Yamaha Home Theater
- 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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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Excellent mp3 player and more - KILLS IPOD"
Pros: Sound Quality is excellent, FM Tuner, Mass Storage Mode, Video Clips
Cons: Playlist Functionality limited.
Summary: I did a fair amount of research on mp3 players before purchasing this one. I spend some time in the various electronic stores checking out the various options. I knew that a memory only mp3 player would be best for me, the hard drive players seem to run hot, use more energy and are more prone to failure with more moving parts - plus HD players are bigger in physical size.
The e260 is part of an entire line of e300 players that Sandisk is releasing. The e260 is the 4gb version, but just around the corner in September 2006 the e280 with 8gb capacity will be released. I'm new to mp3 players, this is my first one, so ease of use and intuitive menus was very important.
As far as features, this player is clearly going to set the new standard. It's extra durable, with a solid liquid metal back cover, the front contains scratch resident viewer, the battery is good to go for 20 hours, the FM tuner is excellent with auto scan features - combined with programable stations and excellent reception.
The sound of the unit does sound good, I didn't like the ear plugs that came with the unit (which appear to be disposable), so I replaced them with a pair of cheap coby ear plugs (about $10-) with the silocone type plugs and it sounded great and had a comfortable fit. I think people that purchase the popular Shure ear plugs for about $200 need to have their head examined. If you want to listen to bass then get a subwoofer, not some ear plugs, by the laws of physics you can reproduce anything below 50 hertz with any ear plugs.
I was a little disappointed that the unit only came with software for Rhapsody and a Video / Picture converter. It would have been nice to have a simple to use mp3 organizer. It seems that creating playlists is a difficult task, but they do allow you to quickly find your music organized by artist, album, genre, etc. I don't know why anyone would complain about the controls that much, although a "raised" notch would probably be good for the 4 buttons, I must say that I have fairly large fingers and have not had any trouble at all navigating.
One of the cool features of the unit is the two USB modes that are available. The "user manual" that came with the unit is a complete joke, it's like one page and doesn't really explain the difference between MSC and MTP modes. Most of the time you'll want to use the new MTP mode that Microsoft created for easy synchronizing and driverless installation. If you want to update the firmware to the latest version you'll need to go to the sandisk site and download the utility, which will simply walk you through the 4 minute process - you'll need to go into the MSC mode (mass storage).
Overall, I think this unit is a real winner. I'd still like to see a dedicated mp3 organizing / ripping / software so I didn't have to rely on the microsoft software, but it seems that Microsoft Media Player version 11 is just around the corner, it's already available for beta download. I've also read that most pay sites like Napster are fully compatible with the player. I also like the ability to be able to use the device a standard USB Mass Storage Device.
I'd like to see Sandisk put out more accessories, like an Car FM output that can also charge the unit at the same time. I guess putting in a FM transmitter would have been a more difficult engineering task. I was also surprised that they don't make a normal plug in charger, the only way to charge the unit is via a USB powered connection. I guess you can just purchase a powered USB hub and power it that way, since the voltage should be compatible.
Overall this is an IPOD killer, for about $100 less you get significantly more funtionality, in a very stable playform that's intuitive, plus built solid. Oh, did I mention that since Sandisk is the world leader in small memory, they added a transflash (now called microSD) reader, which will be able to add an additional 2gb of removable memory. You can buy a T-Flash usb reader and easily manipulate files for use on your mobile phone, computer, or the e200 series mp3 players. What more do you want? Camera???
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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