CNET Editor's rating: 6.7 out of 10
Reviewed by
James Kim
Review date: 04/07/06
Release date: 08/31/05
The good: The affordable SanDisk Sansa c100 series boasts a simple and effective control interface; a small but handy color LCD that displays photos and album art; extra features such as an FM tuner, voice recording, and photo support; and compatibility with Audible and WMA subscription services.
The bad: The SanDisk Sansa c100 series utilizes a proprietary USB cable and has poor battery life for a AAA unit. It also offers poor voice and FM recordings, and you can hear a tiny click when you start a track.
The bottom line: The SanDisk Sansa c100 series gives you a decent set of features for a decent price, but don't expect great battery life.
Just like that, SanDisk is the number-two seller of MP3 players in the United States, thanks in part to its strategy of offering lots of features at a budget price. Some of SanDisk's latest releases at CES include the high-end Sansa e200 series and the more basic Sansa c100 series. The polished c100 series--which reminds us a bit of a stockier Cowon iAudio U3--comes in 1GB (Sansa c140; $120) and 2GB (Sansa c150; $150) sizes and features a small 1.2-inch, 65,000-color screen. Outside of subpar battery life and poor recording performance, the SanDisk Sansa c100 series is a good overall value with a decent set of features.
Both models in the c100 series look identical, measure 3.1 by 1.4 by 0.9 inches, and weigh 1.6 ounces. Although aimed at the budget crowd, the SanDisk Sansa c100 offers a 1.25-inch-diagonal, 65,000-color screen with support for JPEG photos and album art. Of course, this tiny wide-screen unit is much too small to take photos seriously, and you must convert pictures before viewing, using the included Sansa Media Converter application. On a positive note, its album-art display and simple icon-based menu system lend the otherwise bland c100 a hint of luxury.
The tiny color screen is nice for navigation but not so much for photos. Album art (shown) is a nice touch, though.
Based loosely on the m200 series, the SanDisk Sansa c100 has an updated tactile five-way controller, as well as dedicated menu and volume buttons. The menu button, which also serves as a Back button, is critical to the c100's ease of navigation. The side opposite the volume buttons includes a hold switch and a pinhole microphone. The headphone jack is on top, and the proprietary USB port is on the bottom. The back of the unit houses a AAA battery. Overall, the unit has a cheap plastic feel like its predecessor, but as the SanDisk faithful often voice, build quality often does not make (or break) the MP3 player, especially an affordable one. However, we balk at the proprietary USB port; the m200 series has a standard mini-USB port.
The Sansa c100 series next to the older Sansa m200 series.
The SanDisk Sansa c100's menu system is intuitive and organized logically. You can browse tracks by artist, album, song, genre, playlists, Audible files, and recordings. The only negative we noticed was the cumbersome process of sifting through 1GB of files on a four-line display with three songs showing at a time; the iPod Nano and its Click Wheel are much more efficient.
For a budget flash-based player, the SanDisk Sansa c100 series has a fair share of features, including MP3, WMA DRM (purchase and subscription) and Audible playback, a voice recorder, an FM tuner/recorder, and photo support. The FM tuner has a decent signal, and it features an autoscan function and 13 presets. The voice and FM recorder both capture in a low-bit WAV format, and quality isn't crystal clear by any means. Voice recording is below average, with copious amounts of extraneous noise and clicking sounds if you touch the device while recording.
As far as music playback is concerned, we had good luck getting the SanDisk Sansa c100 to work with subscription files from Yahoo Music Unlimited and Napster. The device communicates with Windows Media Player via MTP, but it can also be set to MSC or UMS for drag-and-drop simplicity, even on Macs. With low but perceptible background hiss, sound quality is decent if a tad thin, and the maximum volume is underwhelming. The five EQ presets (Normal, Jazz, Rock, Classical, and Pop) and the five-band custom EQ add a bit of warmth. We also noticed a slight background click when starting songs.
Additional features include a single on-the-go playlist, as well as slide shows and simultaneous MP3-listening and photo-viewing capabilities. Excellently implemented, the SanDisk Sansa c100's context menu button opens up a few options--such as shuffle, repeat, and additions to the Go playlist--when in playback mode, though we think it should include EQ options. Bundled accessories include a proprietary USB cable, a standard pair of earbuds, a lanyard, a quick-start guide, and a software CD with a full user guide.
Battery life is rated for 15 hours--not bad for a rechargeable player such as the iPod Nano but painful for a AAA-powered device such as the SanDisk Sansa c100. We expect at least 20 hours from nonrechargeable cells; you'll be replacing batteries often if you're a heavy user. Translation: The player's inexpensive, but you'll make up the difference in batteries soon enough.
Intro:
The Sandisk Sansa C150 is a 2 GB, flash player.Compared to other flash MP3 players on the market, it is midpriced at around $95.
Noteworthy Features:
This unit comes with a radio tuner.
Weaker Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
A flash MP3 player, suited for bringing quite a few songs with you.Listen to your favorite local stations on this radio equipped player.According to the manufacturer this player will last approximately 15 hour(s) between charges; your run-time will vary based on use and power management configuration.
Value:
Overall, this MP3 player has good features for the money.
Suggestions:
Audiophiles may wish to buy aftermarket headphones for better sound reproduction.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Excellent value for the money.
I was looking for another flashdrive player that would hold up better than my Nano and to supplement my hard ...
I was looking for another flashdrive player that would hold up better than my Nano and to supplement my hard drive player, as I`ve locked up two due to vibration on my motorcycle. After much research,I decided to try the c150. Purchased for $129. Within 5 minutes after opening I was listening to the installed music,navigating through the menus and listening to the radio, without even glancing at the manual yet! Talk about user friendly interface. Sound quality- pleasantly surprised. Even with some inexpensive headphones I was able to tweak the equalizer to get really impressive sound. When I jacked in my ER6 earbuds the quality and range was excellent. Much better than my Nano, especially the depth and high frequencies, and I`m somewhat obsessive about sound quality. For what it`s worth, I haven`t tried the included buds yet. Ease of use- The c150 is the perfect example of plug-and-play. When I got home, I hooked up to my laptop,was instantly recognized, was asked if I wanted WMP to manage the device, chose "do nothing", opened my MusicMatch library,clicked on "portable device", dragged and dropped three albums, initiated and named a playlist, moved over twelve tracks, and presto!, was done. Unhooked, checked the c150 library and playlist, everything was there, AND I STILL HAD NOT LOOKED AT THE MANUAL OR LOADED THE SANSDISK SOFTWARE YET! Also, if you want to stay away from the copyrighted music protocols, you have the option of using MSC mode and dragging and dropping as files and folders. Controls- Tactile and responsive, but not overly sensitive or touchy like some. I needed to be able to atleast be able to skip or backup while wearing motorcycle gloves and it turns out I can. Very intuitive. Logic controls, in other words,menu,scroll,select,scroll,select,back out or hit menu to jump to original start. Display- Clean and clear with backlightand contrast control. Volume contol is a nice long toggle on top. Volume at max is way to loud for me but in a very noisy environment and cheap headphones, I`m not sure if the range will be enough. Music options- You can play or organize by album,artist,genre,playlists or play all. Shuffle options and repeat song or repeat all. Customizable equalizer and five presets.Custom equalizer is realtime, in that as you change settings, the effect is instantanious, the same with the preset choices. FM radio- Living in a remote area of Montana, I was surprised at how good the reception was. Several presets and you can select scan to automatically preset available stations.You can also record FM broadcasts. Battery life- With a good alkaline battery I`m averaging 13 to 14 hours when not using the backlight a lot. When I have the backlight on a lot (making playlists or screwing around with the photo options)it goes down to around 9 hours. My NiMh rechargable is good for about 17 hours. My Nano was half that, and my wife`s iRiver T10 gets over 30 hours, but with an AA battery, which explains the iRiver`s heavier weight and more bulk. Construction- First impression was that it was very light and cheap feeling, but now I deem it a good design and material choice. Very durable, more so than the Nano, which cracked in my pocket. The c150 has been riding in my front jeans pocket for two weeks now with none the worse for wear. I have since bought a silicone case that is a stretch fit and has a thin film over the controls but still allows operation with no problems. You have to get over the opinion that light means cheap, as my wife`s iRiver is much heftier and durable "feeling" but has not held up as well as the c150. The USB cable that comes with the player is a proprietary design, in that it won`t fit any other devices except SanDisk, but I found out the reason for this is due to the upcoming release of docks and accessories that will fit the c100 series ports. My only real complaint so far has been the battery life. While not as bad as some, it seems for it`s size and screen dimensions, the battery life could at least approach the 20+ hour mark, but considering the other attributes of the c150, I`m satisfied. I`m sorry this was so long, as it`s my first review, but I haven`t felt the need to do a review before, but for the money, I was so impressed with the ease of use,features and music quality of the c150 that I had to give my 2 cents. I`d trade the Nano and T10 for another c150 in a heartbeat.
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by 2whlr (see profile) -
April 7, 2006
6 out of 10 - Good Battery comments too harsh
The heavy criticism for 15 hour battery life does not acknowledge modern battery technology. As recent merchandizing trends at Wal-Mart, ...
The heavy criticism for 15 hour battery life does not acknowledge modern battery technology. As recent merchandizing trends at Wal-Mart, Target, and others suggest, rechargeable batteries using dependable technology such as NiMh are beginning to catch on in the general consumer marketplace. For Geeks, most already have one of these chargers for our other toys.
A set of 4 AAA rechargeable can be had for less than $10. That's 60 hours of battery life for the c150 and far more flexibility than a proprietary rechargeable system. If you don't have a charger, a 2 hour charging kit with 4 AAA batteries can be had for less than $20.
If one argues this raises the price of a device like the c150, then one also has to consider that having a charger provides the flexibility to power all of your other AAA and AA devices at a massive cost savings. Proprietary battery systems cost the same or more. If/when the battery goes bad, proprietary rechargeables typically cost far more to replace and are more difficult to find.
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by tg_iv (see profile) -
April 10, 2006
6 out of 10 - Good Does the job, but short battery life and a little awkward.
I have only used this model and a pocket computer as mobile music device. I think the pocket computer sounded ...
I have only used this model and a pocket computer as mobile music device. I think the pocket computer sounded a little better. I have difficulty navigating the user interface and have no idea how to set up seperate play list. I have not attempted to get any instuctions from the net, but the limited documentation that came with the unit left most of the operating procedure to trial and error.
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by JIM76JUDY (see profile) -
March 31, 2006
3 out of 10 - Poor sound is not good
Sound is the main thing for an MP3 player. Whereas, sound is poor for this MP3 player. and the screen ...
Sound is the main thing for an MP3 player. Whereas, sound is poor for this MP3 player. and the screen display is also poor
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by Sounakm (see profile) -
December 12, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Excellent for the price
I bought a Sansa C150 to replace my Digital Way MPIO FL100 that has major internal issues (plus I lost ...
I bought a Sansa C150 to replace my Digital Way MPIO FL100 that has major internal issues (plus I lost my connector cable!). I focused on the C150 because of the FM tuner. For me it is a must as I travel quite a bit and like to listen to local radio stations. At first, I was not impressed at all : the sound volume was just too low. I also thought that it felt light?and light feels cheap. So I thought. I had almost made up my mind to return it to the point of purchase. But I turned to the Internet and found this site. One reviewer mentioned that the volume could be fixed. True. There is a low/high volume option in the settings. I was also able to tweak the equalizer to obtain excellent results by dialling in the classic smile in the frequency sliders. I got very satisfying results, including good bass response. The end of the story ? I am a very happy customer. I also ran a test through my Creative Lab I-Trigue 3400 system. I compared the sound that came out of my Dell Latitude D620 computer and the sound that came out of my C150 patched through the sound system. I can hear no difference at all. As to battery life ? I will buy rechargeables and that will be it.
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by qcridgerunner (see profile) -
April 17, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Great buy for my first MP3 player
This is my first MP3 player that I have bought and am very impressed with its all-around performance. Several friends ...
This is my first MP3 player that I have bought and am very impressed with its all-around performance. Several friends and co-workers have their "cool" Ipods so I decided to go different.
I feel I made a good choice on this player. The USB transfer cable is easy to plug in and out of the computer and my computer instantly recognizes the c150. I open up the c150 through My Computer and transfer files back and forth between My Music files and the c150. REAL USER FRIENDLY! The controls on the c150 are easy to use with a small dial to control the options. I havent used the voice recording or FM recording as I really bought the player for my CD's and downloads only.
The feel of the MP3 player is "plasticy" or "cheap" as some users have put but who cares? The performance of the c150 rivals all competitors. I have listened and used my friends Ipods and other players and feel my c150 compares or beats them. Feel safe in buying this player!
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by losytrio (see profile) -
April 30, 2006
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect cool features
This is the coolest mp3 player i've ever used, the graphics are sharp, comes with radio, which is perfect ...
This is the coolest mp3 player i've ever used, the graphics are sharp, comes with radio, which is perfect when you want to listen to random music.
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by R5X (see profile) -
April 21, 2006
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 out of 10 - Very good good for the price!
Only complaint is that there is no armband designed for this product available yet and the supplied lanyard is a ...
Only complaint is that there is no armband designed for this product available yet and the supplied lanyard is a joke. The lanyard is made of the same black plastic material as the headphones and is constantly getting tangled. Still a good product for the price.Just desperatly need an armband. Affordable enough to buy one for me and one for my wife at a price less than 1 cr-apple.
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by krw619 (see profile) -
April 21, 2006
4 out of 10 - Mediocre It just works...
I purchased the c150 2GB two years ago for $120(on sale) before studying abroad overseas. I understand the technology ...
I purchased the c150 2GB two years ago for $120(on sale) before studying abroad overseas. I understand the technology has evolved and the prices have come down over the past two years, but looking back the price wasn't that great.
The design and menu system are very simple making it easy to use. The picture viewer was also very nice as you could take photos of loved ones with you on the go. This would be good for someone who wanted music on the go on a budget.
I had trouble loading music onto the device as it would lock up the computer briefly regardless of what program I was using to load music/data onto it; including Windows Explorer, Winamp and iTunes. The battery life is absolutely horrible. I think the longest I used it without changing the battery was 6-8 hours.
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by firefly2462 (see profile) -
May 22, 2008
2 out of 10 - Terrible Piece of Junk
I am a student that records my class lectures to listen to them latter. This is a problem if you ...
I am a student that records my class lectures to listen to them latter. This is a problem if you buy this unit. It is the source of many fustrations. The recorder works wonderfuly until you try to save the recording. At this point it performs a "magic" function and delets your recording. I would not recomend this modle to my enemys. The other functions are great but that is not why I baught the device. If you want a mp3 player this might work. But buyer beware if you want to use the recording function.
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by future_professional (see profile) -
February 14, 2008
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