I have a simple question: if you could get a Clip Plus and a Fuze for the same price at the same capacity, would you select the Fuze? I am leaning toward the Fuze, but I want to make sure that it has the same sound quality as I’ve been reading that the Clip Plus offers. There is obviously an underlying question here: is the Fuze technology as advanced as the Clip Plus?
Thanks for any help you might offer.
I have both the Clip+ and Fuze. The sound quality is basically the same on both, however it seems like the Fuze can play a bit louder. Imo either one will give plenty of volume with efficient(preferably at least 104 db/mw) headphones that are between 16 and 32 ohms. Above around 60 ohms though, and the sound quality might not be at its best, or the maximum volume might be too low. The main differences between the two are the longer battery life of the Fuze(around 20 hours vs 12 hours for the Clip for typical usage), a scroll wheel on the Fuze vs just buttons on the Clip+, the much smaller size and built in clip of the Clip+, the much larger screen on the Fuze, and a proprietary connector on the Fuze and a standard mini USB connector on the Clip+.
Which is better? If depends what you want. If you want a tiny player you can clip to your clothes for use while working out and tend to let albums play through then the Clip+ is better. If you tend to hunt for individual songs often and want longer battery life then the Fuze is better. The tiny screen on the Clip+ shows just 3 files at a time when looking at lists, vs 6 at a time on the Fuze. The Fuze does a reasonable job displaying photos, but is not so great for video. The Clip+ does not display photos or video.
Whichever you buy, you might regret not getting the other. 
You might want to consider getting both if possible.
Message Edited by JK98 on 09-19-2009 06:37 PM
Message Edited by JK98 on 09-19-2009 06:39 PM
I can see why many people have both, original Clip or Clip+ and a Fuze. The Clip is virtually half the size of the Fuze and will most likely sound pretty identical. The main difference is the screen size. Even if you don’t want to view videos or photos, the Fuze will display the album art of the song being played where the Clip won’t. To some, this is absolutely required in an mp3 player. Others couldn’t care less.
The Clips are well suited for the ultimate in portability with their diminutive size, but you’ve got to give up the pleasure of seeing what you are listening too. Remember the Fuze is no behemoth either. It’s pretty small considering what it can do.
Thanks for the quick and informative response. Both replies so far have provided help in making my decision.
I’m still curious as to the relative technologies in the two players.
I’l say Clip+ is better. Easier to carry, tiny and small, easy to wear on-the-go. Also thumbs up for the mini-usb standard interface. You can always get an Fiio amp as i did, and since i’m in love with the Clip(i still have the old version). So i recommand going with the Clip+.
I’ll agree with all that has been said, but it’s kind of like comparing an apple to an orange. They both produce sound, but the manner in which they do so is quite different. If you are a visual person in the least and like to see album art and play an occasional video, the Fuze is the clear choice. If you just simply want to listen to music a Clip+ might be a better fit.
You also have to factor in form factor. To some, especially us guys that have large hands, a Clip+ is just too darn tiny. Many find the fuze a nice comfortable size.
Just a bit more food for thought.
I had a 4GB Fuze, and enjoyed it immensely. When my 4GB Clip ran out of space, I opted for the Fuze because of its similar sound and the fact that it was expandable. But, I never watched videos or stored photos on it. What I always wanted was what the Clip+ is now, and I’m thankful for that. Different strokes for different folks, but we can all agree that we love SanDisk players!
Which display would be expected to have a longer life, the Clip/Clip+ or the Fuze?
@bigjohnl wrote:
Which display would be expected to have a longer life, the Clip/Clip+ or the Fuze?
A few years ago, OLEDs were rated at ~14,000 hours and LCDs at ~60,000 hours. Things may have improved since then, but even if they haven’t, 14,000 hours is almost 5 years at 8 hours a day.
I have a C280 and a Fuze 8GB. I will be picking up a clip+ 8 gb eventually because it now has the memory expansion slot, and it uses a common usb plug. If you want better battery time get a fuze it really is a nice player.
I currently have an original Clip and a Fuze, but my next purchase will be the Clip+. I find the Fuze big and awkward after using the Clip, but it’s personal preference. The Fuze is nice & very attractive player, but it’s too big for what I want. Also, I use “the clip on my Clip” daily, and so far I haven’t been able to find an acceptable attachment alternative for the Fuze - I’d only trust my Fuze to a pocket. I would actually pay a bit more for a Clip+ than a comparable Fuze.
@gwk1967 wrote:
@bigjohnl wrote:
Which display would be expected to have a longer life, the Clip/Clip+ or the Fuze?
A few years ago, OLEDs were rated at ~14,000 hours and LCDs at ~60,000 hours. Things may have improved since then, but even if they haven’t, 14,000 hours is almost 5 years at 8 hours a day.
Probably a moot point anyhow. The battery in either the Clip/Clip+ or the Fuze will probably die before the display goes dark. By that time we’ll be ready for the latest technological leap in portable players.
Or, by that point, the latest Clip+++ will be up to 64 or 128gb.
@ongre08 wrote:
I have a C280 and a Fuze 8GB. I will be picking up a clip+ 8 gb eventually because it now has the memory expansion slot, and it uses a common usb plug. If you want better battery time get a fuze it really is a nice player.
If I’m not mistaken, it uses a mini -USB plug doesn’t it?
Slight difference. It’s still a specialized cable, although not as specialized as the typical SanDisk 30-pin cable.
@tapeworm wrote:
@ongre08 wrote:
I have a C280 and a Fuze 8GB. I will be picking up a clip+ 8 gb eventually because it now has the memory expansion slot, and it uses a common usb plug. If you want better battery time get a fuze it really is a nice player.
If I’m not mistaken, it uses a mini -USB plug doesn’t it?
Slight difference. It’s still a specialized cable, although not as specialized as the typical SanDisk 30-pin cable.
Actually Tape… Mini-USB is a standard connection… it can only work 1 way… Thus making it not a specialized connection. This is compared to Sandisk’s Proprietary 30 pin connector which while it may look like connectors from other brands is wired completely differently. Something you do need to consider in this area is that just connecting your player to any old Mini-USB plug is probably not so smart. Mainly where it is concerned to charging. Chargers like those for the Motorola Razor are mini-usb on the end, but it could damage your player if it puts out too much power, so you need to check stuff like that.
@conversionbox wrote:
@tapeworm wrote:
@ongre08 wrote:
I have a C280 and a Fuze 8GB. I will be picking up a clip+ 8 gb eventually because it now has the memory expansion slot, and it uses a common usb plug. If you want better battery time get a fuze it really is a nice player.
If I’m not mistaken, it uses a mini -USB plug doesn’t it?
Slight difference. It’s still a specialized cable, although not as specialized as the typical SanDisk 30-pin cable.
Actually Tape… Mini-USB is a standard connection… it can only work 1 way… Thus making it not a specialized connection.
OK, I’ll agree that the mini-USB is more ‘common’ now, but I just wanted to caution that it does not use the standard-size USB plug for anyone unfamiliar with it that may be browsing through this thread. Same thing when someone buys an SD card, gets it, then finds out the Sansa players use a micro SD size. There are 2 different sizes of USB plugs now. And one will need a cable with the larger, standard-size USB plug on 1 end to plug into their computer and the mini-size USB plug on the other end that goes into the Clip+.
Maybe it’s just the way I look at it, but I don’t see this as a ‘standard connection’. Standard to me would mean the same USB plug on both ends. Probably just a case of ‘tomato - tomahto’. 
@tapeworm wrote:
@conversionbox wrote:
@tapeworm wrote:
@ongre08 wrote:
I have a C280 and a Fuze 8GB. I will be picking up a clip+ 8 gb eventually because it now has the memory expansion slot, and it uses a common usb plug. If you want better battery time get a fuze it really is a nice player.
If I’m not mistaken, it uses a mini -USB plug doesn’t it?
Slight difference. It’s still a specialized cable, although not as specialized as the typical SanDisk 30-pin cable.
Actually Tape… Mini-USB is a standard connection… it can only work 1 way… Thus making it not a specialized connection.
OK, I’ll agree that the mini-USB is more ‘common’ now, but I just wanted to caution that it does not use the standard-size USB plug for anyone unfamiliar with it that may be browsing through this thread. Same thing when someone buys an SD card, gets it, then finds out the Sansa players use a micro SD size. There are 2 different sizes of USB plugs now. And one will need a cable with the larger, standard-size USB plug on 1 end to plug into their computer and the mini-size USB plug on the other end that goes into the Clip+.
Maybe it’s just the way I look at it, but I don’t see this as a ‘standard connection’. Standard to me would mean the same USB plug on both ends. Probably just a case of ‘tomato - tomahto’.
Ok officially off topic… but… to me Standard means… anything that is set. In this case Mini-USB can only be wired 1 way and can only be shaped 1 way. That is Standard because any changes to this make the plug proprietary.
@conversionbox wrote:
@tapeworm wrote:
OK, I’ll agree that the mini-USB is more ‘common’ now, but I just wanted to caution that it does not use the standard-size USB plug for anyone unfamiliar with it that may be browsing through this thread. Same thing when someone buys an SD card, gets it, then finds out the Sansa players use a micro SD size. There are 2 different sizes of USB plugs now. And one will need a cable with the larger, standard-size USB plug on 1 end to plug into their computer and the mini-size USB plug on the other end that goes into the Clip+.
Maybe it’s just the way I look at it, but I don’t see this as a ‘standard connection’. Standard to me would mean the same USB plug on both ends. Probably just a case of ‘tomato - tomahto’.
Ok officially off topic… but… to me Standard means… anything that is set. In this case Mini-USB can only be wired 1 way and can only be shaped 1 way. That is Standard because any changes to this make the plug proprietary.
Well it sort of still is on topic, because it’s one of the differences between the Fuze and the Clip+.
The mini-USB connector on the Clip+ may be unfamiliar, but at least (because it’s standardized) there are lots of places making them and lots of places where you can buy replacements.
The Sansa connector is only available from Sansa, though I couldn’t find one on their US web-site, and according to their UK web-site, you can’t even get one from there, because they’re apparently out of stock.
This is one of the things (apart from the generally higher price) that’s put me off upgrading from the old Clip- to a Fuze, and why I’ll be getting a Clip+ instead (when available).
Message Edited by njd on 09-23-2009 11:44 AM
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