SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, black)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp. Part number: SDMX14R-004GK-A70
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- Product series
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- 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 (4GB, black) price range: $48.61 - $99.99
- Reviewed by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 03/12/2008
- Updated on:11/26/2008
- 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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Glad I didn't get a Creative Zen
by woatrace on January 2, 2009
Pros: The Micro SD slot is FULLY integrated with the Fuze, unlike the Creative Zen, so you can download subscription tracks and channels onto external memory up to 16gb. Excellent audio, good looking construction, feels solid, great price.
Cons: Graphically, you get what you pay for: The GUI isn't very pretty and the interface looks like a low resolution iPod. Video playback is a joke (photos look decent, however). Micro SD cost more than regular SD, so memory expansion can be expensive.
Summary: Many people, spoiled by plug-and-play functionality, simply jammed the player's USB right into the computer without first installing the software or following instructions, resulting in the variety of problems ...
Summary: Many people, spoiled by plug-and-play functionality, simply jammed the player's USB right into the computer without first installing the software or following instructions, resulting in the variety of problems common to flash-based mp3 players. My Fuze installed without a hitch, and I filled it up with music from Rhapsody in minutes.
The two key features of the Fuze are its ability to work with subscription services and the complete functionality of the Micro SD slot.
If you haven't used a subscription service like Rhapsody or Napster to Go before, you're missing out. Instead of buying single tracks off of a service like iTunes (which is still an option), you can pay a flat rate of $15 a month and have unlimited access to millions of songs. Better yet, services like Rhapsody offers Channels: 4 hour blocks of music with tracks chosen based on up to ten artists you name and can be updated whenever you sync your Fuze. This is a simple, flexible, and convenient way to find great new music or automatically compile playlists to suit all your moods.
Its closest competitor, the Creative Zen, is advertised to be able to use up to 32gb of external SD memory. However, that SD memory is limited to simple playback: no playlists, no subscription services, nothing. If you bought a Zen hoping to expand its memory and download a ton of subscription music, you're out of luck. Although the Fuze can only accept Micro SDs up to 16gb, it offers complete use of its external memory, so you can put subscription tracks, channels, and playlists onto the Micro SD without issue.
The Fuze is an attractive looking device with a smooth facade and a flat, solid back cover. It feels substantial enough to not feel cheap in your hands, but is light enough to be forgotten in your breast pocket. The audio quality was excellent, although you have to turn it up all the way in order to get its signal through to big receivers (I plug it into the Aux port of my Acura TL, and it sounds absolutely fantastic through the ELS system). The main downside is the GUI, which is one place where the Zen trumps the Fuze. The home screen looks decent, but the animation is choppy and unattractive. The lists and playback screens look pixelated, much worse than early generation color iPods. The video playback was harsh on the eyes and extremely low resolution. Photos, surprisingly, looked fine.
Overall, the Sansa Fuze is a great value, reliable, sturdy, and fully capable of expanding its memory and taking advantage of great subscription services. For the price and quality, its hard to beat. As long as you follow the instructions.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great MP3 player, best value for your $$
by shlurpee on September 22, 2008
Pros: Features are great, size, feel, sound, and price, expandable memory. I like everything about the Fuze once you get all the media onto it
Cons: The media conversion process is laborious and time consuming. Also, I miss the ease of creating playlists in Itunes.
Summary: I love this device, it has everything I wanted in a device, FM radio was big for me, being able to watch video podcasts and occasional full-lenght videos was also ...
Summary: I love this device, it has everything I wanted in a device, FM radio was big for me, being able to watch video podcasts and occasional full-lenght videos was also important. It also needed to be small and good battery life. The Fuze met all these requirements. The only problem is the conversion process to get video onto the Fuze. Sandisk has it's one free software that will convert the video for the player but the player has to be plugged into your computer for the software to run. So you can just have your computer converting during the day while you are out using your Fuze. You must have it plugged in during the whole process. I have a decent laptop and it takes about 45 minutes to convert a full length video. It also makes it hard to get up-to-date video podcasts because I download them in the morning and it takes too long for them to convert and load onto my Fuze, so I end up watching the podcast from the previous day which makes it old news.
Other than that it is great, this gripe is really a pretty small one, I don't watch too much video anyway and I would rather have an FM tuner then have a seamless video podcast found on the Ipod. So I'm happy, great value for your money.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great player, though its not perfect.
by amsardesai on September 18, 2009
Pros: Does what it says--plays music. It also plays video, even if its Sandisk's version of AVI. FM Radio is decent, with a recording feature. Microphone's quality is very good, and it surprised me. Great price (nearly half of the iPod Nano's price)
Cons: If you care if the UI looks good or not, then don't buy it. Seriously, the interface is very confusing and not worth it.
Summary: This is a very good MP3 player. The sound quality is great, and so is the FM Radio. I love it except for the fact that the interface isn't ...
Summary: This is a very good MP3 player. The sound quality is great, and so is the FM Radio. I love it except for the fact that the interface isn't user friendly.
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POS!!! DONT BUY!!!!
by leeroy612 on September 18, 2009
Pros: It is an alright player for the price. I like that it has fm radio and voice recorder. Also nice that you can expand the memory buy adding a Mini SD card.
Cons: Breaks after about 3 weeks of heavy use. I bought one at best buy about a month and a half ago and have gone through three already. I have a warranty that allows me to swap it at the store but next time I go in I am going to upgrade to the sony.
Summary: Don't Buy.
Summary: Don't Buy.
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Great low budget flash MP3 player! Highly underrated...
by Ssx3000 on September 4, 2009
Pros: Supercheap and nicely compact. Expansion slot that accepts microSDHC cards. FM tuner. Rhapsody DNA integration. Photo and Video support. Voice recorder. FLAC and OGG playback. Battery life for both music and video is awesome.
Cons: Picture and video quality is so-so at best. Proprietary output instead of mini-USB. Radio receiver is weak for scanning stations. No AC adapter. Bland interface. No third part support for 360 or PS3 users.
Summary: I bought my SanDisk Sansa Fuze when I got my tax return in May. I used it mostly for exercising, but cause I love music so much, this thing has ...
Summary: I bought my SanDisk Sansa Fuze when I got my tax return in May. I used it mostly for exercising, but cause I love music so much, this thing has become my best friend. I got the 4GB version, but I added an 16GB card to store all my music from my computer. I like having options. The internal memory is used for movies, something I do not use very often cause the screen is small, but an option in case I am stuck somewhere like waiting in line to renew my driver's license. Sound quality is good, thanks to the equalizer, and I find the learning curve for the device very simple. SanDisk provides their own media conversion software, which makes downloading videos, pictures, and music easy. You do not have to use the software only, it is supported through Windows Media Player.
Even though I pay little attention to the background on the player, it would be nice to have a customization option without hacking. They really should have stuck with mini-USB, I never like proprietary outputs on ANY electronic device. I understand the screen is small, but the quality output of the screen could be a little sharper and cleaner. This is my personal gripe, I never like the wheel scroll option , I prefer some form of touch sensing (not touch screen) and have separate buttons for playback. Finally, Fuze does not integrate well with my 360 for media streaming. For some strange reason, I could not access any of my movies or photos (my guess is the formatting issues) and the player does not allow the 360 to recognize my microSDHC card. These are minor issues though, just something SanDisk may want to look into for future reference or they can fix through updates.
In conclusion, the Sansa Fuze is a great buy for people that do not want to pay extra for the iPods or Zunes. You get your money's worth with this underrated player from SanDisk. I recommend anyone who wants a mid-level MP3 to go out and buy one for their personal multimedia pleasure. -
For the low price, one of the best MP3 players I own.
by Sadius on August 26, 2009
Pros: With good ear phones, good sound quality. Expandable memory. Great internal Battery life.
Cons: Poor interface with proprietary USB cord that looks similar to iPOD and can be confusing. Small size makes it easier to "leave behind".
Summary: The best music and storage capacity for the low end priced MP3 players currently on the market. For ~$65 your really can't go wrong.
Summary: The best music and storage capacity for the low end priced MP3 players currently on the market. For ~$65 your really can't go wrong.
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Great little player
by potteryguy on August 17, 2009
Pros: Easy to add or delete files. And you don't have to use those nasty "syncing" programs to load it. Good sound and easy to get around the menus.
Cons: Screen somewhat small for photos.
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Best MP3 player in it's pricerange!(iPod touch is best)
by onejedi on August 10, 2009
Pros: Micro sdhc memory slot, FM tuner, voice recorder, radio recorder, and EASILY upgraded to 20gb! (16gb msdhc mem car+4gb internal memory) I sold my iPod nano 8gb because I never used it again after I got my fuse! Apple has work to do!
Cons: NONE! Be sure and read full review! The only MP3 player on the market that is better is the iPod touch!
Summary: Other than the iPod Touch, there is no better player on the market. If you have issues, they usually happen withinn the first two days. Rma's are fast and ...
Summary: Other than the iPod Touch, there is no better player on the market. If you have issues, they usually happen withinn the first two days. Rma's are fast and easy. I have had mine for over a year now, the first one froze on the on position and wouldn't respond to anything. But Best Buy exchanged it under my Black Tie warranty program with no problems! But an MP3 player with full video, pod casting, audiobooks, FM radio, voice recorder, fm radio recorder for under 80 bucks is insane! How did you do it Sansa! I really wish that people would write a review after using a product for six months or more. The only low rated reviews were from users with problems right out of the box. Super easy fix: RMA, or return to your retailer for exchange! CNEt reviewer, go into system settings, and ajust the brightness accordingly! Then your one con will be GONE! Kudos, Sansa for making the 2nd best MP3 player on the market! Keep up the ground breaking work! You should see the faces on all the people who think I am listening to musci at the football stadium because my headphones are attached to the fuze on my armband. When I tell them my MP3 has FM built in they always ask where can I buy one of those! I wonder how many I have actually sold that way? Two family members sold thier iPods to buy Sansa Fuze! Between my 16gb, 8gb, and 2 gb micro sdhc I have all my music at hand! I only use the internal for movies! Thanks again, Sansa for revolutionizing the MP3 market!
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Be Ready to buy an expansion micro sd card.
by trevsmelly354 on July 15, 2009
Pros: Simple light sleek durable quality bargin
Cons: not customizable small memory
Summary: Overall good buy for me being 13, I would recommend it to anyone but small memory.
Summary: Overall good buy for me being 13, I would recommend it to anyone but small memory.
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Excellent player for the price and great features!
by nickphotoguy on May 28, 2009
Pros: Long battery life
iPod like click wheel
expandable memory
FM radio + recording!
built in voice recording
Excellent sound qualityCons: Unit face scratches easily
Nav wheel doubles as volume wheel
Exclusive USB connection - not MiniUSB
Headphone jack on bottom of unitSummary: I am actually a rep for the MP3 displays at Best Buy and after I installed the demo models for the latest reset, I discovered how much I really kind ...
Summary: I am actually a rep for the MP3 displays at Best Buy and after I installed the demo models for the latest reset, I discovered how much I really kind of like the Sansa Fuze that I bought my own! By far the cheapest quality MP3 player that had iPod like features, good sound quality, video support (even though its not as nice as the video for iPod or even Walkman) and the 'special' USB connection. Would really have preferred to have something more universal. Although you can pick up a 3rd party Sansa cable on eBay for less than $6, which I did as a backup to take with me to keep it charged and upload new music to when I'm on the road. Media Convertor is really kind of slow and the video sometimes isn't completely synced to the audio, but its not bad.
I've had a 2 Gig Walkman that I have used for over a year and I really kind of prefer this one, due to its nice BRIGHT screen and light up controls, slightly larger size, fits nicer in the hand and video does look nice and bright. The recording from FM radio feature is pretty neat. That's one thing I wished I had since the days when I used to have a stero tape recorder that could be used like a walkman. And the voice recorder is surprisingly decent, the tiny mic picks up quite a bit.
The navigation is kind of eh... not iPod like, but its decent. For the price, its a surprisingly workable player. Although if I did want to spend a bit more I could have gotten an iPod, but at least I'm not tied to iTunes.
My only gripe is the fact that the screen scratches easily, so a good screen protector is definately needed. And I wish the headphone jack was on the top like my Walkman instead of on the bottom like an iPod.
I'd consider this a good 'intro to MP3 players' unit for someone who may not want to invest in the whole 'iPod experience' but wants a solid player that's fairly easy to use and has some nice features that the iPod simply does not have. Its like getting an MP3 player and good digital voice recorder with the added feature of an FM radio and video support.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
- Part number: SDMX14R-004GK-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 Digital player / radio
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Flash memory installed 4 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
- Available body colors Blue, Pink, Red, 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 Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Audible, WAV, WMA, MP3
- 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 Voice recording, Built-in FM radio, USB 2.0 compatibility
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 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
- Slot(s) provided 1 x microSDHC
Battery / Power
- Battery Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
- Mfr estimated battery life 24 hour(s)
- Power device type None
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices Hi-Speed USB port
- Operating system Linux, Apple MacOS, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista
Sustainability
- CNET Labs: Battery drain test / Video playback 391.235 min
- CNET Labs: Battery drain test / audio playback 1689 min
Product series
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, black)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Audible, WAV, WMA, MP3, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 8 GB, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Audible, WAV, WMA, MP3, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, blue)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, Audible, WAV, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, MP3, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, pink)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, Audible, FLAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
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Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, Audible, FLAC, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, WMA, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze (2GB, black)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, MP3, FLAC, Audible, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze - digital player / radio
Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Specs: Digital player / radio, 8 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, Audible, Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- SanDisk Corp.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse SanDisk Corp. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.sandisk.com/
- Address:
140 Caspian Ct.
Sunnyvale, CA 94089 - Phone: 408-542-0500
- Email: support@sandisk.com
- Fax: 408-542-0503
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