original Clip.
