SanDisk Sansa Fuze (2GB, black)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Part number: SDMX14R-002GK-A70
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value; a slim design, a simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag.
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CNET editors' review
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (2GB, black) price range: $57.95
- Reviewed by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 03/12/2008
- Released on: 03/17/2008
The good: The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is supercheap and nicely compact; it comes in a variety of colors and has an expansion slot that accepts microSDHC cards. The player offers a variety of desirable features such as an FM tuner, Rhapsody DNA integration, photo and video support, a voice recorder, and FLAC and OGG playback. Plus, the battery life for both music and video is very good.
The bad: The Sansa Fuze uses a proprietary dock connection, the interface is blah, and the screen has a dingy look to it.
The bottom line: The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value; a slim design, a simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag.
Editors' note: The rating of this product has increased to reflect significant enhancements offered by a firmware update. Find out more information here.
SanDisk continues to add to its line of Sansa MP3 players, which has been attractive to consumers from the start thanks to the low price point at which the company can list its players. While cheap pricing has made SanDisk a real contender in the portable audio space, the company is not content to rest on that fact alone to draw new customers, persistently tweaking its new offerings in an attempt to make them better. Such is the case with the Sansa Fuze, a slim device with a high-quality feel and several shiny color options. Sure, it's a bit of a Nano clone, but it also sounds good, offers plentiful features, and is cheap as all get-out--just $80, $100, and $130 for the 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB models, respectively.
SanDisk thought up the perfect name for the Fuze, because the player really resembles a Sansa Clip and a Sansa View blended together. At 3.1 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.3 inch, the Fuze is only a bit bigger than the Clip overall, and it comes in the same color options: black (2GB, 4GB); blue, pink, and red (all 4GB); and silver (8GB). But the build is more like that of the View, with a clickable scroll wheel, a shiny, plastic face and smooth, metal backside--the Fuze definitely has a solid, weighty feel to it. It seems more durable and high-quality than early Sansa models.
This observation in quality unfortunately does not extend to the Fuze's interface. The icon-driven main menu is nice enough to look at, and the device is very easy to navigate, with music organized into playlist, artist, album, and so on. And yet, as with other Sansa models we've come across, the inner menus are dull, and while we appreciate the option to at least change the wallpaper color, we'd love to be able to set a favorite photo as a backdrop or otherwise tweak the look-and-feel to our personal preferences. Still, this is a minor gripe, and part of the problem is actually caused by the screen's protective coating, which casts a grainy shadow on the LCD.
This dulling shadow also affects photos and videos, slightly diminishing the overall quality of viewing. At 1.9 inches, the Fuze's screen isn't exactly optimal video viewing anyway, so this isn't too big of a deal. If you still choose to add this type of media to the player, make sure it is in JPEG or MPEG4 SP format to ensure hassle-free playback. On the audio side, the Fuze offers support for MP3, WMA, secure WMA, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, Audible, and Overdrive. The player operates on the Rhapsody DNA platform, so it supports not only subscription content from the service, but also Rhapsody Channels, which are essentially Internet radio on the go. If you hear a song that you like playing on a channel, pressing down on the scroll wheel brings up the contextual menu where you can rate it and/or add it to your library.
The Fuze offers a few other attributes of note, most of which add value to the player. The only one that does not is the proprietary syncing port built into the bottom of the device--we'd much prefer it if SanDisk stuck to mini USB. On either side of the Fuze, you'll find a power/hold switch and a microSD card slot for adding more memory. It accepts high-capacity cards, which are available at up to 12GB as of press time. If that still doesn't provide enough music for you, there's an FM tuner with autoscan and presets, or you can record your own beautiful voice via the built-in mic.
Let's be frank: the Sansa Fuze doesn't offer the sparklingly stellar audio quality presented by the likes of the Sony NWZ-A810 or the Samsung P2. It also wasn't quite as encompassing as the sound coming from the Creative Zen V Plus--but it comes close. The Fuze is no slouch, to be sure. We tested it out with the Shure E310 earphones and the Creative Aurvana Live headphones and were not disappointed in either case. The Fuze powered through with reasonable--though not super thumping--bass response; nice, rich mids with smooth vocals; and an impressive amount of high-end detail. Across genres, we were greeted with clear, solid sound. The battery life of 28.2 hours for audio and 6.5 hours for video is plenty impressive.
User reviews
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Great for music but audiobook feature unusable
by kendenniston on July 1, 2008
Pros: Great features for playing mp3 music and radio
Cons: Multiple features complicate usability
Summary: In most respects, the Sansa Fuze is a great mp3 player. And the audiobook feature is a great idea. However the implementation of this feature is so badly broken that ...
Summary: In most respects, the Sansa Fuze is a great mp3 player. And the audiobook feature is a great idea. However the implementation of this feature is so badly broken that the feature is unusable.
Problem 1 - It sorts track numbers incorrectly, putting tracks 1-9 at the bottom of the list.
Problem 2- It is difficult to navigate between tracks. The buttons do not function as they do for music.
Problem 3 - It automatically leaves bookmarks in the middle of files and then skips to the bookmark. If you lose your place and search a file and then go back and find your place in the previous file, when it gets to the end of that file, it jumps to where you last played the next file. This problem is exacerbated by Problem 2.
I had to resort to using the music folder for audiobooks. If Sansa can provide a firmware fix for these problems, the Fuze would make an excellent player for listening to audiobooks.
I encountered one other gatcha with the USB mode in the System Settings, which lets you select MTP or MSC. I had no idea what either of these were and none of the documentation from Sansa had any information about what these acronyms stand for or why I would want to choose one or the other. The default is Auto Detect, whatever that means. What I found is that it didn't work very well with the Windows file system. You only need to use the MTP setting if you have music with DRM (digital rights management). If you don't have music with DRM, you will want to change this setting to MSC. But before you do that, you might want to connect the device and delete any files you don't want to use. When you connected in MSC mode, your computer can't see the files that were loaded in MTP mode.10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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As far as flash-based players go, this is the best one.
by silverbluff08 on March 17, 2009
Pros: 1) User-friendly interface, with easy navigation through menus and songs.
2) The outer shell doesn't look half bad.
3) Since it's a flash-based player, you can sync music to it through any computer.
4) Exceptional battery life.Cons: 1) The menus and, well, basically every screen looks dingy and uninspired.
2) Sports a small screen that isn't any good for watching movies or viewing pictures or album art.
3) Doesn't hold near as many songs as advertised.
4) Hard to turn on.Summary: Before ever getting the Sandisk Sansa Fuze, I got the Sandisk Sansa Clip, the smallest of the Sansa family. I enjoyed its sound quality, and in general, I was satisfied ...
Summary: Before ever getting the Sandisk Sansa Fuze, I got the Sandisk Sansa Clip, the smallest of the Sansa family. I enjoyed its sound quality, and in general, I was satisfied with it as a whole since I was an amateur at buying and comparing MP3 players (i.e. I was impressed with whatever was cheap and shiny). When I returned the Clip due to USB port malfunctions, I purchased its big brother: the Sansa Fuze (2GB black). During the year I spent with it, I was overall satisfied with the Fuze, and I didn't have many complaints with it.
Here are the pros:
1) The scroll wheel used on the Fuze is a wonderful device that works like a charm, making navigation through menus and songs a breeze.
2) The Fuze has a slim and sexy look to it, making it feel like a quality competitor to larger competition.
3) One of the complaints I have about iPods and Zunes (the big boys in the MP3 player market) was that you had to have one specific computer to operate and sync music to the device. Not so with the Fuze. Since it is a flash player, you can easily hook it up to any computer, install the software (don't worry- no disk is required for installation), and sync music. Easy as that.
4) The Fuze sports a battery life unmatched by competitors. Of all the many MP3 players I have owned, this has to be the best of them all. I could go four to five days without a single charge. Now THAT is quality.
Even with an outstanding battery life and the compatability with multiple computers, the Fuze did fall short of perfection, as do we all. Here are the things I found distasteful in the Fuze:
1) The menus installed into the Fuze aren't that striking, and the font used in the menus isn't large and, along with that, not very legible either. The screen as a whole, to me, has somewhat of a dingy feel.
2) The screen on the Fuze is so small that is takes the fun out of viewing movies or pictures. Looking at the small pictures of the album art that corresponds with a song makes you squint to see it. Needs a bigger screen.
3) My main complaint with the Fuze is that the five hundred songs it's supposed to support is a lie. Mine didn't hold two hundred songs, and even when I deleted forty songs, a video that was pre-installed with the device, and the pre-installed pictures, I didn't get any memory back. I could delete all I wanted and I would still have the same amount of memory that I had with however many songs I deleted. That was a rip-off.
4) This is only a minor gripe, but it's worth bringing up: the on/hold switch is a hassle to operate, and sometimes I'd have to try three or more times to even turn the Fuze on. Very annoying.
Even though the Fuze isn't the most profound player on the market, it should prove to be a great flash-player for anyone who likes a cheap price and quite a few features, such as the micro-SD slot. Overall else, the Sandisk Sansa Fuze is a great little player, and I would highly recommend it to new comers looking for a simple MP3 player.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is NOT Rhapsody compatible
by fredzy47 on March 25, 2008
Pros: Nice Device, great price
Cons: It's not what I was told I was buying.
Summary: I went shopping for an MP3 at Best Buy. I'm a long time Rhapsody user, so when the Sansa Fuse was presented to me and I was told it ...
Summary: I went shopping for an MP3 at Best Buy. I'm a long time Rhapsody user, so when the Sansa Fuse was presented to me and I was told it was compatible with Rhapsody to Go, I bit. But after spending most of the afternoon trying with no success to download tracks, after switching my account to Rhapsody to Go and after spending an hour with Rhapsody tech support on Sunday, I took the thing back. But just to check, I went onto Rhapsody's site to look at the list of approved devices and guess what? The Fuze isn't listed, even though the software that comes with it includes the Best Buy Music store powered by Rhapsody. So I sent an email to Rhapsody support and this is what they told me: "I regret to inform you that the device Sansa Fuze is not compatible with Rhapsody. As Rhapsody continues to grow, we hope to add this device to the compatibility list." Apparently the tech I shared an hour with didn't know that. Buyer beware, especially a Bes Buy buyer.
4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great all-around MP3 player Great alternative to Ipod
by scooterge558 on June 9, 2009
Pros: Great sound
Good Interface
No need for I-tunes
Support for Audible Audiobooks
Support for Videos
Support for pictures
Support for Podcasts
Expandable Memory slotCons: Synching with Podcasts
Requires converting of Videos in order to play on playerSummary: I purchased this device for a couple of reasons, I didn't want another I-pod had one, it was over-priced, required the I-tunes (which I wasn't necessarily fond of) ...
Summary: I purchased this device for a couple of reasons, I didn't want another I-pod had one, it was over-priced, required the I-tunes (which I wasn't necessarily fond of) and was just not something I wanted to go back to.
The device is much smaller than almost any I-pod out there, save the shuffle. The interface is similar to the I-pod and like many others out there, has all the standard fair, Music, Videos, Pictures, Settings, it also includes a few that are not standard to all players; such as, Voice and FM Radio. In the Voice section you can record your voice notes and they appear here, or record something from the FM Radio that's built-in to the device.
First off, I don't listen to alot of music on any MP3 player, I listen primarily to podcasts, and audiobooks from Audible. This device handles both of these admirably. The one drawback to the podcasts that I have is that I haven't found anything that synchs podcasts as well as the I-Pod and I-Tunes but, the device handles podcasts just fine. Audiobooks with the Audible media manger no problem whatsoever, in fact one thing I like better about this device than my old I-pod is that when you hit the chapter ahead button in an audiobook, it actually goes to the next chapter, not the end of the book (like on the I-pod).
For my use it works great, I've been using Media Monkey, that software finds the device just fine and synchs with it (music) just fine.
All of this on top of the fact that it's ever expandable, just keep buying memory and use it and it's unlimited memory/storage space.
Love this device, and if I'm looking for a MP3 player in the future I'll definately consider another Sansa device.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Rhapsody Compatible! Excellent Player!
by yadrahs on June 5, 2009
Pros: Rhapsody compatible, decent battery life, low price, good sound quality, voice recorder, microsd expansion slot, small, nice color screen
Cons: Headphone slot on bottom of player (getting use to it), wish it had a hook to hang around my neck
Summary: This player exceeded my expectations. It is a nearly perfect player in my opinion. The only thing I would improve is to increase the battery life to around 40+ hours. ...
Summary: This player exceeded my expectations. It is a nearly perfect player in my opinion. The only thing I would improve is to increase the battery life to around 40+ hours. As far as rhapsody goes, the player loads almost instantly, even with capacity full on the player as well as the micro sd card. Also, transferring is very quick. I'd recommend this player to everyone.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is a great MP3 player!
by NewRiverThunder on March 25, 2009
Pros: Great sound, not to bad graphics, feels pretty durable, easy to navigate, fits in hand very well, very easy to get music on from Windows Media Player.
Cons: Holds fingerprints pretty badly but you can wipe them off, not to good earphones that come with it, that's about it on the cons.
Summary: I love this MP3 player. It doesn't have too many features which I like, not to complicated, I figured out how to use it in like 30 seconds literately. ...
Summary: I love this MP3 player. It doesn't have too many features which I like, not to complicated, I figured out how to use it in like 30 seconds literately. I would recommend this to a friend.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good, but often freezes
by homebrew0101 on February 21, 2009
Pros: Good FM reception, other features work well too
Cons: Can you say "White Screen of Death" ? Be prepared for whitescreen freezeups that force you to turn off & back on when changing volume or deleting recording. We have tried 3 Fuxes and they all whitescreen one time or another, even w/ latest firmware.
Summary: I like it functionally, but I'm looking for a replacement from another brand that also has FM so I can record radio shows & listen later.
Summary: I like it functionally, but I'm looking for a replacement from another brand that also has FM so I can record radio shows & listen later.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very good all purpose mp3 player for the price
by agent00111 on April 28, 2008
Pros: Rhapsody compatible, size, battery life, good feel/weight
Cons: Sound quality is good but not great, lacks some common interface features
Summary: I purchased the 8GB Sansa Fuze from Best Buy, I didn't want to wait for Amazon inventory. I also own a Cowon iAudio u3 mp3 player, which has much ...
Summary: I purchased the 8GB Sansa Fuze from Best Buy, I didn't want to wait for Amazon inventory. I also own a Cowon iAudio u3 mp3 player, which has much better sound quality comparatively but I had problems getting the iAudio to work with Rhapsody to Go.
The Fuze is a great form factor. 8GB is plenty for me since I like to change out my music frequently especially with Rhapsody to go. I will probably get a microSD card to add another 4-8GB of 'non-rhapsody' music at some point so it's nice that it supports memory expansion.
Out of the box I had no problems connecting to Rhapsody, this was with firmware V01.01.07A. In addition to the battery icon it has another icon which indicates the license status which is helpful reminder when you need to connect the player back to Rhapsody to update the licenses before they expire.
The sound quality is good, but not great. I would say that my U3 player has 'great' sound when paired with a lower-cost set of Shure IEM earphones. What I did with my fuze was I got a better pair of dual driver Ultimate Ears headphones and that combo (Sansa fuze and UE headphones) is still pretty good and enjoyable.
The interface is simple and easy to use, easy sometimes at the expense of lost functionality: I can't show file properties (bitrate, date created, etc) and I can't delete an album (can only delete one song at a time when unconnected from PC).
It's easy to add playlists from Windows Media player or Rhapsody, but it's hard to create a new playlist on the fly when you are disconnected.
It doesn't support compilation feature like in ipods, so adding compilation albums can clutter the artist list.
That said, I love this mp3 player mostly because it works great with Rhapsody To Go. I can select any music available on Rhapsody and take it with me. Given the cons above, I think 8-9 is a good rating for *Rhapsody-To-Go users*, I'd probably rate this as 6-7 if I didn't use Rhapsody, and I'd probably recommend/use a different player.
At the time of this review, I couldn't find any protective skins for the Fuze, so if that and other accessories are important, you should check on accessory availability first before purchasing this.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Decent player with easy to use GUI; not very reliable
by backwardsdog on September 14, 2011
Pros: + Expandable memory means you can load the player with a lot more than 2GB of music
+ Low price, who can say no to that?
+ GUI isn't overly flashy. Easy to navigateCons: - Not completely compatible with Mac OS, which means junk files that are difficult to delete off the player
- occasionally mis-orders songs
- mine died after only a yearSummary: The Sansa Fuze is a good mp3 player if you're looking for a easy-to-use, affordable player with the option to expand or swap out memory cards. The interface is ...
Summary: The Sansa Fuze is a good mp3 player if you're looking for a easy-to-use, affordable player with the option to expand or swap out memory cards. The interface is easy to use and not having a touch screen means you can easy skip songs without having to look at the screen.
However, after only just a year, mine suddenly and for no reason, got the white screen of death. This isn't unheard of with these players, either. No amount of troubleshooting has yet fixed mine. At least it's an attractive paperweight. -
Audiobook feature does work.
by szuercher on November 4, 2010
Pros: Bought it specifically to use for audio books. It works fine.
Cons: The audio book feature could put books in an incorrect folder and even put chapters in loose. Looking at the "Tree View" of the Sansa on the computer you can guide where it goes and create your own folders to collect the book chapters in.
Summary: Works great. Easy to navigate. Just be careful to get the entire book when downloading books from internet. Battery life is great. Sound is great. Price is great. Screen is ...
Summary: Works great. Easy to navigate. Just be careful to get the entire book when downloading books from internet. Battery life is great. Sound is great. Price is great. Screen is small for viewing video or pictures - but great for our use.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: SanDisk
- Part number: SDMX14R-002GK-A70
- Description: Listen, watch and play all day with 24 hours of battery life and room for up to 2000 songs. The Sansa Fuze from SanDisk is your portable music machine with 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of storage. Watch your favorite video clips on the Sansa Fuze's 1.9" color screen. Jam to FM radio with 40 preset stations, play with the built-in voice recorder, and share your photos wherever you go. Choose from five electric colors: blue, red, pink, black or silver. Incredible battery life in a 0.3" thin device - the Sansa Fuze marks the next wave of music and video players.
General
- Product type Flash player
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Flash memory installed 2 GB Integrated
- Digital storage None
- Weight 2.1 oz
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 1.9 in x 0.3 in x 3.1 in
- Color Black
- Included accessories Headphones
- Software type Drivers & Utilities,
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10,
Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards WMA ,
WAV ,
Ogg Vorbis ,
MP3 ,
FLAC ,
Audible - Additional features JPEG photo playback,
PC Connection via USB Built-in Display
- Diagonal size 1.9 in
- Resolution 220 x 176
Audio Features
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Additional features Built-in FM radio,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Voice recording CD System
- Digital audio standards supported MP3
Radio
- Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
- FM station preset qty 40
- Tuner bands FM
Remote Control
- Remote control None
Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
Headphones
- Headphones type Binaural
- Sound output mode [Sep 14, 2011 from CDS: Audio Output] Stereo
- Connectivity technology Wired
Connectivity
- Cable(s) included 1 x USB cable - External
- Connector type 1 x USB 2.0 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm Battery / Power
- Battery Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
- Mfr estimated battery life 24 hour(s)
- Power device type None
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: System Requirements] Hi-Speed USB port
- Operating system Microsoft Windows XP,
Microsoft Windows Vista,
Apple MacOS,
Linux
Product series
-
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, black)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
Ogg Vorbis,
FLAC,
Audible,
WAV,
WMA,
MP3,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Flash player -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 8 GB,
FLAC,
Ogg Vorbis,
Audible,
WAV,
WMA,
MP3,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Flash player -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, blue)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
Audible,
WAV,
WMA,
Ogg Vorbis,
FLAC,
MP3,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Flash player -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, pink)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
Audible,
FLAC,
MP3,
WMA,
WAV,
Ogg Vorbis,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Flash player -
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
Audible,
FLAC,
MP3,
Ogg Vorbis,
WAV,
WMA,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Flash player -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (2GB, black)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 2 GB,
WMA,
WAV,
Ogg Vorbis,
MP3,
FLAC,
Audible,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Flash player -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze - digital player / radio
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 8 GB,
MP3,
WMA,
Audible,
WAV,
1.9 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s)
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse SanDisk products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:SanDisk
- Address:
601 McCarthy Boulevard, Milpitas, CA 95035 - Phone: 1-866-726-3475
- Email: support@sandisk.com
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