Clicking or Ticking Noise in Voice Recording

As far as I know, you cannnot flash V2 with V1 firmware. If that were possible, there would be no problem running Rockbox on V2.

I’m going to call the store today to see if they have any more refurbs and, if they do, if someone will take the time to check the firmware version before I order.

Message Edited by neumannu47 on 04-13-2010 06:50 AM

cp1 wrote:
Is it possible that this a firmware related issue? What would happen if someone would flash the version 2 firmware with the version 1 firmware? 

The reason for the 2 different versions is different hardware. Trying to install v1 firmware on a v2 machine wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t take it.

What does Sandisk themselves say about this clicking noise? They must acknowledge that they have a problem with the recording feature

I have not seen a response from Sandisk and would be surprised to see one. Voice recording is not a primary function of the Fuze, so I doubt Sandisk will waste their time. There are people who deny that there is enough evidence to conclude that the problem is a design defect, but of course we know better.

Yesterday I noticed that the latest iPod Nano has recording capability. If they have voice recording capability that works as well as the Fuze but without the ticking, I’ll just buy one of those. 

neumannu47 wrote:

I have not seen a response from Sandisk and would be surprised to see one. Voice recording is not a primary function of the Fuze, so I doubt Sandisk will waste their time. There are people who deny that there is enough evidence to conclude that the problem is a design defect, but of course we know better.

 

Yesterday I noticed that the latest iPod Nano has recording capability. If they have voice recording capability that works as well as the Fuze but without the ticking, I’ll just buy one of those. 

For the price they charge for one of those, you could buy a dedicated sound recorder, and keep your Fuze for your music too!

The 5th gen iPod Nano can record voice, but cannot record FM.  A glaring omission, in my opinion.  Another glaring omission is the inability to take still pictures, yet it has a movie camera (huh?).  These are signs that our old pal APPL is up to its usual upgrade/obsolescence tease game. 

ggin1

Message Edited by ggin1 on 04-13-2010 08:32 PM

About a year ago I had a 4GB Sansa Fuze in which I did not notice any ticking.  Between 2010-March-01 and today (April 23) I have purchased, tested, and returned three 8GB Sansa Fuzes because of this very annoying ticking sound during voice recording.  My most recent purchase was a 4GB Sansa Fuze; I’ll be returning it in a few days because of the same problem.  In all units I have also noticed an occasional high-frequency squealing (not unlike a mouse) sound lasting perhaps half a second.  This sound is far less intrusive, but also points to the same fundamental problem.  It’s a pity, as there seems to be nothing on the market offering comparable quality and features.  Alas.

It’s clearly a design flaw that would be costly for Sansa to correct. They obviously have no interest in doing so. The voice recording feature for the Fuze is useless. Anyone buying it for that purpose will be disappointed.

"The voice recording feature for the Fuze is useless. Anyone buying it for that purpose will be disappointed. "

 Finally the voice of reason. I am surprised it took you this long to concede this.

You must have missed this comment in my FIRST post in this thread:

“The clicking sound, however, makes the Voice Recorder feature useless.”

Your condescension is misplaced.

I wouldn’t call it useless.  The recording quality is quite good (except for the low clicking noise).  You just have to find a V1.  If you want to call the V2 useless – perhaps.  I use my V2 mostly for FM and music listening at work.  For $35, it is quite useful.

By the way, when I plug the Fuze in a Griffin dock, the sound quality coming out of it (line out) is quite good.  Just select the default EQ setting.  And some FM stations still come in, even without the earphone antenna. The thing I don’t like is the inability to change the volume on the Fuze itself when it is docked.  So, I have to always reach for my computer to do that.  No big deal, the volume control is also on the keyboard.

ggin1

Message Edited by ggin1 on 04-24-2010 12:41 PM

The discussion is particularly referring to the V2 versions that have the ticking noise in the Voice Recording function. If I could find a V1, I’d buy it. The Voice Recording function in the V2 is useless because of the ticking noise. The other functions are very good, which is why it’s sad that the V2 has the design flaw. But for the ticking noise, the Fuze would be a great voice recorder for the right application, such as lectures.

There are also dropouts in the V2 voice recorder.  If you record and listen to enough speech you’ll hear the occasional word getting clipped: things like “recding” when you record someone saying “recording.”  I might even be able to live with that if it were not for the incessant ticking.

While the V1 Fuze doesn’t have the clicking noise you describe, it is still not  good at voice recording, especially when the player is more than 4 feet away. The mike on the Fuze is low quality, and there is no way to adjust the sensitivity. Those interested in voice recording should get a separate voice recorder.

I don’t consider my comments to you to be condescending. I am sorry if you do.

The Fuze is an excellent audio player, but a low quality voice recorder and a low quality video player. I encourage people to ignore the voice recording and video playing functions on the player.

I beg to differ.  The Sansa Fuze V1 was an excellent voice recorder for the price, especially when you consider size and additional functions.  If Sandisk had maintained the V1 quality, I surely wouldn’t find fault with them for its minor imperfections.  I am disapointed because they ruined a great inexpensive recorder.  Alas.

If voice recording is your need, definitely a refurbished (and inexpensive!) v1 Fuze is the hot ticket.  For distant voices, lectures in a room with lousy acoustics, or a mumbly professor reminiscent of that dude in “Office Space”, there are more refined recorders out there, with sensitive (and external) microphone capabilities.

I still prefer the e200 series, with its dedicated Record button, one-touch recording mode option, and a mike capsule mounted at the top of the device.  The v2 variant of the e200 has the quietest system, in terms of background noise.

As well as the Sansa e200 performed at recording, I pondered how cool it would have been to have microphone input via the docking port, and a cool input level adjust / display available when in recording mode.  Though quite possible, the average sansa customer is most likely interested in the digital playback functions, of course.

The recorder is great as a dictation tool, useful to catch that fleeting thought, then running back to that cool Iron Maiden track.

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

I was able to get a V1, and its Voice Recording function works great. No ticketing noise. The rest of the recorders limitations are to be expected. However, I’m really happy with my V1. I’d buy another if I could find one.

I first noticed the ticking sound on my Fuze about a year ago but only just now thought to investigate whether it others had the same problem.  For the type of things I generally record it doesn’t matter all that much, but it’s annoying.

I seem to be able to make short voice recordings without the ticking.  It’s only when I record something long–maybe 40 minutes or more–that I start to hear ticking in the later part of the recording.  It’s not terribly loud but sounds as if a  softly ticking clock had been placed somewhere nearby.  I thought it might just be my particular recorder but I guess it’s a common, or perhaps universal,  problem with these models. 

Can anyone tell me whether SanDisk pays attention to these posted concerns, or should I be writing or calling their customer service directly?

I have always had the same problem and always thought it was just my unit. However, once I discovered that others have the same exact issue I reported it to support and received the following very unhelpful message. A shame they don’t stand behind their product by issuing a full recall.

Response Via Email (Clauber B.) 05/07/2013 11:30 AM

Thanks for contacting SanDisk Technical Support. It is our goal to make sure you have all the resources you need to get the most from your product.

I understand that the voice recording of your Sansa Fuze has a internal ticking sounds that overlay every voice recording. We are really sorry to hear that and since you have mentioned the issue existed from the start, you would have needed to ask for a replacement within the first 30 days at the place of purchase.

Unfortunately, we are not able to replace the player or refund once our warranty is already voided.

Please refer to your My SanDisk at http://kb.sandisk.com anytime to see all of your incident history and product registration information. You can log in using your email address as your login and the password that you created.

Also, you can visit http://kb.sandisk.com our online keyword searchable Knowledgebase, to easily find answers to your Technical Support and Customer Service questions for all of SanDisk's products. Simply enter your search terms and our Knowledgebase will search an extensive database of commonly asked questions as well as our online forums at http://forums.sandisk.com to provide you with the most complete answers possible. 

Best regards,

Clauber B.
SanDisk Technical Support

You were responding to a two-year-old post.

The Fuze isn’t made any more. Hasn’t been made in years. I’m not sure if the length of time since they were last manufactured is now longer than the warranty period, but if it’s not, it will be soon.

So somehow I doubt they’re going to restart the assembly line for a complete recall.

If you “thought it was just my unit” then…that’s what a warranty repair is for.

From the thread, it looks like it’s a problem with V2 units and you would have preferred a V1. But if the function is of paramount importance to you, then you could probably have gotten a refund–years ago–and bought  a diferent brand of player.

Just out of curiosity…have you upgraded to the final firmware? It’s not outside the realm of possibility that the problem was fixed. Worth a try.  Don’t use the Updater; there have been no more updates since 2010. Use the manual method.

http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Sansa-Fuze/Sansa-Fuze-Firmware-Update-01-02-31-amp-02-03-33/td-p/139175

You could also, if you are computer-friendly,  try the alternative firmware Rockbox at www.rockbox.org, which did fix a ticking problem in the recordings of another gadget I had, the iRiver H140.

I mean, yes, it would be great if this were also a perfect little recorder (through its dinky microphone or iffy FM) but it’s a little late to be getting so outraged.

I use mine as a music player, so I haven’t had any occasion to check out its recording capabilities. Any serious recorder is going to have an outboard microphone input, though…