Question for Express users concerning bitrates

[zion19139]

Hey....well...I'm a noob here on these boards...and I have a question for all you folks...who own the Sansa Express...concerning mp3 bitrates.

I was thinking of going out tomorrowing and purchasing one of these players but i'm sort of on the fence. Although I do enjoy music, I know alot of my listening will primarily be ripped audio books into mp3 format.

I've gone to the sandisk web site and have looked over some of the specs...as well as, read what i could here...on this board.

According to the official spec sheet, it claims the player only supports mp3 bit rates between 64 - 320 kbps.

Most of the audio books that I've downloaded tend to be between 16 - 48 kbps.

So, my question is...has anyone tried to listen to any mp3 files that arent within the 64 - 320 kbps spec?

Is it possible that the player can read mp3's that are at a lower bit rate?

Are there any firm ware hacks that would allow you to do this?

Are there any firm ware hacks at all?

If, indeed the player isnt capable of playing these lower bit rates, would someone be kind enough to recommend a budget price dap that does?

I hope some of you are gracious enough to reply to this thread because I'm looking forward to any and all responses.

Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully respond.

[CrowdAds]

[Gaius]

I listen to a radio show at 24k on my Express everyday. It definitely goes lower than 64k. And yes, it supports VBR files perfectly.

[dancing_at_gunpoint]

My express plays 22kbps mp3 files without problem.

[backinblack]

Regarding VBR, I have discovered that while the SE plays VBR tracks, it may not always download them correctly without displaying the USB device disconnected message, then causing you to format the drive. Using constant bitrate MP3s does not seem to present a problem, and will allow me to actually use almost 100% of the device flash capacity. I have recreated the issue under a controlled environment, using 3 different computers with the same results, so I know that it is not a problem on the computer end. The Sansa c240 will sometimes respond in the same way.

[edoovel]

Sometimes too low bit rate will cause music to become distorted, especially wma.