MP3 Insider

Sansa Clip+ is awesome regardless

I've gotta hand it to SanDisk. The company doesn't shy away from honesty. Recently, a handful of Sansa Clip users reactivated a forum topic having to do with apparent pitch issues on the device whereby music plays back ever-so-slightly slower than normal. The concern was that the problem may have carried over to the new Clip+. (Incidentally, based on my testing, it hasn't. If anything, it plays tracks a fraction faster when stacked up against my sound card and Sony Walkman.)

The interesting part, however, is not the existence of some exceptionally discerning listeners--neither CNET testers nor our Audio Precision ATS-2 Audio Analyzer noted anything particularly egregious--but SanDisk's response, which was essentially that in the battle between value and sound quality, value wins. And if you are unsatisfied by the audio offered by a Sansa player, you are more than welcome to look elsewhere for your MP3 player needs. Or, the company's own words:

"Over the last few days there have been several meetings with Engineering, Marketing, and Product Management regarding the pitch issue some users have seen. Please see below a statement regarding the decision that was reached as a result of these meetings. At SanDisk, our goal with our Sansa MP3 product line is to provide products which deliver a quality consumer experience at price points which are accessible to the majority of the population. Our 'value' positioning has served us well historically, although we acknowledge that occasionally our products do not live up to some users' expectations.

The issues raised on this Forum regarding sound fidelity are important to us however due to trade-off decisions that were made in engineering these products to deliver superior consumer value at what we believe are extremely attractive price points, our sound fidelity isn't perfect. We have re-evaluated the possibility of reducing the pitch variation and due to the engineering trade-offs the decision was made to stay with the current design. Very few listeners, however, have noticed or complained about it as an issue in actual practice. For those who can detect sound differences with their naked ears during actual use and not via frequency analysis, our products may not be the best choice for them," per slotmonsta, SanDisk Forums Admin

Maybe this comes off a slight to some, but rarely have I seen a company lay it on the line so directly. SanDisk could have just as easily danced around the topic with circular language or brushed it off entirely, and I have to applaud it for taking the direct approach instead. Maybe I'm giving the company too much credit? Feel free to add your own thoughts below.

The better S-Series

(Credit: SonyInsider)

It was a sad day when I reviewed the second-gen Sony S-Series Walkman. We expected a worthy successor to this fantastic MP3 player and instead were met with a mere shadow of the device and its former glory. True, you still get top-notch sound quality, impressive battery life, and even the added bonus of external speakers, but what happened to my podcast support, upgraded headphones, expanded sound enhancement options, interface personalization, SensMe Channels, and Rhapsody DNA?

Well, most of those things got funneled into the "expanded" S-Series, the S640 and S740 lines, which--naturally--Sony has no intention of offering to U.S. buyers. (The speaker-sporting model is the S540.) These two players differ in only one way: the S740 offers integrated noise canceling, whereas the S640 does not. Other than that, both devices include just about everything that made the original S-Series Walkman so freakin' sweet, plus the ability to output to a TV and what appears to be some sort of audio recording option. Oh, and it's available in a 32GB option. You're killing me, Sony!

A-Series Walkman: such a tease

(Credit: SonyInsider)

Adding insult to injury is the Japan-only release of a next-gen A-Series Walkman, a seemingly spectacular MP3 player with a 2.8-inch WQVGA OLED screen. It offers an S-Master digital amplifier, FM radio, digital noise canceling, and the ability to output to TV at 720×480. The package also includes Sony's MDR-EX300SL earphones (i.e. not shoddy stock earbuds). Oh, and have I mentioned it's available in capacities up to 64GB? Seriously. Killing. Me.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to write a strongly-worded letter.

(Via SonyInsider)

(Credit: CNET)

If the MP3 player market was a fault line, we'd have a boatload of busy seismographs on our hands. Certainly, two of the most exciting releases of the past couple weeks are the new iPod Touch and the Zune HD. Now, if you're curious how the two devices compare with one another, you could always read the deluge of articles available on CNET and around the Web, but we can certainly see how that might be a bit overwhelming. Soon enough, we'll pit the two players head-to-head in a knock-down, drag-out brawl (aka Prizefight). In the meantime, we've created a purely technical spec-to-spec comparison chart to tide you over.

FM to the Internet: I ain't dead yet. The average person listens to 17 hours of terrestrial radio every week, and that's according to a Pandora executive.

Sure, you've loaded a fabulous collection of digital audio tracks onto your MP3 player, but what do you do when your tunes begin to sound just a bit too familiar? That's where an FM tuner comes in. In many places, FM radio still offers plenty of worthwhile content for your listening pleasure, and it can provide a refreshing break from your regular rotation. Plus, it's a great extra to have at the gym, allowing you to tune into the TVs and take your mind off that vigorous workout.

So, if you're not among the uberdiligent who always remember to sync up their players for fresh content, be sure to pick one with an FM tuner onboard. Unfortunately, although many players come with this nifty feature, not all of them deliver quite as advertised. In fact, we've come across a few that cut in and out even with strong signals.

But don't fret. There are several players available with decent FM tuners; in fact, I easily found six with great-sounding radios. Not only that, but each of the players here offers an autoscan function and at least 10 preset slots, so you won't have to fumble around finding your favorite stations. Moreover, several of them, such as the iPod Nano and Zune HD, offer RDS and song tagging.

Check out the radio-worthy MP3 players.

Who says you can't use the Zune HD with a Mac? Well, I did, for one...but contrary to popular belief I sometimes actually enjoy admitting when I'm wrong. As a Mac user with a penchant for non-iPod MP3 players, I often feel left out in the cold, especially when I see shiny new devices like the Zune HD. Sure, I could always use Boot Camp, but I prefer not to clutter up my pretty Mac with Windows XP, thankyouverymuch. Plus, dual booting isn't exactly a seamless experience.

That's where VMWare Fusion comes into play. At $80, the software is about the same price as Windows XP Home--not cheap--but it provides a super simple way to run apps and connect devices that are otherwise relegated to Windows machines. Plus, it integrates seamlessly into the Dock. Of course, I would prefer if Microsoft would just make the Zune HD and Marketplace Mac-compatible to begin with, but in the meantime, this will have to suffice. To see how VMWare Fusion works with the Zune, check out the video below.

Thanks, Nick!

(Credit: Archos)

Far be it for Archos to sit idly by and watch Apple, Microsoft, and Creative have all the fun. Today, the company announced its next-generation Archos 5 device, which is perhaps the most fully featured "portable media player" we've seen. In fact, the unit is being marketed as an Internet tablet rather than as a PMP, and that's entirely accurate. The new Archos 5 is running the Android platform, which the device uses for nearly every function besides media playback (that's still handled by Linux). And you know what that means: apps!

There is an interesting caveat here, however. Since the Archos 5 is running at the HD-friendly 720p resolution, which is not approved for Android Cupcake, the selection of apps at start-up will be limited to about 300 (with that number increasing to at least 1,000 by the end of the year), and they are only accessible via the Archos app store. Still, the chances are you'll have the full selection of Android apps by early next year, and we're willing to wait if it means high-res video on the device, something to be fully-appreciated when outputting to a TV (see the gallery for an example).

Archos 5 Internet Tablet--photos

(Credit: SanDisk)

Q: I would appreciate advice on the proper and easiest MP3 to purchase for my needs. The primary use will NOT be for music. What I need the MP3 player for is Church-related podcasts, as I enjoy listening to bible teachings from different sources. I also want to download a study bible to have available for bible study discussions.

I use a Sansa C250 and find the screen too small and difficult to find various podcasts. I have seen the iPod Touch and now I'm wondering about the Zune HD. What would be the easiest to use and yet have a reasonable price? Thank you!--Frank, via e-mail

A: Since you are really using the device only for podcasts and not much else (it sounds like maybe a little music here and there), I would not recommend something like the iPod Touch or the Zune HD. While they are easy to use, those devices are simply too feature-packed for your needs, and there's no reason you should pay for extras you're not going to use.

The most economical option for you is the SanDisk Sansa Fuze, and it handles podcasts quite well. A 4GB player, which can be found for about $50 or so, should be more than enough to suit your needs, as that will fit hundreds of podcasts with room left over for some music and maybe a couple video clips, should you choose.

If there is one unfulfilled dream the MP3 Insiders have, it's the ability to pry open every set of headphones and every MP3 player we ever get our hands on and see what's going on inside. That, and the option to perform "stress tests," aka dropping said devices out of a window at least 10 stories from the ground. Luckily, there are sites out there that indulge in such destructive festivities.

One of them is iFixit, which has posted a well-documented teardown of the third-generation iPod Touch. One of the more interesting details? This Touch includes a chip capable of transmitting an FM signal. (Feel free to speculate as to how much Apple is going to charge for activating this extra in the comments below.) Click the pic to check out the full story.

(Credit: iFixit)

Duh-nuh, duh-nuh, duh-nuh...it's coming, IT'S COMING! We may as well be playing the "Jaws" theme song over the P.A. system here at the CNET offices (if we had one, that is), as September's product launch craziness has many a CNET editor looking over his or her shoulder wondering when the next bomb is going to drop. I'll tell you when: September 15. Well, at least that's one we can talk about. In just four days, the Zune HD will be officially released.

With Apple's extraordinarily minor changes to the iPod Touch leaving many tech-lovers disappointed, the chances for the upcoming Zune HD are looking better and better. Microsoft apparently has its hands full getting all the ducks in a row, as the company today sent the below letter to Zune.net customers. Prepare for a system outage, folks, followed by a shiny new Zune HD, and probably a refreshed Marketplace to go along with it. Let the countdown begin.

Find out more at Zune Insider.