Should I get a Fuze

[Zerged]

I am in need of an mp3 player, and I was wondering if it was a good idea to get a Fuze (8GB) for about 70 bucks at Canada Computers. I originally wanted a clip plus, but those are very hard to find here in Canada, and they cost the same as a Fuze. So do you guys think I should take the plunge or should I wait until something new comes out (the Fuze is pretty old by technology standards)?

[boswd]

what do you consider to be old?
I'm enjoying mine immensley. Great sound quality

[Adub]

I would go buy a 4gb Clip+ from futureshop they are $49.99 right now on sale, and buy a cheap 8gb microsd card with that left over $20 or a little more.

I have used a Fuze, but i gotta say the clip+ is a better dap overall imo.

[JK98]

The Fuze has its strengths and weaknesses.

strengths

micro SDHC card slot
User selectable MSC or MTP
scroll wheel
Separate areas for podcasts and audiobooks
Autoresume for podcasts and audiobooks
great sound quality without the equilizer


weaknesses

Proprietary connector
only around 20 hour battery life
equilizer is rather poor quality- many don't use it
only available with up to 8 GB internal memory
max volume a bit on the low side, but not worse than many other players


I was a great Fuze fan for a long time. I have had a Fuze for over a year and a half.
Now there are some other good choices under $100, the Sony E345 16 GB($69 on Amazon), and the Samsung R0 8 GB($100, it has a micro SDHC card slot). Is 16 GB enough storage for you? My interest is centered around players under $100 with 16 GB,
or 8 GB players with a card slot. If I was going to buy a player now, I would choose a Sony E345 16 GB for $69 at Amazon, even though it lacks separate areas for podcasts and audiobooks, and no true autoresume(I guess it will resume the last file played, but won't let you listen to part of a podcast some music, turn off the player then resume the podcast when turned on. The Fuze and Clip+ will do this.) The proprietary connector on the Fuze is so annoying, not just for charging the player at home, but it makes it difficult to use an external battery pack with it(you need to carry the huge cable that came with the player, rather than carry the tiny mini USB cable that comes with an external battery pack).

I have both the Fuze and Clip+ and think they are both okay. I like the scroll wheel on the Fuze, but hate the proprietary connector. I like the longer battery life and larger screen of the Fuze. The mini USB connector on the Clip+ is very convenient.

$50 for a 4 GB Clip+ or $70 for an 8 GB Fuze? I guess that isn't an easy choice to make.

[lestatar]

Fuze vs Clip/+...

Get a Fuze if:
- you like seeing album art with your music;
- you want a larger screen in a device capable to some degree of watching videos;
- you don't mind a proprietary USB connector [btw, disagreeing with JK98 a bit here: the Fuze plug end is indeed pretty large but very flat like the Fuze itself, and the wire itself is pretty thin - I find it is not really that much of a drag to tote around/use, though of course, I also prefer standard mini USB];
- you like a larger but a bit flatter form factor over the Clip+ [recall the squarish iPod Nano from previous generations];
- you can wait a little longer for v2 Fuze RockBox goodies;
- you want a bit longer battery life over the Clip+.

Get a Clip/+ if:
- you want a really tiny device that sounds terrific;
- you don't care about album art/videos;
- you demand a standard miniUSB connector;
- you don't mind only 10-15 hour average battery life;
- you want to use RockBox right away.

Personally, I have the Sony E and I just got the Fuze. I like both quite a lot though neither is perfect for me of course. I do feel the Sony sounds a bit better/fuller/livelier than the Fuze [especially when comparing the EQs]. However, the Sony E lacks SD card support and the Fuze does - for me, the thought of being able to tote around potentially 40GB of music in a device the size of the Fuze is immensely compelling.

I do believe that for the money/capacity, the Sony E is one of the best values around, especially with the typically great Sony sound. But this can be said honestly for both the Fuze and the Clip/+ as well - the Clip+ is an especially amazing device given its tiny size.

However, I do not believe you can make a bad choice between the Sony E, the Fuze or the Clip/+. You just need to decide what you want most/is most important to you.

hth, cheers and good luck!
-lestatar

[funman]

Just a remark about rockbox support:

Fuzev2 and Clip+ work exactly the same with current rockbox (safe for FM doesn't work on Fuzev2), i.e. quite bad without write support but hopefully it should work one day.

Also afaik battery life is the same (around 18 hours) for both.

[writedoc]

I originally bought a 4GB Sansa Clip+ but returned it and replaced it with an 8GB Sansa Fuze (I paid c$79.99). Why? In my opinion, the Sansa Fuze has a better build quality than the Sansa Clip+ and you also get longer battery life, bigger screen, photos, and videos. I've used my Sansa Fuze for about 3 months now and I'm very happy with the music, radio, photo, and video quality. I think it was an excellent buy and recommend it to anyone who is thinking of buying a new MP3 player. At $70 you can't go wrong; I also bought a couple of 8GB microSD Class 6 cards for $18.99 each from Canada Computers. I also bought a Sansa Fuze kit from amazon.ca for $16.99 that included: USB Data Cable + USB Car Charger + USB Home Charger + Transparent Clear Snap On Crystal Hard Case.

[Nikolaus]

You should also consider, if you'll have to scroll through long lists, than the Fuze should be your choice in my opinion.
I own both a Fuze and a Clip+ and I think it's a pain to scroll through long list with the Clip+, as you can only see 3 lines on the screen. With the Fuze you see 6 lines and the scroll wheel is much more comfortable for scrolling.

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by Nikolaus

You should also consider, if you'll have to scroll through long lists, than the Fuze should be your choice in my opinion.
I own both a Fuze and a Clip+ and I think it's a pain to scroll through long list with the Clip+, as you can only see 3 lines on the screen. With the Fuze you see 6 lines and the scroll wheel is much more comfortable for scrolling.

This is an excellent point!

The scroll wheel works very nicely for long song lists on both main and SD card memory [though it takes a few moments for SD card contents to load up, once loaded, scrolling through a long SD list is pretty much same speed as doing it on main memory].

[JK98]

"you don't mind a proprietary USB connector [btw, disagreeing with JK98 a bit here: the Fuze plug end is indeed pretty large but very flat like the Fuze itself, and the wire itself is pretty thin - I find it is not really that much of a drag to tote around/use, though of course, I also prefer standard mini USB];"

I was referring to carrying the player, the cable, and an external battery pack(like the Duracell Instant Power or Lenmar Powerport Mini) in a shirt pocket. It is not really doable with the Fuze and its proprietary cable, but convenient enough with a Clip+ and a tiny mini USB cable.

[lestatar]

@jk98...ah, gotcha and see what you mean...
btw, steering off topic for a sec, i know we chatted on this: I have nothing but positive experience with that Tekkeon MP1550...is really great. Bought 2 sets of 4 AAs, 1 set Eneloop 2000mah and 1 set Sanyo 2700mah....Was fantastic in HK and also on flight back...

It charged my BB Curve from 5% battery to like 85% in approx. 20 mins flat.

Am thinking of posting pics and impressions on the Tekkeon here at some point soon for interested parties....

cheers!
-lestatar

[boswd]

Originally Posted by lestatar

This is an excellent point!

The scroll wheel works very nicely for long song lists on both main and SD card memory [though it takes a few moments for SD card contents to load up, once loaded, scrolling through a long SD list is pretty much same speed as doing it on main memory].

I agree I love the scroll wheel. But I am picking up a 2g Clip+ to be my exercise player. In that aspect, if someone is looking for a fitness player, I think the clip+ is pretty difficult to top.

[JK98]

The Tekkeon mp1550 is great with 4 nimh batteries. I am afraid to try it with alkalines though(as some said it gets very hot with alkalines) and even afraid to try it with 2 nimh batteries. The Tekkeon mp1800 4,000 mah lion battery pack received great reviews. It seems like the best value in a mid sized battery pack. The Duracell Instant Power and Lenmar Poweport Mini are much smaller, but hold less than 1/3 of the power.

[Adub]

I am surprised at the comments on scrolling and build quality personally. I always have 20gb of music on my clip and i have yet to wish i had a bigger screen for scrolling thru my music (i came from an ipod nano 2g which has a fantastic wheel). There is ZERO lag on the clip when using the expansion as well.

As for build quality the clip will take more beating hands down, when i used the fuze it was solid but also much heavier than the clip so you drop that thing accidentally a few too many times and it's done. Where as the clip weighs nearly nothing and dropping it really isn't an issue as it is less likely to cause damage.

That said i do want a fuze and will have one soon, but if i had to choose between the two i would take the clip hands down.

[lestatar]

Adub: So true about the Clip+...It is really really light and seems like it is built very well, well enough to take a lickin...Good point on the Fuze too....so just don't be a spazz... lol

When you get Fuze, think about one of these. Great deal someone else here found/mentioned and I just picked up the clear case bundle. Case fits like a glove and the price is super cheap for what you get...Spare Fuze cable and wall charger will be very handy.

Fuze Clear Case Bundle:
http://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Cr...2652429&sr=8-5

Fuze Silicon Case Bundle:
http://www.amazon.com/Durable-Flexib...2652429&sr=8-4

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Adub

I am surprised at the comments on scrolling and build quality personally. I always have 20gb of music on my clip and i have yet to wish i had a bigger screen for scrolling thru my music (i came from an ipod nano 2g which has a fantastic wheel). There is ZERO lag on the clip when using the expansion as well.
*snip*
That said i do want a fuze and will have one soon, but if i had to choose between the two i would take the clip hands down.

+1 on this....when I sold my Fuze, I kept a Clip. I never had any trouble navigating on a Clip or Clip+, and the form factor is much better. Sure, the Fuze's battery lasts longer, but it's much less convenient.

[Adub]

I'm not a big fan of cases, i don't really drop my player so i doubt ill buy a clear plastic case or any for that matter.

Yeah the battery life is why i want the fuze, as a backup player that can use my microsd cards. If i go away for a few days with very little time to charge my player i can just pop out the fuze and use it when the clip dies.

I've been testing my clip+ rockbox battery life and so far I'm at just over 15 hours of use and the battery indicator is at [|-----] almost dead. I'm guessing i will get to 16-17 hours and that is with a lot of UI use so I'm impressed.

[Zerged]

wow, I wasn't expecting this much feedback. Thanks guys.
To be honest I was leaning towards the clip because it's nice and simple, and I would still find use for it if I bought a pmp, but availability of the clip plus is the issue. I want an mp3 with at least 16gb of space so 8gb+card words nicely especially since I already have an 8GB micro-Sd card. I will think about this some more, Amazon really has some great deals, but that is the American one. Try Amazon.ca and well the variety is quite saddening.
Once again thanks for all of the advise, you guys are awesome.

[lestatar]

You're very welcome Zerged - this is kinda why we are all here! Good luck on your decision.

Meanwhile, stick around and nose into ABi a bit more - lots to learn about and some nice folks hang around this joint.... :-)

btw, is that "Zerged" as in Starcraft? lol

[Zerged]

Originally Posted by lestatar

You're very welcome Zerged - this is kinda why we are all here! Good luck on your decision.

Meanwhile, stick around and nose into ABi a bit more - lots to learn about and some nice folks hang around this joint.... :-)

btw, is that "Zerged" as in Starcraft? lol

lol, I haven't done much posting but I have lurked here quite a bit, and as for Zerged it's not from Starcraft (I have hardly played that game:P). My real name begins with Z as well, so I just came up with a horrible nickname. Sorry to ruin your hopes but I am horrible when it comes to nicknames.