Pitch bug on Clip+?

@michaelc5047 wrote:

Hmmm… as the originator of this thread, I’m interested to see that there are reports of there being pitch bugs with the v1 Clip.

 

I have 2 v1 Clips – a 2GB and a 4GB and don’t hear problems with them (and hear no differences when running Rockbox on either of them). It was an 8GB v2 Clip that played back audibly too slowly to my ears.

Well then, since the clip+ appears to have ~ 1/3 the error of the V1 it should be fine.  

 How well is clip rockbox running?   

I just received my clip+ today and don’t notice any pitch issues, by ear.  I do agree that the matter should be investigated by Sandisk and corrected.

@donp wrote:


@michaelc5047 wrote:

Hmmm… as the originator of this thread, I’m interested to see that there are reports of there being pitch bugs with the v1 Clip.

 

I have 2 v1 Clips – a 2GB and a 4GB and don’t hear problems with them (and hear no differences when running Rockbox on either of them). It was an 8GB v2 Clip that played back audibly too slowly to my ears.


Well then, since the clip+ appears to have ~ 1/3 the error of the V1 it should be fine.  

 How well is clip rockbox running?   

 

It seems to have random stopping/crashing problems if you do things like change albums/tracks (while playing), pause, shuffle, etc., in other words, pretty much the way I listen to my Clip. :wink: But if you’re listening to an album straight through from beginning to end, it works fine. Just not ready (yet).

Message Edited by michaelc5047 on 09-05-2009 02:48 PM

Still waiting for an answer.

@warrior1986 wrote:
Still waiting for an answer.

 

You expect Sansa has people assigned to “cover” the user forum on a holiday weekend?

 

Or any other day of the year?

@donp wrote:


@warrior1986 wrote:
Still waiting for an answer.


 

You expect Sansa has people assigned to “cover” the user forum on a holiday weekend?

 

 

Well, I was going to say no, but seeing as someone posted just an hour ago, then yes. 

microsansa posted in this thread.  http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=clipplus&thread.id=293

Message Edited by Warrior1986 on 09-07-2009 02:26 PM

Thinking my first clip+ might be defective, I picked up a second one to test. Here’s the results:

1000hz

Dell D630c (laptop)  - plays 1000.02hz

Sansa E200              - plays 1000.39hz

Rio Karma                - plays 1000.48hz

1st Sansa Clip+        - plays 1002.47hz

2nd Sansa Clip+       - plays 1002.47hz

That gives both Sansa Clip+'s a pitch error of 0.247%, compared to the next player (Rio Karma) at 0.048%.


From this I can say that this pitch bug is real, and can and should be fixed via firmware. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for Sansa to at least equal the sound quality performance of their previous generation player, the Sansa E200.

Here’s my pitch test results.  Thanks schnarky42 for the instructions on how to use bidule/gtune. I used the test tones created by forum member davek over in Sansa’s Fuze forum in the huge thread about the Fuze pitch problem (supposedly fixed now).  I bought my Clip at Walmart based on their good price and the review I read over at anythingbutipod.com that said how good the support was for the product and how it was frequently updated.  But now it’s been more than 6 months since the last firmware update.  I sold my Clip due to your lack of support and frankly because I’m angry  the Clip+ was put out before fixing the pitch problem on the original Clip (maybe that’s smart business, but it pisses me off!).  Come on Sansa, this pitch problem has been around since day one.  CNet says the Clip was released on Oct. 8th, 2007.  That’s almost two years from now.  Bring the Clip out of BETA!!! Fix the pitch problem!

Sansa Clip 8gb V2 (V02.01.32A firmware, original Clip NOT Clip+)

1000hz
44.1k encoded to 44.1k = 988.78Hz
44.1k encoded to 48k   = 1001.61Hz
48k   encoded to 44.1k = 988.78Hz
48k   encoded to 48k   = 1001.61Hz

Samsung SGH-A737 cell phone

44.1k encoded to 44.1k = 1000.01Hz
44.1k encoded to 48k   = 1000.01Hz   
48k   encoded to 44.1k = 1000.01Hz
48k   encoded to 48k   = 1000.01Hz

Message Edited by oofda on 09-11-2009 12:20 AM

Message Edited by oofda on 09-11-2009 12:22 AM

This wrong speed, wrong pitch playback is unacceptable for a modern digital device.

My cheap digital watch is a hundred times more accurate.

This product is unusable by anyone who plays a musical instrument, and wants to play along with the songs on their Clip+, for fun or to learn new songs. 

Who in there right mind wants to listen to there music played back off pitch/speed?

Why do most reviewers overlook this important quality problem.

The only way to keep manufacturers honest is to boycott willfully defective products like the Clip and Clip +.

@wavydavy wrote:

This wrong speed, wrong pitch playback is unacceptable for a modern digital device.

My cheap digital watch is a hundred times more accurate.

This product is unusable by anyone who plays a musical instrument, and wants to play along with the songs on their Clip+, for fun or to learn new songs. 

 

Yes, something they should have been able to avoid.
Yes, a bummer to play alongside something else that is in tune.

In the end, I’d say a matter of priorities. If you want a really small player WITH an expansion slot (not to mention FM), your alternative choices get really scarce really fast.
For me, for now, I got the slot and in tune, not that small with an e200. Without some research I couldn’t name another brand of straight music player with a memory slot at all. Just phones and PDA’s.

c200 is a bit smaller than an e200, has a microSDHC slot and FM radio, and can be Rockboxed.

1/4 of a percent is plenty. A watch that is off by 1/4 of 1% would be off over 3 minutes a day!

So Sansa, how much longer is this problem going to be ignored?  I don’t plan to stop bumping this thread until we finally get a concrete answer.

@warrior1986 wrote:
So Sansa, how much longer is this problem going to be ignored?  I don’t plan to stop bumping this thread until we finally get a concrete answer.

You will be dead and buried before they address the issue… Bump away… 

For anyone who wanst to check their clip using the method posted on page 3 of this thread, I’ve upload a 30-second 1000hz FLAC file here and an MP3 version here if you do not want to create the files using NCH Tone.


Ok, for Sandisk, here’s an idea that could result a win-win situation: Since correcting the pitch may result in reduced battery life, why not give the user the option to correct the pitch? In the audio settings, you could call it ‘audiophile mode’, and enabling it would fix the pitch bug, but reduce battery life. This way you can still claim your current battery life as accurate by having ‘audiophile mode’ disabled by default.

@warrior1986 wrote:
So Sansa, how much longer is this problem going to be ignored?  I don’t plan to stop bumping this thread until we finally get a concrete answer.

Could you please do us all a favor and CALL SanDisk and ask them, then post their response here, instead of spamming a user forum that’s not an official vehicle for obtaining support?

WOW! There really is a bug? So that’s why my Chipmunks rips from vinyl sound a bit fast, or was it slow. This is causing all kinds of problems when I try to practice my Jew’s harp. I must have not set the pitch control correct on the turntable. Hey, that’s the solution! Sansa needs to put a pitch control knob on the Gen3 clip along with a strobe ring.

As has already been pointed out in the forum, Sandisk telephone support claims no knowledge of the problem and no knowledge of what is happening in the firmware development dept.

Sandisk,

ignoring the problem will not make it go away!

As this information makes its way around the other audio forums, your audio products will get a bad reputation that will be hard, if not imposable to shake. Beware…

This forum is the appropriate place to discuss this and other problems, alert Sandisk and (potential) customers to problems/shortcomings of the product, and allows Sandisk to respond in the forums and possibly release new firmware to fix/improve the product.

Neither of which they  have done for quite some time now.

It also allows other customers to offer possible workarounds and comment on the issue.

This is the most serious quality problem with recent Sandisk products and should not be ignored.

It is entirely appropriate to keep this subject at the top of the list until it is resolved with a firmware fix or Sansa stops selling things.

PromisedPlanet

If you don’t have something constructive to add to this subject, why bother posting here?

Skip it and move on to something that interests you more.

Clearly this is a serious issue for those who care about listening to music at the same pitch/speed as it was originally recorded.

WD, as a contributor here, I appreciate your issue, concern and frustration.  I truly wish SanDisk would respond (on this and other issues–ignoring one’s consumers is never a good policy, it seems to me).

However, and with all due respect, your multiple postings across numerous threads is tiresome, and unfortunately and unwarrantedly wastes my time.  A single thread is more than sufficient.  Would you please limit yourself, so as not to consume my own time?  Many thanks–