Sansa Clip 8GB
Submitted by jwhitakr on Wed, 01/07/2009 - 19:12
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Music players have seemed to take on a whole life of their own in the last seven years. There is literally a plethora of different styles, brands, and models to choose from – with the least expensive only costing $20-$30 and the higher end models ranging into the hundreds of dollars. Unfortunately it's hard to know just what your getting when you buy one unless you buy one you've used or seen before.
This review aims to enlighten you further on one of the smallest-sized models on the market, the Sandisk Sansa Clip. The recently updated lineup has increased the Clip's storage capacity to 8GB. Read on for our take on this tiny MP3 player.
Design
Sandisk is a long time manufacturer of all types of flash memory products and claims the spot as the second best selling line of mp3 players - one of which is the Sansa Clip. The clip is a very small mp3 player that can clip onto your clothes, purse strap, or pocket. It has a regular 1/8” output jack for headphones, and includes a pari of earbuds in the package. It also comes with a standard mini-usb cable and a trial copy of Rhapsody music management software. This software is not required to use the Clip, nor are there any drivers to install on Windows XP/Vista or Mac OS X.
At 2.17" H x 1.35" W x .65" D, the Clip player would fit easily into a shirt pocket or pants pocket. Weighing in at only .92 oz, it is one of the smallest sized MP3 players on the market today.
Features
- Clips-on to clothing, backpacks, etc.
- Compact size
- Built-in mic
- FM radio built-in
- Available in 5 colors
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| Sansa Clip Box | Closeup | Side View |
Usage and Controls
The controls on the Clip are very basic. On the left side there is a slider control that slides up to turn the unit on or off, and slides down to lock the controls on the unit while in use. The right side contains two small buttons for volume control. The front face has a four-button ring with a fifth button in the middle. These buttons include:
- Play/Pause button on the top
- Forward/Backward buttons on the left and right sides
- Menu button on the bottom
- Select button in the center
There is also a Home button slightly above and to the left of the click-wheel buttons. These buttons allow for complete control of the unit, which is takes a bit of learning to use until you get used to it. The clip only has two ports on it. On the right side close to the top is the headphone jack, and the mini-usb port is on the opposite side at about the same height.
Sound Quality
Music quality is superb on the clip. Normally with less expensive mp3 players, you may hear a hiss, whine or other distortion from the headphones during some of the songs that are the most difficult to reproduce, but there is no such sound from the clip. It definitely provides high quality and accurate sound that is based only on the quality of the music you place on it.
The earbuds are decent sound quality too, but unfortunately are very uncomfortable for more than about 10-15 minutes. This obviously depends on the user, since not all ears are the same size. I mostly used a pair of Audio Technica full-ear headphones which really enhanced the sound quality from the Clip.
Audio books are also a personal favorite of mine, and the clip did pretty well in this respect. One nice thing is when you turn it back on, it starts back wherever it was when you turned it off. So if you're in the middle of a two hour piece of an audio book, you don't lose your place.
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| USB cable | Earbuds | Size comparison to a nickel |
Built-in Mic
The built in voice recorder could prove handy for many people. It is very easy to use once you learn the basic menu structure, and the audio recordings are stored directly on the device and can be moved to a computer while it is charging. The FM radio works surprisingly well, and has great reception. It includes a preset feature that can automatically scan for presets, yet still allows you to set the manually as well. It also has the ability to record directly from the FM radio. I did not check the battery life usage while listening to the radio, but on when listening to mp3's it lasted right at 15 hours.
Sansa Clip 8GB
In conclusion, the Sansa Clip works well, is priced reasonably low, has good battery life, and is very compact. If you are looking for an all-in-one portable device, then the Clip is not for you. If your looking for a sturdy high quality mp3 player, then the Clip will definitely fit you well.
Understand that the headphones may be uncomfortable as they were for me, and that you may need to purchase a separate set of headphones at an additional cost. But the overall build quality and sound quality of this MP3 player is really outstanding. It syncs with Windows Media Player, or Rhapsody's music player, and provides a very enjoyable listening experience.
Pros:
- Small size
- 15 Hour battery life
- Built-in mic with voice recorder
- Built-in FM Radio
- Sturdy Clip Design
- Uses standard USB port
- Excellent sound quality.
Cons:
- Doesn't work with iTunes
- Controls are not as easy to use as some competing players
- Buttons have no labels when backlight is off
- Earbuds are uncomfortable
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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Sansa Clip
You mentioned in your review that the Clip doesn't work with iTunes. I can't address Windows, but the Clip does a simple drag and drop with iTunes on the Mac and works perfectly.
Otherwise, I fully agree that the Clip is a great deal and generally, a pleasure to use. I especially appreciate that the Clip will work on my older Mac at home that still has OS X 10.28, unlike my 2007-era iPods. If I had known the clip existed in late 2007, I never would have purchased the iPods, saving a lot of money.
Sansa Clip
You are correct, the drag and drop functionality is there and works well. I should have been more specific. The clip does not integrate with iTunes the same way that an iPod or iPhone does. While this will be fine for most people, some might take issue with this.