What is the difference between the Fuze 8gb and the e280?

I own the Sansa e280 and recommended it to a friend.

In doing some research, my friend saw a Fuze model with 8gb. It is priced about $20 higher than the e280.

Could someone please tell me if there is any major difference between the two models which justifies a higher price for the Fuze?

Thank you.

Better sound sound quality, build quality, screen & scroll wheel.  Very simlilar feature-wise to the e2xx series, but improved in most areas.

Fuzes are newer, so they will be a little more expensive. Skinjob said it all! It’s like and enhanced e200.

Also, Fuzez are thinner than e200s.

The Fuze’s firmware is much better for spoken word (audiobooks and podcasts). 

Resume: The e280 resumes after shutdown in the place in the audiobook/song/podcast last playing.  In the Fuze (and Clip), you can resume *any* podcast or audiobook (not just the last thing that was playing) at the point where you were last listening.  Nice if you want to switch to listening to music when you’re in the middle of an hour-long audiobook chapter or podcast.

Fast Forward/Rewind: The FF/Rev for podcasts and audiobooks works differently, in that it tries to avoid accidental skips to the next song when you’re fast forwarding.

Sorry, I should have been clearer.

The sole use of the Sansa is for music (MP3).

In light of that, one person did mention better audio and build quality.

May I have some more opinions from people who are familiar with both the e200 series and the Fuze?

Thanks.

Remember that there are two families of e280.  The version 2 device has the same chipset as the Fuze, it’s a hybrid device essentially, hence the difference in behavior from other e200s.

The sound of the v2 is the same as the Fuze.  The Fuze is a new form factor, thinner because of its new polymer battery.  The tradeoff is that with the new design, the battery is not replaceable, as in the e280.

I have both machines, and either one is a great device.

The Fuze’s “landscape”, or horizontal screen, means that video is easier to work with, but the overall album art size is better on the e280, because it’s vertical.

Kind of a dilemma, isn’t it?  

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue: 

I have both and I would say the Fuze is well worth the extra $20. The overall feel of the Fuze is much nicer. The wheel and controls are much improved on the Fuze. The new scroll wheel makes navigation much easier (I was never a fan of the e200 scroll wheel).

@captnvideo wrote:

Sorry, I should have been clearer.

 

The sole use of the Sansa is for music (MP3).

 

In light of that, one person did mention better audio and build quality.

 

May I have some more opinions from people who are familiar with both the e200 series and the Fuze?

 

Thanks.

SQ is considered vastly improved over the e200 V1 series.  The V1’s are considered very average SQ.  Not terrible, but nothing special.  The V2 versions actually share a lot of hardware with the Clip and Fuze and thus sound a lot better, but are still not quite as good.  The Fuze and Clip are considered among the best SQ on the market.  They are in the same league as the best from Cowon or Sony.

And build quality is much better.  I don’t own an e200, but I played around with the one at Best Buy when I was first looking at MP3 players and it felt fairly cheap and toy-like.  The Fuze has a much more substantial and solid feel.  It’s not in the same league as Sony, but it’s definitely a big step up from the e200 and above average for the market in general.

I own a Sansa e280 V1 rockboxed, and recently purchased a Sansa Fuze 8gb.

There is no comparing the sound quality - the Fuze is outstanding by comparison, and definitely worth the extra $20.  The only advantage a rockboxed V1 offers is that you can change the theme GUI - and for me, that means fullscreen album art.  Plus, there’s a ton of new playlist creation options and full microsdhc integration.

That said, an mp3 player should be primarily judged by it’s sound quality, and the Fuze blows the e280 v1 out of the water in that regard.  The sound is richer, fuller and much more clear.  It’s actually making me think I might benefit from lossless formats in the future - since now I’m picking up extremely minor encoding flaws that I never noticed.  So if the rumored FLAC does get added to Fuze firmware, I’d be likely to try it out now.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Again, I forgot to mention that I own version 2 of the e280. I guess, as far as sound quality and overall features is concerned, there is not that much difference between this and the Fuze.

Also a big negative with the Fuze is the fact that the battery is not user-replaceable.

I’ll advise my friend to purchase the e280 v2.

It’s not a big negative because by the time you need to replace the battery, there will have been four different versions of Sansas available by then.

@captnvideo wrote:

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

Again, I forgot to mention that I own version 2 of the e280. I guess, as far as sound quality and overall features is concerned, there is not that much difference between this and the Fuze.

 

Also a big negative with the Fuze is the fact that the battery is not user-replaceable.

 

I’ll advise my friend to purchase the e280 v2.

LOL, if you were a good friend, you would advise him that nearly all that replied, think the Fuze is worth the extra $20.
Message Edited by joshtee on 09-15-2008 04:34 PM

I emailed my friend the link to this thread so he can read all the responses himself and make the final decision.

I only pointed out that there does not appear to be much of a SQ difference between the e280v2 and the Fuze, plus the Fuze’s non-replaceable battery.

Thanks, everyone. You’ve all been helpful.