SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)

ardacer

New Head-Fier
Pros: Sounds perfect to me. Really small, portable. Got a nice clip. Flac support, FM radio, voice recorder.
Cons: Ugly. Almost no screen (do you really need it?)
I got a sansa clip+ for my pair of custom iems. Really small, really portable, big nice clip to clip on something while training. Almost perfect sound, some audible noise (really really low, like really low, with balanced armatures, other headphones are ok - I'll accept it, some folks may not), price - almost nothing, 10 hours battery, ugly as hell, crappy screen, fm radio, recorder, flac support, microsd card, perfect. Not much else to say, really. The thing has 1 ohm output impedance and flat frreq response, and packs some serious power. All that for the cheepy price, you can't go better, imo. Installing rockbox and the classic theme corrects some very small issues, and basically makes this perfect for music and audio. Face it, you don't need extra bulk in your pockets for a screen the size of a smartphone, eating your battery.

viperxp

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: sound quality,rockbox,compact,robust
Cons: tiny screen,tiny battery, feels cheap
Hello,
I own the current Sansa for about 3 years, so I can say I am very familiar with it.
 
Bad start
 
 
So...
When I happened to own Cowon Iaudio 9 I took this guy for a minute and thought to myself - what a simple sound, it's far less powerful and enjoyable than the Cowon, I must not forget that the Cowon is a premium player and this guy is just cheap and tiny. But time passed, J3 replaced my Iaudio and at some point of time magically disappeared. When I looked for a new DAP immediately I thought about the Sansa, with all the god reviews it's getting. So sansa was bought and I was very happy with it. At one stage I found a bargain on Cowon D2, so I sold the Sansa and tried to enjoy the Cowon, but could not, in spite of it having much more powerful amplifier, battery and touchscreen as well as buttons. So D2 was sold, and I bought another Sansa that I am enjoying still.
 
What I like about my Sansa?
 
Obviously the sound. The sound is great "as is" without any manipulations whatsoever. And it's with many decent headphones.
Format support - this thing can process so many formats, that it's really hard to find unsupported ones for it.
Rockbox - this thing is just absurdly good. Many many options (not just equalizer and crossfeed) that make life so much easier
Reliability - my player have fallen so much and there are hardly any scratches on it
 
What I don't like ?
 
Recently it started to develop problems with being recognized by PC in order to transfer music. I have to turn it on and off several times.
Volume - there are almost no reserves. I am using Koss KSC-75 and Sennheiser PX80 (re-issued PX100 first edition) and at the gym I almost have to max it. Also with Koss TBSE1 at home I have to listen at 90-95% from the maximum volume.
Batery life - only about 10 hours, not so great
 
 
Bottom line
 
Iconic player, one of the best at it time. I think now there are better options around (for budget-conscious audiophiles) but this one surely is exceptional, mainly because of Rockbox. I know it's not ideal player, but considering it's price and features it's very close.
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suburbanite

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Low Price, Expandable Storage, Syncable w/ Any Software, Clear Sound Quality
Cons: Compromised Build Quality, Susceptible to Water Contamination, Fragile Plastic Clip, Dodgy Quality Control
The reason I went with the 8gb model was because I previously had another Clip+ that had compatibility problems with my storage expansion card, so I went with more onboard capacity.
 
Also problematic with my previous Clip+ was OS instability, causing me to return it. To this, I attribute poor quality control.
 
These are the reasons why I subtracted 1.5 stars.
 
It gets 3.5 stars because when it's non-defective, it works well; It's dirt cheap, it has a clear, uncontaminated sound quality, you can sync files with any software, it's tiny and virtually weightless making it ultraportable, it clips onto your person so you can wear it with workout clothes that typically have no pockets, etc.
 
So cheap and so good, there's nearly no reason to not try it at least once. Just go with the 4GB model.

cracksnap

New Head-Fier
Pros: cheap price, micro SD, clip, light and small
Cons: Sound
Franchement je ne comprends pas pourquoi tout le monde parle d'un son pas mal sur ce lecteur. J'écoutes avec des m audio bx5a en enceintes, des westone 4 en intra, un fiio E7 au mieux et mon nokia lumia 620 au moins bien en passant par un cowon i5. Et bin j'ai eu envie de m'en faire une pince à linge à la première minute d'écoute.
J'ai pourtant eu du mal à sentir une différence entre du wav et du 128k/bit ! J'écoutais un morceaux disco 70' rippé par mes soins sur mes w4/fiio E7. J'avoue! Je sens que je vais me faire lyncher, huer, bannir mon ip du forum mais j'avoue! Donc franchement achat inutile, je le remets en vente direct!
 
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
Unlike other commentary, I think this device sounds very bad. It is really worse compare to an average smartphone or a cowon. I listened with my weston 4, wich I usualy use with a fiio E7 (muuuuuch better off course), a cowon i5 (really better), or a nokia lumia 620 (agressive but still much better). I regret my choice and gonna sell it back right away.
 
 
>> To wijnands: Bravo pour ton anglais, joli vocabulaire.. "A rant", ahah! Pour 5 lignes?? Avec les pavés qu'on se tape sur headfi?? Sinon mes oreilles vont bien je pense, assez pour être déçu par ce lecteur et vouloir éviter la déception à d'autre. Après peut être que je ne le situe pas assez par rapport à sa gamme de prix, en tout cas j'ai détaillé mes points de comparaison.
Sweden
Sweden
I don't care what the measurements say, the Clip+ doesn't sound all that great. No soundstage, no dynamics, poor clarity. 
There reason it's still a good player is the size and UI. It work for the gym, otherwise not so much. 
altrunox
altrunox
Even thought most people can`t hear a big difference between a cheap sansa to a TOTL DAP....
wijnands
wijnands
A rant in French and 4 sentences in English....  If you don't hear the difference between a 128kb and a wav file on this then it's a dud or your hearing is bad.
 
It's not the end all players but it'ss been the most bang for your buck in the sub 100 euro category for a long time.

Antilochos

New Head-Fier
Pros: Cheap, good sound, many functions, sd-card slot
Cons: Battery life, speed uploading
Well, by now everyone knows about this sweet little device.
Tried it with my Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80ohm) and Philips Fidelio S2 for some time now and here's my simple review.
 
Pro's
- It's cheap (paid € 29,-).
- Play's a lot of audio formats and does it with decent quality. Sound is quite balanced, but you get the option to use settings. Price/quality ratio is very good.
- Lot of extra functions, though I never tried the radio.
- Never tried radio because it has a sd-card slot that holds my 32mb card. Also never use the onboard memory because of this (so save money and buy the even cheaper one with the smallest on board memory).
- Build quality; some will call it cheap, but I say it's not. Although it feels cheap (and will be to make), it works just fine for what it is needed for. Light and simple, and because it's not complicated it doesn't break down on you.
- Easy software to use with lovely simple menu use to find your music, even if you keep thousands of numbers like I do. Works also simple, "plug and play" as they say, with as I know any pc.
 
Con's
- Battery life is relatively low. 
- It takes a lot of time to upload again when you enter a new sd-card (even if it is 32mb, it takes a long time).
- They deliver a headphone that is not worth mentioning. But who buy's this thing for its headphone?
 
So, in really every way better than that pretentious iPod. Trust me, in every way better (except build and design, I admit). Just a true iPod killer.
Yeah, and screw iTunes too.
MarcadoStalker7
MarcadoStalker7
¿Why most people here despise iPods?
I prefer an iPod or iBasso than something like a colored Cowon or FiiO.
 
Mmm, the Clip is far for being an 'iPod killer', IMO. Still good for the price
Antilochos
Antilochos
@MarcadoStalker7,
Therefor it's just my opinion and your opinion. It's all relative.
 
But more specific about my feelings about the iPod: the sound is flat to me, the hardware/device you get is quite limited in possibilities, the software is just a horror and feels like a dictatorship and to top it all off; the stuff of Apple is way overprized.
 
And with that, the little el cheapo Sandisk does better in every way except in sound you can debate because it's such a relatively jugdement to make.

JoeDoe

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Size, Construction, Price, Capacity (w/ card), Rockbox-able
Cons: Screen size, battery life (before Rockbox)
Sansa has a winner in the Clip +. I'm listening to FLAC files as I write this review and I can't stop laughing because of how much I got for how little I paid. This is a great little device.
 
The Clip is TINY. I didn't realize how small it was until it was delivered in the padded envelopes in which I used to get baseball cards. 
 
The design is just great. The efficient button-layout is intuitive and makes navigation a breeze, the clip is great for my shirt or pocket, and the easy-to-read screen gives me just enough information to do what I want: listen to music. 
 
With a 32gb SD card ($20) I can give the Clip more capacity than a 30 gig iPod. This makes loading up my FLAC and MP3 320 files painless since I don't have to pick and choose which songs are worthy and which aren't.
 
The sound coming from this device is just fine. Obviously for under $50 you can't expect this thing to blow you away with SQ but the GR07s and FXT90s I use sound as good as ever, especially when I run them through a cMoy or E5 first. 
 
Have I mentioned that this is Rockbox-able? That fact alone is just icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. For the super-low price, I would buy this player with an SD card and very contently use the native UI. However, after Rockboxing, I'm now able to customize EQs, change display information, and increase the battery life to boot! Will the super value never stop?!
 
All in all, I think if you are interested in a pocket-sized setup for way less than $100 with options and features often reserved for more expensive players, you can't go wrong with the Clip +. Cheers. 

julian67

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: Cheap price. MicroSDHC slot. Supports flac. Can run Rockbox firmware.
Cons: Cheap build. Makes some unwelcome noises. Original firmware can't do gapless.
I bought my Clip+ 8GB in December 2010 and paid £36.99. It was something of a distress purchase in that I bought it to replace another Sansa player, a Fuze, whose wheel type buttons had ceased to work.

I used the player with the original firmware and I also installed Rockbox. I'll deal with notable points of each firmware.

The hardware:

It's cheap. This needn't be such a bad thing as in a bigger player. Cheap stuff can work fine. There is no mystery involved in assembling/making a small plastic case or a two colour display or some buttons. The Clip's clip still clips after 28 months and the buttons still work. The one component that was always much too cheap and has become worse is the headphone socket. It doesn't hold the headphone jack tight and it has become a little looser over time. In contrast the headphone sockets in my other players and phones and tablets all have a small spring clamp in the socket and any jack inserted is held securely. With the Clip+ noise from the poor connection is audible every time the player is moved, such as while in my pocket as I walk. To me this counts as a major failing. I bought the Clip+ for use while I'm out or busy but this is where its most prominent shortcoming is evident.

The microSDHC slot is a great feature. MicroSDHC cards have tumbled in price and it cost me less than £25 to add a good quality 32GB Class 10 card that works perfectly. The internal 8GB of storage is very slow.

The radio is basic but decent enough. If you live somewhere with strong FM signals and little interference you'll enjoy it. It's not a great radio with weak signals.

The player is so tiny and light that you can clip it onto a belt or sleeve or pocket and just forget about it.

My review doesn't cover Slot Radio or Audible audio book support as I don't use either facility.

I'm not sure there's any more to say about the hardware.

Notable features of the OF (Original Firmware):

Gapless playback is not supported even for those formats which natively support gapless (flac and ogg vorbis). Some people don't seem to mind clicks or gaps artificially inserted into performances. I definitely do. Bad Sansa.

The OF is database only. It can present a "browse by folder" option but this actually depends on the database so it will only show you files it knows. Refreshing the database can be very slow indeed if you have a large capacity card in the slot. This is most definitely a deficiency as it's inefficient and inconvenient enough to become annoying.

Aside from that I think the OF interface is pretty reasonable. It's easy enough to browse by folder/genre/artist and so on.

Notable positive differences of Rockbox over the OF:

Gapless playback. It works! It works in every format which can support it.

You can choose not to use a database. Even if you use a database it refreshes on changes extremely quickly, just a few seconds.
You can choose to browse by folder, and which types of files you want to see.

Rockbox supports many more audio codecs. It can play your m4a files or midi tracks or the weird format from your old skool game.

There are numerous other features and enhancements (bookmarking, sleep timer, wake up alarm, games, apps etc.) but in this review I want to concentrate on the player and its core task - music playback.


Sound Quality:

Firstly the sound quality is basically fine. It's neutral. There is no silly bass emphasis or nerve jangling highs. It works well with my typical low impedance IEMs and 'phones (various Sennheiser, Shure and Sony models from 16 ohms to 32) and also seems to put out a fair bit of power for a portable device so can drive plenty of full size headphones if they are sensitive enough. It easily drove my Sony MDRZX700 headphones (106 dB/mW and 24 ohm) but wasn't really capable of driving an old pair of Sennheiser HD 500 (101dB/mW and 150 ohm).

Some people note a difference between Rockbox and OF and claim one sounds better than the other (or one is right and the other is wrong). This can get very exciting with accusations of deafness, bias, stupidity and all the rest. There can be differences in the sound because each firmware does some things differently:

OF:
Supports 44100 and 48000 Hz files without sample rate conversion.
Has a pitch error so 44100 files play back at the wrong speed (you can hear this but you might not notice it). 48000 Hz files have correct pitch.
Dithering seems to applied and cannot be switched off*.
Replay Gain is off by default.

Rockbox:
Only supports 44100 Hz files internally. Uses a linear sample rate converter for other rates.
Plays back with no pitch error (or error so small you need measuring instruments to detect it).
Dithering is not enabled by default (user can enable it).
Replay Gain by default is in mode "Track Gain if Shuffling". This means it "Maintains a constant volume between tracks if Shuffle is set to Yes. Reverts to album mode if Shuffle is set to No" (from the Rockbox manual). Clipping prevention is off and pre-amp is set to 0.

So if you play a 44100 track in each firmware at seemingly identical volume (max in OF and 0 dB in Rockbox measure the same on my Clip+ into a recorder) it's possible to notice differences in level (due to Replay Gain in Rockbox) and pitch (due to error in OF) and perhaps a difference due to dithering.

If you play back a 48000 Hz file the OF's pitch error is gone. There is still the possibility of Rockbox's Replay Gain altering the level. There is a definite change in the sound in Rockbox due to the resampler. This is completely unmissable with 10000 Hz sine wave or if you want to hear it in real music try a track with some cymbal splashes and hi-hats. It's horrible.

So people claiming to hear a difference between the firmwares can be reporting a real difference. And people reporting no difference may also be right.

Almost all of my music collection is 16-bit 44100 Hz audio from CD so Rockbox's sample rate converter hardly matters. Replay Gain can be toggled off or its settings changed. Dithering can be enabled/disabled as preferred. But in the original firmware there's nothing you can do about the pitch error (and you can't switch off the dithering). Rockbox clearly has an advantage over the OF for 16-bit 44100 Hz audio. It can play it back at the correct pitch without introducing artificial gaps. If you are that rare person with a huge collection of audio at 48000 Hz (maybe a big collection of music from DVDs) then the OF is better. If your priority is playback of 88200/96000/192000 or even very low bitrate HE-AAC then this isn't the player for you.

Output level is pretty good. Assuming no positive increase of level from Replay Gain you won't get distortion even at maximum volume in the OF or up to 0 dB in Rockbox. Rockbox can artficially go louder but you might not like it much. There are louder players but the Clip+ should satisfy anyone who hasn't already damaged their hearing.

Noises:

The Clip has an unexpected feature - a collection of squeaks, clicks, screeches, buzzes and rumbles that if emitted by an adult human might qualify them for psychiatric evaluation and some interesting pills. Some of these noises arise from button presses or play pausing/resuming/stopping and are tolerable. Others can appear in playback. I assume the player's CPU and/or memory get maxed out (maybe I'm wrong) but you can sometimes get the kind of annoying noises you'll know from cheap PC boards with integrated audio. On one occasion my player made a nasty screeching sound for a second or two instead of music and did so in the same place several times. I powered it down and up again and all was back to normal. On another occasion it did a similar thing but distorted as though clipping - again it was repeatable in the same place in the track and powering down solved the problem. Sometimes a piece gets to a quiet passage and I notice there shuffling/rumbling noises that don't come from the music file. Again powering down and up fixes it. I'm glad the player can resume from the same point. Occasionally it fails to complete playing a track and just jumps right to the next one. So Tourettes wasn't all, it also has Alzheimers. Making whacky noises and forgetting to play a track right through isn't exactly audiophile territory and does reveal the Clip+'s lowly origin. But for the most part it does play back perfectly normally. Until it doesn't.

How to minimise the noises and dementia (assumes running Rockbox):

You need to minimise CPU and memory load so:

Don't enable the database (or enable it but disable auto updating and gathering of runtime data)
Don't enable dithering
Don't use EQ, crossfeed, tone controls or anything that touches the audio.
Luckily normal playback without modifying the audio sounds very good.

Overall:

When it isn't making unwanted noises it's hard to fault. When it is making unwanted noises it's hard to listen to. The headphone socket is the weakest part of the player as it's not replaceable, is of the lowest possible quality and if/when gets noisy you can't fix it. Assuming your headphone socket is OK then Rockbox turns a player with huge convenience but hardware and firmware problems into something extremely appealing and enjoyable to listen to. Until the headphone socket breaks.

If I could rate the player and the firmwares separately I'd give the player and OF 2 stars with 4 for value. Rockbox would get a straight 5 stars, lit up and heralded with a fanfare. Rockbox rescues the player from being a joke (wrong pitch!), makes it really appealing in many ways and gets the best out of the player but there is no getting around the deficiencies or limitations of the hardware.

It is very, very cheap. It can be terrible, it can be brilliant. But it's always cheap. So am I, and that's why I bought it. If you're cheap you'll probably like it too.


*I noticed a perfectly silent 44100 Hz file played back silently in Rockbox but with a little noise in the OF. There was no EQ applied or sample rate conversion. If I enable dithering in Rockbox I then get the same quiet background noise as the OF produced.
bcarr112281
bcarr112281
Oh, yes, I knew about the speed issues! Trust me, I'd never have considered this model if Rockbox hadn't addressed the problem. (And yes, I know--it mostly addresses the problem. . . .)
As for spurious tones and sluggish performance, it seems I'm fortunate, as I honestly don't believe I've encountered any of these issues.
julian67
julian67
You're unlikely to hear that much while using your Shure headphones with the Clip+. Your first reply to my review seems to have disappeared from view but you stated you use Shure 440 or 840, and expressed disappointment at the combination. I noted that these aren't a good match due to sensitivity and impedance: Clip+ can't drive them well. With a 'phone that is more sensitive Clip+ will drive it properly and you will hear it in all its glory (or otherwise). A good read of other discussions of Clip+ noises shows others also report that the sensitivity of the 'phone makes a big difference.

All I can do is honestly report my experience and attempt to offer some explanation and context and point out that the problems identified are far from being unique, unknown, or unverified. Maybe some Clip+ are fine while others are not. So how do tell this before handing over the money? Lousy quality control is hardly the basis for a recommendation. I'll restate two sentences from my review:

When it isn't making unwanted noises it's hard to fault. When it is making unwanted noises it's hard to listen to.

It can be terrible, it can be brilliant.

I think my review is a perfectly fair appraisal I don't think I can usefully add anything more.
bcarr112281
bcarr112281
I use the SRH840.
"All I can do is honestly report my experience and attempt to offer some explanation and context. . . ."
Yes, and I appreciate your review and your thoughtful replies to my queries.

TinCity

New Head-Fier
Pros: Sound is very clear, great for kids
Cons: not that easy to set up
Got a couple of SanDisk Sansa mp3 players for the kids from Amazon and they work great.  I'm so excited that I wanted to share the 40% discount that I received with anybody who is looking to purchase this wonderful piece of technology: http://amzn.to/ZlPzaY  -  You will not be disappointed with this mp3 player.
wrathzombie
wrathzombie
@r316z. I have owned an IPOD classic and the clip+ and my personal opinion is at that price nothing can beat Clip +.
Rockbox \m/
DrForBin
DrForBin
very nice when you Rockbox it.
r316hz
r316hz
@wrathzombie: thx mate! better get one! xD

lin0003

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Price, Size, Sound quality
Cons: Feels a bit flimsy
I bought these a while ago on Amazon (4GB Version) and had them shipped to Australia in 3 days for just $35. I've now been using it for about half a year now and it has held up wonderfully and there has been no problems whatsoever.
Accessories
This came with a pair of alright earbuds, a USB charging cable, some manuals and a disc that I will probably never use. Overall, I think that all these accessories are great considering that the whole package cost just $30. However, I wished that it came with the USB charging dock thing. The earbuds are actually pretty good considering that they came free. I would say that Ik prefer them over the old apple earbuds and they are around the level of the new earpods which cost $30. 
Build Quality
Being plastic, the build quality isn't great, but you can get a nice silicone case that will protect it from falls. One thing that I'm concerned of is the clip at the back, which I always feel like is going to snap when I pull it open. The cable is very durable and should last you a long time. Overall, not great, but not bad either. 
DAC Section
I don't think that Sandisk states what DAC chip it uses, but it is actually quite decent. It is relatively clean and not as grainy as my Samsung Galaxy S3 Wolfson chip. The background isn't very clean, but it does incredibly well for a $30 player. 
AMP Section
One thing that I dislike about this player is that the amp is bass heavy. I believe that all DAPs should be neutral and if you want it to be bass heavy, then you can EQ it. On the good side, the amp is quite powerful and it powers all IEMs that I have thrown at it. However, it does have quite a lot of trouble powering higher impedance headphones but this is really nitpicking since after all, this is a $30 player. 
Sound
Bass
The bass is a bit bloated and quite slow. For some people, this may be a good thing, but I prefer it to be more neutral. It does render the low frequencies very well though and there is very good sub bass. However, bass detail is lacking, but you probably won't notice until you hear much more expensive players. The bass can be said as both the selling and weak point of the Clip+. 
[size=small]Midrange[/size]
I feel like the mids were better before I rockboxed it. After rockbox, the mids just sound a bit odd since the lower mids seem a bit recessed and the higher mids seem a bit forward. Notice that I said a bit and that is because it realy isn't that bad and is only a minor downside. If you feel like you listen to a lot of vocal songs and the like, you may be better off not rockboxing it, even though there are more functions and better battery life after rockbox.
[size=small]Treble[/size]
The treble is very nice and even though the bass is a bit heavy, I don't feel like this affected the treble and made it veiled at all. Yes, the treble is a tiny bit recessed, but it is very smooth and it really helps in reducing sibilance. Cymbals do sound a bit dull though. If I remember correctly, before rockbox, the entire sound signature was a bit more balanced and the highs had more sparkle to them. 
Conclusion
I do realise that this review may have come out as a bit bad and sounds like I don't like this player. This is not correct by any means. I have a 30x more expensive HDP-R10 and I am used to the hyper detail that those put out. Because of that, I find the Clip+ lacking in many areas, but if you are looking for a player under $100, I cannot recommend the Clip+ any more. It really stands as the best price/performance player I have ever had the chance to listen to. Another question that you might ask is whether to rockbox or not. Many people find that rockbox makes the sound better, but I disagree. I find that rockbox makes the sound slightly worse, but I am willing to sacrifice that tiny bit of sound quality for better battery life and more functions. 

fihidelity

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Audio quality, size, ease of use (Rockboxed).
Cons: Small text, build quality, mediocre battery.
I have had this device for maybe half a year now and whilst I was originally impressed with it, I have become less so over time. Initially, my laptop had problems interacting with it as there wasn't obviously any driver but after having installed Rockbox it works fine and I'm able to drag and drop files from my computer onto the device with ease. I didn't spend much time with the Sansa firmware but the time I have spent I had trouble navigating and I couldn't find any way to use the external memory (though I didn't spend much time on it).
 
The reason for wanting the device is because the two HTC mobiles I own both have piss poor sound quality; bloated bass and hissing/pops/squeaks during quiet parts of the track just make for an unpleasant listening experience. I was pretty much sold by the supposedly black background, flat frequency response and high SQ to price ratio and but have found it mediocre at best. There's no particular emphasis on any frequencies as far as I can tell but there is a lot of noise when scrolling and during tracks for no apparent reason. The buttons feel cheap and there isn't much weight to the device which leaves it feeling a little like those toy mobile phones you can buy at cheap novelty toy shops. The screen scratches easily and it doesn't feel very durable at all.
 
It offers good value for money with wide support for different audio formats but it's not without its faults.

JAnderton

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good sound, small size, light, portable, extendable memory
Cons: Battery life is good but could be better.. UX could be a tad better. Packaging is a (one time) pain to open
 
It's a great music player that is portable and has a clip to be used while on-the-run. It works well and is simple to use. It supports MP3 and FLAC, the two main formats I love and allows drag drop of music into it. It also connects as a PnP device as well as in managed mode using WMP giving you options on how you want to manage your music.
 
Over all, it's a great music player. Best at it's price point (as a small portable music player in the iPod shuffle/nano range as opposed to the full display type players).
It's so good that when I lost my first player (I gave it to a friend who forgot to pick it up after lunch :/), I went out and bought it again. And do note, I can't buy this at a local store (in India). I waited for a friend to fly back from the US with this player for me.
That's how good this is :wink:
 
Note: My review is based on the 8GB player I have which exactly the same except for the size and cost. Don't be put off on the money I paid, I paid $53 for the 8GB with delivery off Amazon.

beebot

New Head-Fier
Pros: CHEAP + Expandable + Great SQ
Cons: The battery isn't the longest laster... otherwise NONE
I really like my Clip+ 
k701smile.gif

 
Plus+
  1. It's tiny
  2. It's expandable
  3. It sounds great!
  4. Support for a wide range of Codec's / Rockboxing is super easy.
  5. It has voice recording and radio 
  6. For the price - no other manufacturer that I know of can touch it.
 
Minus
  1. Battery life isn't the best... Which is its only real 'flaw' as far as I can see. I'm never that far away from a USB point though... If I were going on an extended break, I'd definitely want to take something with a better battery life.
  2. The clip... it's a bit crap... I almost never use it.
 
My thoughts
 
I don't think it's the worlds best kept secret that this is a really good little player. Most reviews (like this one) are very positive. So all of the below has pretty much been talked about by everyone already.
 
Bearing in mind, players these days seem to be aimed aimed at consumers who want 'fancy' OLED displays for 'video on the go' ... So, if that's your bag, don't bother reading further... why are you reading a review for this anyway?
 
First off - I've read of some issues (which are a mystery to me...) some people have mentioned they had problems running it under certain platforms. I run OSX/Win7/ArchLinux and can confirm that it works fine in all of these as a simple drag/drop player - it has never given me any issues (you can even sync it in itunes using 'itunesmywalkman' if you so desire).
 
This powers headphones very well (compared to ipods) and does not need an amp for most portable cans... then again, it will look little silly if you plug it into your HD800's as the Clip+ is tiny. When I needed one (rarely) I used the iBasso T3 / D-Zero.. I have been using rockbox (which is incredibly easy to install on the Clip+).
 
Plus describes it pretty well (because it has a lot of great plus points 'har har'). I bought this when I was a bit low on funds and needed an emergency PMP, the fact that I could shove in a microSD was what made me buy one. After a long period of getting my music pumped via ipod (5g 120GB) or a Cowon S9 (both of which have now been sold); the SQ/price ratio is astonishing from the Clip+. There is a noticeable difference in sound quality between the ipod and this fun, cheap little player. The Cowon, not so much a noticable difference - but it's over £200 cheaper.
 
In terms of SQ - I'd describe the clip as slightly warm (which I enjoy), but overall very well balanced. As a source it plays OGG, MP3, FLAC & ALAC (and more when using Rockbox). It delivers nicely on bass, has pleasant mids and nice highs. I haven't heard it struggle with anything thrown at it so far - and my music collection is a pretty eclectic mix.
 
I have a 32GB micro SD plugged in, so at around 40GB total it's more than big enough for FLAC playing. I've had this for around a year now and I've plugged a few cans in. I'm settled on listening with my Phonak 112's (they sound great on the Clip+), but also I use RE-zero's and this tiny device even reaches fine volume on my Beyerdynamic DT770 pro's (120 ohm). My iPod does not do that... 
 
Nothing in this price-range comes even close.. and it beats the pants out of quite a few more expensive players. I don't need OR want video functionality. I won't rant on about it...  I should re-iterate - I don't have any desire for a portable device to supply video, for me - the fact that the sansa clip+ doesn't have a huge screen, doesn't support video etc and has a very minimal mono-LED interface is a plus in itself.
 
So... save some money on your player and go and invest in some decent cans for gods sake! I'll be happily testing out a pair of DT1350's on this next week :)
 
One last thing ... Its voice recording functionality is surprisingly good and I've found it useful to record conversations for possible evidence of malpractice / on-spur interviewing where I've needed it... whilst clipped to my pocket. Totally unobtrusive and oddly useful. 
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defrenchguy
defrenchguy
The Clip+ really is a great little player and nothing come close to the overall quality/$. I had a 4gb + and it unfortunately got crushed under a car seat and did not survive. I'm either going to get the same blue + or else the new 8gb I never knew was out! I'm just not rich enough to endure the (dare I say) poorer sound quality of some of the other much more expensive mainstream players. I hear Cowon are decent but they are around 3-4x the price of this. Good review.
beebot
beebot
Thanks :) - also @Syros, to confirm, I'm now using a 32GB 4speed MicroSD (SanDisk) - which just works without the need of an adaptor.
David
David
Owing to upgrades, I (the Windows XP complainant :) ) have gone Windows 7. Absolutely no problems at all. I'm still using the player, still totally satisfied with it, and it is still going strong and loud. You won't find me sporting an iPod any time soon.

anetode

Headphoneus Supremus
The best value out there right now. Good sound quality, a more than decent battery life, decent amount of storage.

David

Head-Fier
Pros: Dead Easy to use if your computer likes it. Loud. Sounds good
Cons: If your computer doesn't like it, you've had it.
I was given this as a Christmas present. It took ages until I got a peep out of it. Windows XP Service Pack 3 seems to act like rat poison on this. Utterly refuses to acknowledge the presence as an external drive.
 
Sure you can trawl Google and get any amount of fixes (generally involving holding down button combinations or worse), but they didn't work for me at all.
 
Download a new driver, you say? Not if the Sandisk website requires you to plug the thing into a USB port before it parts with said driver. As it doesn't show up, you are stuffed there.
 
XP Service Pack 2 or Vista work a treat, so everything becomes a doddle. The ripping implement is Windows Media Player. You can ether synchronize the Clip to it, or if you don't get the terminology, and can't be bothered looking it up, set WMP to rip when you whack a CD in and drop the ripped files into a convenient folder.
 
Then drag 'n' drop, and you are away. I've fiddled with the EQ a bit, and adopted a "Decca Phase 4" policy. Boost the bass and treble. Then boost the middle while you are at it.
 
Volume is quite deafening, yet the sound stays clear. My listening criteria are merely that it sounds reasonably close to The Big Stereo speakers or the Grado SR125s (which have supplanted the Sony CD470s as they are just more. Everywhere.
 
The Clip copes admirably with everything on it. Chamber music to big orchestras, Organ, Brass and Concert Bands, McGarrigle Sisters and Proclaimers to Alabama 3 via Robert Gordon, Chris Spedding and a lot of metal. They all sound like I want it to sound, and I can't really ask for more.
 
The battery life appears to be geological.  I do have to charge it up now and then. but I've never actually timed it.
 
I like it, it's tiny and it preserves my sanity on the London Underground. I confess I use the clip to tidy the miles of wire on the Sennheiser PX200s rather than attach it to pockets and such. 
 
I've also just stuck a 16GB Micro SD card into it and bulldozed everything over from the main 8GB drive. Sounds just the same.
knucklejunction
knucklejunction
If your computer doesn't like it, Rockbox it.  Problem solved!
David
David
Thanks, KJ. I had migrated to Windows 7 quite a while ago, and have not has a moment's trouble from it from then on. (It's still going very well  :)   )
 
(I will keep RB in mind for when Microsoft inevitably pulls the W7 rug from under me. Not fancying W8 at all... )
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