Not impressed with Sansa Fuze SQ

[khbaur330162]

Compared with my ghetto H320 this thing just doesn't compare. Musicality is up there (like a built in rock eq setting or something...) with the added bass, albeit a bit bloated, being enjoyed by my iM716's, but the resolution just isn't there like it is with my iRiver. Even outputting to my PPAS or Zana Duex it sounds a bit uncontrolled. What gives? I thought this thing was supposed to be one of the best sounding players these days comparable to D2, S9, etc. Do all these players not match up that well to old school DAP's like the Karma, H320, HD-5 and such? It's a darn fine piece of equipment to take to the gym/go jogging with, but for roaming the house my H320 beats the crap out of it. Maybe I should just replace the battery, update my version of Rockbox and call it a day. H320 is God, I guess. Thinking about buying another one of these bad boys or H1x0 before they go extinct. If I could plop a 16GB flash drive in place of the HDD I think I'd be in heaven.

 

[Young Spade]

Sadly, a lot of people post that "the clip/fuze is amazing and you have to be crazy to get it" when in reality it's just another player. It is neutral and great for its price/size, but at the end of the day it's just another portable mp3 player. 

 

[slaters70]

X2. Sansa players are overrated in my view, and I have owned several (e200, Clip, Clip+ and Fuze), some more than once. Rockbox helps, but not that much.

 

[rawrster]

I found it better than the D2 but the D2 had a rolloff at the bass which I couldn't stand. The sansa player are exactly what it is. All of them are under $100 and decent dollar per gb compared to other flash players. They aren't the best players and not the worst. It's in the middle of the pack along with just about every other player that I've tried at least. Although at least 70% of my portable use is when I'm sleeping on the bus/subway
 
I paid $40 for my 8gb clip+ and get 19 hours of battery life on full charge and can upgrade up to 32gb although 16gb is much more affordable. For the price I paid I have no regrets but wouldn't say it's the best. It is fairly neutral so I like that however.

 

[debitsohn]

if you consider the price and size... its not just another player. its a fraction of the cost of some players and you should consider that. for what it does, and how much it costs, it does its job well. if youre looking for high end SQ, pay for it.

 

[wind016]

Irivers were considered to be exceptional mp3 players. the Sansa is a downgrade no doubt about it.  Maybe a Cowon or a Samsung would have been a better choice for you

 

[khbaur330162]

I guess I got caught up in the hype surrounding it. An honest mistake. Should have done more research I guess. You guys are absolutely right, though. I paid like $50 for 12gigs and this thing plays FLAC and ALAC so I'm not and shouldn't be too disappointed overall. I just wish it did more with my lossless audio. It's good enough for working out and running, like I said, but I feel others should know this isn't even close to the portable hi-fi I was and others may be hoping for. Much older technology can rock its socks w/o breaking a sweat and if this is one of the better sounding units out right now, like many people seem to be saying, it makes me wonder what people are being sold these days. Ymmv. And yea, I'm wondering what shelling out a little more dough for a D2+ or S:Flo2 would have done for me, but I'm not going to bother myself over it. My H320 is a sweet enough spot for me and the Fuze serves its purpose.

 

[Young Spade]

^Don't shell out that money for the D2+. Honestly if you want pure sound quality read up on the T51/s:flo2.

 

[tds101]

Quote:

^Don't shell out that money for the D2+. Honestly if you want pure sound quality read up on the T51/s:flo2.

Considering how bad the battery life on the T51/S:Flo2 I'd rather suggest the D2. 8-10hrs playtime is unacceptable,............ the SQ may be stellar, but it's kinda hard to hear it when the juice is all gone.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

Irivers were considered to be exceptional mp3 players. the Sansa is a downgrade no doubt about it.  Maybe a Cowon or a Samsung would have been a better choice for you

What happened to them? I see many references to the older Iriver players being so great, yet no talk of the newer ones.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Considering how bad the battery life on the T51/S:Flo2 I'd rather suggest the D2. 8-10hrs playtime is unacceptable,............ the SQ may be stellar, but it's kinda hard to hear it when the juice is all gone.

Why is 10 hours unacceptable?  I can fly from here to another continent in 10 hours.  I always have portable battery packs for my phone anyway.  If all you care about is SQ then 8-10 hours?  Fine by me.  
 
As for the Clip+ I had serious issues w/ the SQ after all the hype, some here read my thread about just that.  People like to toss around frequency response curves to indicate it's gods gift to the audio world.  The Normal/flat EQ setting was anything but to my ears.  They definitely need more power to drive dynamic phones.  I need a Fiio hooked up to the Clip to get my $17 Meelec M6's to sound their best.  Don't even ask about my Monster MD's unamped.  I am also suspect about the SNR.  For the price I paid they are fine as long as you know their role.

 

[prone2phone]

fiio released line out cable L6 for sansa fuze, you can buy it on ebay, enjoy!

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

What happened to them? I see many references to the older Iriver players being so great, yet no talk of the newer ones.

It seems that Iriver tried to start making more practical models. I heard sound quality went down and so did the UI. However, I tried my girlfriend's Iriver E10 and it sounds great.(at least from the several minutes i heard it compared to ipod)  But it just seemed so out of date though. Players need better interfaces nowadays and not look so cheap.

 
Quote:

Why is 10 hours unacceptable?  I can fly from here to another continent in 10 hours.  I always have portable battery packs for my phone anyway.  If all you care about is SQ then 8-10 hours?  Fine by me.  
 
As for the Clip+ I had serious issues w/ the SQ after all the hype, some here read my thread about just that.  People like to toss around frequency response curves to indicate it's gods gift to the audio world.  The Normal/flat EQ setting was anything but to my ears.  They definitely need more power to drive dynamic phones.  I need a Fiio hooked up to the Clip to get my $17 Meelec M6's to sound their best.  Don't even ask about my Monster MD's unamped.  I am also suspect about the SNR.  For the price I paid they are fine as long as you know their role.

I would rather take Cowon S9's approx 55 hour battery life over a dismal 10 any day.  I just will not appreciate settle sound improvements when on the move.

 

[swanlee]

Sansa players are definitely over rated here. Their is a certain cult of people that push these players in every thread about other players. Just because they are cheap and don't sound horrible doesn't mean EVERYONE should get one when they sign  up to this forum. I had a Fuse I got off woot for 25$ and to me it sounded boring, the EQ was fairly useless and it was just very thin sounding.I literally gave it away to a co worker because it wasn't worth it to me to even keep.
 
My old Zune30 sounded much better and my SFLO:2 stomps it in SQ.

 

[shigzeo]

I actually wouldn't use my Fuze if it weren't for Rockbox. It is a horrible device to: navigate, to play back files, and to look at. It is like an iPod gone very very wrong. The same people who made the horrible iSheep campaign release the Fuze with the same things that's wrong with the iPod (in their eyes), no dedicated buttons, scroll wheel, 'flashy' navigation.
 
But the worst part is how much the Fuze hisses in comparison to my other 'good' players: iPod touch 2G, S:Flo 2... and that's it. 
 
Without rockbox it is horrid, completely. 
 
What it does do best is maintain its FR even when outting to really low Ω earphones. That said, it comes at the expense of average stereo separation, horrid navigation, a useless scroll wheel and stupid screen.
 
I have very few reasons to still use it (even with RB) now that the iPod with iOS 4 has ridded the system of distorting EQ. But with hard to drive balanced armature earphones, the Fuze has a small edge, but it really is small... and embarassing.
 
I wish the S:Flo could be reworked by a team who knew navigation and quality playback tweaks. I like the sound, but everything else is sub par.
 
I come back to iPod touch again and again, hoping for something to dethrone it and nothing does.