- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 147 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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21 out of 21 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Excellent but not perfect"
Pros: Awesome Package/Features
Cons: Lacks some basics
Summary: I usually don't submit reviews, but I have made many purchases on the opinions of people on this site so I thought it was time to give back. I have been researching these things for months and was determined not to go down the devils path (IPOD). Why such hate you might say?
Apple seems to be in the get game of getting you anyway they can. You can only use itunes, can't replace batteries yourself (easily)plus the accessory barrage. It's clear that the money you plunk down is only the beginning of the world domination of your wallet. That's why I was looking forward to this product. It seems to have many more features then the nano and the company seems to not want you to throw the thing away when the battery stops charging. Also you have the option of upgrading the memory with an expansion card...nice touch. Voice recorder, radio, and a radio recorder...all nice and work well for what they are.
The unit is very impressive and substantial compared to the nano. The screen is big, clear and attractive. The wheel is not as smooth as the nano but not a deal breaker. After having it a couple days I've had excellent battery life. The software is easy to use(for media conversion)and goof proof. The sound is excellent although the buds are a bit big for my ears and I am not a small person. Ok, here's the bad in my opinion, the unit is in need of a user adjustable eq.
The settings in the unit are barely usable, the normal setting is ok, but nothing special. The other thing is there is no stop button on the unit, granted I haven't had a new unit in a few years but I thought stop/pause/ffwd/rwd/ play were the basics. If you are playing something you pause it then toggle back through the menus to find something else. The only way to truly stop the unit is to turn it off. Also there is a slot for an expansion card but theres no cover/door for it so I suppose dirt/crud could get inside the unit. But thats about it. The other stuff in James' review is no big deal. I contacted support 3 times on a compatibility issue I was having and they were great, patient, and very helpful. I like the product a lot, hope it holds up. I hope this helps you in your decision making.
I'll check back after a couple weeks of usage.Updated
I've now had the unit for two weeks, here is the deal, the thing froze up on the start screen,tried the reset functions many times tech support told me to just get another one.Problem is the stores wont have it in for a week or two.
BTW this is why I wanted a flash player as opposed to a hard disk. My last unit (Archos JB Recorder) seized up on a regular basis. I bought it off of Best Buy's website. All this being said I still think it's a good little unit and will give it another chance. I guess thats what I get for buying a new product before it even hit the stores. It's like they say, never buy a first model year of any car. In any case to answer some of the questions, I did not try video on it but the music and picture stuff was great. Like I said an equalizer would have been ideal but the sound isn't horrible. As far as gapless music I assume youre talking about pauses in between songs/noice. Didn't notice any of that. As far as album art goes I would assume it does. I just learned how to actually link the metadata but on one of my support calls I asked the guy about that and he said as long as it's in a recognizable format (jpeg) it should read it. So I will wait to try another one.Updated
After having the product for 2 weeks here is an update.The unit froze up on me, after trying many resets, the support guy advised taking it back and getting another one. I bought it off of Best Buy's website, the store doesn't have them it yet though. Frustrating, yes, I still like the product, but the whole reason I wanted a flash player is because I had such a bad freeze up problem with my Archos JB unit.
I guess it's like they say, never buy a car in it's first model year. In any case I still like the unit and will give it another try. Like I said before, If it had an eq that would kick some you know what. Haven't tried video on it. As far as album art. I am just now learning how to do that, so when I get another unit I will try that out, although in a support call I asked the guy about that and he said as long as it's in a recognized format (jpeg) it will read it. Yes I am way out of touch with the Metadata/music subscription crowd. As far as the sound quality, I think a lot has to do with your source, your ripping rate (i rip at 192wma) and headphones, but the unit seemed to sound ok/didn't hear any noticeable gaps more them whats on a cd.Updated
After about two weeks of use the unit froze, after trying the reset function numerous times and I ended up returning it to Best Buy. (I bought it online) Like the other user's post I had the same exact problem. Sounds like they havent worked that glitch out yet. That being said the unit still is very attractive, but the whole reason I wanted a flash player was to avoid the freeze up problem so often associated with disk units. Don't know If I'll get another one, like they say you should never buy a car first model year, hopefully firmware upgrades will solve this problem.Updated
After talking to support, the latest update is that they were yanked from the Best Buy site because of the firmware problem, but the ones hitting the stores in the next month will have the firmware fixed. So it may be worth another shot then
- 11 replies to this review
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-Ummm im just asking out of curiosity, what firmwaire update you have on your Sansa?
-And do you have any scratches and dust in your screen if you do can you tell me how to take it out?
-Lastly do you have any problems with your Sansa before returning it? -
My experience with this player is that the maximum volume is so low... Does anyone have a tip for how to get the volume even higher? Would be useful in a working environment with much background noise.
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I've had my SanDisk Sansa e260 that I bought through Office Depot for about a month now. I was eyeing the one on the Best Buy website for a while but after waiting for offers to change Office Depot came out with their $200 dollar offer along with a $50 mail in rebate. It was an offer I couldn't pass up and I've never turned back.
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Geez, I wish I had read your comments about the Firmware earlier, I just bought one today (6/5/06) and am strongly hoping the Best Buy units now have things fixed...
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Hey, thanks for your opinion,
but do you happen to know its
signal-to-noise ratio?
I've been waiting for this player for almost a month!
can't wait to get it as long as its sound quality isn's less than my cd player! -
I've been looking to buy one, but cannot find it online or in stores. Where did you buy this from?
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I am dubious regarding the interference noise, but if it definately shows album art, it will help. I was looking at the new Samsung, but it is supposed to have problems showing album art.
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I am dubious regarding the interference noise, but if it has gapless playback, it will help.
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So true about the stop button, You literally have to turn off the player to stop the music
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You talked so much about the features of the player(thank you for that),but is the video of the player good quality or is it hard to convert and transfer video in the player,battery life,etc.?
please help and explain the 411 on the video playback feature of the player. -
Detailed review, thank you. But they mention that interference noise can be heard on low volume music. What is your opinion?
Where to buy
SanDisk Sansa e260 (4GB):
$39.99 - $88.49
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$39.99 | Yes |
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$39.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$88.49 | Yes |
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