SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Part number: SDMX14R-008GS-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.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/23/2012 |
CNET editors' review
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver) price range: $224.99
- 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
-
-
5 stars for value, sound quality & overall versatility!
by mjrei1 on March 24, 2009
Pros: - Absolutely unbeatable value for build quality, versatility and sound quality!
- Seamless integration of micro sd memory as if part of the built-in flash memory!
- Long battery life in music mode.
- Amazingly crisp video given the small screen size.Cons: - Operating system a little clunky when you've got a thousand or more mp3's to search.
- Video conversion software doesn't give size and quality of video options.
Note: "Cons" are only minor and not worth overlooking this great little player.Summary: I've owned somewhere around 10-plus mp3 players. Archos, (other) Sansa, Creative, Sony, Insignia and so on. For the money, which in my case was under $100 for the 8gb ...
Summary: I've owned somewhere around 10-plus mp3 players. Archos, (other) Sansa, Creative, Sony, Insignia and so on. For the money, which in my case was under $100 for the 8gb version, I have never owned a better mp3 player ever!
First and foremost, sound quality is of the utmost importance. There's nothing worse than a mediocre-sound-induced headache from a marginal quality mp3 player. That won't happen with the Sansa Fuse. The sound is crisp, clear and customizable with a built-in 5 band equalizer option.
Secondly, Sandisk has integrated expanded memory seamlessly with on-board flash memory. Add an inexpensive microsd card and you can't tell the difference between mp3's or movies on the internal memory or the microsd memory. This is a big deal. Other players I've haven't been able to shuffle in on the expansion card or can't bookmark your place in a movie from the expansion card. It may sound trivial but when the expansion memory acts like a completely seperate device it gets very tiresome very quickly and ultimately defeats the benefit of expandable memory. With the Sansa Fuse you can't detect which mp3's or videos are on the built-in memory or the expansion memory. Add a 16gb microsd memory card for about $50 and you get a total of 24gb of memory. That is ton of flash memory! 24gb gives you somewhere around 3,500 mp3's and 15 or so full length feature movies!
Also of note is the video quality. The screen is on the small side at just under 2 inches but it is crystal clear and the video is very watchable. I currently have 10 full length movies on mine and watching movies anywhere is really something I've become addicted to. To get movies onto the device you have to download the free Sansa Media Converter from the Sansa website. Drop most any video format into the conversion software and in minutes its on your player. The only negative here is that the converter does not give you options as to the size and quality of the video. I prefer smaller video files than the conversion software gives you but it's hard to complain when you see the quality of the video once on your Fuse device. The average 2 hour movie takes roughly 500mb of memory using the converter. (If you don't have a way to copy your dvd's to avi files or similar mobile device files, it's very easy to find software available to do that. I use "Pocket DVD" which is available online for about $30. There are also free programs available but I haven't tried any of the free programs.)
Lastly, the build quality and interface are top notch for such a relatively inexpensive device. I currently own 3 Fuse players, an 8gb for myself and 2 2gb players for my kids. They all three work flawlessly. I've added memory cards to all three players and have what would have otherwise cost me a small fortune if I'd have gone the ipod or zune route.
My only realm complaint is that the size of video files is on the large side for my taste, but that is balanced out by the quality of video you get from the Sansa Media converter. Again, the video looks great for such a small screen. Also, the operating system gets a little tedious when searching through a thousand-plus mp3's for a particular song or artist. Ipods and other players are definitely a little faster when it comes to searching through thousands of songs. And lastly, the headphones that come with it aren't bad but I prefer my Sony and JBL headphones to the ones that came with the device. None of the "cons" are really notable when compared to the many, many upsides to this great little device.
My advice, buy the Fuse! Buy several! They're that good.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Excellent Player
by sippinjoes on May 8, 2008
Pros: compact, intuitive GUI, drag-drop, good sound, good quality, good picture, Micro SD
Cons: video conversion required, earbuds uncomfortable
Summary: For what the Sansa Fuze is, it is an excellent player. Easily syncs with Windows Media Player or just drag-n-drop you songs using Windows Explorer. Video does require conversion software, ...
Summary: For what the Sansa Fuze is, it is an excellent player. Easily syncs with Windows Media Player or just drag-n-drop you songs using Windows Explorer. Video does require conversion software, but it is easy to use and works with your videos you have (did have an issue with .avi files, have yet to troubleshoot).
The GUI (graphic user interface) is clean, simple, and intuitive. I generally look back to the manual when I can't figure something out, no need with the Fuze, the basics are intuitive and make for a short learning curve.
Sound is good, radio is clear, video good, pictures look good.
If others have to mention the Sansa specific 30pin connection to find something bad to say, you know it's good.
If you are looking for a compact portable device to listen to the radio, mp3's, keep some pics, play some vid and not be limited to proprietary software (i.e. itunes)...then this IS the player for you. It looks good and plays good.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
pretty good player for a decent price
by iruka* on August 10, 2008
Pros: screen protection, radio, voice recorder, scroll wheel, build
Cons: non-customizable interface
Summary: My cousin just threw the black fuze over to me after getting an iPod and I honestly don't know why he would do that since this is more capable ...
Summary: My cousin just threw the black fuze over to me after getting an iPod and I honestly don't know why he would do that since this is more capable than an iPod.
I really like the build of it, how it has a nice shiny but not reflective face and a brushed metal back, it feels sturdy. I also loved the scroll wheel. I just like the sound of the wheel when it turns for some reason and there's a nice ring of light around it.
I don't mind the screen size for photo and videos, since for me 1.5 is the minimum for those so it was pretty good. Viewing angles were pretty good, too, and the quality was great.
Audio quality was good, too, although it's not the best, but it's pretty decent. Can't say iPods can do better.
I also liked how they put protection on the screen, it really didn't get any scratches, even when it was sort of a hand-me-down from my cousin. It wouldn't scratche no matter where I put it so that's a really good sign.
The radio and voice recorders are good extras, to me, at least. I like listening to random music once in a while and I really need voice recorders in my mp3s or else I'll die.
The half-a-star I didn't give it was for the non-customizable interface. I'm one of those people who like to play around with it and maybe change the background picture, but I guess it's ok. Maybe it was just the style I didn't like.
But overall, I really do recommend this. You get a lot for a great value and you're really paying for what you get.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
THIS PRODUCT IS NOT ENGINEERED TO LAST
by beaufordslyone on March 12, 2010
Pros: Lightweight
Cons: This device is not built to last. I've had 2 devices in 15 months. The first device failed about six months of regular use. The USB interface stopped working. I waited 2 months to send me a replacement. Replacement died after 6 months of light use.
Summary: I've been buying MP3 players since the Diamond Rio 500 with 64MB of memory. I've purchased the Ipod Nano which is comparable to this player. My son accidentally ...
Summary: I've been buying MP3 players since the Diamond Rio 500 with 64MB of memory. I've purchased the Ipod Nano which is comparable to this player. My son accidentally left it in his pocket and it went through the washing machine. The Nano still worked when it dried!!
I've had two Sansa Fuze players in a little over a year. Both failed after 6 months of light use. I did everything to protect my player. I even bought a hard shell plastic case. This player is typical "MADE IN CHINA" junk. It's a sealed unit because they don't expect it to last more than the warranty. Spend the extra $50 and buy the IPOD.
By the way: My Diamond Rio 500 from 1998 still works.2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Good functionality, but horrible reliability.
by lepidimus on April 10, 2010
Pros: I use it for podcasts and audiobooks and find the resume function to be better then most players. The price and body design are also better then average.
Cons: Ive had two of these and the headphones didn't last a month. Within two months the control disk broke on both. Connecting to my laptop was also a serious problem for one of them.
Summary: If you are willing to buy a two year warranty and return to the store every few months for a new player, this is a good product at a great ...
Summary: If you are willing to buy a two year warranty and return to the store every few months for a new player, this is a good product at a great price.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Not again!
by dj12563 on January 22, 2010
Pros: This player worked very well for about 7 months. Easy to use controls and loud!
Cons: Numerous freezes. 2 days ago in the middle of a song, PFFFFTTT!!!, dead. Cannot get it to power on at all. Now I have nothing. It's going back to Costco this weekend.
Summary: As stated in the cons. This is the second SanDisk MP3 I have owned that has been vey poor. I would still be using my Creative Labs Zen if the ...
Summary: As stated in the cons. This is the second SanDisk MP3 I have owned that has been vey poor. I would still be using my Creative Labs Zen if the screen hadn't died. That player lasted well over 2 years. No more SanDisk for me!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
sansa fuze 8gb gone black inkspot.
by graham1415 on December 26, 2009
Pros: owned this product for 2 monhs, was very pleased, good sound, easy to use,and don't need hi speed inet connection.
Cons: unit 2 months old, screen gone "blackinkspot". I was holding it when I felt it crack. The unit kept playing and I didn't notice anything untoward, inkspot appeared the following day. Contacted sandisk who are refusing to offer a replacement.
Summary: My one experience of sandisk cutstomer service has so far been appalling, I shall be taking this further. Call centre in India for the uk,is less than helpful. Seems ...
Summary: My one experience of sandisk cutstomer service has so far been appalling, I shall be taking this further. Call centre in India for the uk,is less than helpful. Seems like sandisk are reluctant to honour warranty.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
broke after 1 year
by AllanBraun on September 21, 2009
Pros: cheap for 8 gig
Cons: The screen broke after 1 year. The on/off switch is real hard to use. You need a big fingernail to use it.
Summary: Buy another player which will won't break after 1 year
Summary: Buy another player which will won't break after 1 year
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
DEFECTIVE LCD SCREEN - SANDISK REFUSES TO REPLACE
by loquiter on January 18, 2009
Pros: Nothing. This is my second defective 8 gb Sandisk player.
Cons: Known issue: defective internal screens go "black inkspot", see the Sandisk user forum. I had this 2 months, it was mailed to me on 10/31/08 by Sandisk as a replacement for another defective Sandisk 8 gb player, so Sandisk refuses to replace this.
Summary: I hate this company - I have wasted hours and hours of my life by purchasing 2 defective 8 gb players in a row. Sandisk knows that they are making ...
Summary: I hate this company - I have wasted hours and hours of my life by purchasing 2 defective 8 gb players in a row. Sandisk knows that they are making Sansa Fuzes with defective LCD screens, yet they will not replace it - because it already was a replacement for another defective player. Talk about a Catch 22 - no wonder why the economy tanked, people are tired of buying defective JUNK from companies llke Sandisk!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
The ease of loading MP3 music files was easy
by pacecarjohn on October 3, 2008
Pros: I bought this for my wife who never downloaded MP3 and for her to jump in with both feet and go through the different menus was real easy for her. Easy to read, easy to load and easy to browse the menus
Cons: We bought the carrying case which straps to your arm and getting to the power button is a little hard to turn it on and off. Other than that no issues
Summary: Over all for the money and ease of operation this was a no brainer. A number of people here in my office have sansa MP3 player and they didnt have ...
Summary: Over all for the money and ease of operation this was a no brainer. A number of people here in my office have sansa MP3 player and they didnt have any issues with there units..john
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: SanDisk
- Part number: SDMX14R-008GS-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 8 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 Silver
- Included accessories Headphones
- Software type Drivers & Utilities,
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10,
Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards FLAC ,
Ogg Vorbis ,
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 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
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/mp3-players/sandisk-sansa-fuze-8gb/4014-6490_9-32896580.html&x_breadcrumb=8900:6450:6490&x_arw_bkts=MAD:med_wireless_switcher){kind=small}