CNET Editor's rating: 5.7 out of 10
Reviewed by
James Kim
Review date: 05/31/05
The good: Lightweight; supports DRM-protected WMA and Audible files; built-in FM tuner and stopwatch; decent navigational menus; expansion slot; attractive street prices.
The bad: Poor scrollwheel (for navigation and volume control); mediocre sound quality; no playlist support.
The bottom line: The SanDisk Sansa series will be the pick for those looking for an affordable WMA-friendly player packed with more features than the Apple iPod Shuffle, but if you want top-notch sound quality, stick with the latter.
SanDisk's first MP3 player, the Digital Audio Player, amazed everyone by quickly becoming number two in market share, though still well behind Apple's iPod. According to an NDP report, the aggressively priced flash-based player had 6.2 percent of the U.S. digital audio market in February. So it's no surprise that the company's second series of players, the Sansa e100, is already a highly anticipated release. It has an updated look and feel, ships in either 512MB or 1GB models, and comes with a decent set of features. But consumers will most likely take notice of its incredible street price.
At 2.75 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches, the SanDisk Sansa e100 may not be the tiniest flash-based player (even some 5GB players are smaller), but it's very lightweight at 1.6 ounces with its single AAA battery. Despite the e100's durability, its feathery weight lends to its cheap plastic feel--glance at the buttons, and you'd think this was a promotional item.
Overall, the interface is intuitive, with its large, tactile main controller buttons, though they are not touch sensitive, despite appearances. The hold switch is on the left spine, while the right spine features the menu/power button, a handy expansion slot compatible with SD cards up to 2GB in capacity (conveniently available from SanDisk for about $180 on the street), and a dodgy scrollwheel. The original SanDisk MP3 player was more compact and pack-of-gum-like but lacked the expansion slot. The 512MB e130 ($140 list) comes in a sharp-looking blue, white, and silver body, while the 1GB e140 ($190 list) is silver and white.
The Sansa e100 plays MP3, protected WMA, and, handily, Audible files. The USB 2.0 device also has a stopwatch and an FM tuner with 20 autoscannable presets; however, it doesn't have a voice recorder, as the first SanDisk player did. While it lacks the line-in and FM-recording capabilities of the smaller but similarly priced Creative MuVo Micro, it has the most useful features (FM tuner, large LCD, and expansion slot) down pat. The interface, which sorts music by Play All, Artist, Album, Songs, New Music, Spoken Word, and other groupings, is simple to navigate, though the indigo-backlit LCD isn't the most legible we've used. Also, though the player breaks music into browsable groups, you can't listen to an album in order unless you append track names with numbers, and there is no playlist support.
One shortcoming of the design is the scrollwheel, which is located on the upper-right corner. It feels cheap and isn't smooth like the Rio Carbon's--not good, since it also acts as the volume control; in fact, adjusting the e100's volume is a true pain. Plus, this wheel isn't clickable; instead, you tediously hit the main Enter button to select. There is also an occasional processor lag of a second or two during navigation or song selection.
Sound quality is not impressive at all, despite the five EQs and the SRS Wow effects. Our test MP3s (which include Ikara Colt's "Don't They Know" and Bjork's "Headphones") sounded a bit dull, with noticeable background hiss. Also, the player couldn't adequately power a larger set of headphones. The FM-tuner scanning works well, and reception is above average. You get comfortable in-ear phones and an armband in the package, along with a USB cable and a AAA battery. The battery life is decent at 17.6 hours per AAA cell, compared to the company's rating of 17 hours. Transfer times over USB 2.0 were below average at 1.8MB per second. However, if you're on a tight budget, the $140 and $100 street prices of the 1GB and 512MB versions, respectively, might be enough incentive for you to overlook the performance issues. If you're a discerning listener, however, check out the Apple iPod Shuffle instead.
Intro:
The Sandisk Sansa E140 is a 1 GB, flash player.Compared to other flash MP3 players on the market, it is midpriced at around $80.
Noteworthy Features:
Has an SRS 3D audio enhancement, SRS (Sound retrieval system), USB 2.0 compatibility, volume control, and auto power off added features, which is considerably more favorable than some similarly priced MP3 players.By way of comparison, the typical cost of a product with a comparable set of added features is $130.This unit comes with a radio tuner.An available SD memory card slot allows even more storage.
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.Funkify your listening experience with the indigo backlit display on this player.Comes with equalizer presets to easily maximize your listening experience.According to the manufacturer this player will last approximately 17 hour(s) between charges; your run-time will vary based on use and power management configuration.Comes with a 1 year warranty, which is standard in the industry.Flash players like this are ideal for people who use their players in more active listening environments, where disk-based players have greater chances of skipping.
Value:
In general, this MP3 player's features are as expected for this price.
Suggestions:
Audiophiles may wish to buy aftermarket headphones for better sound reproduction.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great Player
I was waiting and waiting for a review of this player to come out or to be able to get ...
I was waiting and waiting for a review of this player to come out or to be able to get my hands on one in a store. I finally broke down and ordered one without one, just because its what I've been wanting. I was leary of an iPod. I know a few people whose skip while jogging, and the hard drive based players scare me. Too much wear and tear for my liking to be caring around a hard drive.
The audio is very good, and I don't find the controls to be any problem. My biggest complaints is you can't adjust the volume while in a menu or built in stopwatch. You have to exit out to the screen showing the song playing. The headphones that come with it are nice, they are the in-ear type I've never had before but I'm getting used to them. Wish they had an optional carrying case with a belt type clip on it. The clear plastic case that comes with it is kind of cheesy and only works with the velcro arm strap.
The fact that the player shows up as a removeable drive is great for just dropping and dragging songs onto it. They tell you that you don't have to put them in folders but I did for organization. Would like to see normal playlist and some software to check/setup ID tags which the player uses to play from. Plus if I want I can add a 2 GB SD card, now that's cool.
Overall its a great player, I'll probably get the wife the 512MB model to save a few bucks.
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by bdiller (see profile) -
May 11, 2005
20 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great overall player!
After owning a Rio Nitrus 1.5GB, it's like night and day. I had so many problems with micro-sized ...
After owning a Rio Nitrus 1.5GB, it's like night and day. I had so many problems with micro-sized hard-drive players so that's why I went flash memory instead. Just plug it in, drag, and drop! It's that easy. It comes with pretty cool programs like Audiofeast (if subscribed). Battery life is amazing and it's easily replaceable with 1 AAA battery. The headphones included are in-ear phones which I actually like. Great sound equalizers and a decent FM radio too. There is no voice recording on the Sansa but who needs that. This has to be one of the most easy to use, feature rich players out there right now.
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by L8toneius (see profile) -
May 19, 2005
11 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 out of 10 - Very good not too awful
this thing is much better than cnet would like you to believe. i've taken identical mp3's and put ...
this thing is much better than cnet would like you to believe. i've taken identical mp3's and put them on the e140 and an ipod and then listened to both with the same pair of headphones. after fiddling with the equalizer / sound effect there was minimal difference. i think the e140 is "duller" sounding at low volumes.
negatives:
the "WOW" effects. these, along with the equalizer give you too many adjustments and i find myself constantly fiddling with this and that. the "basic" setting is not very good. you have to use either the "rock" or "custom" equalizer. the "WOW" makes the vocals better but makes everything else sound too tinny.
player also seems unreliable to sort music by genre and year. i've been trying to "fool" it by taking a bunch of songs and assigning them a year, so that i have a makeshift "playlist". but it doesn't seem to recognize all the year tags.
overall, i debated this with the ipod shuffle. if the shuffle had as much as a song # display, i probably would have bought it. but this player is expandable, uses AAA batteries and lets me pick an album to listen to. plus i can plug it into any PC without any needed software.
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by dr_zero (see profile) -
August 10, 2005
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent This is my 5th MP3 player and I love it the most.
Over all I think this is a great player. Here are some of my work arounds for the most significant ...
Over all I think this is a great player. Here are some of my work arounds for the most significant cons I had:
MY WORK AROUND FOR NO BELT CLIP: I found a generic black leather phone holster ($10 at Kmart) from ESI Cases and Accessories, Wireless Gear, model IP3012, size small, that has a swivel belt clip built in. The holster is slim with elastic sides that allows the Sansa (in it's included plastic case) to snugly fit (not too snugly though). I only insert the player a little over half way in, so the display is not covered and the side buttons are also free. The back of the holster is higher than the front so the Sansa is covered in the back. There is a small gap at the bottom of the holster, which I found a use for. I had a small spongy foam leashable key chain designed to hold a mini bic lighter that also just happened to snugly hold 2 spare AAA batteries which I then inserted into the gap at the bottom of the holster from the open sides. The front panel controls of the Sansa are covered by the holster, but the panel pattern can be seen ever so slightly through the leather front and you can still press though it, so you don't have to remove the Sansa from the holster to operate the front panel controls. Perfect!
MY WORK AROUND FOR NO PLAYLIST SUPPORT: Since the Sansa organizes music using the ID3 tagsI I found some freeware that allows me to massive update my ID3 tags. I made playlists using the Genre category. So I have Genres like 'My Favs', 'Workout', '1 mile walk', etc. Also, when I want to listen to an album, I like to hear the songs in track sequence. Since the music is played in alphabetical order by song title, I just inserted the track number to the front of the song title. The freeware I used, which makes this a cinch, is called Mp3tag V.2.32. Here is the website where you can download this from: http://www.mp3tag.de/en/. Worked like a charm.
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by born2soon (see profile) -
September 11, 2005
8 out of 10 - Excellent Exceeded my expectations
My third MP3 player (1 Sony and 1 512MB Sandisk). After setting up the equilizer (important as the default is ...
My third MP3 player (1 Sony and 1 512MB Sandisk). After setting up the equilizer (important as the default is flat) and reading the manual to understand the various navigation techniques this player exceeded my expectations. for one I was expecting those terrible earbuds that came with earlier SanDisk MP3s but boy was I surprised when it came with a great set what can only be described as noise cancelling earbuds similar to some Sony's I had that cost $40, They are among the best I have heard to date (Apparently Sandisk got the message and quit shipping with those other junk earbuds)! I have already used the CD slot and it only took about 10 seconds to update the music library, works great. I used the Jazz equilizer setting for everything except hard rock. the music is as good or better than any of my or my friends other types of MP3's. I have also listened to an audio book and that's when the ability to use an SD card really shines! The case is very light and the buttons and volume/menu wheel are nice and tight. Yes some other MP3's have a sturdier case but for $118 for the E-140 1GB version it is really a steal. I hope this helps some of you with making your decision. Heck in two years from now all of the current MP3 players will be considered antiques so why spend more than you have to.
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by diable (see profile) -
August 1, 2005
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular The Best Player For Audible Books!
I gave up trying to use my iPod for audio books due to very poor batter life; so, after some ...
I gave up trying to use my iPod for audio books due to very poor batter life; so, after some research, I purchased the Sansa player to support my Audible books and I am thrilled with the performance. It's small, has very long battery life (with easy to carry AAA batteries) and has clear high volume output.
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by pgensing3 (see profile) -
June 22, 2005
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great with expandable room
Great product with a bit of remind of "iPod" interface.. Very easy to use and good software to manage the ...
Great product with a bit of remind of "iPod" interface.. Very easy to use and good software to manage the playlist.. Battery life is excellent and do not have to worry if the build-in battery's life expectancy.. AAA battery is cheap enought o replace , or use re-chargable AAA battery..
3G (of course, you have to spend few hundred $$ for the 2G SD memory, but 1G now is less than $70.. The sound is great if a better earphones are used. I have been waiting the flash memory mp3 (although I still hope some one will develop Compact Flash memory mp3 player) and Sansa was the best answer by far.
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by samcn (see profile) -
May 23, 2005
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Nice product....I approve.
Well, I would like to point out a key to getting the max out of any product that's flash ...
Well, I would like to point out a key to getting the max out of any product that's flash drive based. You need to FORMAT!!! always do this before you add files/after deleting many. The flash drives for some reason won't hold as much data...I.e. I got the sansa 1GB audio player, and it only held 545 mb of songs...formatting the drive pushed the capacity all the way up to the 1gb promised...this is true for my lexar media thumb drive to. ok, onto the product review, I like the look...I also was supprosed to find that the headphones are just as nice as the 13 dollar ones I got by sony. The major selling point for this thign is the EXPANDABLE MEMORY up to 3GB total. Buy it as you need it. I won't bore you with what other people say about it, because I agree with the majority of people who give it a 8 or 9. All I'll say it if you can find it at a place like office deopt for around $100, it's worth it. If you find yourself looking at a pricetag of $150, it isn't. One other thing...I don't know what hissing sound some people are complaning about hearing in thier players. I am listeninf to freeze-frame by J. Geils band, and there is crystal clear audio...mabey I just got lucky...who knows??
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by emachines15 (see profile) -
October 10, 2005
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 out of 10 - Very good Good, with a couple of flaws
Very light and small, a little flimsy feeling, but no quality issues that I've seen. Good sound, easy interface, ...
Very light and small, a little flimsy feeling, but no quality issues that I've seen. Good sound, easy interface, just plug into your computer and drag the files over -- it looks like an external drive to your PC.
The FM radio reception is much better than the only other MP3 player I've tried -- the Creative Zen Micro. It's also better than a little AM/FM receiver I have from Sony.
Two issues: 1. It's not track number aware, so if you choose to play an Album, it will play the songs in alphabetical order. The workaround is to add the track number to the ID3 track name, but that makes the Songs list pretty useless.
2. Everytime you go to the radio, whether you are going from listening to MP3 files or turning the unit on in radio mode (it remembers what mode you were in when you turn it off), it goes to 87.5 MHz (does any city have a radion station there? Or, is it all static, all the time?). You can then switch to a preset or tune in a station, but, come on, why do I have to listen to static every time I go to the radio? It would be so easy to remember your preset number.
5 out of 10 - Average one very big flaw
I didn't realize how much this one flaw would affect my ability to like and use this mp3 player. ...
I didn't realize how much this one flaw would affect my ability to like and use this mp3 player. If you are listening to a podcast and turn it off in the middle, when you turn it back on, it will play from the beginning of that podcast file (unless you've updated the contents since then, added new files, and then it will play the song that is alphabetically first on your list of files -- you better like that song because you're going to be hearing it a lot!). The shuffle option only works sometimes -- I forget how I managed to get it to work now. If you select a song to listen to it often then proceeds through your song list in alphabetical order. So if you have the same song by 2 or 3 different artists you get to hear it right in a row by all of them. Fun! NOT! But seriously, I am not too unhappy with this player for music, esp. if you don't add new songs too often. I've deleted all my podcasts off it and now use my new Creative Zen Nano Plus for podcasts and my Sansa for music. The Sansa holds 1 GB and has a memory card expansion so I could get it to hold another GB on the card. So far I only got to the 1GB limit when I put podcasts on it so I should be okay without the card till Christmas, I don't have a huge song library.
The plastic case keeps it nice and scratchless, though it does attract small bits of lint. I figured out a way to attach the armband to the case -- I'm not sure if it's the way they designed it to work but it seems to work okay. Though it's trusting in a snap to stay on, I wouldn't do strenuous outdoor running with it attached that way. But mostly I just put it in my pocket.
The menu is very nice, you can scroll through and find songs by artist, album, etc. though I was a bit confused how it defined album, sometimes I wouldn't find a song where I expected it. Another good option is you can search for new songs -- added within 1 day, 1 week OR 1 month (though after I'd had the unit about 9 mos. the 1 day and 1 week options just quit working and every new file was only in the 1 month spot). But while it worked it was good, you could easily find that new song you just bought or the podcast you just added, without having to scroll through all the rest of the songs and files you have on there -- 1 GB is quite a long list, esp. if you use the WMA format which makes the files smaller than songs in mp3 format.
This unit came with a usb cable that is great! About 6 inches long, just the right size to not get tangled in everything and you can take it with you easily enough. I still use this with my Creative player which came with a longer cord. Your needs may vary but I've never seen such a short cord and it's very practical.
I found this unit to have unpredictable battery life. Sometimes the battery would last quite awhile, other times it would seem like I just changed it. You have to take it out of its plastic case to change the battery (but not to connect it to the usb or the headphones). I think part of the problem is the screen stays lit while you're fast forwarding so if I had to fast forward to where I left off in a couple of podcasts it shortened the battery life. You can set how long the backlight stays on and I think you can turn it off altogether if you want, though my 45 year old eyes couldn't really see the screen very well in most lighting if I did that. There are also options for how long before it shuts down if you're not listening to anything, and other things. The menu is very self-explanatory but it comes with a manual and a pdf file that has more info. Not the most intuitive when it comes to how the controls are laid out but once you know how they work they are easy enough to use.
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by beelissa (see profile) -
March 18, 2007
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