questions before i buy re: micro sdhc, file max, battery life, etc.

[kickingandscreaming]

hello all.
thank you everyone for posting here. i've searched through and had many questions answered already. it has helped tremendously in picking out my next mp3 player [i'm finally replacing my Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox 3 which people keep confusing for a cd walkman from the early 90s].
any help or suggestions on the following questions is greatly appreciated.

1] i see that micro sdhc cards have speed as one of their specs. class 2, class 4, and class 6 being the fastest currently. i realize that class 4 is good enough for playing music and that class 6 will only really help for loading files, etc. what i'm wondering is if the sansa fuze can even handle the class 6 speed?
i am assuming that if the player itself must have a limit on how fast it can access the card... hypothetic situation: if class 5000 came out tomorrow, the player wouldn't be able to use the card's full potential.
if i am just concerned about playing music [and the time it takes to load a card], should i go with class 4 or class 6?

2] is there a maximum on the amount of files that the sansa can read? i'm thinking i'll get most of my music in FLAC, so i doubt i'll hit the cap; just wondering.

3] i see the company specs say that the battery lasts for 24 hours. is this what users are seeing as well? what is the battery life like [like, how many charges can it go through]? is it fairly impossible to replace the battery even if i don't mind opening it?

4] in terms of sound quality. i've heard that the Clip is awesome and that the Fuze is "on par"... how much on par is it? are people just saying it's on par, but it still feel disappointed?
also... the view is not even close in terms of sound quality, correct?

5] if money isn't too much of an issue, is there any reason not to go with the 8gig version of the Fuze?

6] what does rockbox refurbished mean?

thanks for your time. any answer to any of the above would be very helpful.
or if there is anything else i'm not considering, please let me know

[CrowdAds]

[tenzip]

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

1] i see that micro sdhc cards have speed as one of their specs. class 2, class 4, and class 6 being the fastest currently. i realize that class 4 is good enough for playing music and that class 6 will only really help for loading files, etc. what i'm wondering is if the sansa fuze can even handle the class 6 speed?
i am assuming that if the player itself must have a limit on how fast it can access the card... hypothetic situation: if class 5000 came out tomorrow, the player wouldn't be able to use the card's full potential.
if i am just concerned about playing music [and the time it takes to load a card], should i go with class 4 or class 6?

I went with class 2, and it's working fine. I have flash drives for data.

2] is there a maximum on the amount of files that the sansa can read? i'm thinking i'll get most of my music in FLAC, so i doubt i'll hit the cap; just wondering.

Right now, there is a 4000 song limit on how many audio files the Fuze can see. Doesn't mean they aren't there, but it's not capable of playing them. The hotly anticipated firmware update is supposed to correct this. There is also the issue of the 2000 file shuffle limit, also (I believe) supposed to be fixed in new f/w.

3] i see the company specs say that the battery lasts for 24 hours. is this what users are seeing as well? what is the battery life like [like, how many charges can it go through]? is it fairly impossible to replace the battery even if i don't mind opening it?

I've never run my battery down. I'm nearly always near a PC, or in my car, I have an inverter with a USB port. If you're planning on using flac, expect your battery drain to be considerably higher.

4] in terms of sound quality. i've heard that the Clip is awesome and that the Fuze is "on par"... how much on par is it? are people just saying it's on par, but it still feel disappointed?
also... the view is not even close in terms of sound quality, correct?

The Fuze and Clip have the same chip, so SQ should be the same.

5] if money isn't too much of an issue, is there any reason not to go with the 8gig version of the Fuze?

I did. Then I stuck a 16GB card in it. Looking forward to the 32GB cards.

6] what does rockbox refurbished mean?

Not a clue.

thanks for your time. any answer to any of the above would be very helpful.
or if there is anything else i'm not considering, please let me know

Your welcome. Hope my answers were helpful.

[Skinjob]

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

1] i see that micro sdhc cards have speed as one of their specs. class 2, class 4, and class 6 being the fastest currently. i realize that class 4 is good enough for playing music and that class 6 will only really help for loading files, etc. what i'm wondering is if the sansa fuze can even handle the class 6 speed?
i am assuming that if the player itself must have a limit on how fast it can access the card... hypothetic situation: if class 5000 came out tomorrow, the player wouldn't be able to use the card's full potential.
if i am just concerned about playing music [and the time it takes to load a card], should i go with class 4 or class 6?

Even the slowest classes are fine for playback. It's really when loading a lot of content that you'll notice a big difference. For 8GB or less Class 6 is so cheap there's no reason to buy anything else. Newegg has many 8GB Class 6 cards in the $15-20 range. I believe 16GB cards are still all Class 2 right now and faster ones will surely be very expensive.

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

2] is there a maximum on the amount of files that the sansa can read? i'm thinking i'll get most of my music in FLAC, so i doubt i'll hit the cap; just wondering.

What tenzip said. New limit will be 8000. If you're going to use FLAC, you're only going to get about 3 albums per GB, so you're never going to be anywhere close to even the current limit.

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

3] i see the company specs say that the battery lasts for 24 hours. is this what users are seeing as well? what is the battery life like [like, how many charges can it go through]? is it fairly impossible to replace the battery even if i don't mind opening it?

I belive something like 15 hours would be more typical for music. You can get over 20 if you just leave it playing and never activate the screen. The biggest factor is how often the screen is on. Video obviously drains the battery much quicker. I mainly use it in the car and only have to charge it about every 7-10 days.

I'm sure the battery will last longer than the expected use of the player. In a couple years we're all going to be wanting that hot new 256GB flash player and the 8GB Fuze will seem like a disposable toy.

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

4] in terms of sound quality. i've heard that the Clip is awesome and that the Fuze is "on par"... how much on par is it? are people just saying it's on par, but it still feel disappointed?
also... the view is not even close in terms of sound quality, correct?

I have both a 4GB Clip and 8GB Fuze. The are equally excellent. The View is average at best, not in the same league as the Clip/Fuze. The only reason to consider a View is if video is a high priority, but even then there's probably better choices from other companies.

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

5] if money isn't too much of an issue, is there any reason not to go with the 8gig version of the Fuze?

Get it. It's always best to get as much internal memory as possible as long as you aren't getting gouged for it. The 8GB Fuze is a really good value. And if you're thinking about FLAC you're going to need all the memory you can get.

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

6] what does rockbox refurbished mean?

Not sure, but probably refers to people picking up cheap last generation Sansa E Series refurbs and installing rockbox fimrware on them. Good way to get a dirt cheap extremely full featured player, but the E Series' quality (build, video, sound) is not nearly as good as the Fuze.

So in short, getting the Fuze is an excellent choice. You can find other players that do certain things better, but when you consider the overall feature set, price point and Sandisk's active involvement with the community, it's really tough to beat.

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by Skinjob

Even the slowest classes are fine for playback. It's really when loading a lot of content that you'll notice a big difference. For 8GB or less Class 6 is so cheap there's no reason to buy anything else. Newegg has many 8GB Class 6 cards in the $15-20 range. I believe 16GB cards are still all Class 2 right now and faster ones will surely be very expensive.

newegg.com to Buffalo
A-Data 8GB Class 6 $15.49 + 2.99 shipping = $18.48

newegg.ca to Welland ON (pretty damn close to Buffalo)
same card $18.48 +2.57 handling + 11.84 UPS = $34.13

I gotta stop looking at these damn sites.

I would be paying $12Cdn for a 2GB micro SD card. There were a couple of 4GB Class 4 cards advertised at $20Cdn recently. I guess that newegg.ca price is good in comparison, but I HATE paying that much shipping.

BTW, A-Data class 6 16GB micro SDHC starts at $44 on newegg.com

Steve

[Skinjob]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

newegg.com to Buffalo
A-Data 8GB Class 6 $15.49 + 2.99 shipping = $18.48

newegg.ca to Welland ON (pretty damn close to Buffalo)
same card $18.48 +2.57 handling + 11.84 UPS = $34.13

I gotta stop looking at these damn sites.

I would be paying $12Cdn for a 2GB micro SD card. There were a couple of 4GB Class 4 cards advertised at $20Cdn recently. I guess that newegg.ca price is good in comparison, but I HATE paying that much shipping.

BTW, A-Data class 6 16GB micro SDHC starts at $44 on newegg.com

Steve

Bummer about your shipping, but nice find on the 16GB A-Data's. Last time I looked a couple weeks ago the Class 2's were around $50 and there were no Class 6 cards at all.

I see a 24GB Fuze in my near future...

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

BTW, A-Data class 6 16GB micro SDHC starts at $44 on newegg.com

Oooooh, thanks for pointing this one out. I couldn't originally find a 16gb card that is class 6 and was just about to order transcend's 8gb class 6 [opting for speed rather than space... plus the price on other 16gb cards was stupid].

found it on newegg.ca for $54... that's not too bad at all compared to the us one, especially considering exchange rate.

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by tenzip

If you're planning on using flac, expect your battery drain to be considerably higher.
-----
Your welcome. Hope my answers were helpful.

Awesome. Wanted to thank you individually for such a quick response. It was super helpful. Thanks for the heads up about flac draining my battery more.
After reading responses to this thread, I'm fairly convinced on the 8gb fuze. Luck has it that Future Shop in Canada currently has the 8gb on sale for $100 [$30 off]. That seems like a pretty sweet deal to me considering last week I was just about to buy a $300 Cowon when I found out about the Sansa Fuze.

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by Skinjob

I belive something like 15 hours would be more typical for music. You can get over 20 if you just leave it playing and never activate the screen. The biggest factor is how often the screen is on.

I'm sure the battery will last longer than the expected use of the player. In a couple years we're all going to be wanting that hot new 256GB flash player and the 8GB Fuze will seem like a disposable toy.

I have both a 4GB Clip and 8GB Fuze. The are equally excellent. The View is average at best, not in the same league as the Clip/Fuze. The only reason to consider a View is if video is a high priority, but even then there's probably better choices from other companies.

Get it. It's always best to get as much internal memory as possible as long as you aren't getting gouged for it. The 8GB Fuze is a really good value. And if you're thinking about FLAC you're going to need all the memory you can get.

This [above] was all great info. Answered my questions just the way I needed them answered.
As I said in previous post, looks like I'll be picking up the 8gb version and a class 6 16gb micro sdhc card.
/cheer

[sansaguy]

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

This [above] was all great info. Answered my questions just the way I needed them answered.
As I said in previous post, looks like I'll be picking up the 8gb version and a class 6 16gb micro sdhc card.
/cheer

if you find that 16GB microSDHC class 6 card lemme know cuz I CAN'T FIND IT!.... j/k

Pretty sure that the 16GB cards are limited to a class 2 at the moment. I think a class 6 card would be approaching $100 when they finally arrive.

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by sansaguy

if you find that 16GB microSDHC class 6 card lemme know cuz I CAN'T FIND IT!.... j/k

Pretty sure that the 16GB cards are limited to a class 2 at the moment. I think a class 6 card would be approaching $100 when they finally arrive.

isn't this it? $55 Canadian.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820211379
dunno if we're allowed to post links, but if it gets removed look for:
A-DATA 16GB Micro SDHC Flash Card Model MicroSDHC CL6 16G Card - Retail


on newegg.ca or newegg.com

[sansaguy]

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

isn't this it? $55 Canadian.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820211379
dunno if we're allowed to post links, but if it gets removed look for:
A-DATA 16GB Micro SDHC Flash Card Model MicroSDHC CL6 16G Card - Retail


on newegg.ca or newegg.com

we have a WINNER!...lol. Wow first time I've seen 16GB class 6 card. Checking the piggybank to see if I can place an order..

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by sansaguy

Wow first time I've seen 16GB class 6 card.

ditto. was just about to buy an 8 gig card when FreeZ5 pointed this one out.

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

isn't this it? $55 Canadian.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16820211379
dunno if we're allowed to post links, but if it gets removed look for:
A-DATA 16GB Micro SDHC Flash Card Model MicroSDHC CL6 16G Card - Retail


on newegg.ca or newegg.com

Mutter Mutter newegg.ca
$53.99 + 7.18 handling + 11.84 shipping + 2.23 for ??? = 74.24

Newegg.com
$53.99 + 2.99 shipping = 56.98

Steve

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by kickingandscreaming

After reading responses to this thread, I'm fairly convinced on the 8gb fuze. Luck has it that Future Shop in Canada currently has the 8gb on sale for $100 [$30 off]. That seems like a pretty sweet deal to me considering last week I was just about to buy a $300 Cowon when I found out about the Sansa Fuze.

Hope you haven't gone to Future Shop yet. Last week, I posted a message titled "Wal-Mart Canada 8GB Silver Fuze for $80 ". Although that flyer is 'over', the store here still had the sign up (and product in stock) about 1pm today. Might be worth a quick check at your local store.

Steve

[FreeZ5]

I guess I should have mentioned in the post above that my local Wal-Mart is the one in Welland Ontario.

We went to the one in Niagara Falls this evening and they had two 8GB Fuzes with a shelf tag of $80. (And the 2GB Fuze was $75.)

Steve

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

Hope you haven't gone to Future Shop yet. Last week, I posted a message titled "Wal-Mart Canada 8GB Silver Fuze for $80 ". Although that flyer is 'over', the store here still had the sign up (and product in stock) about 1pm today. Might be worth a quick check at your local store.

Steve

dude! you rock! called up and same thing here in Regina, Saskatchewan.
going there this evening.
should i be worrying about if it's version 1.0 or 2.0? or whatever it is?

[Mp3NuTcAsE]

The three 8gb models I have seen were all Version 1. All three functioned perfectly with no problems. I think it is just some of the older Version 1 models(Both I have are 4gb seemingly "old" ones) that have the "clipping" problem you may have seen me posting about. You should have no problem with the 8gb

[Shaggy0911]

I just bought the 8gb at futureshop yesterday and price matched it over the $79.95 Walmart one... came out to $74.99 +/- + taxes... saves you $5 even.

Mine is version 02 as well.

[kickingandscreaming]

Originally Posted by Shaggy0911

I just bought the 8gb at futureshop yesterday and price matched it over the $79.95 Walmart one... came out to $74.99 +/- + taxes... saves you $5 even.

Mine is version 02 as well.

how did you price match it? do you have to bring in a flyer or anything?

[Shaggy0911]

Walk in and tell them that Walmart has it for $79 dollars. They call Walmart to verify the price, and then price match it minus 10%.

It was in last weeks online flyer, but when I tried to get the woman to check it online they had updated it already so she went the calling route.

Good luck with it, I think it's a great unit.