I've done extensive reading on the topic and there is plenty of people saying its at least as good as the previous version and/or clip+. The anythingbutipod forums have lots of people reviewing theis, and sound quality as well as eq functionality are very good. Most of the problems people have with it involve the touch controls. Note that the fuze+ not only sounds great with no eq, but its one of the few that both offers custom eq and lots of presets, that actually both sound good and have a real impact on the sound, ie many mp3 players eq settings make very little to no difference, the fuze+ one on the other hand works extremely well.
I tried to buy 8gb one yesterday from bestbuy (paycheck didnt clear yet, fail lol) after reading about it all day and then using the display model there for about 20mins. I did not mind the controls at all. It is sensitive, if you put it in a pocket where its going to rub and bounce around, you just need to lock it. Admittedly the UI isnt as slick as ipods, but it felt fine for me. I like touchpad controls over buttons that will eventually act up and break tho, even if it is a bit clunky. Also people complain the UI is a bit laggy, but Im told new firmware helps that a lot.
So for me the fuze+ a no brainer. its very good now, and will only get better as sandisk refines the firmware. Its what, only 3 months old with 3 new firmware revisions already. And check out sandisk sansa forums, devs are talking with users about what changes they want to the firmware, asking what people dont like and most want changed, ect. Very cool.
Its also likely the best SQ you can get without spending way more money. If you want an mp3 player to just play music that sounds as good as poss, ie an audiophile like anyone here, the fuze+ and clip+ are really the best choices. If you dont mind the touch controls go fuze+, if you absolutly cant stand them save a few bucks and get the clip+. Especially for people who have nice headphones and go out of their way to get well encoded and quality source material, its such a waste to not use a player that also focuses on SQ over frilly trendy features and looks.
Also video playback seems to work pretty much perfectly, I have read no real complaints in that regard. It worked perfectly on the store model I used at BB with the videos onboard (promo stuff mostly). Playback was smooth and looked as nice as can be on a screen that size. Any smaller a screen and theres really no point to even include video playback. Im not planning on watching lots of video on mine, but its cool to know the option is there and that it works quite well.
The only device Id consider over the fuze+ is the ipod touch, simply because it can do everything from ebook reader to web device to music and movie player, on and on, all in one device. But comparing a 300+ device to a <100 dollar one is pretty silly. And even then, you can sleep soundly knowing that your sansa still sounds better :)
So yes, I made up my mind, Im getting the 8gb as soon as my paycheck clears. Assuming BB still has it on sale for $79.99. Now if that amazon deal for the 8gb clip+ for 39.99/free shipping was still good, I could not have resisted getting it at that price, but the 8gb clip is back up to around 50 bucks, Id rather spend the xtra 30 getting a nice color screen, touch controls (some peeps consider that a negative but I rather like it), and video playback capability. Plus, I went through the trouble of getting alblum covers for almost all my music, be it in the id tags or a folder.jpg file, it would be a shame not to put them to use.
Good luck, hope this helps!
Edited by Malakai - 12/25/10 at 7:50am
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